maytinee.

THINGS I DID IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

• Smithsonian museums. Holy crap there are a lot of them. So much, we didn’t make it to all the ones we wanted to. We did:
  • The Castle
  • Freer/Sackler Galleries
  • Natural History
  • Hirshorn Gallery (Andy Warhol’s Shadows is fantastic and the Hirshorn is possibly the most perfect gallery to display it. Also must see: Ali Kazma’s Black Box. Mesmerizing.)
  • Air and Space
  • American History
  • American Art/National Portrait Gallery (Where I got to experience the enormously awkward moment of realizing I was the only living, breathing Asian in the Portraiture Now exhibit. From the Smithsonian: “this exhibition offers provocative artistic responses to the Asian experience in America and the meaning of being Asian American. The artists’ visual stories offer representations against and beyond the stereotypes that have long obscured the complexity of being Asian in America.” It resonated with me, but really highlighted the only Asian in the exhibit thing.
• We also, of course, visited the Capitol
• Library of Congress (nifty cool passport thingy for interactivity)
• National Archives (holy fuck do I want to work there. The Public Vaults are hands down the coolest. And their cafe is delicious and cheap.)

Oh, and did I mention we took a train from Penn Station in New York to Union Station? Pretty sure I’ve collected every transportation experience there is to collect excepting a transatlantic voyage and I’ll pass on that, thanks.

I have a confession. I’ve never thought much of you. I’m sorry, you always seemed like a tremendously overpriced city on a small rock with some large, tall buildings jockeying for prominence. Driving back from New Jersey the other night, I finally realized how pretty you can be. And don’t even get me started on your subway system. I fucking love that thing. It’s like tangible teleportation! Not that I expect anyone else to see it that way. I don’t know why anyone would want a car. Speaking of which, your traffic is fucking batshit insane. I don’t understand the purpose of rules if you’re not going to follow them. In fact, the only rule I’ve seen consistently observed is the one prohibiting right hand turns at red lights. Why? Florida doesn’t even have that law. Lanes aren’t really used as lanes, they just seem to be strange markings on asphalt. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize. I like you, New York. I wouldn’t even be opposed to living here. And that’s pretty high praise for me.

• ate noodles and lychee ice cream in Chinatown
• had green tea ice cream at Mitsuwa
• spent most of a day at MoMA/the design store
• went on the Liberty/Ellis Island tour
• walked the Brooklyn Bridge
• visited the 9/11 memorial
• ate lunch at THE best Thai restaurant I’ve ever been to (including ones in Thailand), called Sripaphai. I could be making a hash of that spelling, but it’s in Queens. 65th and 39th-ish
• went to see Anything Goes, which is fabulous
• had post-show dinner at Junior’s. I may die of gluttony before this is all said and done.

And a quick note to say that while I’ve been absent for some time now, I’m going to be EVEN MORE absent. Because I’m going on vacation to New York and DC and I am going to freeze and die.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

Vacation was nice while it lasted. Maybe I’ll put up some pictures and stuff Thursday. What you need to know though, is that the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach is amazing and should be visited by my Florida people.