New York: many meals and several days

[oyceter]

I got into New York on Friday and promptly went karaoke-ing until 3 in the morning. I feel like I have been sleep deprived ever since!

Have had incredibly tasty food so far, although I still tend to prefer vegetarian restaurants that feature more vegetables or tofu and less vegetarian meat, which is probably why I liked Red Bamboo's desserts and appetizers more than the entrees. Except littlebutfierce's cod cakes, which were deep fried and didn't seem to be emulating something else.

I went to a few vegetarian places in Taiwan over the summer, and the trend seems to be moving away from the fake meat, so the contrast was particularly interesting.

On the other hand, I am still very fond of vegan desserts for some reason! I suspect it is because they don't trigger my occasional lactose intolerance.

The weather is extremely odd: the California-like blue skies and fluffy white clouds today gave way to heavy rain later, the past two days have been nippy while today and Saturday were hot, and a thunderstorm woke me up on Monday. It's like New York is trying to decide between being like Taiwan or California and giving me severe climate confusion.

Today, I walked through Central Park and saw the superhero costume exhibit at the Met with astolat. The exhibit was more on the influence of superhero costumes on the runway and less on the evolution of superhero costumes, which the geek in me would have been more interested in, and the focus was more on superheroes who have had TV or movie incarnations. But still, very neat, and there's an amazing dress of brightly colored feather and several other spider-webby ones that I really wanted.

Also, Central Park is very large! My feet are complaining.

So, New York people, I am actually going to be slightly touristy this time and try to see museums, to break a little with my usual activities of book shopping, eating, more book shopping, and more eating. I am thinking about seeing the Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology, the planetarium, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, and the Museum of Sex. Any advice?

Comments

[telophase.livejournal.com]

If you like European medieval art, tapestries, and statuary, The Cloisters is a wonderful museum.

[oyceter]

I think I'm going to try to avoid more European pre-modern stuff, just because I've had chances to see more of it, and also Chinese art since I have access to the Taiwan Natl. Palace Museum and the SF Asian Art Museum.

Unless there are clothes involved, as I am obsessed with clothes.

But someday, I will make it up there!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

The things Mom and I liked best where we were there were serendipitous things - finding and going into the Takashimaya store - didn't buy much, but it was a very nice store to poke about in - and accidentally stumbling across an exhibition of photographs by National Geographic photographers nearby.

We also went into FAO Schwartz, to experience it in December. XD


Edited becuz I SPEL GUD

And another edit: we also Did Theatre, which was more-or-less the point of our trip. :D

[oyceter]

Oh me too! It's just, I keep doing that in NY, and after coming here to visit my sister four or five times, I am starting to feel like I should attempt to partake of a little culture as well ;).

I should check out Takashimaya again! I haven't been to the NY one for a while.

Other plans so far include Bookoff, Union Sq. market, the Strand again (haha), and maybe other stuff depending on how much my feet complain.

[hysteriachan.livejournal.com]

Sometime in the next few weeks I'm going to have to hit you up for NY food recs and see if you know of anything remotely near where I'm going to be. ^_^

[oyceter]

I am guessing other people will have much better recs than me (but go to Chikalicous, the awesome dessert bar). And cheap fried buns in Chinatown!

[hysteriachan.livejournal.com]

^_^ But you're the best-traveled foodie I know! (I read some other relevant LJs, so I'll probably also poke through, say, coffeeandink's tags, but I've never really talked to her other than via occasional comments.)

I'll look those places up and see if they're anywhere near where we'll be. (Is Chinatown in Manhattan? NYAF is, I think.) So far I have no sense of NY geography/transportation at all, which isn't helpful.

[oyceter]

OK! If you email me where you're going to be staying, I can ask my sister for recs too.

[sophia-helix.livejournal.com]

I liked the planetarium and the dinosaurs very much at the natural history museum, though I felt like I could give the rest of it a pass (mostly halls of neglected anthropological displays with faded cardboard backgrounds). Of course I was there in 2003, so maybe it's had a makeover since then.

[oyceter]

Yeah, I was at the Natural History Museum a couple years ago, and once more before that as well, so I'm probably skipping that this time around. I've been to the planetarium too, but I have a weakness for them ;). Mostly I'm trying to look for slightly less well-known museums, since I went to college in NJ and would come up every so often, and because I usually drop by NY once or twice a year to see my sister.

[littlebutfierce]

MoSex is like $20 to get in, I think, unless you have a coupon--just a heads-up. This is why I worked cattycorner from there for 2 years & have never gone (none of my coworkers either, heh).

If you wanted to go to Flushing (lots of good food, nom nom, although I suppose given that you were just in Taiwan, maybe not so exciting anymore) you could go to the Queens Museum of Art & see the Panorama. Oh! & they also are still showing Dulce Pinzon's photographs of immigrants dressed up as superheroes.

[oyceter]

Ooooo that sounds awesome! I am a fan of tiny buildings. Hey, if I went for Monday, would you be interested in lunch?

Huh, the MoSex website says $14.50 for adults and $13.50 for students, so ... still expensive, but at least slightly less so? And there's a print-outable $3 off coupon online.

[littlebutfierce]

I actually work near Lincoln Center now, so that wouldn't work for lunch. :(

Wow, I am surprised at the MoSex prices--I wonder if they went down? Because I definitely remember being put off by the price... me & my coworker especially (we were ex-coworkers from a sex ed organization & thus especially wanted to go) were like, what? Either I am remembering wrong or they weren't getting enough visitors at a higher price point!

[oyceter]

Darn, yeah, that would be far for you ;).

I hope MoSex lowered their prices! I mean, I am guessing they do not have the mass appeal of say, the Met, but accessibility is a good thing!

[seaya.livejournal.com]

I'd say go to Vatan, but I think they are closed for renovation.

http://www.vatanny.com/

Yes, they are...but they are supposed to open soon, and point to another restaurant they own. It is technicaly the fall, though, so I'd cal Vatan and see!

The other place is:
http://www.gaamny.com/

http://www.gaamny.com/DinnerMenu.htm

Anyhow, great veggie Gujarati food, don't just take my word for it, I once made a Desi food blogger scold me jokingly for mentioning it and making her salivate ;). You can ask for no dairy, and you can pick the amount of spicy.

[oyceter]

Ooooo those look tasty, thanks!

[deepad]

Oyce! I will be in NYC from around Friday till the 25th. Would you like to meet up? Otherwise, I will be stalking this thread for museum recs.

[oyceter]

Yes! How does Monday lunch sound?

[deepad]

I'm working at the Indo-American Dance Festival, which has a performance at One Chase Manhattan Plaza (Nassau & Liberty St) on Monday from 12 to 2pm. Are you interested in dance? There are also some plays I'm interested in seeing, if you're a theatre person.

If you email me nrityangana AT hotmail DOT com I can give you my phone number, and we could figure schedules out.

[oyceter]

Are you interested in dance?

OMG YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!!

[deepad]

::grin::

An email address would be good, so I can get more specific about my schedule with you. I'd love to do some dance with you.

[furies.livejournal.com]

The Bible Museum is pretty cool, as is Museum Barrio. Though if you are looking for clothes . . . hmmm. The Frick at one time had a BEAUTIFUL exhibit of Armani - I have no idea what they are showing now. The Guggenheim has an excellent exhibit on Louise Bourgeois right now.

Have you been to the Tenement Museum? I kind of adore that one.

I wish my roommate was here, he is vegan and doesn't like fake meat and knows the best places to go. I can ask him later, if you'd like. I mean, I don't really like vegan food in general (I just can't get over the fake stuff and I don't really enjoy tofu at all) but I do LOVE the stuff he orders. There are really good Indian and Ethiopian restaurants downtown that have excellent vegan/vegetarian options.

[oyceter]

Oooo! I checked out El Museo Del Barrio and am so sad that it seems to be closed for renovations now. And the Tenement Museum looks awesome.

[oracne.livejournal.com]

The Frick is lovely, and you can see it all in an afternoon--however, it's very European art.

The National Museum of the American Indian is free! I have not been yet, alas, but have heard it's good.

Ellis Island is a whole day trip, but I remember really enjoying the museum, and of course you get a boat ride.

Museum of TV and Radio is where I saw OLD figure skating footage:
www.mtr.org
25 West 52 Street
New York, NY 10019
(212) 621-6800
Tues- Sun noon-6pm
Thurs noon-8pm
Theaters: Fri noon-9pm

I've always wanted to go to El Museo Del Barrio, but haven't done it yet, either:
www.elmuseo.org [Puerto Rican, Caribbean and Latin American art]
1230 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street
(212) 831-7272
Wed-Sun, 11am-5pm
Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4
Subway: #6

[oyceter]

Ooo! And the Museum of the American Indian is next to the Museum of Jewish Heritage too....

The Museo Del Barrio looks awesome and I am so sad that it seems to be closed for renovations right now.