Ice Cream at Dylan's Candy Bar

We were out and about all over the city this past Labor Day weekend.  Patrick was out of town so it was just Fiona and I adventuring about.  We spent part of Friday visiting some home deco stores around the 59th Street and Lexington area.  Since we were indulging my whims, I figured Fiona deserved a break so I treated her to an ice cream at Dylan's Candy Bar.

It was our first time there and she was enraptured by the colors and the kids.  And boy did she savor that ice cream, barely letting me get a bite in.  She had a dairy sensitivity until about a month ago so she has only had ice cream a handful of times.  It is such a riot watching her eat it.  Her eyes roll back in her head a little and she pretty much looks like she has just tasted a little bit of heaven.  Welcome to your lifelong love affair with ice cream kiddo.

We walked back to the West side through Central Park and enjoyed watching people begin their long weekends relaxing in the beautiful sunny weather...

Washington Square Park, with the small 'pea'

 

Patrick, Fiona and I were in the village last weekend doing some shopping and we decided to stop in Washington Square Park so Fiona could have some time to run around in between stores.  You don't see any of the major park landmarks in the pictures in this post because we spent most of our time with Fiona in the playground.

One of the many things I love love love about NYC playgrounds is that they all most all have water features that are turned on for hot summer days.  Fiona is fascinated by all the water features in New York City playgrounds and this one was no exception.  It is such a joy to see her play in them.

There were a ton of musicians playing in the park that afternoon, and Fiona danced right along to their music.  There is always so much going on in Washington Square Park but this day seemed exceptional and it was all so right.  I'm trying to really remember this visit to the park, since it could be one of my last before we move from NYC (if we move...)!

the museum of arts and design

Last week, as part of the New York City Challenge, Fiona and I visited the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) here in NYC.  The Museum is located in a newly renovated building on Columbus Circle that used to be a real eyesore but now looks absolutely fantastic.  I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about taking my 11 month old daughter to an art museum.  How long would her attention last?  Would she cry out or yell?  How much of the museum would I be able to enjoy?  Well, with these questions running through my head I bravely wrapped Fiona to me and set off on the subway to find out.

The museum has a great feel to it and uses the location of Columbus Circle as one of it's installations, showcasing the location through the windows inside that act as a frame.  And the feel of the space is airy and open without feeling overwhelming.  It's just a great space to show art.   The permanent collections were nice, but it was the special exhibitions that really caught my attention.   We first visited Swept Away: Dust, Ashes, and Dirt in Contemporary Art and Design, part of a series of exhibitions the museum has had that explore unusual mediums.  The art made with these ephemeral materials introduces many interesting questions about permanence of objects and materials.  Much of the work is grey and has a somber tone which seems to emanate from the nature of the mediums.

This work is called Unfurling Splendor (Adaption IV) by Catherine Bertola.   At first glance it appears to be a lovely damask stencil or wall paper, but the patterns are made with dust over PVC glue.  You can see the dust bunnies as you get closer!  How unexpected to use dust this way to show something so intricate from something so ordinary.

I loved this piece called Murder by Maskull Lasserre consisting of ravens made out of burned wood.
The artist wrote of the piece that "I only make work that I don't understand.  Relationships that are easily harmonized, ideas that have completeness in my mind, don't need my intervention in the material world."  This sentiment really resonates with me - the idea of the artist exploring things they don't understand.  However, I also find I understand things in a new way as I explore them even if I think I have an understanding of the work.

Isn't the view north on Broadway stunning from this window?

Javier Perez's Carrona, 2011. 

The Glasstress New York exhibit had some fantastic glass pieces from the Venice Biennales.

Mike + Doug Starn's Untitled, 2011. 

Jaime Hayon's Testa Mecanica, 2011. 

Beautiful stained glass - but I missed the artist's name!  Let me now if you know who this is by!

Fiona was an absolute angel during our whole trip.  And I think we were there almost 2 hours.  She was quiet and seemed to be engaged.  Once we were done we took a trip up to Robert, the restaurant at the top of MAD to check it out.  Of course, the views were fantastic.  I hope to be coming back for a date night at Robert!!!

Whimsical Wallpaper for Kiddos

 

Earlier this week, Daily Candy had a fabulous round up of kid oriented wallpaper.  I would love to decorate a wall in Fiona's room with some of these designs.  That is, when she actually gets a room of her own one day!   I can imagine her spending hours starting at the patterns daydreaming.  The magnetic wall paper by artist Sian Zeng is lovely and comes with movable pieces!  But I think my favorite is the paper with the scenes of Paris, Un Dimanche a Paris, from Famille Summerbelle.  The paper comes in both Silver-Yellow and Blue-Red.  It might be perfect for a child's (or adult!) bathroom too.  I love whimsical wallpaper in bathrooms, don't you?

'Wee Arts' at The Children's Museum of the Arts

Fiona and I met another Mom and her 17 month old daughter yesterday at the CMA for their Wee Arts Morning Drop-in session for kids ages 10 months to 5 years. Fiona is 10 months today so I figured why not give it a try since Fiona has been cruising around like a champ and becoming quite the explorer around the house.

I have a couple of friends that work at the CMA and they have been raving about the newly opened location since it debuted last fall and I can see why. With tons of windows and natural light streaming in, the space is open and bright, providing a blank canvas for kids to create and explore. The Wee Arts area is a special area of the museum just for kids 5 and under. There was a clay station, a magnet station, paint stations and a block play area. We could freely move around to the different stations for the first 45 minutes of the session, with CMA employees assisting. Fiona played with clay for the first time, and didn't even try to put it in her mouth! Very impressive. Is the oral exploration phase ending?

After 45 minutes of free play at the different stations, one of the CMA employees played guitar and sang songs, played drums with the kids, and then read them a story. And after class, we were invited to go play in their ball room (Fiona and I just watched everyone play, since she is still wobbly on her feet and there were a lot of kids). For $22 per family, I think you really get your money's worth. And Drop in classes are my favorite type of class these days! No pressure.