On Wednesday we headed into the city to visit the Tanya Bonakdar art gallery in Chelsea that I'd been wanting to see. A couple of our playgroup friends posted pics from their visit on Facebook and like that usually does, it inspired me to make the trip in and see for myself. The exhibit was from Ernesto Neto, a Brazilian artist, whose ropey nets and hangings were also at a MoMA exhibit we saw years ago. I love his designs and the whimsical nature of this walk-all-over-me installation just seemed like something Elisa would find thrilling. So off we went. Only to get there and be told that children weren't allowed on the artsy jungle gym. What? This couldn't be. I had just seen friends and their kids climbing all over it. "Yes, there were too many kids jumping on them." Oh right, the few bad apples spoiled it for the rest of us. The gallery monitor was a humorless hag, and unfortunately my attempts to assure her we would never allow this had no sway. So I snapped a few pics and then took the family upstairs to the rest of the exhibit. And that's when we found another monitor who seemed to use better judgement. With a wink, she allowed Elisa on the installation as long as we accompanied her. Of course! So we spent a wonderful half hour exploring and hanging around on the art and I left in a much better mood.
Afterwards we let Elisa run wild at a nearby playground while Nacho ran to get us some takeout from my old office favorite Pepe Giallo on 10th Ave. It had been too long since I'd enjoyed some penne alla vodka with pancetta and the flavors reminded me of many work days gone by. Ah, yes, the good ol' days of catered lunches and crazy office politics. Maybe that's why the juxtaposition of being in Chelsea yet having all this free time with my family is so oddly amusing. What I felt I gave up when I stopped working was a vibrant office "family" only to be replaced by a real family that is more meaningful than I could ever describe. The people I thought were valued friends there haven't spoken to me in over two years, and I think I'm finally at peace with that. What I have gained from my new community of mama friends and my own family is precious and lasting. There is just no comparison.
So on a sunny, breezy afternoon I enjoyed every minute of our visit to Chelsea and our pit stop at the Friedrich Petzel gallery and Chelsea Water Park. We finished with ice cream at Chelsea Piers and a ride on the carousel at Pier 62. It was a wonderfully exhausting day and I loved that both girls fell asleep at 4pm and gave us a little more time to walk and enjoy the city. It's not quite the same as our long walks all over Manhattan pre-kids, but it's still fun and I'm getting better navigating things with two. Knowing how much art and culture there is in this city for people of all ages, I really hope to make more little trips like this to the galleries and museums. I think there's really something for everyone especially when you combine it with a little time at the playground and some delicious treats.
Afterwards we let Elisa run wild at a nearby playground while Nacho ran to get us some takeout from my old office favorite Pepe Giallo on 10th Ave. It had been too long since I'd enjoyed some penne alla vodka with pancetta and the flavors reminded me of many work days gone by. Ah, yes, the good ol' days of catered lunches and crazy office politics. Maybe that's why the juxtaposition of being in Chelsea yet having all this free time with my family is so oddly amusing. What I felt I gave up when I stopped working was a vibrant office "family" only to be replaced by a real family that is more meaningful than I could ever describe. The people I thought were valued friends there haven't spoken to me in over two years, and I think I'm finally at peace with that. What I have gained from my new community of mama friends and my own family is precious and lasting. There is just no comparison.
So on a sunny, breezy afternoon I enjoyed every minute of our visit to Chelsea and our pit stop at the Friedrich Petzel gallery and Chelsea Water Park. We finished with ice cream at Chelsea Piers and a ride on the carousel at Pier 62. It was a wonderfully exhausting day and I loved that both girls fell asleep at 4pm and gave us a little more time to walk and enjoy the city. It's not quite the same as our long walks all over Manhattan pre-kids, but it's still fun and I'm getting better navigating things with two. Knowing how much art and culture there is in this city for people of all ages, I really hope to make more little trips like this to the galleries and museums. I think there's really something for everyone especially when you combine it with a little time at the playground and some delicious treats.
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