For the past eight years, I’ve been promising Tee that I’ll take her on New York City adventures, helping her to get to know my hometown. Worst New Yorker ever – no adventures have been had!
Well, that’s not exactly true. We’ve had mini-adventures – seeing a play, visiting friends – but there is SO MUCH exploring to do in New York, and I have been such a slacker.
A few weeks ago, Tee and I realized that we only had a few more weekends free before we are occupied by farmers markets every weekend until November. We decided to visit my childhood best friend (CBF) and her husband and daughter in their brand-new home in New Jersey; their daughter is an adorable two-year-old with gorgeous eyes, amazing bangs, and the most amazing laugh in the world. We also spent Saturday in the city enjoying some playtime, just me and Tee. 🙂
We got into Manhattan at around ten in the
morning and spent a while wandering around Central Park, and then met up with some of my loveliest friends at the Plaza Food Hall, which is a food court in the Plaza Hotel that I did not know existed.
(IMPORTANT SIDEBAR – for lunch, I ate a crepe with lox and cream cheese. I also ate lox for Easter breakfast the weekend before. I am obsessed with lox. I love lox. Why don’t I eat lox every day of my life?)
After lunch, Tee and I spent the rest of the afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
When I lived in Boston, I visited the Museum of Fine Arts regularly. I knew the museum layout by heart, and I loved going back with out-of-town guests to show them my favorite paintings.
An added bonus was that visiting the MFA would almost unfailingly inspire me to write. I’d wander a little – I’d visit my favorite artwork – and inevitably, I’d find a bench and plop down with my journal to jot down some thoughts.
If you ever find yourself dealing with writer’s block, get yourself out there and explore the creations of others. Art begets art.
The same was true last weekend. We wandered through the modern and contemporary art rooms, and I found myself scribbling down ideas for short stories and blog posts every few minutes.
Long story short – if you’re trying to write, go to a museum. Allow the creativity of others to invigorate you.
