Espana!

While this break, though bookended with fun weekend plans, consisted almost entirely of doing work, at least I know that April break will be completely devoted to fun! The promise of those plans are helping me significantly as I trudge through this graduate school paper, grading, and planning for work.

One of my friends is teaching in an international school in Spain and a few of my other friends live in Europe where, thanks to Ryan Air, it is cheap to get from one place to the other. Therefore, in April we will all meet in Barcelona! I. Can't. Wait. Usually in February or (sometimes and!) April, I head out to San Diego to meet up with one of my closest friends; however, once I told her I wanted to go to Spain, she decided that she wanted to head out of the country too. I am super psyched to be off to Spain to see friends and to travel with her. We always have a great time together as, though we talk almost every day, we live on opposite sides of the country. We are also planning to do a little traveling on our own--can't wait to see the south of Spain--ahhhhh Seville!! 

So far on my list of must-sees:

Las Ramblas in Barcelona

A glass of wine at La Vinya del Senyor 

All images via Pinterest...

Museu Picasso

In the meantime...back to writing papers...

Blog Neglect

If my blog were a houseplant, it would most likely be dead from lack of watering right now. Since my need for human social interaction outweighs my need to write for fun, poor little blog has suffered egregious neglect these days. Graduate school and the old job have kept me on my toes, but luckily I have managed to include some champagne filled happy hours, manicures with friends, and some lovely dates with the boyfriend.

The other day we headed off to MOMA for the afternoon where there are some really great exhibits. From Diego Rivera to an awesome exhibit called "Foreclosed," which looks at the relationship between city planning and the housing crisis, or "Sweet Violence," a fascinating look at the relationship between domestic violence and the portrayal of women in the media, I was loving exploring this mecca of modern art! Though it was freezing on the day that we went, I have also made a note to self/why on earth have I never done this before--to make sure that I visit The Modern and have a few drinks on the terrace of the MOMA sculpture garden. It looks like the perfect summer early evening spot for a glass of white wine.

Lichtenstein...a favorite 

Warhol

A piece that, like many works of modern art, has me questioning what makes something art...

 

I was trying to look like the "Billy goat gruff," but instead look like a poster-child for Prozac... :) oops.

Image via moma.org 

Ahhh...can't wait for warmer weather...

Facelift

Unfortunately, my reading these days has been limited to graduate school work and books that I am teaching, so I have no new recommendations on the book front. That said, this weekend, I stumbled upon a lovely little New York City gem where I am now dying to take out-of-town-visitors! Since last weekend was tragically boring and devoted to doing work/planning for the new semester, we decided that it was time for some fun this weekend. The boyfriend and I are both museum people, so in addition to some dinner plans at a jazz restaurant downtown (on route to which I had a fun Gossip Girl sighting!) and a post-museum trip to a little wine bar on the Upper West Side, we decided to spend the afternoon at the New York Historical Society. After a lovely walk through Central Park, we arrived at the newly renovated museum. I had been to the museum pre-renovation and, let me tell you, this place has catapulted to a very high place on my NYC "Must Visit" list after its 65 million dollar renovation! In addition to adding a beautiful wine bar/restaurant that is gorgeously decorated (I am a sucker for white decor and glamorous chandeliers) and has a newly conceptualized menu, the museum has been updated to be more interactive, culturally relevant, and fun. 

All images courtesy of the New York Historical Society 

Before touring the museum, there is now the option of a short film on the history of New York, which, I am not going to lie, made me tear a little during the September 11th portion, and ended with Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind." Again, cheap shots, but they totally worked on me. Favorite exhibits included: "Revolution! the Atlantic World Reborn" and "Urban Views: American Cities." The museum itself is architecturally beautiful, borders Central Park, and is across from The Natural History Museum. It is also dangerously close to Shake Shack! A definite must for those looking for a different museum than the usual suspects.