untold blisses

I was startled awake on Sunday morning by a fire engine siren directly outside our hotel.  For a moment, I had no idea what was going on, but quickly remembered as the sirens and honking continued.  We knew we wanted to go to the MOMA today as we had seen that the worst of the weather was going to be Sunday morning, and we also knew we wanted to get the joint MOMA and 30 Rock ticket so started off in the direction of Rockefeller Plaza.  We found a Starbucks (what else) on Broadway which was oddly empty, and then went over to to buy our tickets, thinking there would be queues.  Of course there wasn’t – who would want to go to the observation deck when it was so grim out?

Tickets very quickly bought, we accidentally found ourselves amongst the restaurants and cafes underneath the plaza on the Concourse.  We mentally bookmarked this for later as there was actually space to sit here, before walking the few blocks to the MOMA.

I found the museum quite scatty – there didn’t seem to be an logical flow to the place and you’d walk down a hallway only to find yourself at a dead end with no art.  The sheer volume of people was quite overwhelming, and exhibitions like Frank Lloyd Wright and the City passed in a blur as I couldn’t even get to see the pieces.  I also found myself getting irrationally angry by the amount of people taking stupid selfies in front of the art.  One guy asked us to take a photo of him in front of an Andy Warhol and he’s lucky I didn’t fling his camera to the ground and stamp on it (Husband was more accommodating).  Others didn’t even looking at the art before holding up their iPhones in front of themselves and pulling a duck face.  I know I’m a grumpy old lady now, but is it too much to ask that I can look at art in peace without some stupid millennial having to document that they were there.  Ugh.

Anyway, highlights were their photographic exhibition which I really enjoyed, and another on John Cage’s 4’33”.  My favourite piece was probably Jackson Mac Low’s Social Project 1, 2, and 3 – “Find a way to end war.  Make it work”.

We tried to get into the Gauguin exhibit on the top floor but we couldn’t as it was packed, so we retreated back to Rockefeller Plaza to get some lunch.  I didn’t enjoy the MOMA anywhere near as much as I thought I would, and it just had me longing for the Tate Modern or the V&A.

Lunch was from Lenny’s, a great sandwich/deli place where Husband got pastrami and beef and I got a mozzarella and chicken.  There was a crazy selection of bread, but I think I managed ordering ok, and we went and sat by the ice rink to eat.

Over lunch, we firmed up some plans for the afternoon which ended up being “Husband shopping time”.  We went to Uniqlo 5th Avenue which was a huge store on three levels, with part of level 2 as a dedicated Starbucks (the top photo).  I was there in an advisory capacity, nodding or shaking my head as Husband picked up t-shirt after t-shirt.  A lot of consideration went into his purchases.  They had a great collaboration going with the MOMA which I was led to believe was only in New York WHICH IT WAS NOT but regardless, there were some great Ryan McGuinness shirts.  I wish I’d seen some of his stuff in the MOMA.

We then continued up 5th Avenue and, oh hey, what’s this, it’s the Apple Store!  What a coincidence.  Admittedly, this worked out well for me as I needed a new cable for my Macbook, and I also fell in love with a JBL Pulse (soon to be purchased).  As we descended the steps into the underground cube, the Apple employees were all cheering and whooping for something, but goodness knows what.  It was an insanely busy shop and I was quite pleased to finally escape with my new cable.

We were right across the street from Central Park, so we figured we just dip our toes in to the bottom of the park.  We saw the bridge from Home Alone 2, so that satisfied my childhood self.  It was still incredibly grey so there wasn’t much point exploring further or taking photos, so we headed back to the hotel for another lovely bath and nap combo.

When we were ready to go out for dinner, I’d had a vague idea to find a Shake Shack, but it had started to rain quite badly again, so we ended up at a place across the street which was not great.  Serafina apparently is “whimsical Italian experience” but we didn’t find it that whimsical.  I mainly found it quite pricy and lukewarm, but hey, we didn’t get soaked getting there.  We have come across a weariness in some places when the wait staff realise we’re British, as the stereotype is that British people don’t tip, but actually, Husband and I are so poor at maths that we almost always end up tipping at least 20% as that’s easy to work out.  However, this waiter clearly had the “ugh, Brits” attitude and didn’t even crack a smile.  Sucks to be you buddy – I actually got my calculator out and only tipped you 15%.  HA!

Lacklustre meal over, the rain had cleared so I decided to drag Husband over to Sprinkles Cupcakes.  It was just after 8pm by this time, and no, the bakery wasn’t open but the 24 hour ATM was!  CUPCAKE ATM!  There was a bit of a queue when we got there, full of drunk people, and Husband was the only straight man in the queue, but I paid my $8, and got coffee and red velvet cupcakes to take back to the hotel.  I felt really self conscious so didn’t take a photo, but I wish I had now.

My cupcake was shoved into my mouth as soon as we got back into the room and it was delicious.  Husband was more reserved and took his time appreciating the cake.

I repacked our suitcase as this was our last night here and surprisingly managed to fit everything in with room to spare.  I then realised it was Sunday night, so screech at Husband to stick the TV on in time for Revenge.  YEAH!  I fell to sleep pretty much straight after.