SPBK 14

Even though it's Spring Break (my last one mind you), I was not able to jet off to some exotic locale. I'm kicking myself for taking an actual work load! (I didn't get the memo that second semester seniors have enough on their plates and should probably just take a few classes...and not have an internship). The upside was that for my upcoming paper I got assigned Alfred Barnes, which gave me an excuse to spend a couple days in Philly. I got to see Katherine and my brother, in addition to eating my weight in delicious food! I picked up some moccasins for only four bucks. I've always wanted a pair, but for some reason it just never happened. I get why people wear them all the time, they're basically just socially acceptable slippers.

For my birthday Katherine got me a pair of Free People velvet overalls, paid for my ticket to the Barnes Foundation, and picked up a used copy Liar's Club by Mary Karr. What can I say, the girl gets me. On Wednesday morning we stopped by Federal Donuts, hands down my favorite place to go in Philly. I mean, where else can you get fresh gourmet donuts and some chicken? Our next stop was the Barnes Foundation, which was unlike anything I have ever really seen. My eyes couldn't stay focused on one spot for long. After about three hours I had everything I needed for my paper and we were simply over-saturated with art. The perfect cure - tacos with a side of mac and cheese...yes please!

 On Thursday morning before my bus back we met up with my brother at Sabrina's Cafe located in a converted old house in West Philly. I ate a mountain of stuffed french toast with bananas, the perfect meal before heading back to Brooklyn.

Anyway, I'll be spending the weekend libing la vida loca and cursing everyone who will be in class on Monday morning with a tan. More pictures of my new overalls to come!

Ma petite chouchou

(Sorry for the picture overload, but these are only the ones taken by Ella)

On our first day in Paris, Ella and I walked around until our feet hurt and after a while they just turned numb. We are both adamant about trying to see as much of Paris on foot as possible, which means except for the occasional sitting break - we're up and about. After setting down our bags yesterday we went to a cafe to get a glass of wine and something to eat. I got a crepe (what else is new) with salmon and shrimp. The wine we ordered was terrible, so we were happy we only got one glass.

We were so tired after we ate, but we decided to push through it and walk to the Louvre, which is free on Friday nights. I still cannot fathom how big it is. It would take at least a week to get through it all. We tried to see as much as we could while still trying to appreciate it. It's hard to find a balance between getting to see what you want to see and not just breezing by the lesser known pieces. My art-nerdy side definitely came out (there were a couple screams of delight when I was surprised by artwork I didn't know was there). It's a good thing we had a time limit, otherwise who knows how long we would have stayed there, wandering around the long hallways in hopes of finding gems.

After the Lourve our childish souls drew us to the ferris wheel. We were pleasantly surprised to discover an entire carnival! I love the atmosphere of carnivals - ride goers screaming, people carrying the prizes they've won (always a stuffed animal, never the iPod they hope for), and of course the food since I'm a sucker for anything fried. When we were at the top of the ferris wheel we got a picturesque view of the Eiffel Tower lit up with flashing lights. It gets dark so late here, even at ten the sky was just barely getting dark and lights were beginning to turn on. We bought a big beer and wandered up and down the carnival, stopping once and a while to observe people on rides. We wandered home late and stopped by to get street crepes (I swear I eat other things) before passing out in our beds.

Kids

I feel like my to do list of things to see and places to visit constantly gets longer, with things rarely getting checked off. I finally got to do something that I've been meaning to since moving to Brooklyn, which was visit the Brooklyn Museum! My internship enables me to go to many museums for free with a guest, so I need to take advantage of it as much as I can! Ella came over yesterday and we spent the day wandering around Brooklyn - going to Prospect Park, the Museum and up and down Fifth Avenue in search of iced coffee and food. Our adventure clocked around six miles, which meant by the end of the day we couldn't wait to get our shoes off and just sit. Whenever Ella and I get together we are constantly in a fit of giggles. We become those girls that get stares at in public places for laughing too hard for far too long. We bring out the little kids in each other, which is why we tend to do activities like go on the carousel in Prospect Park and eat Mr. Softee after our visit to the Museum. 

The Brooklyn Museum has an expansive collection - including rooms and rooms of Egyptian art, something I'm very fond of. I took an Egyptian art class a couple semesters ago and I was entranced with it, especially the funerary objects. Just before we were leaving we found something that we both couldn't believe - the Visible Storage for Study room! Cases and drawers filled with furniture, bikes, clocks and of course miniature things. At first it seemed like a place we probably weren't allowed to be in. We checked to door to see if it was locked and then entered into the room, treading lightly incase we were yelled at because we had accidentally gone to a restricted section. Though the layout means it's hard to see items on the top shelves, it was one of the most interesting museum layouts I've seen. I felt like it combined two of my favorite things - libraries and museums.

After the museum we made alcoholic ice pops called poptails, which I haven't tried yet. After we made cocktails and sat out on the patio eating olives and crackers with brie, raspberries and honey. I had never had the cheese/berry/honey combination before, but I highly recommend it! All the items balance each other well and it's the perfect snack for a summer day - light and sweet. We watched Nanu run all over the porch, she's so happy when she is outside. Her ears are always perked up and listening, her eyes always watching the outdoor movements.

Hidden Gems

My favorite part about the city is the hidden gems that catch you by surprise. For one of my classes I had to visit a medieval cathedral and I chose this one up near Columbia University. It's a massive cathedral that doesn't reveal itself until you turn the corner. This beautiful church is akin to the beautiful medieval churches I've been studying pictures of in Europe.  I feel like I take advantage of living in the city by not exploring. Between school and being lazy, it's hard to get the motivation to go out in search of all the places New York has to offer. I'm sure I've walked by so many beautiful spots because I have my headphones on and my eyes down. Maybe now that it's spring I'll take the time to walk slower and look around.