Katja had planned to start off the month of May by heading to Los Angeles for a West Coast adventure, however she sadly had to cancel her trip last minute. Thankfully there’s no shortage of adventures to be had in New York, so she was able to quickly fill her social calendar with outings that involve her favorite things - the arts, and wine/bubbly. She thus found herself in Queens, a place where she rarely ventures (she can be such a Manhattan snob), at MoMA PS1, for the recently opened Math Bass exhibition.
Although she spent most of her time there sipping bubbly, unlike at the last museum reception she attended she did at least take the time to peruse the exhibition, which she very much enjoyed. Then, instead of wisely heading home (life’s too short for wise decisions), she found herself drinking passion fruit margaritas at Esquina’s Cinco de Mayo party. A lover of accessories/party favors she doesn’t need, Katja was particularly excited to go home with a sombrero and maracas (although also rather embarrassed to be partaking in the ridiculous stereotyping of Mexican culture that accompanies Cinco de Mayo festivities).
She also came home with accessories - lovely orchid leis - from a dinner she attended at the beautiful, albeit rather stuffy, Metropolitan Club. The dinner was in honor of the naming of a street after Father Damien, a 19th century Belgian priest who worked with lepers in Hawaii. The whole event seemed somewhat surreal, and the much too long speeches by government officials and medical professionals about infectious tropical diseases were rather dull, but thankfully the bubbly and wine were free flowing, making it all much more bearable (even fun).
Katja then had a few unusually calm days as family was visiting, so she thought it best to be at her most respectable. She thus found herself at a museum simply to see art, not because a party was involved. The Neue Galerie is one of her favorites; she loves the museum’s permanent collection as well as its temporary exhibitions, and going there always makes her feel, even if only for a brief moment, that she is back in Vienna, one of her favorite cities.
The museum excursion was followed by dinner at the Milling Room, a lovely spacious restaurant with very tasty food and good cocktails. That said, she probably won’t be back, as she generally avoids the Upper West Side (too many strollers), unless she’s headed to see something at the Lincoln Center. Sadly she was too full for dessert right after dinner, but once she had a bit of time to digest she indulged in some Marzipan Kartoffeln that she had picked up earlier at Schaller & Weber, a wonderful German store in Yorkville. She did of course accompany them with a glass of red wine, which, I believe she might have mentioned once or twice before, makes everything taste better (of course a glass of bubbly will also do).
As she wasn’t able to get to LA Katja found herself back in Boston on two separate occasions. Not quite as exciting, but the gypsy at heart that she is, she can’t go too long without going somewhere. Plus, there was more ballet to be seen, and she rather likes her friends there. On her first trip she saw Edge of Vision again (different casts), and then it was a reception and dress rehearsal for Thrill of Contact, the last production of Boston Ballet’s 2014-2015 season.
In fact it’s been a dance filled few weeks, as she also saw Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's two different programs at The Joyce. It’s her favorite place to see dance in New York, and Hubbard Street is one of her favorite companies, so she was a happy penguin (and one night there was a reception with free-flowing bubbly, which made her even happier).
Katja also caught a New York City Ballet performance; it was an all Balanchine program so not her favorite. Anyway, she must admit the main reason she went was for the post-performance Young Patrons party, “The Parisian Affair on the Promenade.” And, as hard as it might be to believe, there was, once again, too much bubbly consumed. She had a great time dancing the night away with friends, and happily found herself coming home with a black tutu (it wouldn’t be a party if she left empty-handed), perfect for when she’s having a Black Swan moment.
The Parisian theme had her thinking of her trip there last month, and wishing that her trip to London wasn’t four weeks away. But, even though she has to wait almost a month to put her passport to use again, she was able to end the week pretending she was abroad at the St. George's Ukrainian Festival. It’s an event she loves, and one of the many things that reminds her why even though she’d often rather be in Europe, that New York City is a pretty fabulous place to be.
