NYC Break

Categories: USA · Art · Food · Accommodations · New YorkTags: · ·

Spending the Easter long weekend in New York City. I came with no plans and winging it – which turned out great! First stop was the Whitney Biennial 2026. I was able to attend the 2024 edition and took the opportunity to see what’s new thus year. Also on exhibit is Unitiled (America) featuring Whitney’s collection and new acquisitions. Isamu Noguchi collection: I was able to sneak in a Broadway musical as well (booked my ticket the morning of) – Maybe Happy Ending, which won the Tony Awards for Best Musical. Very entertaining and enchanting – with only four actors…

Amstelstad

Categories: Amsterdam · Art · Netherlands · TravelTags: · · ·

My fourth visit – and still has its charm! I am back in Amsterdam, another winter visit to this friendly city. I was mainly going to the “Metamorphoses” exhibit at the Rijksmuseum. Based on the world famous Methamorphoses by the poet Ovid, one long poem filled with stories from classical mythology – tales of love and desire, jealousy and ambition, arrogance and cunning and deceit. In all of them, transformation is the central theme. Bringing together more than 80 masterpieces by Bernini, Titian, Correggio, Caravaggio, Rodin, Brancusi, and many more.

Basel

Categories: Art · Basel · SwitzerlandTags: · ·

Basel is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine and the third most populous city after Zurich and Geneva. Basel is commonly considered to be the cultural capital of Switzerland and the city is famous for its many museums, including the Kunstmuseum, which is the first collection of art accessible to the public in the world (1661) and the largest museum in the country.

Utrecht

Categories: Art · Netherlands · UtrechtTags: · · ·

Netherlands’ under-the-radar fourth city has quietly built a reputation as the relaxed alternative to Amsterdam. The medieval centre is the heart of this compact city renowned for modern architecture, abstract art and furniture design – thanks to its close association with the “De Stijl” art movement. Centraal Museum, the oldest in the country, is eclectic- mixing golden age paintings with contemporary art.

An Empire Long Weekend

Categories: Art · Food · New York · USATags: · ·

A long weekend back in New York – for 72 hours this time. It has been awhile since I have been to the Guggenheim Museum so I decided to pay a visit on this trip. I decided to go back to Momofuku Noodle Bar for my first meal, as it has been years, compounded by the closing of its Toronto outlet. I also headed back to the one star Michelin rated Estela in SoHo. The arroz negra still tastes as good as I remember it. One new restaurant I tried is DomoDomo and ordered their “Domokase” tasting menu. Food and…

40 Hours in NYC

Categories: Art · Food · New York · USATags: · ·

A weekend getaway – mainly to checkout this year’s Whitney Biennial 2024. The eighty-first edition of the Whitney Biennial—the longest-running survey of contemporary art in the United States—features seventy-one artists and collectives grappling with many of today’s most pressing issues. The exhibition’s subtitle, Even Better Than the Real Thing, acknowledges that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is complicating our understanding of what is real, and rhetoric. I took the opportunity to re-visit the permanent colllection of the Whitney, as it has been years since I have been. And of course, no visit to this city is complete without trying out restaurants for the first…

Valparaíso

Categories: Architecture · Art · Chile · Travel · ValparaísoTags: · · · · ·

Located on central Chile’s Pacific coast, the colonial city of Valparaíso represents an extraordinary example of late 19th century urban architectural development in Latin America. Only 120 kilometres (an hour and a half drive) northwest of the capital Santiago, Valparaíso is Chile‘s main port and known for its bohemian and artistic vibe. Hosting one of the few UNESCO World Heritage sites in the country – Valparaíso is an open air museum full of art, graffiti, and colourful houses displayed within the hills.