Staycation!

A couple of weeks ago my in-laws (god bless them) came and stayed with our daughter at home while my husband and I took off for a two night (childless!) voyage to the far off island of Manhattan. One of the great things about New York City is that it’s as fun to be a tourist here as it is to be an insider. Here’s what we did (if you’re curious, or want to copy us– which you should…)

First off, the travel time is great on these kinds of trips. 10 minute cab ride from home to the Standard Hotel’s new East Village location. I gave the hotel mixed reviews in an earlier post, but the toiletry packaging was designed by Josh and his partner Ethan Trask, in their previous incarnation as the design firm Helicopter, which made me happy.

Next stop, one of my all-time favorite spots in all of NYC, the venerable Great New York Noodletown restaurant in Chinatown. Where we sat at a communal table and ate ourselves to distraction to the tune of $35 total.

The post-dinner walk up to Union Square was both lovely (as almost all strolls through NYC are) and digestively necessary, before settling down to a movie, in a theater, which is the thing I think all parents should do whenever they have a moment free from their kids. The Grand Hotel Budapest is the perfect movie for a person who wants a gripping story that makes you laugh and sometimes cry, filled with wonder and beauty and strangeness and brilliant performances, and that doesn’t crush one’s faith in humanity. Thank you Wes Anderson.

The next morning, we headed over to the west village where we tried to have breakfast at Tartine, for old times sake, but it was too crowded so we ate around the corner at Cafe Minerva which had plenty of room, was airy and spacious, and had a lovely cup of tea and eggs benedict.

After breakfast we each had one hour reflexology at Angel Feet, one of my all time favorite NYC spots. Reflexology is akin to magic in my book, and the folks at Angel Feet are the masters. I have been having a shoulder problem for weeks, pain, limited movement, the whole nine. About an hour after we left, I realized that it was completely healed. Still is, too.

Then we hit Chelsea to see a few shows. First to Andrew Kreps to see Sacrifice Your Body, Roe Ethridge’s masterful show of huge hyperreal photographs that are slightly disturbing and yet comforting at the same time. The show is down now, but the book, which is far more extensive than the show, is available wherever you might find art books of note.

Then over to Pace to see the Kiki Smith show (also down now.) She never fails to take me to some wintery fairyland for of magic and possibility. Her tapestries, in particular, blew me away.

In the gallery next door, there was a beautiful group show (also down now) that explores the world of the Japanese folk craft movement called Mingei, which is currently enjoying a renaissance after a century of hiatus. The show is eclectic and beautiful, with the minimal Japanese aesthetic that I aspire to in my dreams (you know, the ones where I live in a clean white house with virtually empty shelves save one perfect rock…)

After that we drifted into the DC Moore Gallery to see the Romare Beardon show, which is up through the 19th and not to be missed. Bearden is a master both of collage and painting, and this show spans four decades, giving us a rare opportunity to see how his work evolved in an intimate setting.

Then we were hungry, so we walked over to Cookshop, which was PACKED. At 3 pm. We turned right around and headed over to Tia Pol, a small tapas bar we’d passed by earlier. We were rewarded for our choice with a perfect sangria and delicious tapas. It was just what the doctor ordered– a lazy meal at a half filled spot in the late afternoon.

Then Josh had to go be on a panel, and I headed back to the hotel to enjoy the beautiful bathtub and use up as much of the bubble bath as I could. Dinner at the Standard’s restaurant Narcissa (beautiful room, delicious food, crowd from hell- but it was a Saturday night…) and a lovely night’s sleep made a memorable end to a great day.

The next morning found us at Russ & Daughters picking up a feast of bagels, lox, whitefish and herring, and then hailing a cab back home for our reunion with our daughter and her grandparents.

A good time was had by all, though as usual, the next few days were a bit of a harsh detox for the little one, who had been filled to overflowing with ice cream and candy by her well meaning grandparents.