Traveling in America

Happy Memorial Day weekend! I hope everyone has plenty of corn on the cob eating, white pants wearing plans for the holiday. Wright and I are headed down to Nashville for the weekend to visit his brothers. I've never been before and am so excited to see the city. Anyone have tips on places to go to? We're hoping to find some fun live music as well as check out some of the sights.

Given the current economy, traveling within the US has really become the rage - I feel like I am constantly reading guides on weekend trips to cities like Portland, OR and Asheville, NC. I think it's a great time to support our country's tourist industry and to check out some cities that you might not get to (like Nashville!).


A few summers ago, Wright and I took a fantastic trip to Pittsburgh. No one really understood why in the world we'd choose this as our summer trip, particularly after the previous year's rendez-vous in France, but we were thrilled about it. The idea first came up because I was in a Warhol stage, and wanted to visit his museum. When we started to look into it, we realized that there were a lot of fun things to see and do there - we went to a Pirates game, a ton of museums, walked along the river, took the tram up to see a view from above the city (I can't remember the mountain/hill's name right now...see picture above) - it was really a blast. But it was fun, affordable ($43 round trip flights), and a great time to just spend together. And now we can say we've been to Pittsburgh!

Along with the big Nashville trip this weekend, we're hoping to do some more American traveling this summer, including possible trips to Chicago to see the new wing of the Art Institute, New Hampshire to see Kate's house, Idaho for a wedding, and Maine to visit my grandmother and camp. There are so many neat cities in the US, and while they may not be Paris or Amsterdam, they have their own special qualities and deserve some enthusiastic tourists!

Let's go Yanks!

Last night, I made my glorious debut at the new Yankee stadium. If you live anywhere near the New York area, you have no doubt been unable to escape the overload of press that Yankee Stadium and Citi Field (the Mets' new stadium) have gotten, particularly given their gigantic price tags and the recent economic situation. A lot of the news, though, has focused more on the amenities at the new stadiums, in particular, the various new restaurants and food stands at the stadiums - Brother Jimmy's at Yankee Stadium and Shake Shack at Citi Field, to name a few.

With all this coverage, I approached my first game at the new stadium with a little trepidation. First of all, where were all these new eating adventures? How expensive would the beers be? Would the lines be insane? What if I get intimidated and prefer peanuts to fried pickles? Oh, and of course, would the Yanks continue their winning and A-Rod his home run streak? (Yes, they won, and yes, he hit a home run. It was wonderful.)

While Wright decided to go for some more upscale dining, my brother and I decided to forgo the aforementioned delights and stick with the original:


And let me tell you, my hot dog was delicious! No matter what fancy food is available, I'll always want to stick with Hebrew National to go alongside my $10 beer. You see, I love the Yankees, and I love going to Yankee stadium (new or old) because I have so many memories of going with my Dad when I was younger. Both Morgan and I do. Alas, we aren't in it for the fancy food, we're there for a hot dog, a win, and the YMCA dance during the 6th inning.

Now, the stadium as a whole was gorgeous. That's really the only way to describe it. It was new and bright, everything was clean, and there were lots of women's bathrooms. The one major difference, which I haven't quite decided is good or bad, is that since everything is new, it is very bright and open when you are inside (rather than out at seats). It is also all open-air, so that as you walk around the mezzanine or grandstand level, you are looking out at the game the whole time. This is fantastic in a) game-watching ability, b) making you feel like you aren't catching diseases, and c) allowing for less of a crowded, underground feeling and more of an open spaces, airy situation as you fight the crowd.

The negative, however, is that my favorite part of the yankees game has always been the moment you first see the field. You've been wandering in what feels like circles through a dark, dingy hallway, crowded with fans spilling beers and ketchup, and as you enter the tunnel that is your section entrance, the space around you goes from dark to light, making the experience and the stadium feel that much more grand and exciting. You suddenly leave the world behind and are in this beautiful ballpark, full of energy and neon lights. Perhaps tourists could compare this to coming up from the subway into Times Square? Or Virginians could compare to leaving the basement of New Cabell Hall and walking onto the lawn on a spring day? Whatever it is, there was a magical feeling when you stepped into the old stadium.

Anyway, since there are no dingy parts of the new stadium, this experience will be lacking from your visit. But, do not let this deter you! I highly recommend heading out to a game and checking out the new digs. You may have been hearing about the $2,000 seats, but believe me, cheap seats are available! Our tickets were only $19. Granted, our food cost more than that, but it was totally worth it when Jeter hit the 3-run double.

Aluminum Jungle

I've been either working or away most weekends the past few months, so this weekend I was really craving some museum time. I had major catching up to do on exhibitions (many of which I still haven't gotten to!) and planned my attack right as some other exhibitions were just opening. We saw five high-quality exhibitions this weekend, but the one that I've been thinking about the most is Roxy Paine's installation on the roof of the Met.


The roof garden (and exhibition) just opened last weekend, and on a warm, pre-Memorial day Friday evening, it was packed. The crowd, however, ended up really adding to the piece. Paine, who you may remember designed the aluminum trees in Madison Square Park a couple years ago, created an encompassing and tangled tree structure out of aluminum for the roof of the Met. It was invasive and complicated; confusing and elegant. Because of the crowds, you were constantly climbing through branches, meandering over and under these metal arms. The roof, crowded with ladies in heels and men in suits, holding cocktails and watching the sun set, literally became a jungle gym. It was fantastic!

The choice of aluminum made the sculpture light, rather than heavy, so it would sort of bounce around, and you could touch it and shake it, making branches on the other side of the space move in tandem. It was playful, and viewers were having fun. I was really surprised at how interactive the piece became - you could never just stand and look at it; you were engulfed by it.

This installation was a dark horse in the group of summer "blockbusters" we saw and I absolutely fell in love with it. I hope anyone who is in New York this summer will get a chance to see it!! The Roof Garden is open during Museum hours, as well as on Friday and Saturday evenings for cocktails, until 8:30pm. The sunset over the park is a must-see.

Museum-hopping

Tonight I am going here...


then here...


then here (Yum!)..


then here!




TGIF!

The New York Diet

One of my favorite weekly reads is Grub Street's The New York Diet, posted on Fridays. Each week, they ask someone to write simply about what they eat. The past two weeks have been chefs (Dan Barber and Jean-Georges Vongerichten), but their choices range from Broadway performers and models to editors and local politicians.

It's always interesting to make lists of what you eat, and voyeuristically look at other people's lists, but the way NY mag asks people to actually write about what they are eating - and why - makes it even more intriguing. You get to see the range of routines that people have, and it really makes you realize how our jobs and lifestyles end up dictating what/how we eat. After reading a few of them, you do start to see some patterns - generally people strive for healthy, but end up with at least a few (sometimes more!) gluttonous moments during the week - as well as the distinct individualism that comes with someone's eating habits.

If you're curious, I had plain oatmeal, vanilla yogurt, and homemade granola for breakfast. All mixed together, just the way I (and probably no one else) like it.