travel diary: New York CITYYYY
going to the big apple gonna eat a big slice of pizza yeah yeah, + art club tickets.
In February, I was lucky enough to go to spend the week with one of my dearest friends. This was the first international trip I’d taken since the pandemic, the first time visiting my friends at their apartment, AND my first time in New York - so I was keen to keep a record of my trip via a little travel diary (literally, I took a teeny A6 sketchbook).
When I fly long distance I watch a lot of rom-coms to get me over my varying-in-mild-to-sometimes-worse flying phobia. The food was really good! A curry! A small quinoa salad with chickpeas! A salted caramel chocolate mousse! ~~~living the life~~~
The first day I was there, it was unseasonably warm for February - we didn’t even need coats! We took the subway to get to Penguin for Alice to sign hundreds of copies of her new novel In Memoriam* (so exciting!), then wandered around Central Park. I loved Central Park, I feel like I understand now why people are able to make so many cartoons from the people (and dogs) they hear and see. The zoo is a peculiar place - it only has a small number of animals, but they are impressive. Sea lions, grizzlies, red pandas, Japanese snow monkeys and more. It’s good value, go if you’re walking by!
*In Memoriam is already a top 5 Sunday Times Bestseller (!), you can buy it in any major bookshop - or online here (US) or here (UK).
Day 2. I had a few foodie things I wanted to eat during my visit and one of them was BAGELS. Baz bagels was a great place to go - they were delicious and I’d never imagined such a variety of bagels and different types of cream cheese. They also sold loaves of babka, which I devoured the rest of the week. A man in an art shop complimented my jacket and for some reason this made me feel like I was in a movie. Despite my note in my diary, he more reminded me of Andy’s friend Doug in the Devil Wears Prada.
Day 3. Famous comedian Chris Turner* and I crossed the Brooklyn bridge from DUMBO - the panoramic view was quite something! and it was a lot quieter than the Manhattan side. Then we ventured to the American Museum of Natural History - what a place! That big whale hanging from the ceiling is mesmerising and I love that they have an area where you can sit / lie under it. Do cushion your lower back though, I paid the PRICE when I stood up. Either that or I’m ageing, which I refuse to acknowledge.
*You can see Chris performing stand-up / freestyle comedy rap in the Comedy Cellar in New York, and all over the world!
We all had the delight of meeting our pal Adam (aka substack powerhouse Experimental History) for dinner and drinks. Not to get all MUSHY but I did try to pause and take mental pictures, because well, seeing your friends who live far away over a big ocean is special.
Day 4. The hype is real on pizza you can buy by the slice. It was VERY delicious. and I had no idea what to expect with the Met so that was a delightful surprise. The areas we visited were incredible (18th/19th century??) rooms lifted in their entirety from Venice, Swiss castles, Paris, - including curtains and wall decorations. The ancient Egyptian Temple of Dendur is - it’s just - it’s so - if you think you might ever go to the Met, don’t google the Temple of Dendur, let it be a surprise. We were there for hours, and there was still so much more to see. Which feels like a bit of an obvious-Brooklyn-Beckham-sort-of-thing to say.
The last day was pancake day, and we celebrated with suitable razzamatazz by heading to Times Square and the Museum of Broadway - a pretty new museum, which had lots of information, immersive rooms, photo opportunities, genuine costumes and props from shows, and knowledgable staff.
SOME NEWS
Tickets for Sh!t Art Club at the Bristol Improv Theatre are now on sale for April, May and June. I’m now doing 2 shows : one for first timers, and another for returning artistes. Get ya tickets here babyyy.
over and out,
Josie P xo