Tag: moma

Birthday Celebration Day #3 “Recovery Day: Or Californians Cannot Deal With Rain”

by reissmd, posted in New York City

Yesterday was so special we were bound to have a let down today.  It started out well in that I did make it to the gym today.  Oops, I forgot we are at a fancy hotel and they don’t have a gym.  I got up early and went to the Fitness Center.  I did a short run on the treadmill and then headed back to the room.  Much to my surprise, Patrice was awake and soon we were on our way to the lounge for the breakfast we missed yesterday. 

The hotel breakfast buffet was good but not great.  I tried to eat healthy after my day of debauchery yesterday. For example, today I thought some cheese would be good.  Since the tomato and cheese (mozzarella) salad was a little devoid of cheese (see below) I decided to have a cheese danish instead.  Healthy choice, no?

Where’s the cheese?

After breakfast we whined for a while because today was much colder and it was raining.  Definitely something Californians do not enjoy.  We decided to brave the elements and take a short walk to MOMA (Museum of Modern Art).  I have to confess I am not much of a modern art guy but the other museums were much further away so MOMA was my choice as well. 

First we saw this Jackson Pollock painting.  I don’t recall the name but I think it was “Painter falls and spills his supplies”.  See below.

If your mind works like this is it any surprise the artist had a drinking problem?

We also saw this sculpture.  I think it was called “Jafar from Aladdin”. 

Admit it, doesn’t it look like Jafar?

We did see one of Patrice’s favorites, Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh so the trip was worthwhile.  

Okay, okay, I liked it too!

Another art piece I enjoyed was this one with a medical theme entitled “Jewish Penicillin”.  See below

Andy Warhol’s rendition of our cure all.

Please don’t think I didn’t enjoy myself.  Actually I had a very good time.  I really enjoyed the Senior Discount we received and all the steps I racked up on my pedometer. 

After MOMA it was time to eat.  I told Patrice I wanted to head to Junior’s across the street from the hotel for a corned beef sandwich.  Followers of the blog know that I never eat Shrimp and Grits (which I love) north of the Mason Dixon line.  I have a similar rule for corned beef on Rye.  I only eat it when we come to New York.  This serves me well in that I always enjoy a good corned beef sandwich  on our trips here and my longevity is not severely compromised.   The meal was delicious but I was disappointed that they didn’t offer potato knishes. A New York deli and no knishes?

Tonight we decided to stay at the hotel for entertainment.  The reasons are simple, it is cold and raining outside and Monday is typically a dark night for Broadway so all the shows that interested us are not performing.  Instead we saw “Stranger Things: the First Shadow” at the hotel theater. This was a prequel to a show of the same name on Netflix. The people in attendance seemed to love it. I assume they were fans of the show because I didn’t get it and could hardly wait for it to end.  

We leave early tomorrow so this will be my last post of the trip.  Followers know I like to end with some interesting photos so here you go. 

Do you really need to tell people this?
Junior’s tribute to our Dodgers?
Health food truck around the corner from our hotel.

See you in December when we travel to ………………….

Ciao

Patrice here. Thank you for a very nice birthday trip.

New York and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Day 2 “A Day of Culture” November 6, 2019

by reissmd, posted in New York City, Uncategorized

This morning our guilt from last night’s never-ending meal at The Modern, was a tremendous burden so we got up early (about 11 AM) and went to the gym for a work out. After that we headed out for some food of course. Patrice found a place called “Friedman’s Kitchen and Bar” (233 W 49th St, New York, NY 10019) which was on the way from our hotel to the Museum of Modern Art (our destination for today). I was in the mood for a good New York deli, so I was all in favor.

The place looked good and the staff was friendly but I have to admit I was a bit confused by the menu which featured Grilled Fish Tacos, Chicken Tostada Bowl, and Chicken Banh Mi. I asked our hostess if the restaurant was named after the owner (“No, his name is Mr. Phillips”). She explained that the restaurant was named after Milton Friedman, the famous economist. Now I was really confused, I inquired if Milton Friedman was a gourmet among his other more notable talents. She said she didn’t know about that but she said he was known for the phrase, “There is no such thing as a free lunch”. Now it all made sense and my hopes for a Senior Discount was quickly forgotten. We got to meet the owner, Mr. Phillips, who, like his staff was a very friendly young man. The food was good and like I said the staff was great.

Our server, Matthew, Patrice, and Hostess, Jess.

After lunch we headed to MOMA. The museum recently reopened after being closed for 4 months as part of a $450 million renovation. The place looks fantastic. The design is very contemporary (hmmm, who would have guessed that?) and the layout is very user friendly. The exhibits are on 6 floors (there is a gift shop and theaters on a lower floor below the street level entrance) that are all very easy to access and laid out in a circular design letting you see all the exhibits without missing anything.

We got to see Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”, Dali’s “The Persistence of Memory”, and Warhol’s “Campbell Soup Cans”. You can also see all three of those masterpieces in our home. Of course the ones in our home are a little less valuable than the originals at MOMA. The one exception in the Campbell Soup Can in our house which is a needlepoint made by my sister, Annette, and given to me as a gift.

Starry Night by Van Gogh
Dali’s “Persistence of Memory”
Campbell’s Soup Can by Andy Warhol (I like mine better).

There were some things in MOMA that left me a little befuddled regarding their art value.

Is a man’s hairy armpit art?
What about a leg sticking out of the wall?
I think these two clocks were entitled, “A Waste of Time”.

We were just about to leave MOMA when Patrice and I got into a big fight. I found two things on exhibit that she made me throw out recently. Just think what we could do with the money we could have had from selling these two treasures (see below).

I knew my note pad had value.
“Pine Cone” An obvious treasure but not recognized by my wife.

I am sure you have had enough of my whining and complaining for one day. After all, it’s time for DINNER.