These are the four places that brought me joy on this trip:
Nine Orchard Hotel
I love it for the vintage charm, and it delivered exactly that, a building that was once a bank, restored with enough restraint to still feel lived-in. Checking in alone, it made the whole night feel a little more ceremonial than it might have otherwise. The bath looking out over the city was a bonus!
MoMA: The Museum of Modern Art
I had only ever seen Frida's work in books, so standing in front of it was the thing I was most excited about on this trip. There are only six paintings here, but the room has been built like a stage set, which made it feel even more special.
AUTOPHOTO | Photobooth Gallery & Museum
I always find my way to a photobooth wherever I am, so a whole museum of them felt like it was made for me. Every booth has come from a different place, a different process, each one its own small history lesson.
Elbow Bakery
Tucked into the seam where the Lower East Side meets Chinatown, it comes from pastry chef Zoe Kanan and the Court Street Grocers team, and the name has a small story behind it. Kanan came up with it upstate, brainstorming with friends, describing how the site juts out into the square like an elbow. Nothing fussy about the place itself, just something good to eat standing up on the sidewalk, still warm from the oven.
