manhattan and me
During February, some friends and I travelled to New York City for the first time. During our week long stay we visited a ton of galleries. We spent hours in the MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, as well as wandering in and through the commercial galleries in Chelsea and on Bowery. I was able to see first hand a vast number of artists that I had learned about for the past four years of my degree, as well as a ton of new and exciting contemporary artists.
Aside from the gallery visits, we managed to fit in a number of other awesome things. If you are visiting New York any time soon here are some things that you need to do! 1. Go to Broadway.
This of course is one of the quintessential things to do when visiting New York City, but it's a must for a reason. The best thing to do if you're on a budget (like art students) is to go to Times Square the day you want to see a show and buy discounted tickets from the TKTS booths. We went to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch for Michael C. Hall's opening performance and it was amazing. 2. Visit Brooklyn.
It's just a small trip over the bridge to visit a less busy but just as cool part of New York. Visit Williamsburg for a neighbourhood that is almost too hip to handle. Little boutiques and vintage clothing stores line the streets and you can wander between them and swoon over the things you wish you could buy (remember, poor art students here). Make sure you head down to the waterfront to see a view of Manhattan from across the river. If you're interested in retro vibes and beer you should check out the Brooklyn Flea Market. In the summer it is open air, but in the winter it moves into a warehouse where you can wind your way between venders selling everything from handmade jewelry to consignment clothing to old records. Food booths are also set up for you to enjoy a fancy grilled cheese sandwhich or spicy thai noodles.
3. See a burlesque show.
If you love entertaining performances that can get raunchy at times you should definitely go to the Slipper Room. Cheap and hilarious, you will be sure to have a good time here.
4. Walk the High Line.
When taking your visit to the galleries in Chelsea make sure to go up to the High Line and walk elevated above the streets. It offers a cool view of the city and is lined with benches and gardens making it a lot prettier than walking along the streets.
It was a wonderful trip where we visited basically 100 galleries, ate too much pulled pork, walked 23 blocks in the wrong direction, froze three and a half toes (collectively), and experienced a city of immenseless possibilities.
