New York, New York

lesson 44: Until yesterday, I had only been to NYC when the weather was absolutely beautiful. Rain or shine, I still love that city.

lesson 45: Meeting new people is fun.

lesson 46: It feels really good when someone other than your family recognizes your artwork and shows a desire to have it in their living/working space.

I only have one more full week of work left, and I'm starting to feel sad about leaving all of the new people I've met and the new places I've seen. Starkville is going to feel very anticlimactic after nine weeks of executive lunches, store tours, museum visits, photo shoots, and my employee discount!

The Barnes Foundation

This morning we took a trip to The Barnes Foundation in Merion, PA. I could give you a quick synopsis of what The Barnes is but I thought it would be easier and more accurate to copy from their website:

"The Barnes Foundation houses one of the finest collections of French Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and early Modern paintings in the world, including an extraordinary number of masterpieces by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (181), Paul Cézanne (69), and Henri Matisse (59). The collection also includes important works by Pablo Picasso (46), Chaim Soutine (21), Henri Rousseau (18), Amedeo Modigliani (16), Edgar Degas (11), Vincent van Gogh (7), Georges Seurat (6), Edouard Manet (4), and Claude Monet (4).

Although renowned for its late 19th- and early 20th-century European paintings, the Foundation's collection also includes important examples of American paintings and works on paper, including works by Charles Demuth, William Glackens, and Maurice and Charles Prendergast; African sculpture; Native American ceramics, jewelry, and textiles; Asian paintings, prints, and sculptures; Medieval manuscripts and sculptures; Old Master paintings, including works by El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, and Titian; ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art; and American and European decorative arts and metalwork." (http://www.barnesfoundation.org/c_main.html)

Dr. Barnes hung the paintings in a salon style based on style, color, subject, etc. rather than by artist or time period. Therefore, you have masterpieces that would never be hung in the same room of a museum hanging next to each other or one below the other. For example, there was a painting by the school of El Greco hanging across from a Renoir with two Van Goghs hung in between. We split up into groups of six and had a docent led tour through the museum. Our docent was so great! She is a retired art history teacher and had a way of spinning the information and anecdotes together to make a very enjoyable experience.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see all of the collection because HBO was shooting a documentary and their film crews and sets were occupying some of the rooms. The director of the documentary came down and gave us a quick talk about the foundation and ended with a stern "request" not to make any noise while they were shooting. Such sacrifice for the sake of entertainment...

Weekend in South Philly

I spent the weekend in South Philly pet/house sitting. I finally got a chance to walk down to Italian Market and up South Street to Headhouse Market.

The fist picture is stepping it back a day to Friday after work and the rest are from Saturday.

This is typical South Philly.

Some might say "trashy." I say "resourceful." REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

Most of the garbage inhabiting the Daily Newspaper kiosk is recyclable and the kiosk itself is being repurposed. Who knew Philadelphia was so "green?"

Gotta love the Mexican food vendors.

A really misleading shot of Philadelphia's skyline.

A fabulous cheese store on 9th. They had barrels of olives and antipasto.

A guy watching soap operas in the middle of the market.

A friend from home came to visit Saturday night. We went to dinner at Dmitri's which is a BYOB Mediterranean seafood place. We got a six pack of locally brewed beer from the restaurant/bar across the street. (Yes, the bar across the street. They do things a little differently around here.) We had the best hummus I've ever eaten. It was very light and fluffy, in both texture and flavor. You could taste the chick peas in it which was a nice change from the over flavored hummus that you get in the grocery store. I also tried my first octopus. I don't really recommend it. It had the consistency of chewy, over cooked chicken. I was expecting it to be more like oversized calamari and less like frog legs. For dinner we had the most delicious, melt-in-your-mouth scallops. It was a fun experience. I'm glad I got to go to a BYO before leaving Philly. They seem to be known for them.

Small Sample of Philadelphia's Mural Project

Philly has a large variety of wall art around the city. Here are a few of my favorites from Saturday.

Philadelphia's Magic Gardens is the work of artist Isaiah Zagar. The mosaics are featured all over the city, but predominantly on and around South Street. South Street is an area of Philly that reminds me of Bourbon St. The mosaics are pretty amazing and extensive.

Today Was a Waste of a Beautiful Day, But I Did Catch Up On Sleep

lesson 42: A college town is a college town. It can easily be recognized by the following: Natty-light and Keystone cans lining the porch, a grill in the back, and an upholstered couch on the front lawn.

lesson 43: Transportation is a booming business in Philly. It costs $6 to take the train into Center City, $2 for the subway once you're there, $12 for a cab ride back to the train, or $23 for an all day parking spot. The way to get around this is to drive into the city, park 20-30 blocks from where you want to go and either walk, pay the $2 for the subway, or split a cab with three other people.

This Has Been A Long Week. A Good Week, But A Long Week

lesson 41: Yankees aren't necessarily rude, they just expect more from people. Again, I will provide some examples:

1- When merging onto the highway, you are expected to move on over... see? They left you plenty of room for your car and maybe even a foot to spare.

2- A honk is just a friendly reminder that you were lucky you didn't just cause a traffic pile-up.

3- The quality of food and service at restaurants is quite impressive. This is mostly due to the location. There are plenty sources for fresh ingredients, fresh waitstaff, and even fresh restaurants if something isn't up to par. Not to mention the fresh customer feedback. No one is shy about sharing their opinions. Some are very complimentary and some not so much.

Another Day, Another Fun Experience, or Two, or Three

This will be short because I need to finish the book for tomorrow, but a few fun things happened that are worth mentioning. 

First, I was invited by the creative director to go to a fashion shoot. Oh, it's in NYC so the company bought me a train ticket for the end of July. 

Second, my boss said she would get me out of the car wash so I can work on more important things. 

Third, I got to sit through part of a meeting involving the final stage of a project that Anthropologie is about to launch. I'm not sure I should go into detail, but it will be very exciting when it happens!