Full of Life

Okay, this is going to be a ridiculously long post. You've been forewarned. Friday dawned not quite as unbearably hot as the previous two days, and so I looked forward to a day spent on Governor's Island instead of dreaded it. We were all headed to Figment, an art festival covering the island with unique pieces, often of a collaborative and interactive nature. Some of my favorite pieces are below.

Decorated footsteps.

Plastic bag crochet tree.

Yellow doily in nature (my favorite, obviously).

The only disappointing aspect of Figment was how spread out everything was. I stepped off the ferry expecting an explosion of color and art, but ended up walking 2 - 5 minutes between each installation. And in 80 degree sunshine, that shit gets old fast.

After departing Governor's Island, Olivia and I led a group to the Art Write Now exhibit in the World Financial Center that we'd stumbled upon earlier that week. It was by far my favorite museum stop in the trip this far. The talent of kids all under 18 was completely overwhelming and inspiring.

Following a delicious dinner at the Amish Market (where absolutely no one was Amish), Olivia, Caitlin, Cara and I took the subway to Brooklyn to see Andrew Bird for free. A friendly homeless man directed us to Prospect Park without us having to ask him (apparently we look like park lovers?) and soon we approached what we thought at the time was a huge line. Little did we know we'd actually be part of the 10% of concert goers to snag an actual seat. There were hundreds and hundreds of people standing behind us, and even behind the park fence, watching Andrew for his two hour set.

It was incredible.

As I sat and listened to Andrew's trademark whistle and felt the cool Brooklyn breeze through my fuzzy hair, I felt so full. I didn't want to be anywhere other than where I was, with twinkle lights swaying above my head illuminating the hipsters and babies and couples around me who were all entranced by the same song.

Saturday I woke up as if I hadn't slept a lick all night. My allergies were killing me (and my Kleenex supply), and I burned my neck with my curling iron pretty brutally. Despite rain and a grumpy attitude, I traveled with the group to the Merchant's House Museum, where I only snagged one photo:

Servant girls' room at the Merchant House. Creepy and dusty and hot.

I almost fainted a few times in the museum, and by the time we left, I was feeling miserable. Danielle treated a group of us to lunch at Crif Dogs, where I managed to eat some cheese fries. We decided to wander around East Village for a while while we were in the neighborhood, and I definitely want to return when the weather and I are both nicer.

Decorated street sign in East Village.

I then snagged a train ride home, and passed out for 13 hours. I woke still feeling stuffy and stiff, but much happier. Olivia invited me to a craft fair, and I almost peed my pants when I realized it was Renegade. I've been obsessed with this fair for the last two or three years, and have strongly considered driving to the Chicago one a couple of times. How it slipped my awareness of being in NYC while I am is beyond me. But anyways, Olivia and I headed to Brooklyn once again to immerse ourselves in the greatest craft show in the country. My expectations were completely blown. It was: huge, overwhelming, incredibly inspiring, wallet draining, continually self-topping and exceptionally fun. Olivia and I made the perfect fair match with a good pace and pretty similar tastes. We happened upon an artist making 60 second watercolor portraits for 50 cents, and we each got one. Here's mine:

My watercolor twin.

I also picked up two posters - one a beautiful graphic illustration of a Joanna Newsom concert poster (eeee!) and the other a stately hand-drawn portrait of a fox in a green business suit. I love him. I also found the long-lost cousin of my dearly loved right-hand ring, and now she sits on my left middle finger. And also! Olivia and I devoured the most incredible lunch of queso arepas with arugula, truffle oil and avocado.

Oh my god, so good.

Walking back to the subway, we admired how amazingly cool Brooklyn is. We were in a completely different area than the night of the Andrew Bird concert, and tiny cafes and shops lined the multi-color facade-d street (I don't think facade-d is a word, but you get my point).

Olivia and I, apparently masters of direction today, caught the subway back to Manhattan and into the heart of Korea town to meet up with the others for dinner. I don't remember the name of our restaurant, but I shared the Korean barbecue with Vanessa, Caitlin and Cara, and it was incredibly delicious (and fun!).

Raw meat was delivered to the table, and we cooked it ourselves. Then we combined it with a huge assortment of Korean condiments and pigged out.

They even brought us dessert!

Delicious raspberry sorbet.

Not wanting to send myself back into a tailspin of sickness, I headed home after dinner instead of going out for the possibility of Korean karaoke. Next time!

Thanks for reading, everyone!