The first weekend of the year was spent in New York exploring some untraditional sights and shows. On Saturday, Daimon, my grandmother and I visited one of the most impressive museums; The Tenement Museum. Basically, you tour an old tenement building that has been rotting away (but structurally sound) for the past 150 years. It's like a time capsule, with layers of dated, torn wallpaper and tiny rooms where up to 9 people were living in at one time. It gives you perspective of what life was like in New York in the 1800s. There's no cheesy re-enactors; just a small group and an eloquently spoken tourguide with a degree in history. It was unsanitary, hard times but the men and especially women were truly heroic to leave all that was familiar to them, travel to the United States, and live in these conditions. I would recommend it to anyone, and it was my second time visiting.
Yesterday, Daimon and I had one of those days in New York where you can walk around for hours with no set plan. The very last show of "Swamp Juice"was at 5pm, and we had plenty of time to meander around. Prior to the off broadway show, we stopped in a stamp store. Imagine walking into a rare book library, and instead of books, there's every kind of image on a stamp you can imagine. They had shelves dedicated to just astrological signs, movie stars, and even sewing/arts and crafts images. I spent more than I'd like to share.
A bizarre billboard we passed as we walked to the Barrow Theater.
And finally, we arrived at....
Jeff Achtem was STELLAR. Daimon and I left inspired and amazed. He was so clever in getting the audience to participate in making shadows to enhance the show. He used his hair, his feet, his hands to maneuver the puppets made of found materials.. it was an innovative display. I'm so glad my money went to someone who was so inventive and creative. This is why I go to work!
It's hard to be back at work, but after two weeks of no structure, I might be able to appreciate a routine again.. "might"....
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