Underground Art - Culture on the Run

I'm on my way to Christine Chin Day Spa to get my brows done (yes, Christine Chin the eyebrow-nazi) and because of some funny logistics I am taking the M train for the first time ever.

I picked it up at 52nd and Lexington and if you are interested in seeing some fantastic mosaics this is the place to hop on the train.  These glass mosaics were installed in 2004 and created by Al Held.  

a must -see in person... the iphone doesn't do them justice!

Love the ribbon mosaic that undulates along the wall.

There is so much art throughout the New York  Subway system.  Luckily there is  a pretty good interactive website that allows you to see examples of the art and indicates the line and stop where you can see it.  Pretty cool. Would make for an interesting day of culture with some out -of- towners.  Or just a little cultcha during the day.  Do you have any favorite underground art installations?  For more art in public spaces check my Culture on the Run post on work by the artist Peter Woytuk.

A Purple Party at Martha Stewart

Last week I was invited to attend the taping of Pippa's * Purple (Birthday) Party on the Martha Stewart Show.  Not a usual occurrence, for shore!!   I brought a pal along and because we were due 45 minutes prior to airtime we were able to see everyone (in purple of course) put the finishing touches on the set.  Here are photos of preparation moments before going on air:

 

Darcy Miller, mother of 3, party planner extra with lots of creative ideas!  I'm always a sucker for themed birthday parties and this did not disappoint!!

[All Photos below - Photo credit: Rob Tannenbaum/The Martha Stewart Show]

We saw some great ideas for favors and decor:

What would a purple party be without  cassis creme whoopee pies?

  David Crofton ( co-owner with his wife Dawn Casale ) of  One Girl Cookies in Brooklyn demonstrated how to make these whoopie pies  

And one of the crafts was a must-make project. You'll never guess how its done so check on Martha's website!!

 There were so many great  ideas too many to list here but all this and more can be found on the  Martha Stewart website.

You too can attend a show by going to the Martha Stewart website.  It's lots of fun and an
"only- in-New York"experience!!


In the meantime I'm working on a Hawaiian Luau Party for my youngest.  Ideas and photos to follow soon!


Have a great week.  More Martha later!
xo CP

* Pippa is Darcy's youngest .  I'd say she is her mother's mini-me. You can see Pippa too on the Martha Stewart website.

Sculpture in NYC - Culture on the Run

I have been so pre-occupied with life-stuff that my blog has been low on the totem pole these days.
I love finding quick cultural activities in New York. Fun to take a moment and just drink in the work of others.

This is the work of sculptor Peter Woytuk as seen at the 1,2,3  West 72nd Train Station on the Upper West Side.  Part of an outdoor public art installation of 18 works you can see his work from Columbus Circle to West 168th St along the Broadway malls.   Click on Woytuk map to click over to a map of locations for his work.  This is my kind of sightseeing!!

Look for something in your world. You never know what you'll find when you just take 30 seconds to observe....

Map of Scupture Locations

Visit the New York High Line

If you are planning a visit to NYC or just looking for something different to do with out-of-town guests this summer,  the High Line should definitely be on your list!  The High Line has just finished its expansion, opening phase II from 20th to 30th Street .  There were great stops for food  (Governor's Island please take note)  and at  30th Street the art installation Rainbow City great for kids and adults.  So, some photos for your perusal:

Our itinerary:

1.  Cab  to Gansevoort and  West 14th Street
2. Admire  beautiful plantings ,landscaping and views.
3. Be sure to get a drink at one of  the talking water fountains Yes, it's art. 

view from the high line

seating area looking out onto the street

Just flowers

As we ended our tour we were surprised to see lots of bright stripes and dots and floaty looking things.  These are photos of Rainbow City:

As far as refreshments, go to the Lot.  Located at the uppermost part of the  High Line a temporary plaza has been set up with an outdoor bar, food trucks,  and picnic tables. It was a great and delicious way to end our little tour.... Two "gourmet" trucks await you as does the The Lot on Tap.  It's a pretty cool idea. The big long bar and the beers on tap not to mention the fabulous choice of mexican dishes (see pic of tacos which were great) or the Korean BBQ.  It was hard to choose!!