Empire State of Mind

The last two weeks have consisted of traveling, unpacking, moving in and adjusting my 'summer state-of-mind' to an 'Anna, it's your last semester at Purdue don't eff it up' kind of mentality. So that being said, it was my perfect excuse for not writing about my summer in the Big Apple. But, now that I think I have time, I'm going to share with you some of my favorite places, including: the most epic museum, the hipster hideaway that is Brooklyn and my fave brunch location, The Butcher's Daughter. New York City has become my second home and I sure do feel like a "I'm walking here", macho New Yorker that is confident enough to say I know the subway like the back of my hand. I've had the honor of living there for a year and two summers, which I know doesn't make me a resident, but once you fall in love with the gum covered streets and stench of sketchy hot dogs, you can call yourself a native or in my case, I guess, a nomad? I have traveled back and fourth between Chicago, Indiana, Michigan and New York for the past four years. Let's be honest though, NYC is the only true runner-up, soon to be crowned home of Anna Louise Thetard. Now that I have babbled for the past paragraph and half, I will invite you to view my album of NYC memories.

The Met, enough said. JK, this magical museum filled with history, culture and romance captivated me from the very beginning. I have always been a sucker for a good museum, but this isn't a good museum, it's exceptional. I always seem to gravitate to the same galleries including; The Sackler Wing, gallery 528, the French Decorative Arts, Modern and Contemporary art, and of course the annual Costume Institute's fashion exhibit. This year was the "Comme Des Garçons Art of the In-between", where they examined the work of Rei Kawakubo's avant-guard designs. If I could set up a cot in the Frank Lloyd Wright's mock home in the American Wing, I would. I could happily live there and sunbath on the Cantor Rooftop Garden, dine in the Patrons Lounge and bath in the Temple of Dendur's water feature, but as that is not allowed, I have attended the Met almost 12 times in the last year.

Graffiti, hipsters, artisan coffee oh my! In the words of Maria Von Trapp from "the Sound of Music", "these are a few of my favorite things". Yes, I will admit, I was a witness to the gentrification of Brooklyn, specifically Williamsburg, but I do not condone the semi apocalypse of middle-class hipsters destroying the promise land of the bearded, tattooed, real-life bad-asses, including Italian grandmas and aspiring families. But, I do condone, I guess, that you can call it rebirth. I love walking the streets of Brooklyn, enjoying the imperfections, the local shops, and the neighborhoods that I want to belong to. It was a hidden gem, that I feel deserved its time in the light. It might be a little over exposed now, but I must admit, I like it a little more than Manhattan. Here is why:

Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass

Brunch, a sacred pastime for the New York sect. A time where mimosas, kale smoothies and the Bloody Marys of the world are celebrated. Brunch is a time to rejuvenate, catch up with your friends, and manage to not spend your entire life savings on a single meal. This is not a Sunday sit-down with your family type of ordeal. It is a way to continue the party from Saturday night. We do not mess with brunch in New York. You can't compare brunch to a normal feast. It's like saying orange is the new pink. As if. (Clueless voice) Restaurant after restaurant I finally discovered the place that accepted me, that, and the food is the bomb. The Butcher's Daughter on Kent St., "is a plant-based restaurant, cafe, juice bar, and 'vegetable slaughterhouse". (https://www.thebutchersdaughter.com/) In other words its healthy, delicious and decorated to impress.