Photo Album of our trip to New York City
March 12th - 15th, 2010.

March 12th

Flying to New York

Our trip to New York City for Dan's Birthday was all about Tim Burton and food!

Friday morning we left the boys and Gma, just as David was heading off to school. Arriving at the airport with plenty of time, we spent some time sitting around near the gate and then boarded our plane only to be told that NY JFK was stormed in and our flight was being delayed. We were allowed to get back off the plane. We took advantage of this and had a fairly relaxed lunch at Chili's Too. By the time we were refreshed, the plane was again ready to board. The flight was uneventful and we arrived at JFK and caught a taxi to our hotel in Manhattan. They have a flat rate fare of $45 plus tolls between the Airport and Manhattan so this was more economical and convenient than a shuttle or rental.

We arrived at the Warrick Hotel http://www.warwickhotelny.com/ around 11pm and were greeted by the Bell Captain who helped with our suitcase and escorted us to the front desk. Ohh, he was a slick one and essentially introduced us by name 'Cormier', having covertly read our name off the luggage I am sure. We were signed in and given a room on the tenth floor. It is a lovely comfortable hotel; Built for William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies in 1929. It was rather fun to think that The Beatles had stayed there and Cary Grant had lived there for 12 years. Our room was not extravagant but tasteful and comfortable. The Bathroom was done in brown and black marble and white porcelain with chrome fittings. The bed was king sized with a large white duvet.

After looking over our room we headed back downtstairs to The Randolph. The Randolph is a bar and restaurant set about with low tables and comfortable lounge chairs. Dan had a delicious french dip. Johanna had the vegetarian pizza with a very thin crust, almost cracker like at the edges.

March 13th

In New York

The MOMA!

Saturday morning we woke late and headed over, through the rain, to the nearby Starbucks for coffee, milk, and an apple fritter. Then on to the MoMA! http://moma.org/ Dan had wisely pre-purchased us memberships to the MoMA. The Tim Burton exhibit was already sold out and the entrance room was literly packed with people but we made our way to the membership desk and procured our entrance tickets. Since we are members, we can exit and enter the museum as much as we want during our stay in NY and we can also enter and exit the special exhibits as much as we want. Because of this, we chose to enjoy the museum in a relaxed manner and started from the top floor and worked our way down. We paused briefly on the second floor to see Marina Abramovic', the artist, sitting in a chair staring at a man in a chair opposite her. (This was a preview as this particular exhibit was not scheduled to begin until the next day.)

On the sixth floor was a special exhibit of Abramovic''s works. Lots of videos of her performance art as well as other live actors recreating some of her past works. Most were in the nude, which they have a sign warning you about at the entrance. I found it odd that they post a sign warning you about the nudity but do not post a sign warning you about the masochism contained in many of the videos. It made me think, I would have had no trouble explaining the nudity to my children (had I brought them) but the cutting and flagilation would have been a lot harder to go over with them. The most interesting scenes were a woman lying with a skeleton on top of her, two girls facing each other in a narrow doorway, the classic of Abramovic' and Ulay yelling for who knows how many hours. I am willing to accept and agree her peices are art...but really not art I want to keep.

We worked our way down, visiting the fifth floor and fourth floor regular exhibits. Seeing great pieces including those by the following artists:

http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=79374
Fulang-Chang and I
Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907-1954)
Fulang-Chang and I depicts Kahlo with one of her pet monkeys. Kahlo later gave this painting to her close friend Mary Sklar, attaching a mirror to it so that, if Sklar chose, the two friends could be together.

We took a break for a late lunch and went to Bobby Flay's Bar Americain http://www.baramericain.com/ We had the cocktail sampler with two shrimp in a tomatillo dip, crab with coconut and mango, and lobster with avacado. They were all delicious but the crab and mango was the hands down winner. We then had the Mussels with Green Chile Broth & Fries Americain. This dish was okay but left us still longing for the mussels of Leon de Brussels in Paris. The fries were nice, crispy on the outside with a nice chipotle mayonaise dressing but the fries that came with Dan's French dip the night before were better. The second entree that we chose was the Blue Corn Fried Eggs. This, like the coconut mango crab, was amazing. A variation on Heuvos Rancheros that is much more delicate. The plate is lightly covered with a thin layer of chipotle sauce, then a crispy blue corn tortilla covers that. A nicely done over easy double egg is next, on top of this is back beans, a green chile sauce (not too much) and a small pile of very lemony chunky guacamole. To finish it off another half blue corn toritalla is stuck standing up in the avacado guacamole. Absolutely fabulous. To finish off our meal we shared the Chocolate Banana Hazelnut Crepes with Clementine Butter Sauce. Good but I would have prefered it without the bitter citrus flavor against the hazelnut. All in all though a very fine meal and I think we may have to get Dan to try to recreate the Blue Corn Fried Eggs and I may have to see if I can recreate a variation of the Crab Cocktail.

We returned to the MoMA for the third floor Tim Burton Special Exhibit. It begins with a long hall showing the six episodes of Stain Boy. We watched a couple of episodes side by side and then continued on. (We watched all six episodes later that night online. You can see them here. http://www.timburtoncollective.com/multimedia.html) The next room was blacklit and featured Fluorescent Paintings, many on black velvet, and a carosel mobile with a static electricty plasma ball at the bottom. The rest of the exhibit was a long circling collection of rooms which were more difficult to distinguish one from another. We began by circling left which seemed to be the direction most people were moving. There were greate sculptures, paintings, drawings, doodles, notes, examples of ideas both realized and those that never got past the initial stages, artwork from high school, books submitted to publishers and their letters of reply, homework stories, early video/film projects in alcoves where you could sit on the floor and watch. There were maquettes built by others based on his designs, and costumes from Edward Scissor Hands, the horseman's cape from Sleepy Hollow, the angora sweater from Ed Wood. there was so much to see and the museum closed before we were done. But of course, that did not bother us, we have a membership!

We returned to our hotel, through the rain, just across the street. Checked a few things online and found a nice chinese restaurant nearby. We went to the Tang Pavillion wich serves Shanghai and Soochow cuisine. http://tangpavilionnyc.com/ We had the Scallop with Bamboo Fungus Soup and the Hot & Sour Soup to start. The menu looked so good; We really wished we had a larger crowd than just two so we could try more things. We finally settled on Asparagus with Lotus Buds and the Peppered Scallops. Everything was delicious. The Hot & Sour Soup was traditional but with a good rich flavor. The Scallop and Bamboo Fungus Soup was a little bland, a light chicken broth but the fungus was very interesting. It had a lacey appearance and the texture was not at all expected. Though nearly impossible to cut in half with the metal spoon it was not at all rubbery but had a bit of crunch. I would like to try another dish with that same fungus. The peppered scallops was very nicely done. The scallops were large and tender in a breading that still had a touch of crunch despite being covered in a sauce similar to an orange chicken sauce but not as sweet. There were also snow peas, carrots, water chestnuts and probably a couple other vegtables I am forgetting in the dish. The most amazing dish for me was the Asparagus and Lotus Buds. Never having had lotus buds before we were not sure of what to expect. They were delightful. They are a little similar to onion but slightly starchy and delicately sweet. They made a delightful accompanyment to the asperagus. We could not finish it all and took the leftover entrees for a cold breakfast the next morning, which was still very yummy.

Tim Burton

This big Thing proclaimed, 'There is a Tim Burton exhibit here!'

Courtyard

Lots of rain

Courtyard Sculpture

-

Courtyard Sculpture

-

Marina Abramovic'

Marina Abramovic', the artist, sitting in a chair staring at a man in a chair opposite her. (This was a preview as this particular exhibit was not scheduled to begin until the next day.)

Marina Abramovic'

Marina Abramovic', the artist, sitting in a chair staring at a man in a chair opposite her. (This was a preview as this particular exhibit was not scheduled to begin until the next day.)

Fulang-Chang and I

Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907-1954)
Fulang-Chang and I depicts Kahlo with one of her pet monkeys. Kahlo later gave this painting to her close friend Mary Sklar, attaching a mirror to it so that, if Sklar chose, the two friends could be together.
MOMA Link

Alexandra Exeter

Circus; Project for an Operetta; Boat Revue; Don Juan, Hell; The Merchant of Venice

Label

Prints by Alexandra Exeter

Kandinsky

-

Kandinsky

-

Robert Delaunay

Simultaneous conttrasts: Sun and Moon

Label

Simultaneous conttrasts: Sun and Moon

Kandinsky

-

Label

Kandinsky

Kandinsky Panels

-

Kandinsky Panels

-

Kandinsky

Picture with an Archer

Label

Picture with an Archer

Umberto Boccioni

Dynamism of a Soccer Player

Label

Dynamism of a Soccer Player

Umberto Boccioni

States of Mind I-III

Label

States of Mind I-III

Gino Severini

Dynamic Heiroglyphic of the Bal Tabarin

Label

Dynamic Heiroglyphic of the Bal Tabarin

Jean Metzinger

Landscape

Label

Landscape

Pablo Picasso

Vase of Flowers

Label

Vase of Flowers

Henri Rousseau

This is just  a detail from The Dream

Label

The Dream

Vincent van Gogh

Portrait of Joseph Roulin

Label

Portrait of Joseph Roulin

Georges-Pierre Seurat

Grandcamp, Evening

Label

Grandcamp, Evening

Georges-Pierre Seurat

Evening, Honfleur

Label

Evening, Honfleur

Paul Cezanne

Pines and Rocks

Label

Pines and Rocks

Rene Magritte

The False Mirror

Label

The False Mirror

Robert Smithson

Alogon #2

Label

Alogon #2

Sol LeWitt

Serial Project, I (ABCD)

Sol LeWitt

Serial Project, I (ABCD)

Label

Serial Project, I (ABCD)

Takako Saito

Nut & Bolt Chess

Label

Nut & Bolt Chess

Yoko Ono

Catalogue  box

Label

Catalogue  box

Yoko Ono

Catalogue  box

TITYoko OnoLE

Catalogue  box

Yoko Ono

Catalogue  box

Yayoi Kusama

No. F

Yayoi Kusama

No. F

Yayoi Kusama

Detail of No. F

Label

No. F

Label

No. F

Jean Dubuffet

Soul of the Underground

Jean Dubuffet

Soul of the Underground

Label

Soul of the Underground

Ernesto Neto

Navedenga

Label

Navedenga

Ernesto Neto

Navedenga

Courtyard

Yep, still raining.

Courtyard Trees

-

Courtyard

-

Burton Time Line

-

Burton Time Line

-

Burton Time Line

-

March 14th

In New York

and more MOMA!

Sunday, another stop at Starbucks for Dan and on to the MoMA. This time we began at the bottom floor and made our way up. Some of Tim Burton's photographic work was on display downstairs as well as a couple more short videos. It seemed funny to think of Monet as modern art but they have a whole room dedicated to him which we of course enjoyed. We stopped on the second floor again to see Marina Abramovic' sitting and staring across a table at some random museum visitor. The visitors across from her changed throughout the day. At last we returned to the third floor again and after exploring the regular exhibits on that floor we went into the Burton Special Exhibit again this time attempting to circle to the right. This was a little more difficult to circulate as a larger percentage of the people were moving opposit to us. It was a wonderful exhibit and we also moved into the video alcoves and watched Tim Burton's version of Hansel and Gretel.

Having seen the entire museum and picked up a couple things in the bookstore, the Burton exhibit book and a Burton deck of cards, we set off for another late lunch. We walked about ten blocks to Times Square. The weather was considerably better than the day before, with only some light sprinkles. We came across Ellen's Stardust Dinner http://www.ellensstardustdiner.com/ and decided to go in. Not only were we treated to a good lunch in a 1950's style dinner but live performances. All of the wait staff are also singers. Dan had the Blue Suede Burger (blue cheese & apple smoked bacon) and Johanna had Twiggy's Veggie Foccacia (Chilled layers of roasted and grilled zucchini, yellow squash, portabella mushrooms, red peppers, and eggplant with basil ricotta salata on house made foccacia bread) Delicious and entertaining!

After lunch we headed to the IMAX theater at the AMC 25 where we purchased tickets for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland in 3D. Having some time before the 6:30 show we wandered around Times Square and checked out a few shops including a huge Toys R Us. Managing to escape without making any purchases, we returned to the theater a little early to get in line. We loved Alice! Definitely a must see in IMAX 3D!

Another late dinner, this time we went to McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant. http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/ Johanna had the Oyster Sampler and Dan had the Garden Salad for starters. For entrees Dan had the Wild Alaskan Halibut steamed in cilantro lime broth with lump crab and asparagus and Johanna had a juicy rare steak with green beans, zuchini and yellow neck. We couldn't resist desert and had tiramisu and an amazing banana tower creation. It was a column of nut brittle with ice cream in the bottom, bananas, then whipped cream covered in a caramel sauce.

Hotel Room View

This was the view from our hotel window. At least we could look out and see that , yes it was still raining.

The View

Yep, still wet but better than the day before.

Dan and that Burton thing

-

Dan and that Burton thing

-

Dan and that Burton thing

-

Dan and that Burton thing

-

Marina Abramovic'

DESCRIPTION

Monet

DESCRIPTION

Monet

DESCRIPTION

Monet

DESCRIPTION

Monet

Water Lilies 1914-26

Label

Water Lilies 1914-26

Monet

Agapanthus 1914-26

Label

Agapanthus 1914-26

Monet

Water Lilies 1914-26

Monet

Water Lilies 1914-26

Monet

Water Lilies 1914-26

Monet

Water Lilies 1914-26

Label

Water Lilies 1914-26

Monet

Water Lilies 1914-26

Monet

Water Lilies 1914-26

Monet

Water Lilies 1914-26

Label

Water Lilies 1914-26

Max Ernst

The Gramineous Bicycle Garnished with Bells the Dappled Fire Damps and the Echinoderms Bending the Spine to Look for Caresses

Label

Is the title long enough?

Mark Tobey

The Void Devouring the Gadget Era

Label

The Void Devouring the Gadget Era

Loie Fuller

Vue Lumiere No 765 -- Danse Serpentine

See this on YouTube

Loie Fuller

Vue Lumiere No 765 -- Danse Serpentine

The movie was hand tinted frame by frame.

Loie Fuller

Vue Lumiere No 765 -- Danse Serpentine

Loie Fuller

Vue Lumiere No 765 -- Danse Serpentine

Loie Fuller

Vue Lumiere No 765 -- Danse Serpentine

Loie Fuller

Vue Lumiere No 765 -- Danse Serpentine

Loie Fuller

Vue Lumiere No 765 -- Danse Serpentine

Loie Fuller

Vue Lumiere No 765 -- Danse Serpentine

Loie Fuller

Vue Lumiere No 765 -- Danse Serpentine

Loie Fuller

Vue Lumiere No 765 -- Danse Serpentine

Loie Fuller

Vue Lumiere No 765 -- Danse Serpentine

Loie Fuller

Vue Lumiere No 765 -- Danse Serpentine

Loie Fuller

Vue Lumiere No 765 -- Danse Serpentine

Label

Folies-Berger, La Loie Fuller and Danse Serpentine

Jules Cheret

Folies-Berger, La Loie Fuller

Toys R Us

T-Rex

Toys R Us

T-Rex

March 15th

Heading Home

What a weekend.

In the morning we went around the block to the Ernest Klein & Company International Supermarket http://www.ernestklein.net/ Dan got a coffee and Johanna got a salmon and cream cheese bagel for breakfast. We also picked up a prosciutto sandwich and fruit bowl to take for lunch on the plane. Returned to the hotel and checked out. Taxi back to the airport. And a pleasantly uneventful return home where we found our boys and G'ma waiting happily.

The View

This was the view from our hotel window. At least we could look out and see that , yes it was still raining.

The View

-

The View

-

The View

-

Carpet

The color is a bit off in this pic but the pattern was interesting, rather 20's.

Our room

-