Over the summer, I did a lot of traveling. One of my many stops was New York, NY, the city that apparently never sleeps—despite me trying to sneak naps in during my short trip. I went to explore the architecture, and here I am a few months later ready to report my findings. But first, let’s have a brief introduction of non-work related things I got up to.
Living the High Life in a Penthouse Apartment
I definitely got to see how the other half live, as I stayed with my cousin and his husband in their penthouse apartment. On my first night, seconds after arriving, I was carted away for a reservation at the Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn. On our way, we passed works by Tadao Ando, a world-renowned architect who designed Beyonce’s house, and I got to see the beautiful Essex Market that my cousin’s husband’s company had worked on.
They moved the market into one building, the Essex Crossing, across the street. There were artisan apartments in the complex, some offices, and even a rock climbing gym.
Dining at Peter Luger Steak House
We arrived at New York’s third oldest operating steakhouse, a brown building with golden letters spelling out the restaurant’s name.
Once inside, the “waiting area” was packed with tons of people. It was well-known that reservations had to be made ahead of time. Also, you essentially had to have close to $1,000 to spend, as the menus had barely any prices on them. As my cousin and his husband ordered things left and right, I felt myself worried about how much I was racking up, even though I wasn’t paying for my meal.
The waiters dashed around the restaurant, skillfully balancing giant trays of food on their shoulders while narrowly avoiding each other. Our waiter brought over a basket of various rolls, and we all immediately took one. With the bread basket, they had this homemade steak sauce. It tasted like a sweet cocktail sauce, and I put it on everything (except my dessert).
Following that, they brought us giant-sized sides: broccoli, tomato slices, onion slices, and bacon. By the time the steaks came and I had put the steak sauce on everything, I was nearly full. But there’s no way you can pass up the most delicious steak you’ve ever tasted.
The steaks, cooked to your liking, come smothered in delicious juices they spoon on top of your slice when they expertly serve it to you with spoons and forks. I wished I could expand my stomach. Talks of dessert went around the table, and I’d seen an apple strudel on the menu that I couldn’t pass up. When it arrived with a heaping of schlag, or homemade whipped cream, for the table, I was not disappointed.
The flaky top and warm middle complimented each other nicely—although I must admit that I prefer my mother’s recipe over theirs!
A Conversation About Architecture
On the way back home with full bellies, I asked my cousin’s husband, who is an urban planner, what it means to be an architect. “For the amount of education and level of licensing, it’s the least paying professional job in the country. So, if you’re an architect, you’ve gotta love being an architect because you won’t make much money,” he said matter-of-factly. As an urban planner, he told me he was in charge of reviewing work, giving direction and ideas, committing those ideas to a CAD program, and keeping everything within a budget. He was responsible for holding the architect to a deadline and making sure construction costs weren’t over-priced.
Exploring the New Museum of Contemporary Art
The following evening, they took me to the New Museum of Contemporary Art on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. They were presenting various exhibitions. As I’d never been to an art exhibit before, I was surprised to find that all the art wasn’t flat on a canvas and posted onto a wall. The exhibits were positioned on different floors, allowing an entirely immersive experience for the museum-goers.
Mire Lee’s Kinetic Clay Art
The first floor we went on was Mire Lee’s. She was a Korean woman from Amsterdam who had used environmental shifts and kinetic work to depict clay in various states. The center focus of the exhibit was a room surrounded by an opaque, waterproof tarp that alluded to the slasher film genre.
In the room, it was extremely humid. Our guide informed us that if the room wasn’t watery enough, the clay would dry out. If it was too humid, the clay would melt. So, Lee had to build a lot of the pieces in the museum itself.
Tuan Nguyen’s Reflection on the Vietnam War
The next floor we saw was the art of Tuan Nguyen. We only had a small amount of time to spend on each floor, so I got an incredibly awkward photo of the artist with a quick word of “love your art!” before running after the members of my group.
His work explored trauma and history involving the Vietnam War. He had a sculpture made from reclaimed bomb material, and somewhere in the exhibit I read a fact that there were more bombs dropped in the War of Vietnam than in the entirety of WWII.
He wanted the audience to see what it meant for Vietnam to restart and rebuild following the war by bringing light to the effects of war. In one of the rooms, there was a video playing of the Vietnamese community in Dakar. Two screens depicted war videos while another had the recording of the voiceovers and/or music; a third screen showed current-day videos. It was an eye-opening experience.
Pepón Osorio’s Powerful Installations
The final floor we got to see was my favorite, and it was Pepón Osorio’s art. The exhibit was called “Mi corazón latiente,” which means “My Beating Heart.” The art was just so astounding to walk through. He had so many cool sculptures and art mounted into walls.
One of the coolest things was a side by side of two rooms. The first room was a young boy’s bedroom. The room next to it was a small jail cell. Projected on the walls facing each other were videos. In the bedroom, it was a young, hopeful man. In the jail, the video had the same young man but aged and imprisoned. It was incredibly moving.
Another room had a complete recreation of a barber shop. There were videos everywhere of boys and men getting their first haircuts. I really wish I could have heard some of the things being said, but it was too loud in the room. The final room was a strong commentary about a specific school in Philadelphia. With actual essay responses from children covering the walls, I got the sense that these students were not even remotely satisfied with the education they were receiving.
I could feel the hopelessness this community felt. When education failed you and the police system failed you, you had nothing left but a life of imprisonment.
Pizza at Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria
The following day, after running around the city like a crazy person in order to get to the spots I wanted to take photos of, I stopped at a pizza place to see if it could even compare to the gloriousness that is Chicago deep dish. I went to Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria and ordered a Bailarina drink and pepperoni pizza. The Bailarina drink was extremely strong and just more proof that I have no idea what I like when it comes to alcohol nor do I know whether it will be sweet or not.
I sat on a stool inside near the door directly between the little café and fresh pastas for sale. Not a bad view whatsoever. When the pizza came out, I realized my eyes had been too big for my stomach, especially because I was going to dinner that evening at a fancy restaurant before seeing Hamilton.
The crust was immaculate. I am a sucker for a good crust; that’s how I pick which piece I’m going to eat. The crust was crispy, well-seasoned, not too chewy or too hard, and definitely not burnt. It was cooked to perfection. You could tell that every single ingredient was fresh, too. The supremely aged cheese balanced nicely with the small hints of spices coming from the pepperoni. If I ever went back, I’d most likely get a mushroom pizza. It was very very good. It’s hard to compare pizzas, as deep dish is seriously a world of its own. So, as far as thin crust pizza goes, Il Buco’s pizza was definitely top-tier.
Dining at the American Express Centurion Club
Now for the grand finale. I got the chance to eat in American Express’ Centurion Club. On our way there, my cousin discussed with me the world of clubs. He told me that only people who could spend $250,000 a year on their American Express card alone were allowed to go to this specific club. One club they’d paid $50,000 to be a member of had lowered its initial payment to $18,000. This was something not many members were happy about. It was clear to me that a lot of people didn’t want to go out anymore unless there were divides between classes.
Of course no pictures could be taken, but I did get a chance to sneak some photos of my delicious meal. My cousin’s husband made it clear to the waiter that we had to be quick, as we were off to see Hamilton. We all lost our minds when the server said he had no clue what that was. I had two helpings of lobster and pesto.
My cousin didn’t want his portion and said that these restaurants always had it. I happily devoured both tiny bowls of it because I knew it would be the first and last time I’d ever get to have some. Following that, I got the five pea salad. The dressing was very yummy for that one. At this point, we were cutting it close to getting to our seats on time in the Richard Rodgers Theatre, so we rushed through the last two courses.
I had the Maine lobster, which was the size of a premature newborn’s leg, and a rice mousse for dessert that I swallowed down in two whole bites as we were rushing out the door because I couldn’t afford to part with its deliciousness.
Needless to say, the trip was absolutely breathtaking albeit very exhausting. Thank you to my awesome cousin and his partner for hosting me, or this trip would have never been possible! For the rest of this month, there will be articles on all the little places I stopped at to take pictures of. Our first stop? The Shed.
Featured photo from the luggage carousel in the new Moynihan Train Station in New York
Immerse Yourself in the Big Apple’s Architecture and More
My whirlwind tour of New York was an unforgettable blend of architectural wonders, culinary delights, and immersive art experiences. From dining at legendary steakhouses to exploring avant-garde museums, every moment was a feast for the senses. Huge thanks to my cousin and his partner for their hospitality. Stay tuned for more snapshots of my adventures in the Big Apple and around the world!
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