Three Days in New York City (2022)

Spent three days in New York City. Here’s what I did.

The view from the Whitney Museum of American Art

This three-day trip to New York was honestly…unplanned. I knew in advance that my theatre was going to have a cocktail party because of the fact that the database I helped create was launching, but I didn’t plan on going up until my boss asked me to. My Megabus ticket was honestly kind of expensive due to the gas prices, but I was going to make the most of this unexpected trip north. I left on a Sunday and would come home three days later on Wednesday.

I did not account for the fact that most of the museums and theatres I wanted to go to would actually be closed for the day I’d actually be free for (Monday). I got in late Sunday night, grabbed dinner in Park Slope, and then promptly passed out on my boss’ couch for the night. Monday morning I rolled up, got brunch with my friend, and then ended up at the Whitney.

More on the Whitney later. But my other friend unfortunately had to cancel due her father being hospitalized, so I spontaneously bought movie tickets. The last couple days I’d be working, so I had to make the most of my limited time. It was brief, but it was also quite fulfilling!

The Whitney Museum + Nitehawk Cinema

Every time I come to New York, I make it a mission to go to a museum. Last trip I went to the MoMA and the Brooklyn Museum, and I wanted to go to the Guggenheim this time but then made a last minute decision to head over to the Whitney in Chelsea. I bought my student ticket and hopped on the subway after brunch with my friend, which took about thirty minutes from central Brooklyn.

The Whitney is located near the beginning of the Highline in Chelsea (a public park that’s like a massive extended bridge), but it’s also in the Meatpacking District. That means there are all the designer stores, a fancy Starbucks that serves as a restaurant, and the old-style cobblestone streets that are honestly a pain in the ass to walk on.

I wanted to go to the Whitney because I realized they had some Shirin Neshat photographs in their collection, but the joke was on me this trip. I had no idea that the Whitney Biennial (an exhibit they literally run every year) was being set up, so that meant half of the floors were actually closed. So the artwork on display was extremely limited, and there were only three floors. Granted, I only paid $18, but I was annoyed because I would’ve just gone to the Guggenheim if I had known about this.

I did make the most of this trip, however. My favorite exhibit was the Edward Hopper one located on the seventh floor, with the eighth floor exhibit (a contemporary artist) coming in with a close second. I did not see any Shirin Neshat photography, which was a true tragedy. I was indeed sad, especially because I couldn’t pop into the Brooklyn Museum for the Warhol exhibit like I wanted to either. I did, however, like the fact that they had some Georgia O’Keefe paintings on display.

I spent an hour total in the Whitney. That’s pretty bad for me, especially because I like to take my time and write about the paintings. I just wasn’t into the art. The nicest part was the outdoor terrace that has an absolutely gorgeous view of New York City’s midtown. I ordered a cappuccino (do not recommend) at their cafe and enjoyed the views. I then went back to the lobby and bought some art prints of my favorite Georgie O’Keefe painting I saw and another print of the Vanderbilt who built the place.

Park Slope was my destination yet again as I headed back into Brooklyn. Once my friend had cancelled, I bought a ticket to see The Batman at Nitehawk Cinema, a movie theatre that masquerades as a restaurant. The movie was okay. I liked the cinematography but the pacing was a little too slow for me. I also felt distracted because I saw it at Nitehawk, where they serve meals with waiters throughout the movie. The truffle popcorn I bought there also was way too acidic with the citric salt.

Our beautiful shrine of female playwrights.

New Perspectives Theatre Company

I spent the bulk of my time at New Perspectives this time. I love our small little space in Hudson Yards, especially because I get off at Penn Station and take the long ten block walk to get there. The one day I got there too soon, before my boss, and so I ended up chilling at a Dunkin’ Donuts across the street from the theatre.

The owners were Bangladeshi and had no idea I was eavesdropping on their entire gossip-y conversations as I sat and drank my drink while writing. It was very entertaining to get the neighborhood drama in Bangla, and the fact I understood most of it was a miracle in itself.

We had our database party, which is what we spent the bulk of the day preparing for. I kind of wish I could’ve saw a theatre show because of how inspired I was after our cocktail party, but, alas, I was here for only a short amount of time.

We invited some local artisan theatres to attend, as well as some big Broadway producer who was honestly not the greatest (she was rich, old, and white and you could tell from some of the things she would say). We spent a lot of time building up this database and getting it to where it is today, so I was happy to drink my lemonade and eat a lot of cheese and salsa that night.

Girls’ Brunch at Miriam (Park Slope)

I did this on the first day with my good friend Eleanor. Whenever I go up to New York City I try to meet up with my college friends as much as possible in order to catch up on all the time we lost together, so this time I met up with Eleanor as she had recently moved to the neighborhood. We ate at Miriam, a popular brunch spot in Park Slope. They serve Israeli food, which I had never actually had before, so I ordered the classic Israeli breakfast while she ordered a french toast.

The Israeli breakfast came with what in Farsi we call a Shirazi salad (minus the onions), eggs of my choice (I chose sunny-side up), labneh, potatoes, and a side of pita bread. Her french toast came with assorted berries scattered throughout the plate.

We both ordered mint lemonades, which were pretty good. My problem with lemonade is that sometimes people put too much sugar in it, and that’s not what this place did. That mint lemonade was just perfect.

All in all, for $44, it’s a decent spot for girls’ brunch. The inside is decorated with Turkish lamps and the outdoor eating section is partitioned so that you have some privacy. It also has floral arrangements which is pretty cute. This was the only sit down I ate at besides Spice Thai (my go-to Thai place when in a crunch), as I was honestly watching my budget a lot this trip. My splurges were the Whitney and The Batman.