I got some flack this weekend for my brief blog post last week. In my defence, bagel comas are serious and debilitating (but thank you for holding me to task...)! At any rate, for those of you who are going to New York anytime soon or want to know what I got up to, while there; here are 4 fun things to do in the city (Manhattan specifically):
1. Sleep No More. It’s not as if this play is a well kept secret. It’s been playing in New York for nearly 10 years now, but I’ll add my voice to the chorus of recommendations that you go do this. It’s a creepy, exhilarating and voyeuristic experience. For those of you who don’t know, this play is set inside an old warehouse building in Chelsea (dubbed the McKittrick Hotel). The performance is based on Shakespeare’s Scottish Play, but has more to do with mood and psychology than with plot and acting (think MacBeth meets the Shining/Eyes Wide Shut/David Lynch). Be bold and you’ll get more out of the experience.
2. New York’s Parks. Aside from Central Park (leave at least a day for this) check out some of NYC’s other relaxing green spaces, such as:
- Washington Square park is great for people watching before a night out in the village.
- Union Square Park has a frenetic farmer’s market that’s fun to shop or to just hang out
- Madison Square Park is a great place to grab a bite and stare at one of the best views of the Flatiron Building.
- The High-line is the newest addition to Manhattan’s parks and is a great way to explore the city from above (and is also a breath of fresh air - literally).
3. Bagels & Pizza
- No trip to New York would be complete without a visit to Russ & Daughters for your Bagel 'n Lox fix. This place does everything perfectly and has been doing it perfectly for a very, very long time. It’s an expensive breakfast (as far as bagels go), but if you’re in the neighbourhood, skip the goddamn pastrami circus at Katz’s and get your Jewish food craving satisfied here. They’ve also opened up a cafe, but why wouldn’t you want to do a little time travelling by visiting the old shop?
- The quintessential New York slice can be had a Joe’s on Carmine (that or Sbarro’s😉). The sauce is sweet, fresh and simple. The crust is chewy, thin and flavourful. Order a cheese slice, fold it in half and stuff it in your gullet. Repeat 2 more times and try to think of a better way to spend $3.
4. The Met and The Memory Palace. If you haven't been listening to The Memory Palace Podcast by Nate DeMeo - please give it a try. It's a unique podcast and Nate DeMeo is exceptional adept at breathing life into history - at making it human and immediate. Right now, he is also the Artist in Residence at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and as such, is planning to release 11 special episodes (only 7 are available as of this writing) of The Memory Palace. Each special episode deals with a specific work, or a specific gallery, inside of the museum. It's a very unique experience, that really brings the work to life! If you're only willing to try one episode while at The Met, make it this one and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Also, just to make this tangentially related to photography - bring your camera on any visit to NYC. It's a beautiful and gritty city (and everything in between) and you’ll be inspired.
Please follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and let me know in the comments if you'd like to see blog posts on any other topics or to comment on this one. I'll keep the Instagram feed of NYC locations going for a little bit longer.
Feature Photograph of the Week - Karsts of Yangzhou 2
A view of the top of Moon Hill in Guangxi Region (just a few kilometres outside of Yangzhuo). The landscape of the region figured heavily in Chinese Art throughout history. It's primarily made up of these relatively small, limestone karts. It's a truly unique corner of the world!
The first of this series has been moved from the gallery to the Wind Gallery.