New York Highlight 2: art edition

I'm sitting here in a our fav. bookstore/cafe (yes the one with the sandwich) with Bluebelle and we're just catching up on things, grading (or attempting to grade) and reflecting on my presentation yesterday...which is over, and thus good.

One of the other experiences bluebelle and I shared was our first time at MOMA, in New York. I've wanted to go to MOMA for a while now and it was a must-see for me on this trip. We went (along with our dear friend Heather) on a day (that was a public holiday here in the US).

First of all, it was so heartening to see how many people make a day of it by going to a museum. The state of the arts, if our experience at the MOMA is any indication, is healthy- even in tough times such as these. It was really wonderful to see so many people taking hours out to appreciate art, telling their little children about famous paintings and to watch people of all ages, types and nationalities wandering around the museum.



I couldn't help but think back to some of the beautiful pieces of art that lie dustily neglected in museums in India because of archaic rules, bad management and an unfriendly user-experience (I'm not picking just on India but that is the context I know best). The MOMA does things right- one of the marvels for me was something as simple as the coat check system which managed to place and retrieve thousands of bags and coats in an an extremely timely, efficient and friendly manner. These small things make a big difference.

There was plenty of art I really liked- including Picasso who I always try to appreciate but never really GET. My favorites were Matisse's 'red studio', Jasper John's 'Map' and some beautiful new finds (for me) like Balla's 'Street light' But my favorite was Klimt's 'The Park'.



Very different from the quintessential Klimt in my mind, but yet very Klimt. The picture does not do it justice - but I imagine the beauty of the varied specks of green is difficult to render on film anyway.

Bluebelle and I wandered for several hours until we came across the following pieces of art that we immediately categorized into 'WTF art'. A bunch of wool and lint on the floor with mirrors in between? A string in the shape of trapeziod? A pink plastic ledge propped up against a wall? I don't get it, dude. I know that there is probably some deep explanation for it but our first reaction was "really?". So there, I've outed myself and bluebelle as philistines.

The bs explanations for each of these pieces just added to our incredulity. Here is the description of the pink ledge called (for some reason) "The Absolutely Naked Fragrance" (John McCracken). This is what the pink plastic plank ( a far better, alliterative to boot title in my opinion) represents:

"The polished resin surface recalls the aesthetic of 1960's southern California surfboard and Kustom Kar cultures, the title was drawn from advertising slogans in fashion magazines. "
(ok so we have somewhat of a reason for that title)

Further,

"The plank's interaction with both the floor and the wall is meant to call attention to the space being occupied by both viewer and object. I see the plank as existing between both worlds, McCracken says, the floor representing the physical world of standing objects, trees, cars, buildings, human bodies and everything, and the wall representing the world of the imagination, illusionistic painting space, human mental space and all that.'

Huh.

Do you see all that in this below?



Anyway, the WTF art (as bluebelle and I will forever call it), the stunning design section and the magnificent works of art in the giant, cool spaces of the MOMA building all came together to make a great experience and definitely a highlight of the New York trip.

I didn't get to copy down the explanation for the next WTF piece but following from an idea from my sister (who attempted -with her art-history chops- to come up with some sort of understanding of this), I challenge/ invite you to write a suitably arty explanation of what I will call 'Stretchy purple string':



What would the little plaque next to this say, if you were the curator at MOMA? Do weigh in below.

New York City Highlight No. 1: Banana Pudding at Magnolia's

So I went to NYC last week (for a conference (ahem) more about that later). I could do a whole NYC diary but I'm not sure I have the time and you have the inclination so instead, I'll pick my top 5 best experiences from this trip. So here goes:

While I definitely left my heart in San Francisco, New York makes it beat just a little faster. There is nothing as cool as emerging from your train/plane/bus in New York and immediately melding into the crowd, amongst crisp fall or winter air and twinkling buildings. There's something about it that just makes me feel ALIVE.

But this post is not about my heart, or perhaps only indirectly in vague health-related ways that we should not dwell on right now. This post is about my stomach. It's a post about a very happy food discovery that I made this trip. And to make up for my silence, I shall start my New York posts in the most delectable way possible.

Without further ado I present to you: The Banana Pudding at Magnolia Bakery



The picture could never convey to you the greatness of this humble looking pudding- custard, vanilla wafers, ripe bananas and whipped cream!



This is all of us digging into the banana pudding for breakfast- this is after we ate it for dinner. The next day we ate it after lunch, and the day after that, FOR lunch.



If you're a sex and the city fan (I'm not) you know that this is where Carrie got her cupcakes. But an excellent tipster told us to steer clear of the cupcakes and go for the pudding and now it is only my duty to pass the wisdom along (although pretty much all my readers were actually with me in NYC eating this very same pudding, so who am I kidding).



The inside of the store is 'cute' in a very chick-lit, girly, pastel sort of way.It really looks like it could be the cover picture for a chick-lit book with curly hand writing and a giant pink shoe on a tiered cake...that sort of thing. It's set on Bleeker street (401) in a pretty neighborhood- very NYC. But really forget the ambiance, the cuteness or the pop-culture relevance. Just follow the sign and eat the banana pudding...



The adoring masses....lined up for the cupcakes no doubt, poor things- tsk tsk!

San Francisco Delights: Green Apple

One of my favorite places in the world is the Green Apple bookstore in San Francisco. 

I've been to a lot of great book stores- Strand comes to mind as do the old second hand places in Delhi and Ithaca but nothing compares to Green Apple. And this is in a city with places like 'City Lights Bookstore' where Howl was first published. 

So why do I love Green Apple? Well, first, location. Green Apple is on Clement street, one of my favorite streets in the world...so it figures. It's lovely to come upon the old wooden bins under the big green awning amidst the smells and sights of Clement. Dim Sum in small hole's in the wall, enticing smells of thai food wafting up the street, chinese grocery stores spilling on to the pavement and cozy coffee shops..and then suddenly, good old Green Apple. It looks deceptively small but then you go in to the main store and there are rows upon rows of books, stacked high. Many of them are used and thus affordable, which is the icing on an already delicious cake. But that's not what makes this place charming-  it's in the little things: hand written signs ("Don't call it Frisco" for the section containing San Francisco books or "Books that will never be on Oprah"), the insightful hand written reviews of books by staff, the green apple people who  know exactly what book you're talking about and will have an intelligent opinion on it, creaky wooden steps polished by the steps of many book lovers over the years. No one seems to be in a hurry at Green apple...you just wander off the street, browse, maybe even read a whole book standing there and then you can walk right out without buying a thing and no one cares. 

I've spent many a foggy evening in Green Apple full of dim sum or green tea icecream, browsing through the books, reading entire chapters there, smiling at the conversation around me. I've bought some of my favorite books there and sold some not so fabulous ones for store credit (wheee!). I've discovered strange networks with the friendly people behind the register who on more than one occasion told me where to get the book I was about to buy cheaper in another section. I was one of the first people in line the day they opened their warehouse section, I've found great reads in the 'free for all bins', I've listened to the always eclectic (sometimes scary) music in the annexe, I've taken countless identical pictures of friends in front of the elf...I've loved every moment. 

When friends came to San Francisco, showing them Green Apple was right up there with the Golden Gate and Chinatown...and everyone felt the magic. 

My parents leave SF tomorrow and so I won't have a home there anymore. There are so many things I'll miss about my favorite city but walking to green apple on a foggy afternoon and whiling away hours there will be one of my favorite memories.  I'll be back soon Green Apple...stay cool.