Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Viva el arte

Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while since my last update. Work is getting busy now, which I'm happy about, but I'm still very lazy since summer "officially" began yesterday. So to get right on the ball, my friend and I went to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the upper east side of Manhattan. Surprisingly, the MET is not my favorite museum (a lot of people already hate me for this). I rather prefer the Whitney, or even the Guggenheim, but never would I have said I liked the MET. I guess it's all those museum reports for school. However, the exhibits I saw there were EXTRAORDINARY. It was scary. Like, was this exhibit here before and I just never saw it? When did this appear? WHAT HAPPENED?! I was so amazed by everything about the MET that now I can finally say it is one of my top three museums on my list.

Be prepared to be amazed!

What do these look like? branches? sticks? You're close...
They're bamboos! Whats even more amazing, is that these bamboos aren't in a forest, its on top of the roof at the MET museum!
The artist designed the bamboos on the rooftop, where not only can you sit and climb on...
...but to see the amazing view of the New York skyline! Isn't it a beaut?! The juxtaposition of nature and the gray buildings create a dynamic view of harmony in the big, bad, urban jungle. It reveals how human creation and nature intertwine in such a creative way. Both sides are enhanced by the existance of the other. I think this exhibit really expressed this theme well.
Dazed and very impressed, I went downstairs to the modern and contemporary exhibits. I was so ecstatic because I haven't seen such radical paintings/sculptures/ideas at the MET EVER. It made me sooooo happy to find such creativity at the MET, because usually I go to the Whitney or MoMA for such great works. I think the MET is finally displaying not only its traditional pieces, but also moving to make room for pieces that exhibit a more contemporary outlook of art.
I absolutely loved this piece. The whole wall is lined up with canvas that display solid gradation of colors. So simple, but peaceful and calming at the same time. It's quite exciting - it reminds me of my moods. Sometimes I can be really happy and yellow, others blue and gloomy. The colors are really bright and colorful, which really emphasizes human emotion (and other things as well).

I love Jackson Pollack, and I was very glad his painting was at the exhibit. He is one of my favorite artists of all time! :)

By the way, the BEST TIME EVER TO GO TO THE MUSEUM, is on a SATURDAY NIGHT WITH A FRIEND because the museum is open until like 9 PM, and its just so quiet and intimate because its not as crowded. It was soooo much better to be there - a whole new experience.<3>_<).
Picasso exhibit was displayed. Personally, I never really liked Picasso (don't hate me). BUT, the MET, once again, surprised me. So I really thought he was a cubist painter, but he had a whole DIFFERENT style when he was just starting off! His paintings were so provocative yet had a point of view. His paintings were so distinct and... I don't know... questioning? Okay, not the greatest word, but, his paintings made you THINK. He didn't also just paint people just because he wanted to, but because he wanted to GET HIS POINT ACROSS. They were so... revealing about the society he was living in, especially concerning women. He depicted the psychological depression of people's lives, and also, I think his own. It was so... emotional? More along the lines of... expressive. I really enjoyed his beginning days as an artist after I saw his exhibit. Afterall, it changed to a whole different style in the end. Each room was like walking through his life as an artist, starting from when he was young to when he matured and succeeded. Though I took pictures of his exhibit, I didn't put any up (other than the beginning room) because I felt I would ruin the beauty and magic of the exhibit. EVERYONE should go to the MET in general, because I learned so much that day. It was really quite inspiring, and made me realize how quick I judged art. (Forgive me, art!) So the lesson of the day? Go, get inspired, and paint! :)
However! The day wasn't over yet! We went all over the place once again, but the last stop was Dylan's Candy Bar! Seriously, M&M store is so overrated (Time Square, NY). Dylan's Candy Bar was like getting high off of sugar. It was a totally cool place (though expensive for my taste).

The outside is so bright and groovy aha~ It's so bright, especially at night. It's beckoning to me...
Not only is the place filled with candy from top to bottom, it also has a cafe on the first floor and party rooms in the basement!
When I said the place was filled with candy, I meant it! The stairs even have candy inside each step! It's quite wonderful :D
So that's it for today folks! Time for some green tea with honey and Chobani's greek yogurt.
I hope all of you have a relaxing day!
~simplymeeeeeee


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posted by ~Simplyme @ 9:09 AM 2 Comments

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Menu for Today: More food!

Konnichiwa~
So while I am at work, I am writing on my blog. -__-;;; I hope I don't get fired. LOL
So I decided to upload the pictures that I took when I went to "Cha An," a Japanese restaurant in lower east side - around St. Mark's place and Union Square. For you guys who already know your way around New York City, its a couple of restaurants down from St. Mark's Bookshop. So a bunch of friends and I stopped by this Japanese restaurant because we heard that the desserts were amazing~! And they were:

So this is the black sesame creme brulee - it was the reason we wanted to stop by here. People said that this dessert was the one we should totally try, and they weren't kidding! This dessert was amazing!!!!!!! So the black sesame creme brulee is on the right, and it was sweet and tasty. The black sesame taste really complemented the creamy portion of the dessert. It also came in a stack of flaky crackers!



The sakura flan: Oh so yummy. Hands down. So I am a fan of gooey, jiggling desserts, so I was extremely satisfied with this dessert. The dessert tasted like green tea, and it was also decorated with a sakura flower (kawaii des!) and red bean paste (yum^^). It wasn't TOO sweet, so people who love to eat desserts that are not like a pixie stick explosion in your mouth, this is the dessert for you. ;)


Bad picture I know. >_<;; So this was the ice cream dessert with a HUGE wafer cracker sticking out the top. The design is very creative and the taste was pleasant, but compared to the very distinct, eastern desserts, it was plain. It also looks like something I am not going to mention...>.> talk about subliminal mesages... ahahaa




We had to try the tea as well! This was a non-sweet beverage that I cannot remember. Sorry!! >__< But it was still good.




I think these were macarons. They are also tasty, but they were plain. It wasn't that fancy and mind-blowing like the other desserts.

Overall, Cha-An is a great Japanese place to stop by for some awesome desserts! It was a cool experience I would say. ;D

If you love food like I do, I know you would want to go here after a night in the city. It is located in a quaint (sp?) building on the 2nd flr, so remember not to pass by it (because we did xD).

As tigger would say, "Ta, ta, for now!"

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posted by ~Simplyme @ 6:04 AM 1 Comments

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

The opening of Simple Attractions!

Hello people of the internet world! This site was created to share with you the cultures and events in New York City. From museums to art galleries to food, all that I have experienced will be uploaded into this blog of mine. :) I hope you enjoy the diversity of the cultures found in this amazing city!






So this is Belgian Fries found at Pommes Frites in St. Marks Place - kinda close to Union Square. This neighborhood is full of college kids from NYC, Cooper Union, and etc. It's a great hangout place with great food! The great thing about Pommes Frites is not only its awesome fries, but the assortment of sauces you can get. Their menu has dozens of listings that are bound to meet your taste buds. ;) They range from wild mushroom sauce, rosemary garlic mayo sauce, smoked eggplant sauce, and so much more! The portions are great too!! The trouble is that it is located in a very small place. Though it has tables in the back, there are hardly any room to sit. However, who wants to sit when you can hold your yummy fries in your hands and explore downtown Manhattan?! You can always find seats outside as well due to other vendors. Enjoy~

Next stop, Yogurt Station!! So, we all heard of Pinkberry, Red Mango, and some of you New Yorkers even heard of 16 handles. The amazing thing about Yogurt Station though is not only its numerous flavors of frozen yogurt and toppings, but the price! It is weighed very cheaply, so you can buy a huge portion for less money than the other frozen yogurt chains!





So this one was about 7-8 dollars. However, there were all sorts of fro-yos: red-velvet cake (never tried it before so that was a must!), banana, cake batter, green margaritas, and vanilla. The topping looks massive doesn't it? It was a lot of STUFF lemme tell ya. But totally worth your 7-8 dollars I would say.

So to move on to the Limelight marketplace! :D
So I was really, REALLY looking forward to go to this mall for MONTHS. I was so happy to finally enter this church renovated into a mall:

The decor was really chique and fun:

When I last went, there were three floors of food, chocolate, candy, make-ups, beauty shops, boutiques, soap shops, etc. Many different varieties for a lady like me to enjoy. ;)
THE DESSERTS WERE HEAVENLY BY THE WAY. It was the first time I tried gelatos, and I have to say, they do have a place in my heart.<3
Though these were sort of expensive, just LOOK at them and you cannot resist them. *drool It is truly one of those things you must try when you are in the city.

Candy! Assortments of candy always make me happy no matter where I am -^^-

So I say adieu for now, but come join me on my adventures in Manhattan by reading my blog! We can enjoy them together. ^^

~Simplyme

posted by ~Simplyme @ 6:45 PM 0 Comments