Happy Tuesday! I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend (for those who had President’s day off... sadly hubs was not so lucky).
We’ve been busy exploring and gallivanting about town, as per usual — and we made not one but two trips to the New York Historical Society. This is a great spot for kids if you haven’t been!! For starters, we made these paper airplanes in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — celebrating #blackhistorymonth. 🌟 Some of the quotes are quite intense but nevertheless it’s never too early for these little kiddos to learn!!!
You can join the New York Historical Museum for more family programs, talks, and exhibits including “Black citizenship in the age of Jim Crow” {now through March 3} — the latter examines the role African Americans played in the advocacy of their rights during the 50 years following the Civil War!
Tonight munchkin and I did a fun school project at home, as part of a homework series that he must complete by “Half Term” (a British school thing). The objective was to “Research and write about a celebration from another country." We had just been back from a trip to the Natural History Museum with his cousins, and by sheer coincidence I recall all three munchkins collectively admiring the "Wedding Chair" that the Museum had as part of its "Asian People" exhibit (you recall that my two munchkins also happened to stumble upon this section during their little excursion to the Natural History Museum for Halloween fun and activities). They were all equally fascinated -- inexplicably drawn, and indeed, the ornate chair had a certain appeal that beguiled you to it in many, many ways. When I went home, I did a quick google search, and sure enough that chair was actually one of the highlighted exhibit from the museum, see link here. Like it was meant to be! I couldn't have planned it more perfectly myself.
We did some more research on-line, about the rites and rituals around a traditional Chinese marriage... why brides wore red instead of white, what a typical "wedding banquet" would look like.
"Did they wear red underwear?" Asked my Five Year old -- without a shred of irony. I'm glad that he was focusing on all of the right things.
Looking forward to bringing it to his school tomorrow! I bet you that the highlight will be the red underwear.
It’s that time of the year!!! Hubs always gets a bit cross with me right around this moment each year, where he accuses me of “losing the plot” because I am just too keen to dress up the kids in various costumes. What can I say, they just look too darn cute and clothes has always been my passion so why not let it all explode during that one time of the year where you can truly let the fantasies just explode?! If anything, this is the time to do it.
When we went away to Tarrytown earlier this month to celebrate our anniversary, my big munchkin drew a sketch which served as the inspiration for this costume ensemble. In it — he fashioned “a shirt” that looked rather goth — for both himself and his little brother. From this I thought — but of course, the boys will be scarecrows!!! So off I went and found the perfect scarecrow costume for both of them (thank you Amazon).
The result was pretty freakin adorable if I don’t say so myself (even if they would only keep the costume on for about an hour). That aside, I think both munchkins really got a kick out of visiting the Natural History Museum (which, admittedly, was sheer pandemonium today for their annual Halloween event).
At the end of the day, my oldest told me that he enjoyed the wing with the least people (go figure), and that the Great Wall of China exhibit, with the skeletons “was really cool.” ☠️💀☠️💀
I suppose in some respect, that juxtaposition of the bones and the Halloween event was quite a neat concept (albeit completely by accident). I’ll have to explain to them some other time about the Great Wall of China and how it was built... and the many Chinese legends of the fallen men who gave up their lives building that thing. It’s a pretty gruesome and complex story that’s probably not age-appropriate at the moment. So for today.... it’s all about ghosts and goblins and trick or treating at the Natural History Museum — which was adorable (if not slightly manic).
Sigh — they really do grow up far too quickly! I’m getting nostalgic just thinking about next year’s Halloween.
Even though we are no long in NYC (and despite the fact that it is mercilessly cold there), a piece of me still misses the city. When it comes to culture, dining, and nightlife, you really cannot beat it! Although let’s face it, the only kind of nightlife that I’m getting these days is 1-2 hours sleep (if I’m lucky), interspersed with feeding, burping, and changing, but that’s a whole other story.
In the meantime, I’m here to let all you NYC-dwellers (and visitors) know that you have exactly FIVE MORE DAYS (until January 15, 2017) to see the Pipilotti Rist exhibit at the New Museum before it closes for good! Mamma was lucky to take BOTH her munchkins (plus her bestie and HER new bébé) to the museum during the last week of December, when Rockshic Baby #2 was just 2 weeks old! Tip for young shavers, it is always best to team up with one mamma whose kid is about the same age as yours, particularly during those early days when you can encourage each other to get out of the house and feel like a real person again. This sage advice was first passed down to me back in 2013 from a colleague of mine over coffee, when I was still preggars with Rockshic Baby #1, and it couldn’t have been more true.
Lucky for us, we only live a block away from the New Museum, so really, there was zero excuse to not have seen this amazing installation exhibit! It took place over three floors of the museum, and the interactive nature of it all is perfectly suited for the wee ones and their aesthetically-conscious grown-up chaperons.
My favorite were the lights on the third floor, a kaleidoscopic dreamscape that truly took my breath away. It made me think of a star-lit, cherry blossoms festival, with psychedelic magical powers… if such a thing existed. The fourth floor ain’t bad either, lots of comfy cushions and beds for you to lie down and admire the moving, ceiling art. Of course, my three year old toddler was busy switching beds and taking his shoes on and off. I think the highlight for him was that he got to jump on “all of the beds! Especially the HUGE one!!!”
Oh, and it’s also not a bad experience for sleep-deprived mommies such as ourselves, as your entire life is like one big blurry dreamscape anyhow at this stage. Just don't forget to fuel up with coffee... lucky for us there is the Hester Street cafe downstairs in the museum lobby, reminiscent of the Hester Street Fair, featured here!
So yes, as I said, please please please do go before it’s too late! Just be sure to purchase tickets on-line so you can skip the queue.
That said… did you know that there was a KILLER Dali museum in St. Petersburg, Florida?! Yes yes, this is true. St. Pete, as it is affectionately known by locals, is actually an emerging, rocking art mecca, and one of the gems that it boasts is a recently refurbished Dali museum that is truly worth seeing. Since yours truly winters in nearby Naples, Florida -- you know that I just had to make trip! (In fact, it was on the top eight list of my "Beach Resolutions" when I first arrived in Naples during my maternity leave. Note to self, still working on those extra 15 pounds!!!).
I actually came across these photos quite by happenstance (hubs stumbled upon one of my memory back-ups and so I had to take a peak. I tell ya, I really need a better organization system).
What I found was pure magic, and so much undiscovered Dali treasure! For instance… did you know that Dali also illustrated Alice in Wonderland? In a way, it’s actually the perfect marriage if you ask me. A hyper-hallucinogenic fairy-tale narrative illustrated by a crazy dreamer-manic artist. Win!
Hope you enjoy these images from my camera-roll (thank you iPhone), and maybe make it out to the Dali museum in St. Petersburg sometime!
Gotta love Os Gemeos! Believe it or not, my first encounter with these Brazilian street artists/twin brothers was in Boston! Of all place (see full feature here). I always smile whenever I see any street art by those two, given my fondness for Brazil.
Hello hello! Yes yes I know… it’s been TWO WHOLE weeks since I’ve last written…
Did you miss me?
This has possibly been my longest time away yet, but rest assured that it was for lots of good reasons – some of them major-league health related (I saw sick, hubs was sick, baby was sick…). In the meantime, I do want to report that I haven’t been ENTIRELY useless during my time away.
So you know how I’ve always been a huge fan of the arts, and how I LOVE photographing street art, graffiti, and museum-related features and such? Well – lately I’ve gotten the itch to basically create my own Instagram stream, JetsetGraffiti, profiling all of the knock-out graffiti art in my neighborhood (and believe me it’s basically a cornucopia of awesome art). Really, I should be living in Bushwick or something.
That aside, I think that I’ve been largely inspired to divert my audience to some of my other, more concentrated interests (though my main profile remains first and foremost Rockshic). For instance, RockshicBaby was born out of a need to profile daily styles and fashion inspirations for my little guy, and similarly – JetsetGraffiti was to satisfy my inner artistic desire to focus on this particular aspect of street art that I so adore.
In a way, Rockshic was born nearly four years ago out of a personal longing to document the beauty that surrounds me – largely focused on street styles worn by people I encounter globally. Along those same lines, street art, much like street style, is also inherently inspiring, not to mention tremendously uplifting and dynamic. It’s all the more special in the sense that it’s super ephemeral. A concept that I’m still learning to grasp (why spend all this time working on a piece of art when it’s just going to get wiped out moments later?).
Therein lies the beauty of graffiti, I suppose – the temporary nature of it, and the very essence of the “here and now” that it instills. The fact that it’s public is also incredibly compelling, as it makes it completely accessible and utterly subject to the interpretation of masses. Some people take no notice while others snap away and store it as Instagream fodder. Hopefully, it will speak to most of you, whether you realize or not.
In the meantime, I hope that you’ll visit and follow JetsetGraffiti when you have a chance, and that it leaves some form of a lasting impression on you!
Happy Tuesday and what a lovely day it is! After a busy weekend of gallivanting all about the city with our little ball of energy, yours truly was one fatigued mamma. Thank goodness for a relatively quiet Monday so that I can pass out early. Nothing like refueling your energy tank to feel ready to take on the world once again!!
These photos were taken from our morning excursion to the American Museum of Natural History over the weekend. We just recently became members (thanks to Gilt City and an additional promo we were able to take advantage of!), so it was high time to check out the dinosaurs. To quote Susan Weiss-Voskidis, executive editor of Manhattan Family, "we are enormously fortunate to have so much intelligent stimulation around us and we owe it to our children to participate with them in the myriad of possibilities that will further enhance their education and well-being."
This above-quote largely captures how I feel about all that New York City has to offer, and beyond. Sure, sometimes it can get quite tiring (not to mention expensive). Case in point, we probably spent more time in taxis than we did at the museum (an unfortunate clash of mid-day nap schedules). Nevertheless, in spite of the above, I've never ventured on an excursion with the Nuke Baby that I regretted.
At the end of the day, experiences and memories trump everything else in my book, as they serve to enrich and relate. It’s a juggling act, as a "working parent and working as a parent" (another quote of Susan's), but the rewards are well worth it!
This afternoon I took the little Nuke out for an artsy-inspired outing. We’ve been cooped up indoors for far too much of this long weekend – largely because mamma’s been busy on her laptop and conference calls for the better part of her time here.
However, with the weather so pleasant here in the Gulf-coast, it would be positively criminal to not venture outside. Wouldn’t you agree?
I’ve actually been meaning to go to Artis Naples (along with the adjacent Baker Museum) for quite some time now. Who knew that it was so close and right under my nose this entire time? (It’s right behind the Waterside Shops, last seen here – which I quite like, and also across the street from my yoga studio (featured here and here), where I’m a regular).
That said… our trip to Artis Naples was well worth the visit! Trust we’ll be back.
The Chihuly Persian Ceiling alone made the exhibit very, very special. We were lucky too – that it was such a quiet afternoon, and mom and bubs had the Chihuly walk-way all to ourselves (a facet I suspect would simply be unheard of Manhattan).
We were also quite impressed with the Warhol exhibit of his “Endangered Species” collection (Tigers, Frogs, and Pandas, oh my!).
In fact, Artis Naples even has a “Make-and-Take” workshop room for little tikes, where the kiddos get to channel the masters’ inspirations and create their own masterpiece (love it). More details on these family workshops can be found here. The theme of the month was (unsurprisingly) based on Warhol’s endangered animals. Judging from his facial expression, I’d say that the little man was pleased!
If you have some time, do also venture forth to the outdoor sculpture garden, as it’s truly a great place for the littles to run around and for the grown-ups to sit back, relax, sip a cup of latte (the museum also come equipped with cafes, of course)… and best of all, enjoy the sunshine!
I feel a bit guilty, as this post has long been overdue –
but they say, better late than never right?
Lately, particularly as I get closer and closer to my due
date, I have this overwhelming desire to squeeze in as much “culture” as
possible (in fact I just made a date with a girlfriend earlier today to do some
museum hopping this Friday!). Call it a
case of preemptive nostalgia?
As a matter of fact, my Gilt order of some rock and roll
onesies from the label Mini Shatsu actually inspired this post. I went and saw this exhibit a looooong time
ago (same time I caught the Impressionism exhibit actually). Was I blown away? Yes.
Did I think that the punk couture fashion was positively fab and larger
than life? Yes, yes, and yes!
From DIY inspired hardware to rap and rock, to hoops, tattoos
and Mohawk artistry, there certainly wasn’t a shortage of fashion inspirations –
both within the exhibit and outside (as many attendees at the Met also dressed
in the spirit of Punk).
One thing that could certainly be drawn from the exhibit,
bigger is indeed better, a concept I can full-heartedly endorse. Go and see for yourself, the exhibit ends
August 14th!
I’m a huge fan of street art and art for the people, so it
was a real treat to visit Chicago last week and experience this first hand, at
the hands of the great masters no less!
I must say, living in the individual bubbles as we all tend
to do, it’s easy not to look up and notice the brilliant art that surrounds us
everyday (I, for one, am guilty of this, particularly living in such an
art-rich town).
I credit my “discoveries” to my lovely Russian friends, whom I had breakfast with last Wednesday. “Have
you seen the Chagall mural near your work?”
One of them asked. Immediately, I
was drawn. Chagall?! Mural! Chicago?
What a treat!!!
This spurred an entire undertaking, of looking at some
fantastic artworks by the likes of Picasso, Calder, Dubuffet. I was mind blown. The best thing was, they were all within
close walking distance to my meetings in downtown Chicago. Mind you, Chicago has some of the best art in
the world, particularly when it comes to Impressionism (I totally fell in love
the moment I visited the Art Institute of Chicago). However, this was the first time I was able
to appreciate the art outside of the
museums.
It only goes to show – beauty and greatness surround us. Sometimes we just need to
pay attention!
Based in Manhattan's Lower East Side, Rock Shic is an excerpt taken from my personal lookbook of real people around the world. It is a combination of aesthetics, fashion, lifestyle, and travel. I also offer personalized Lookbook Consulting and Styling upon request. Please contact me at rockshic (at) gmail (dot) com. Services include: Wardrobe Analysis, Closet Organization, and Personal Shopping.
