I just got back from my annual weekend to NYC with my cousins. We have been meeting in the city every year for 20+ years. Our itinerary always includes a visit to a museum or gallery, shopping, and a Broadway Show.

We typically have a celebrity sighting, but not this year! (Unless you count Christie Brinkley in CHICAGO). She looks amazing for 58, but I think she may have been suffering from laryngitis!

We visited the International Center of Photography where we viewed the exhibition “Weegee Murder Is My Business.” Weegee captured gruesome murders, car crashes, and NYC tenement fires in graphically dramatic and sensationalistic photographs. The show focused on his work of the 1930-40’s and is an intense comment on the urban violence after the repeal of prohibition. Although interesting from a historical perspective, my favorite part of the exhibition was not the black and white tabloid crime photos, but the crowd scenes and videos of the Coney Island sunbathers.

We shopped, stopped for lattes, and shopped some more. I scored 3 pairs of flats, a black and white shirt dress, a lipstick, and some dangly stone earrings.

Tired and wet, we ducked into the Russian Tea Room. Our mood was lifted by the lush gold, red, and green interior, the elegant tea service, and the white Russians. Built in 1927, it exudes the extravagance of 20th century Russia and is said to have been a social hotspot that attracted actors, writers, politicians and business people with its refined European cuisine. On the way out I picked up a book of matches. I was delighted to see that the graphics for the restaurant had been designed by the famous illustrator and graphic designer, Milton Glaser. Upon further research, I found that in the 1970’s Glaser designed a very cool logotype for the restaurant and his illustrations were used on matchbooks, postcards, ads and menus. 

Although The Russian Tea Room has a fabulous grand interior and a totally hip brand, I am sorry to report only 2 other couples were in the restaurant (and no, they weren’t celebrities).

There’s always next year.