Thursday, December 2, 2010

Blue Grass Brunch and Museum Madness

It's easy to fall into the brunch and shopping routine on weekends in NYC. Not that this is a bad thing, but sometimes it's nice to check out some of the city's cultural attractions (isn't that why we say we live in New York?) Spending Thanksgiving in the city gave me a few extra days to take advantage of some things I don't always have time for.

If you want to shake things up in your brunch routine, there is a slight variation which you can pretend is cultural at Nolita House. You still get mimosas and eggs Benedict, but the addition of a bluegrass band makes it feel like you've had an experience versus just paid $25 for a meal that costs $2 to make. (Not that I don't love brunch in NYC, but you know how sometimes you can pay a lot for some eggs and a mimosa consisting of Tang and a splash of champagne?) I loved the bluegrass band - these guys were awesome and made me feel like I was back down South in college (yet did I ever wake up early enough for a semblance of something called brunch back then?)

After brunch, we hit up the MoMA (if you think "hit up the MoMA" is an appropriate expression when talking about viewing art) and saw a painting called "people staring at nothing," aka a solid black painted canvas.

MoMA has not only an incredible permanent collection, but always has intriguing rotating exhibits. If you've ever dreamed of screaming in a museum, now's your chance, with the participatory exhibit "Voice Piece for Soprano" created by Yoko Ono. A museum-goer participates here but Yoko's performance is even more entertaining (and totally awkward.) 

The other stop on the Thanksgiving museum tour was the Brooklyn Museum (@ Prospect Park.) There are a lot of interesting pieces here, though the museum flow/ feng shui felt a bit off... it's rather hard to navigate. I'm not a huge Norman Rockwell fan ordinarily, but was fascinated by this exhibit featuring his work and the photographs he used to stage his paintings (exhibit through April 10th.) It made me think about his work in a whole new light.

Also enjoyed this exhibit from Fred Tomaselli - it's hard to see, but much of his work consists of thousands of tiny pills, everything from Benadryl to hallucinogenics. 

Hope this provided a bit of inspiration, and would love to hear about any NYC escapes you've planned for the winter months!

1 comment:

  1. I haven't been to a museum in years. I am quite intrigued by the MOMA one where you can bark and yell! Escapes I have planned for this winter are Brooklyn Bowl and running around the park.