Gotham Gal

Kyoto, Day One

We got up in the morning and took the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto.  It is pretty awesome.  Very civilized and of course quick.  The train station feels like controlled chaos.  When we got to Kyoto someone met us at the train.  Trust me, finding us was not difficult.  We jumped into a van and made our way to lunch. 

We went to Hirokawa.  The restaurant was the perfect place for lunch.  Kyoto is known for grilled eel.  We all had the exact same thing.  Medium dish of grilled eel over rice.  Amazing.

Check out this sink in the bathroom.  The first electronic pump on the right is the soap, the middle one is the water and the last is hot air to dry your hands.  You touch nothing.

After lunch we drove over to Ryoanji, a 15 century dry garden laid out by Soami.  Have to get rid of your
shoes and put on slippers to walk around.

15 rocks placed in this garden thousands of years ago.  Really serene and beautiful.  

Although this shrine is not used anymore the rooms are open for you to take a look at.  

Our next stop was Kinkaku-ji, Kyotos most elaborate Zen temple.  The Golden Temple was built as a retirement home for a 14th Century Shogun.  It is breathtaking.  You can see the fine golden leaf on the building when you get closer.  The small ground in the middle of the lake it sits on represents Japan. There are huge fish in those waters.

We had some time to kill so we stopped by the Nishiki-koji Market.  Glad we did because we never ended up going back.  Unfortunate because I really want to buy knives in this particular store but life goes on.  

They love the covered alleyways with tiny shops.  Here is a guy shucking oysters at the beginning of the market.

All the vegetables have been wrapped in plastic at every marketplace we have seen.

Rice dumplings.

Lots of different grilled eels.

Marinated eggplants.

A serious mound of miso.

Red octopus.

This is the knife store.  It is hundreds of years old.  They will actually engrave your name in the knife for you.  There were also beautiful bowls and trays.  

Fan store.

Vegetables that were each rubbed down with something different.

We walked back to the car and this door opened and we all gasped.  Inside was some serious gambling going on.  It was just wild.  Noisy and smoky.  


Our next stop was to a sake tasting.  Luckily we had someone with us who could translate because the sommelier at Okitsu-an, an exclusive private club built in 1835, spoke zero english.  The gardens were beautiful there too.  We learned a little bit.  Obviously it is all about the rice.

We checked into our hotel, Hoshinoya.  A ryokan.  We all slept in tatami rooms.  It is located on the outskirts of Kyoto.  You take a small boat down to the hotel.  It is really unique and beautiful.  One night is ample and we did two.  After we checked in we had a kaiseki dinner.  We wore the garb they gave us.  Here is Fred in his outfit.

I am here in mine.  Hat for warmth ( that is mine ).  We decided that I'd take no pictures that night and we would just enjoy it together.   A mixture of tiny bits of food.  Some good, some weird but a really nice experience.  

 

Last day in Tokyo

There is so much to do in Tokyo but I think that four days was just the right amount for a first time visit.  I am sure that there are plenty of other places we could have seen and some of them were on our list but in the end we did what we could do.  

We started the day off at the Mitsukoshi Department store.  This is amazing piece of sculpture is on the first floor.  We came to see the food halls.  To me, there is nothing quite like a great food hall.  Harrods did it first decades ago and it appears that since then everyone has got into the game.  This particular food hall was amazing.

What is so incredible is the detail to packaging and presentation.  We just walked around.  Here are some highlights.  Tempura.

Sushi sandwiches.

Make your own sushi packages.

Black bean sweets

Green tea desserts

Dumplings

Kimchi

Lotus root

Mountain of salmon roe

Had to taste a few dumplings.

We then went to Takishamaya which has a food hall in the basement too.  The store was totally disappointing.  Takishamaya in NYC was an incredible store.  Really well curated with items that you can not get anywhere else especially their jewelry department.  I was so sad when they closed.  The Takishamaya in Tokyo is like going to Macys.  Nothing unique at all.  Alas.

We had to go to the bathroom and I just had to take a photo of the Japanese style toilet.  They are very into their toilets here.  Most of them have heated seats.  They also have an entire menu of things you can do with your toilet seat including massage on the Western toilets.  

Next stop is Tokyu Hands.  There are a few around the city.  The pen section is insane and so are their stickers.  Pens are big here.

Muji was next.  This Muji is huge and is located on the 2nd floor of a building that has the store Loft in the ground floor.  Muji is an interesting store.  They have their own label on everything.  Lots of pens, food products, furniture and clothes.  

Lunch time.  We went to Sushi Kanesaka located in the basement of a building in the Ginza area.  We sat next to three Japanese business men.  Made me think of mid-town NYC.  Our chef was Shinji Kanesaka.  We began with a small salad of seaweed, thinly sliced shiso and I believe thinly sliced radishes with a soy based sauce.  It was the perfect way to start the meal.  Simple with clean flavors.

First piece was snapper.

Amber jack.  

Check out this piece of tuna.  

Getting ready for the flight of tuna.

Tuna.

Toro.

Abalone.

Tiger shrimp.

Mackarel.

Spanish Mackarel.

Small shrimp.

Salmon roe.

Gooey clam.

Uni.

Eel.

Dried sweet roll ( not sure what was in it ) and a piece of egg that was like eating custard.  Phenomenal meal.  The size of each piece was just perfect.  Each flavor just lingered in your mouth.  Wow.

Next stop was Tobin Ohashi Gallery.  All the galleries are closed at this time of the year so we have been getting private showings.  The two men who own the gallery couldn't be nicer.  One of them is from Boston and has been living in Tokyo for 25 years.  The other grew up in the south of Japan.  They are charming.  This is a wood sculpture with nails driven into it.  The artist is Yusuke Nishi.  I really like this piece.

This Chinese artist is Zhu Wei.  This silkscreen print is of a past dictator.

These pencil drawings are by Masumi Yoshida.  A young Japanese artist drawing people that represent modern Japan.  

Last stop of the day was Dover Street Market.  DSM is one of my favorite stores in London.  The one in Tokyo is similar.  Really well curated mixture of clothes and accessories.  I am a big fan and am looking forward to them opening in NYC in 12/13 on Lexington and 30th street.

Back to the hotel before dinner.

 

Tokyo, Day 2

Prepare yourself, this was a seriously long day with a ridiculous amount of food.  We began the day at the fish market.  A must in Tokyo.  December is the only time you are not allowed into the tuna auction so instead of getting up to get there at 430am you can get there around 630am.  We took two cabs over to the fish market.  One dropped some of us in the right location, the other did not.  This appears to be standard fare in Tokyo.  I am not sure if the taxi drivers do not know exactly where they are supposed to go or they just don't care.  Emily and Fred ended up at the main entrance and the rest of us ended up in the back behind the wholesale fish market.  You are not supposed to go into that area until after 9am but nobody stopped us as we made our way to the other side.  

Controlled chaos is one way to describe the scene.  People are flying around on these yellow vehicles that move fast like golf carts but are like miniature crane lifters.  You could easily be taken out if one of these hit you. The first thing we saw when we walked into the wholesale building were these huge fish just hanging out on the floor.

We continued walking through the wholesale market until we got to the area we needed to be in.  I took a few pics en route. Clams.

Red Octopus.

The boxes that hold all the fish being broken down for the day.  They must come up with a better fabric for those fish.  This stuff sticks around for hundreds of years.

We finally made our way to the other side and found Daiwa Sushi.  Fred and Emily were still missing.  It is not easy to find each other because all the signs are in Japanese.  Eventually we found each other and at this point the line at Daiwa was beyond long. But we did not come all the way to Tokyo not to eat here.  We found the place looking at a Google map photo of the Japanese letters and figured it out.  

It was freezing outside and yes we waited in line for over two hours.  Suckers perhaps but a worthy experience.  We watched people come and go on their bikes getting their fish from the wholesale marketing, packing up their boxes and taking off.  

By the time we got in I am pretty sure you have never seen such happy people getting inside to get warm and just sit down.  Our chefs were charming.  There is a woman who basically runs the place and the line.  She has it down.  You have to tell her before you go inside which omikase you want, 8 pieces or 10.

First dish was a warm block of ginger scallion egg.  It was the perfect beginning for our breakfast.

Green tea to warm us up.

The chef started us off with a piece of ridiculously buttery toro.  Melted in our mouths.

Flounder.

Miso soup with a piece of fish that had been cooking for quite awhile to create the intensity of the broth. Honestly might have been the best miso soup I have ever had, hands down.

Red snapper.  Amazing.

Uni that just melted in your mouth.

Mackarel with a scallion mixture on top.

Gooey clam that is still alive.  The chef gave each clam a whack before putting it on the rice.  Strange but delicious.

Tuna that is simply divine.  

Pieces of tiny shrimp.

Tuna roll and cucumber crab roll.

Snapper.

Broiled eel.

Hamachi.  This piece of yellow tail was so damn good that I honestly did not want to swallow but just let the richness of the fish and taste linger in my mouth.  The experience is well worth it.  The pieces of fish are amazing, the chefs are characters and the whole place is unique.  

We walked around the market afterward before moving on to our next adventure.  Coffee was seriously in order.  Fred found this coffee shop in Shibuya.  The neighborhood is filled with narrow rambling streets with coffee shops and other stores.  

Omotesando Koffee is located inside a small wooden home and inside is a barista and a big machine. Really good coffee.

Besides coffee they also sold these custard squares.  Think French canelles Japanese style.  

Our next stop was the Watari Museum.  The museum is composed of four floors devoted to an exhibition. This is one of the pieces in the show.  

Before our next meal we strolled around the area.  This food truck was parked down an alleyway.

We dropped in this pen store.  What is interesting is in a country that is so futurist is also about tradition.  They still sell plenty of CD's as Tower Records is huge here and there is still an audience for a pen store.  It is interesting.

Our next stop was Tofuya Ukai Take located next to the Tokyo Tower (picture above).

This restaurant is seriously old school.  The waitstaff is women dressed as geishas.  An old rambling restaurant that is set among greenery.  Truly beautiful.  Each table is set in a tatami room.  Truth is there was something about our sushi breakfast that just made me so full that I had a hard time eating anything the rest of the day but regardless I was not a fan of the food here at all.  Just strange.  

I figure I will share the photos and menu for fun.  Boiled quail meat-balls with a pumpkin paste formed into a ball on the side.

Deep fried tofu with sweet miso sauce.

A few pieces of tuna

Simmered crab inside a fried tofu ball.

Salmon roe and pickled turnip, shrimp covered with crushed rice crackers and mushrooms with green vegetables.  

Tofu in a seasoned soy milk.

Steamed rice with pieces of sweet potato.

Sweet abzuki-beans soup.  

After lunch we drove over to Opening Ceremony which is in the neighborhood.  The store is eight stories and each floor is meant to represent a different style of American architecture.  This picture gives you an idea what the streets look like.  The lights work so that you can walk through the middle of an intersection including corner to corner.  Kind of clever.

Here is a picture from inside the store.  When we were done we went back to the hotel but Jessica and I soldiered on.  Her camera was on the fritz so we decided to go to a store in Ginza and see about buying another one.  Finding the store, like the restaurants, was not easy.  We finally located it with a little help (asking) as we were there but did not realize it was on the 8th floor of a building.  The store was filled with new and used cameras.  She got an incredible bargain on a camera but the transaction with the people there who spoke zero English was truly an out of body experience.  

 

 

 

 

 

Tokyo, Day 1

I woke up just as the sun began to rise over Tokyo.  Pretty sweet view from our hotel room.

We had breakfast at the hotel.  I went with the Japanese version of breakfast.  Poached egg in a soy broth that I slid into a bowl of miso soup.  I also had a few pieces of dim sum on the side.  I could get used to this.

Our first stop was at the Meiji Jungu shrine.  It is the Daddy of all Tokyo shrines.  Before going in you are supposed to take this water (left hand first) over each of your hands and then take a sip of the water.  

Then you come into the area where the shrine is.  

You are supposed to get one of these wooden signs and write your wish on it and leave in the area obviously hoping your wise will come true.

These sake barrels are enshrined by the sake brewers around Japan to show their deep respect for Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken.

We walked over to the Harajuku area.  It was actually great to be there in the morning right before everything opened up.  Come 4pm the place is packed.  There are literally vending machines on every block.

This particular area is the teen culture mecca.  Reminds me a little bit what 8th street used to be years ago in NYC.  We also walked up and down Cat Street where there are more funky boutiques

Inside the Gyre building are a few high end stores but what we really came for is to check out the 3rd floor where there is a 3D camera store.  Unfortunately we did not make reservations for a photo shoot because I had just found out about it but the concept is awesome.  I'd love to get a family photograph.

This is one side of Cat Street.  

For lunch we went to Harajuku Gyoza.  No reservations and the line can be insane.  We got there early.  The menu is short and sweet.  Fried dumplings, steamed dumplings, cabbage, bean sprouts with meat sauce and cucumbers.  The other items are drinks.  

Steamed dumplings.  

Fried dumplings.  They are just perfect.  Not greasy like you tend to get just crisp.

Pickled cabbage.  This was awesome.  I could have eaten bowls of this stuff.  Sliced cucumbers in a sesame paste.

Boiled bean sprouts with a meat sauce.  Think Italian meat sauce over bean sprouts.  

I am making sure I find a big jar of this chili sauce to take home.

Up the street is the Louis Vuitton Building and on the 7th floor there is a rotating art installation. The room is beautiful and overlooks the city.  This particular installation is from Ernesto Neto.  You talk off your shoes and walk through this hanging structure.  

Down the street is a food installation called 246 Common.  It is only open until March.  Reminds me a little bit of Brooklyn Smorgrasbourg.  This is a cool stall for the Octopus Balls.

Roasted sweet potatoes cooked on hot rocks.

A green vegetable garden in the middle of the stalls.

We continued on to Franc Franc which is a furniture store.  We thought there was a Monocle Shop inside but it wasn't there.  The light fixture in the middle of the store is very cool.

I loved the architecture of the Prada Building.  It looks like a big building of quilted glass.  It was built by Herzog and de Meuron, a Swiss design team.  

We had a private showing at Art Front Gallery.  This particular artist was actually there when we went.  Gold embellished on to old style Japanese paintings.

Upstairs (their back room) was this glass scultpure.

This is a Brazilian Japanese artist.  

These were cool.  Pieces of rock from all over the world split in half with plexiglas inserted in the middle.  You could then see the reflection of the innards of the rocks.  

Around the corner is Tsutaya Books.  This area we are in is called Daikanyama.  The store is called the T store because the exterior is made with woven T's.  There are 3 buildings.  There is a cafe, a book store, a camera store, a bike store and more.  

One store had these round cakes to buy and inside these cakes is freeze dried soup.  You drop these in warm water and soup is on.

There was even a dog salon.

Onward down to Bombay Bazaar.

This is what the back streets look like behind the main shopping streets.

Had quite a field day in this sock shop.

This store is called Loveless which was right across the way from Eataly.

We were in need of some serious caffeine and stopped in to the Corner Shop for an amazing cup of coffee.  

Our last stop was Map Camera.   We drove over to that area.  Jessica had to get her camera looked at. There are stores and stores of cameras.

Back to the hotel to relax a bit before dinner.  

 

 

MEPA

New York City is ever changing.  Years ago the Meat Packing Area (MEPA) was a location filled with transvestites and butchers.  Little did anyone know, or at least it wasn't publically written about, a man named William Gottlieb slowly bought up many of the buildings in the meat packing area.  He had a vision.  The vision started with Pastis.  Then he died. 

What has happened since then has been a mixed bag.  The area has changed dramatically as there are maybe one or two butchers left but the community board has not done a great job (IMHO) of not letting the area become a shop of chain stores.  Perhaps the owners of many of the buildings are happy to get the most they can for the rent and those type of chains are the only ones that can afford those rents.  Even the restaurants are all mediocre.  It is beginning to remind me of Columbus Avenue in the 80's.  What happened there is eventually the store fronts ended up going empty because there was nothing unique about the area anymore and the big stores could care less about pulling out and leaving the leases.

Certainly there are a few special stores that you can't find anywhere else in MEPA but I just saw a huge sign that Patagonia is opening on 14th Street.  Regardless, currently next to the Standard there is an open air marketplace with attached kiosks of food and retail.  They did a great job.  It isn't claustrophobic.  There is open spaces to sit and walk. They did a nice job. 

Supposedly there will eventually become a two story farmers market on Gansevoort.  Fingers crossed. Happy to see something good happening in the area...

the lower east side (LES) of nyc

Like all urban cities, the landscape has changed tremendously over the past decade.  When we first moved to NYC in the early 80's the lower east side was a place to find bargains.  Heavily dominated by Jewish shop owners particularly Orchard Street right around the corner from Katzs Deli.  There are a few shops left but very few.  The landscape has changed.  We even have Mile End Sandwich Shop now on the Bowery (another transformed neighborhood) which is this generations Katzs Deli. 

Jessica is spending the summer in London.  She is living in Shoreditch.  When I went to school in London that area of London was predominantly Jewish merchants very similar to the LES.  Now it is overcome with hip shops, new restaurants and galleries just like the LES.  Urban renewal. 

I have been in the city (I thought I'd be at the beach) for the last week because we moved back into our apartment, post-flood.  I spent the day with Emily on the LES.  We had lunch and shopped.  Even in the past two years there has been massive change.  You really have to hunt for an empty store front.  It is a good thing for the city and the neighborhood. 

We started with lunch at Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya that is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night dining.  It is located inside the Thompson LES hotel.  Ten years ago nobody would have put such a beautiful hotel down there.  The menu changes with each meal.  Lunch is small but dinner is quite large.  We had a few rolls to split.

I am a huge fan of the Blue Ribbon house salad.  Carrots, avocado, chopped greens and a ginger dressing. I am also a big fan of the brothers behind Blue Ribbon.  They have quitely created an incredible empire. 

We also tried the deep fried chicken wings with a wasabi honey and chili sauce on the side.  Super crispy.

The ribs are pretty perfect.  Black vinegar and crispy rice on top...just falling off the bone.  Fred and I went back for dinner there the other night after seeing  Beasts of the Southern Wild.  The young heroine is incredible in this film.  We sat outside on the deck at the restaurant.  It is a pretty great spot.

Emily and I walked around and hit up a few stores.  I have always loved this store.  Maryam Nassir Zadeh.  A real eclectic mix of clothes and jewelry. 

We walked by Mission Chinese Food.  One of the hottest restaurant in NYC right now.  A dive.  Maybe a few seats somewhere back there. I think the best thing might be to order for delivery and go pick it up.

So many new places.  Landbrot.  German bakery and bar.  There is also one in the West Village.  The pretzels are killer. 

This store has been around for years but just as the neighborhood has evolved so has their mixture.  Great stuff.

Spiritual America is relatively new.  Nice mixture of young designers.

Stopped across the street for a blueberry mint iced tea.  I have had lunch here before.  Healthy well made food. I particularly love the banquette that wraps around the front window. 

Creatures of Comfort is a big winner.  They have been around for a few years but the mix there is great.  The store is big and airy.  I'm a fan. 

A great day with Emily.  I always love walking around the neighborhoods of NYC.  We did it when we first got here and have not stopped since.  Watching the city change is no different than watching the new businesses emerge in tech space.  A birds eye view of the landscape of NYC at every angle keeps my mind moving. 

 

 

 

Another full day in Paris

I am loving the Foursquare list.  It is so easy to create an amazing list for yourself (or for other people and to see other people) in the morning and just follow your way around town during the day.  When I get back and have some down time I am going to enter all my Paris info into a huge list for other people to see. I have been compliing one for years.

The list of the day was geared towards the Left Bank.  I got up in the morning and had coffee by myself at the hotel.  Fred had a breakfast and Josh was sleeping.  Kind of nice to sit by myself drinking coffee while reading the paper.

Our first stop was a funky pastry shop called La Patisserie Des Reves.  Very modern setting for Paris. 

Trying some new museums on this trip.  This one is called Musee Mailol.  Small with really old stuff.  Not my cup of tea.

Barthelemey is one of the most amazing cheese shops in Paris, IMHO.  So tiny with an enormous selection in maybe 200 square feet.  You can smell the cheese coming around the corner.  No pics allowed which I will never understand.  We got a few goodies just to taste.

On the way to lunch, our next stop, we dropped in to this store Sentou which carries a lot of bright modern furnishings.

Lunch was next.  Cuisine de Bar located next door to Poilane Bakery.  Can't go to Paris without stopping here for lunch.  Open faced sandwiches on toasted Poilane bread with a small salad on the side tossed with a grainy mustard dressing.  I love it there.  I went with the chicken sandiwch.

A must stop is Bon Marches.  They did a major renovation.  In the front they have doubled the amount of jars that they carry of products from around the world. I could go crazy here but kind of doesn't make sense to haul bottles like this back home. 

The back of this area is fresh product, ready made foods, wines, breads, desserts etc.   An amazing place. When we lived in Paris for a month a few summers ago this was definitely our spot to shop.

Our next stop was another bakery Sadaharu Aoki, Japanese based.  Very cute.

Time to strollthrough the Luxenbourg Gardens where we sat down and just smelled the aroma of flowers.  It is so pristine and beautiful there.

This foundation is called La Fountaine Medicis.  There is no doubt that this has not changed one iota since it was built in 1862.

And we continued to walk.  Stopped in a hat store, can't recall the name but have been in there before.  One incredible hat after another.  Woudl be perfect for the Kentucky Derby.  I took a photo and they reprimanded me. 

Stopped into Pierre Hermes.  They have a double napoleon there that is probably the most decadent thing I have ever tasted.  Dark toasted pastry filled with mocha cream and a chocolate topping.  Amazing.  I grabbed a pic of that on Instagram.  This is a beautiful cake with tiny wild strawberries placed on top.  Always a line at Pierre Hermes.

Continued moving and made our way back to the other side of the Seine.  This story is called Arty Dandy located in the 6th right before we walked over the bridge.  Highly curated items.  Another no picture place. 

Exhaustion was setting in.  One of the most beautiful things about Paris is you can be walking down a small side street and turn a corner and there is a magnificent statue or even a water fountain for the birds.  I just love it here. 

 

Amsterdam, Day 2

It is cold and wet but at least it has stopped raining.  We walked down the canal passing the several plant shops to breakfast.  Tulips for sale!

We thought we should try and get out by 930 although now that I am more familiar with the town we could have waited a few hours.  Things open later on Monday not sure why but they do.  Jess wanted to go to Cora for breakfast but they did not open until 1030.  Alas.

So we ventured onward to Cafe de Pels.  Super cute small bar. 

They did not have a full on breakfast, only on Sundays do they make eggs, so we opted to share 3 French breakfasts.  Really good bread. 

And then we began our walk.  Check out the white house and how it looks as if it will implode.  So many of the homes are askew.  The foundation is sitting over a canal so not surprising but kind of crazy.

Some people opt to live on houseboats on the water.  It is unfortunate how filthy the water is here.  If the waterways were filled with clean sparkling water it would cast a very different hue on the city. 

We walked around the corner and bumped in to my bff's kids.  So random.  They had just got in that morning.  Obviously a small town.  Cute pic!

We went to see Rembrandt's house.  He bought this entire house during the first part of his career when he was having success.  He not only lived and worked here, he sold his own work and the work of others.  Very entrepreneurial. 

The house is about 5 floors up.  In this hallway there is a small window overlooking the room below where his work hangs.  Kind of cool.

There is a grocery store by our hotel called Marqt.  What is interesting to note is that the layout in the store is different than most I shop in.  There is a format and it is a bit different here.  Also, no cash just credit with a pin.  They do it for security reasons.  You literally can not buy anything there with cash.  Also, every credit card in Europe gives each person their own personal pin code so that when they buy something they have to push it in to confirm the purchase.  Super smart.  I wonder if the fraud is less here than the states because of the pin. 

Stopped by Lite/Dark to get some energy drinks but had to take a pic of the chocolate dipped blackberry.

This pic is very Amsterdam.

We stopped by Micafe for lunch.  Sitting on a canal down a very quaint residential street. 

Love how they serve mint tea.  This could be my drink of the summer.

A mixture of antipastos for the table. 

Mackerel salad.  A small bowl of whitefish salad with some bread and salads.  Make your own.

Cheese truffle omelet.  I am not a huge omelet person but this was definitely one of the best I have had.  Soft eggs, gooey cheese and just a hint of truffle. 

Stopped into Frozen Fountain.  A very cool modern furniture store.  They have everything from fabrics to accessories.  Too bad their website doesn't do ecommerce yet.  Fascinating that it doesn't because they are definitely noted as one of the cooler stores in town and they would benefit from people like me finding stuff that they have online that nobody else carries. 

I loved these green glass holders

Josh and Jessica entertained me by going in.

Time to return back to the hotel for a little nap action. 

Back to London

Going back to a city that you know is like visiting an old friend.  Fred and I are in London for a few days this week. There is no rush to see anything.  We know where to go.  We lived her for four weeks a few summers ago and walking the streets feels like my old stomping grounds. 

We got in this morning and were exhausted.  The hardest part about coming here is the flight really isn't that long but the time change is 5 hours so just about when you are ready to fall asleep, you land.  It is wet, cold and rainy which is a bit of a bummer since NYC has finally become relatively warm. 

Once we had breakfast and freshened up we hit the street.  First stop was BStore.  I have been watching and shopping at this store for years.  The guys behind it are so nice and they do a lot of private label and work with Opening Ceremony.  They have moved to a two story location near Liberty of London. 

Afterward we stopped in Philips de Pury.  I had seen these vessels by Pia Wustenberg and was determined to find them what I got to London.  Phiips has a small shop here that carries artisan work.  Little did I know that there was also a small shop like this in NYC but the one in London is bigger and most of the work is sourced here.  The guy who runs it works with universities/colleges and alike to steamlike many of the newer artists into the art world.  Makes sense.  Not sure why there isn't more of that connection in NYC.  I ended up with one of the vessels not featured here.

I also got this piece which is a standing vase. 

The other piece is one of these bowls.  All very cool works.

We headed over the Tate Modern.  I have never been a fan of this museum but now it appears that they only do curated installations of artists which makes more sense.  I didn't like how you wandered through the place for their permanent works.  Before going in had lunch at the Tate cafe and I won't bore you with the pictures.  It ain't Danny Meyer.  Then we saw the Yayoi Kusama show.  Thank god for our kids because it was Jessica who told us we must see this exhibit.  Amazing.  I knew nothing about this artist before hand and shame on me.  Beyond talented and watching her work evolve over the course of her life, so far, is incredible.  I am just going to show each piece by room that I took a photo of.  The one above from the 40/50's

Then this continues into the 50's.

This period is amazing.  Everything turned into white polka dots.  The piece is also very layered with the paint which is hard to see from the picture.

How wild is this?

The lone boat was an intallation she had done in the 70s with Warhol and Donald Judd.

She then took the polka dots to another later.  Very pop artish.

The polka dot room. 

Then WOW.  Almost looks like it would glow under a black light.

This is the last room which is glowing.  I took a pic of Fred and me.  Kusama has also written a handful of books.  Loved this show.

Back to the room for some serious rest and relaxation before going out for dinner. 

 

Walking around Chicago

Since I was on my own today I took my time getting out the door.  I finally made my way downstairs to get a little breakfast.  These are the lights in the Pump Room.  Very cool.

Of course I used the Racked 38 list to figure out what stores I should go check out.  First stop was Judy Maxwell.  Supposedly this store is owned by Joan Cusack, who knew.  Unfortunately she was not there today.  A very quirky yet cool store full of fun items for your house.  I happened to love this elephant which actually can hold a 220 lb person and am thinking where would I put it.

I really liked these pieces by Brian Bonebrake at the store.  The popsickles are great.

So is the fish. 

There was also this shelf full of these odd shaped small books.  This I bought.

I strolled over to Sarca and around the corner to Ikram.  Ikram is chocked with merchandise.  A long standing Chicago store.  The building is really cool.

My next stop was Elements to check out their housewares and then off to Blake.  Blake had a pretty great selection of clothes. The Chicago Racked editor definitely sent me to the right spots.

Art galleries came next.  Paintings by Daniel Bodner at Roy Boyd Gallery.

These were my favorites of the day.  Marc Dennis at Carl Hammer Gallery.

There are a few buildings around Superior that have a handful of galleries in them.  This was cool.  Spill is the name of the exhibit by Daniel Beltra at Catherine Edelman Gallery.  Photos of oil spills.

Last was Norbert Freese at Printworks.

Just a nice day to walk around and take in the city of Chicago.