jump to navigation

Orchidaceae March 6, 2022

Posted by judylobo in Zoo.
Tags: , , , , , ,
5 comments

 The New York Botanical Garden’s orchid show is in its 19th year. Once again Jeff Leatham’s bold and colorful vision unfolds through captivating installations and designs, transforming the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into a different color experience and visual effect, like the turn of a kaleidoscope. Orchid towers of orange, yellow, and green, undulating fields of white, and overhead plumes of purple, together with artistic embellishments and a kaleidoscopic tunnel of lights, will delight visitors now thru May 1, 2022.

No shit, Sherlock February 27, 2022

Posted by judylobo in Zoo.
Tags: , , , , ,
4 comments
I am a big fan of the character Sherlock Holmes created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The expression No shit, Sherlock is believed to have originated between the 1940’s to 1950’s. I remember using that term while in high school to state the obvious. One of the first known uses of the expression in popular culture was in the 1986 movie Little Shop of Horrors.  Sherlock Holmes in 221 Objects draws upon the preeminent collection assembled by Glen S. Miranker, rich in bibliographic rarities, manuscripts, books, correspondence, and artwork, all with fascinating stories to tell.  Named for the address of the detective’s Baker Street lodgings, the exhibition presents items that will intrigue bibliophiles, Sherlockians, and general audiences and is running until April 16 at the Grolier Club on East 60th Street. Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed literary human character in film and television history, having appeared on screen 254 times as of 2012. Here is a list of actors who have played Sherlock Holmes.

What a Crock! February 6, 2022

Posted by judylobo in Zoo.
Tags: , , , , , ,
14 comments
 I have been coming to my neighborhood store, Fishs Eddy since 1990 and still frequent it on any given day. When I read that owner Julie Gaines has a small museum above the store I was inspired to visit. Ms Graves is charming, funny and filled with incredible stories and knowledge about all the many things in this wonderful space. Fishs Eddy is an the eccentric dishware emporium on the corner of Broadway and East 19th Street, where you can find classic 1950s-style cafeteria-ware, mugs with the face of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and butter dishes that say “BUTTAH.” Founders Julie Gaines and Dave Lenowitz started the business in 1985 at a storefront near Gramercy Park, selling unused plates they had rescued from the basements of restaurant-supply shops on the Bowery. They used salvaged nail kegs and wooden crates to display their wares and decorated the store’s walls with Gaines’s collection of flea-market paintings. Gaines recounts all this and more in a new graphic memoir, Minding the Store: A Big Story About a Small Business. Most of today’s photos are from the museum but you can see lots of photos of the actual store in my links.

I ♥ New York December 19, 2021

Posted by judylobo in Zoo.
Tags: , , , , ,
7 comments

 Everyone knows the logo – ‘I ♥ New York’ but very few know about the genius behind the design – Milton Glaser. The School of Visual Arts on East 23rd in Manhattan is where Glaser taught for decades. They have devoted a small exhibit in his honor that runs through January 15, 2022. Glaser died in 2020 at the age of 91 and was working right up until the end of his life. He was an activist artist, a brilliant teacher and a mensch. I loved his work and miss his genius.

A Cloistered Life December 12, 2021

Posted by judylobo in Zoo.
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
5 comments
 When I was an art student at RISD (a very long time ago) we were required to take one art history course each semester. It was a fascinating way to learn about world history – though the art of the time. My very favorite class was a medieval art immersion. I fell in love with the iconography, the illuminated manuscripts, the history and the importance of art during those chaotic times. I had not been to the Met’s Cloisters since right before the pandemic shutdown. It was wonderful to return and see this very special place. Interested in how this magnificent space came to Manhattan? Click here: It is easy to get to and well worth your time.

Choo Choo! December 5, 2021

Posted by judylobo in Zoo.
Tags: , , , , ,
4 comments

 I like trains. Admittedly I had never been to the holiday train show at the New York Botanical Garden but decided this year to do it. It is extraordinary. My socks were almost knocked off my feet. I was the first one to enter this marvelous exhibit and had most of it to myself for about 30 minutes. I was blown away by the detail and the amount of work that had gone into making this show. There are more than two dozen model trains and trolleys making their way past nearly 200 miniature NYC landmarks, all made out of natural materials like leaves, seeds, twigs, bark and acorns. The show is on until January 23rd. I know you will enjoy it and encourage you to go during the week to avoid what surely will be enormous crowds. All aboard!

Who Are You Wearing? October 17, 2021

Posted by judylobo in Zoo.
Tags: , , , , ,
5 comments
Anyone who knows me is aware that I am not a fashionista. I pretty much wear the same thing all the time. Jeans (blue or black) and a black top (short sleeves in summer and turtleneck all winter). It is my uniform and has been since high school. I never had any interest in fashion, clothing, styles or trends. When offered the opportunity to go to this exhibit with dear friends I was neither excited nor unexcited. But I was so very wrong. It is one of the best exhibits I have seen in a long time. It is theater, color, style, mirrors, glamour, glitz, history, and more. You can find out all you need to know about the exhibit,  Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams here. The exhibit runs thru February 20. Run (down that runway), don’t walk to see it. You will need a timed ticket. Definitely worth the trip to Brooklyn (borough of my youth).

Buried Treasure October 3, 2021

Posted by judylobo in Zoo.
Tags: , , , , ,
4 comments
 For more than 125 years, The New York Public Library has collected, preserved, and made accessible the world’s knowledge. Now, for the first time, the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures showcases some of the most extraordinary items from the 56 million in their collection. The exhibition is broken up into nine distinct sections: Beginnings, Performance, Explorations, Fortitude, The Written Word, The Visual World, Childhood, Belief, and New York City. It is a trip through history, both local and global, and there is something for everyone – young, old and in-between. The exhibition will be changing to highlight more of their treasures and to make sure that the light sensitive material is preserved. You will need a free timed ticket and proof of vaccination. It is well worth your time. I know that I will return. This article highlights some of the treasures you will see.

Rescue Dogs of 9/11 September 12, 2021

Posted by judylobo in Zoo.
Tags: , , , , , ,
1 comment so far
 Yesterday was a very hard day to relive as we honored those we lost 20 years ago on 9/11. We all remember that day – where we were – who we were with – and how we coped with the days, weeks and months that followed. I coped by blogging about the smells, the sounds and the sights that I witnessed. Some of you have been following my musings, photos and rants for about 20 years. I decided to return to the Museum of the Dog this week to see their new exhibit about some of the rescue dogs of 9/11. When the World Trade Center collapsed on September 11, 2001, nearly 10,000 emergency rescue workers joined in the efforts to help. More than 300 of those heroes were dogs. This article from the Doggington Post highlights a few of them. I spent a little time going over some of my posts from that time and thought I would share one of those posts from the 10th anniversary of 9/11. If you have a lot of time on your hands and want to go back in time I share my random and oft times funny musings here. My post from 2011 on the opening of the Memorial site is here. And finally, a post from 2016 when One World Observatory opened. Stay well and keep the faith.

Six Feet Under September 5, 2021

Posted by judylobo in Zoo.
Tags: , , , , , ,
12 comments

 In my quest to try to have a weekly adventure we took a short trip to Brooklyn in early August to visit beautiful Green-Wood Cemetery. I hadn’t been there in about 15 years and thought it deserved a new look. It was founded in 1838 as one of America’s first rural cemeteries. Still an active cemetery, the Green-Wood of today is also a cultural institution and an outdoor museum that tells the history and cultures of the borough, city and the nation. Today, Green-Wood’s 478 acres serve as the final resting place for over 570,000 permanent residents. Among the permanent residents are such notables as Leonard Bernstein, Boss Tweed, Charles Ebbets, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Horace Greeley, Margaret Pine (who was the last enslaved African-American in New York), numerous Civil War generals, baseball legends, politicians, artists, entertainers and inventors. I discovered after our visit that Pete Hamill is buried near Boss Tweed’s grave. Next time I go I will have to pay my respects to one of my favorite writers. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 and was made a National Historic Landmark in 2006. A magnet for history buffs and bird watchers, Green-Wood is a Revolutionary War historic site (the Battle of Long Island was fought in 1776 across what is now its grounds), a designated site on the Civil War Discovery Trail, and a registered member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System. It is free and open every day of the year.