Let All Of Oz Be Agreed

One of the major highlights of the trip was finally getting to see Wicked. I've waited eight long years for that moment and watched family members and friends get there long before I did. (Bitter about this? Me? No...)

Because of the wait and the excessive playing of my soundtrack, it took me a while to get settled in to the musical. Elphaba and G(a)linda weren't exactly the Elphaba and Glinda that I was accustomed to hearing. Around the second half I finally got adjusted and was able to have a marvelous time. One thing that surprised me was that the sets and costumes were heavily Steampunk-influenced. Lots of cogs and corsets, so I loved that. Glinda ended up being a delightful Good Witch and the Wizard was wonderful, as he should be. Our Nessa Rose was the very same Nessa from the original production. 

The traveling production is coming to Austin at the end of January and I'm ready to see it again!

Taking A Bite Out Of The Big Apple

Oh my goodness, I am so sorry for that post title. As you might expect from me, I made a point to eat some pretty incredible things during my trip.

One night we ate dinner at this teensy Italian place in Hell's Kitchen (Cara  Mia, I think?) and these little tomato caper crostini bits were hands down the best part of the meal. And they were FREE.

Brunch at Sylvia's in Harlem. Crazy wait, but the soul food was worth it. I was so hungry that I started to eat before taking pictures, which I try to avoid. (There, that's me at my most insufferably blog-esque.) Hash browns, eggs over easy, fried chicken--all drenched in Sylvia's special hot sauce.

The last night of the trip, I was still full from Magnolia's. But as I was standing right next to Village Pizza while I waited for my mom to get a New York Times from the bodega next door, I realized that this was my one shot to get a New York slice. As you can see, the crust was crisp and thin and the ratio of cheese to sauce was perfect.

There's a little bakery/deli next to the Manhattan Temple called the EuroPan Cafe, although it's jokingly referred to as the temple cafeteria. My Italian panini boasted fresh mozzarella, artichoke heats, and three kinds of cured meat. When my dad asked for a bite, I'm pretty sure I just glared him down. No way was I going to share this little beauty.

Georgia On My Mind

I love Georgia O'Keeffe because she loves New Mexico in the same way that I love New Mexico. It's a love that is reckless and brazen and without abandon. Of course, her museum in Santa Fe is a much greater collection of her work, but I was thrilled that she got wall space in the Met's temporary Alfred Steiglitz exhibit.

Impressionist

Definitely my favorite exhibit...

Modernity

From the Met's modern wing...
(My favorites were the paintings by Josef Albers. I was so in love with them that I completely forgot to take pictures. True story. Another favorite was Shimmer Bright by Barnett Newman.)

I love watching people watch art. I'd like to do a project based on that.

The picture above is the only one where I remembered to write down a source. It's Ellsworth Kelly's Spectrum V.

I think the one on the left is called Sunflowers. It was stunning in person. I also got to see my second Piet Mondrian. He's the guy responsible for the blocks of color, usually in black, white, yellow, blue, and red. A few years ago I saw one at the U of U's art museum and it blew me away. The brush strokes were so delicate and meticulous. Having been raised on art, my appreciation for modern work has grown tremendously over the years.

The Great Goddess

Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Diana

More scenes from Zuccotti Park

Next week is museum/art week! I'm rather excited.

#Occupy

That Sunday we happened to be in the same neighborhood as Zuccotti Park--all politics aside, it made for the best people-watching of the weekend.

New York Fashion, Day Three

There's this running joke in my family (possible word play?) about how my day is incapable of taking photos that include your feet. However, I like the angle of this shot. Thanks, Dad!

New York Fashion, Day Two

New York Fashion, Day One

Now That Your Rose Is In Bloom

This picture is the first one I took on the trip. I was waiting in the Austin Airport, re-reading The Book Thief and listening to Seal's "Kiss From A Rose." (I was delighted when Community used that song for the Jeff/Dean music video this week.)

Red Letter Day

Crossing Guard

Work kicked my butt today. Here, enjoy a photo of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Levain

A friend of mine recommended that we check out Levain Bakery. It wasn't too far away from our trek to the museum, so I dragged my parents through the Upper West Side, trying desperately to find it. Tucked away in a stairwell, a veritable hole-in-the-wall, we walked down the steps and entered the bakery equivalent of the TARDIS. (It was much bigger on the inside.) The whole place smelled of coffee and chocolate and hopes and dreams. Levain Bakery only sells four kinds of cookies. It's a deceptively simple business model. Granted, those cookies will run you four bucks a pop. When my dad started to grumble about the price, I told him to give the cookies a chance. So he did, and we followed suit, and all of our apprehensions melted away at the same rate as the warm cookies melted into our mouths. "This must be what heaven tastes like," I thought to myself.

I don't think my life will be the same ever again.

Moon River

Alternate title: "And I said, what about Breakfast at Tiffany's?"

(That ampersand is perfection.)

Representin' in the city

More info here.

I Love Those Cupcakes Like McAdams Loves Gosling

Today's (okay, tonight's) post is a combo NYC/SFF mash-up! Crazy, right?!

In corner number one, we have Hey Cupcake! They're an Austin institution with five locations. I've been three times--once with friends and twice by myself because I'm that person that feels she needs a treat after a hard day of work or a long day of shopping.

The HC! photos come courtesy of my new Instagram account. You can find me under gretchenalice. I promise to only sometimes post pictures of the food I eat. I'll try to make the other photos at least funny or artsy. I love instragram because it takes away the work of editing and makes all my photos look amazing. I'm basically paying for an iPhone simply so I can have a decent camera with me at all times.

The first time I went to Hey Cupcake!, I got the red velvet. The second time, I wanted a red velvet cupcake but all they had left with was one of their Double Dose cupcakes, which is chocolate-on-chocolate. It was tasty, but it was not red velvet. This week, I was relieved to find out that they did have a red velvet cupcake in stock. All cupcakes cost $3. You can buy cute gift boxes for a dollar or milk for a buck fifty. The cake is dense and rich and everything I want from a cupcake. Also, the cream cheese frosting is incredible.

You can find locations at their website. They are also on facebook and twitter.

In corner number two, we have the red velvet cake from Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street in New York's West Village. I knew Magnolia Bakery from the SNL short and The Devil Wears Prada. My friend Sara makes their banana pudding and I think that she should open a food truck. 

I ordered a slice of the cake and my parents got their lemon bars and coconut bars. We didn't actually try their cupcakes. I'm okay with this choice. 

Their cake is sweeter and more moist than the cupcakes up top. The frosting is made out of whipped cream and it is a true delight. A slice cost six bucks, but you're paying for at least two cupcakes' worth. The milk also cost a buck fifty. I'm not ashamed to admit that I finished this for breakfast the next day. 

You can find Magnolia Bakery at their website. 

The winner of tonight's red velvet challenge...it's a tie! Magnolia's was better overall, but I don't live within a ten-minute driving distance of it. Hey Cupcake! takes the proximity advantage. I think I need a second (and third) opinion from both places. 

New York in Bloom

Both on the streets...

...and in the parks.

(I'm trying very hard not to make a Mayor Bloomberg joke...)

Brownstone and Brick

I can't get enough of classic buildings. All of the brick and oxidized copper in NYC sent me into a tizzy.

It reminded of a print from the Paris vs. New York project. (Find the print here.)

NYC NaBloPoMo

Hi friends! So I recently took a trip to New York City. You would know this and other things about my life if I were a better blogger. Alas, I am not. But lucky for you, it's November, which is the time of year when I actually make an effort. For NaBloPoMo 2011, I'm going to share a picture a day with you from my trip. I took five hundred photos over the course of a three-day period, so the tough part is going to be picking out which ones to share with you. Today's photo is a view of the skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge.