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Let Sarah Jessica Parker Lead You Through the Met Museum's New Exhibit

If you're missing Carrie Bradshaw's quirky voice narrating Sex and the City and can't wait till the second movie comes out later this month, head down to the New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art's "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity." The exhibit, which opens today, features the on-screen and off-screen fashionista Sarah Jessica Parker as its audio guide.

Inside the Met, you'll explore perceptions of the modern American woman from 1890 to 1940 and how they have shaped the way American women are seen today. By looking at the archetypes of American femininity through dress, the exhibition shows how women's social, political and sexual emancipation sparked style revolutions.

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Make Like a Panda and Hang Out in the Met Museum's New Bamboo Forest

We are fans of big public art installations, like "The Gates" in Central Park, so we can't wait to check out the Metropolitan Museum of Art's newest offering, a big mess of bamboo that looks like a bunch of Pick-Up Sticks hanging from its rooftop.

More formally called "Big Bambú: You Can't, You Don't, and You Won't Stop," the exhibit is an evolving work that's supposed to mesh sculpture, architecture and performance art. Construction will continue throughout the spring, summer and fall, and ultimately it'll measure 100 feet long, 50 feet wide and 50 feet high. Oh, and did we mention that you can sorta climb in it?

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Sip Martinis With a View From On Top of the Met

As we mentioned last week, there's just something about drinking in a museum that feels so wrong but oh, so right. So while there’s still some summer sunshine to go around, we figured we’d take a look at a few of our favorite in-museum watering holes.

Unquestionably near the top of the list is the martini bar at the Museum of Metropolitan Art’s roof garden. To get to this artsy drinkers’ oasis, enter through the main museum entrance, but of course don’t pay the tourist-only “suggested admission” of $20 – they’ll let you in for as little as a penny (OK well, don’t be that much of a cheapskate—a few dollars maybe?) Then head up to the fifth floor, where the martini bar opens everyday at 5:30 p.m.

While this has to be called a “martini bar” for sophistication's sake, they actually serve all types of drinks, including frozen margaritas, piña coladas, and strawberry daiquiris. The real draw, of course, is watching the sunset over Central Park and the Manhattan skyline.

Related Stories:
· Martini Bar at the Met [Official Site]
· New York Museum Adds Pop-Up Wine Bar With Central Park Views [Jaunted]
· Prohibition Comes With A Free Drink At New York's City Museumr [Jaunted]

[Photo: valkyrieh116]

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Prohibition Comes With A Free Drink At New York's City Museum

The Museum of the City of New York is serving up a special exhibit this summer that even the most fervent museum hater could hardly call boring.

The museum, conveniently located on 5th Avenue, just opened “Speakeasy 1220,” a look into the history of NYC's prohibition-era lounges, complete with a full bar. Although often overlooked by visitors in favor of the nearby Met and Museum of Natural History, the City Museum always offers unique, in-depth looks at local history, in this case an examination of the 32,000 underground watering holes that once dotted New York’s landscape.

The museum’s speakeasy skips the secret passwords and text messages that you might find at the faux-speakeasy bars downtown. Instead, this one is right out in the open, but offers a fun look at the music, cocktails, and history of the 1920’s. $10 admission includes a free drink. Come on, how can you not like a museum exhibit that comes with a free drink!

Related Stories:
· The Museum of the City of New York [Official Site]
· MoMA's Garden Parties Are Yours For $20 [Official Site]
· Taking In Museums Through the Flickr Commons [Jaunted]

[Photo: Kalense Kid]

Project-Runway-Map / TV Travel / Television Travel / → All Tags

Project Runway Map: Nearing the End

We didn't get to blog the last Project Runway episode and that turned out to be some big dramz! The designers followed Tim Gunn to the Metropolitan Musuem of Art where they were asked to choose an inspirational piece from one of the three wings--the Greek and Roman Sculpture courtyard, the European Painting wing or the Temple of Dendur--and whip up something faboo.

In short, Sweet Pea got kicked out for her poor interpretation of a painting of peacocks by Melchior d'Hondecoeter. But Christian, appropriately dubbed "Princess Puffysleeves" by Project Rungay won the challenge with his take on a Spanish painting that Roberto Cavalli just looooved.

Even more surprisingly, both Chris and Rami advanced to the final but there's a twist. The two must show a collection before getting to compete in the final. The one with the best design gets to move forward.

And during New York Fashion Week their collections debuted, so you can check those out here.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Last night was the reunion episode!

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New NYC Restaurant: Persephone

Calling all Greek wannabes! Check in this week at the just-opened Persephone on the Upper East Side. You can still maintain your 2008 diet plan, by eating healthy at this converted Greek space. Partners Nicola Kotsoni and Steve Tzolis have expanded uptown and are dishing out treats like Greek meatballs with tomato sauce and the requisite pikilia-spread appetizer sampler.

Persephone offers menu items that are a step up--to suit the neighborhood, naturally. Souvlaki is made with filet mignon and octopus legs are marinated in wine before hitting the grill. Speaking of wine, their list has some traditional Greek offerings, and they also offer interesting-sounding ouzo-based cocktails. (Ouzo-tini, anyone?) You're also welcome to BYOB here, surprisingly, but they'll charge you a fee to cork it.

Related Stories:
· Openings: Persephone [NY Mag]
· Persephone [Open Table]
· New New York Restaurants coverage [Jaunted]
· Restaurants coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Google Maps]

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Dutch Art Coming to New York

Despite the fact that New York gets super crowded in the fall, it's one of the best times to visit because so much cultural stuff is happening. And The Metropolitan Museum of Art is leading the charge with a massive exhibit of Dutch paintings that starts today and runs until January 6.

Before you sniffle at the idea of catching a bunch of still life paintings of skulls, know that The Met has one of the largest collections of these paintings anywhere. And among them are 20 Rembrandts. The guy's famous for a reason.

Also interesting is the exhibit format: Instead of organizing the show by theme, the paintings will hang in the order in which the museum acquired them. So rather than walking through the development of Dutch art, the show is a snapshot of the museum's history. Not a bad way to spend a rainy fall day in the city.

Related Stories:
· The Age of Rembrandt [Official Site]
· Museums coverage [Jaunted]
· New York Hotels [HotelChatter]

[Photo: The Met]

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Art Galleries in New York: Neue Galerie

If you find yourself wandering up Fifth Avenue in New York, you know, back to your multi-million dollar townhouse with nothing to do one summer afternoon - be sure to make a stop at the Neue Galerie. Home to the city's most admired collection of German and Austrian art, the gallery's building itself is spectacular, reeking of old world money and style. Once home to Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, today its walls hold works by everyone ranging from Gustav Klimt to Otto Wagner to Marcel Breuer. Currently, you can also catch a special exhibit featuring original Van Gogh and Expressionism masterpieces.

Strangely, the gallery was practically (and perfectly) empty when we stopped in, contributing nicely to our daydream of actually living there. (We'll admit it, the $15 admission fee isn't conducive to all...) Cafe Sabarsky, the on-site cafe headed by chef Kurt Guttenbrunner, offered the ultimate in Viennese specialities, including strudel and Linzertorte to die for. (Stop in on Thursday nights for authentic cabaret!) Come to think of it, the only hard part of our visit was stepping back outside, trudging to the subway and heading home to our, um, non-mansion.

Related Stories:
· Neue Galerie [Official Site]
· Art Galleries in New York Map [Jaunted]

[Photo: issa.tobias]

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This Post Has Nothing to Do with A Streetcar Named Desire

Are you into rooftop views of New York City while taking in world class art? Us too. That's why now's the time to get to The Met: Frank Stella's sculptures recently took up residence on the museum's roof.

Huge pieces, made from steel and carbon fiber, Stella's sculptures aren't easy to get a handle on, but as long as you're drinking in the skyline, you might as well ponder the meaning of it all. Besides, The Met is branching out with this one--though Stella has long been an established artist, the uptown museum sometimes has trouble dealing with contemporary art. If The Met can do it, so can you.

But if PoMo architectural sculptures aren't your thing, don't despair. Another show might strike your fancy, but you'll need to act fast. Barcelona and Modernity: Gaudi to Dali--featuring tons of furniture and modern and surrealist paintings--closes this Sunday, June 3.

[Photo: victoriapeckham]

Related Stories:
· Museum Travel [Jaunted]
· The Metropolitan Museum of Art [Official Site]

Restaurants / Food / New York City / Health / Hippies / → All Tags

Now Open: Josie's Kitchen in NYC

One of the great ironies of the Upper East Side is that some people who would never consider living there may currently be inclined to make the switch, now that they've driven up rents downtown. As the uptown granola contingent grows, so must the downtown-style health food restaurant count. There are a few hippie joints up east, but the general UES idea of "health food" is Tasti-D, which is not really food.

Now open at 84th Street & Second Avenue is an outpost of Josie's, a sleek restaurant that serves wholesome, whole foods. It's neither vegan nor vegetarian, but emphasizes simple, natural dishes and many organic ingredients. Dishes at the new Josie's Kitchen include steamed organic Belgian potato & broccoli dumplings, organic macaroni & cheese with wild mushrooms and peas, a "veggie plate deluxe," and air-baked organic fries.

Entrees are priced in the $15-20 range, a fair but not rock-bottom charge for the delicious eats.

Restaurants / Food / Pizza / Pizza-in-New-York / → All Tags

Tiramisu Restaurant in NYC

We used to love the pizza at Luzzo's on First Avenue, but the last time we tried it, it was too doughy and floppy. According to a poster on Menupages, Martha Stewart raved about the place on her show sometime this year, so that could explain it: an influx of new customers, and the quality goes down when the place can't keep up. Not that there's anything terrible about a floppy slice of bread smothered with mozzarella, but we love brick-oven pizza and prefer it crispy.

For a fresh thin-crust fix uptown without overwhelming crowds, try Tiramisu, a sit-down Italian joint on 80th & Third that's not exclusively dedicated to pizza. The oven crackles right within your sight in the main dining room, and the pies that come out of it are great. They're small and the perfect size for sharing with a friend (unless you're absolutely famished). We recommend you keep it simple and order a Margherita--it will come delicately seasoned with light tomato sauce, fresh cheese, and enough crispy backbone to hold it all in.

Related Stories:
· Tiramisu New York [TripAdvisor]

[Photo: pjchmiel]