Artsy-Fartsy in NYC

The hubby and I have been married for almost six years now, and during that time, he's planned all of our vacations and booked every hotel.  He even planned our entire wedding.  I have to admit I've been completely spoiled, and I absolutely love it.  Never a travel worry have I.  He simply tells me where we're going and when, and I show up with my bags packed.  The Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas, the Beverly Hills Montage Hotel, and the Plaza Hotel in NYC are just a sampling of the fine establishments he's chosen over the years.  Lucky me! 

To make up for my lack of vacation planning throughout the years, this past Memorial Day weekend, I assumed all responsibility for selecting a hotel in our destination city, NYC.  Since the hubby always selects the uptown, "cha-ching" hotels, where every boutique and restaurant charges an arm and two legs, I thought it would be fun to go the opposite route and stay in the "artsy" district, where vendors are often selling their wares on the sidewalks and musicians line the streets.  So, I selected the Soho Grand Hotel and the hubby, staying true to his "planner-ism," booked the hotel and made all the arrangements.

We arrived at JFK late Sunday night, met up with our driver, and gladly settled into the backseat as he navigated the car through the busy city streets.  The hubby and I chatted excitedly as we made our way out of JFK, but our excitement quickly dissipated and silence filled the car.  With every left turn, then right, the skyscrapers shrunk and the trash in the streets grew.  Buildings were covered in graffiti, and some of the people walking the streets were not walking at all, they were sleeping.  All I could think was that I totally blew it.  The hubby stared out his window in silence and I'm assuming, complete shock as well.  I didn't say a word.

When we arrived at the hotel, a young man greeted us, took our bags, and told us he would have them sent up to our room.  The hubby didn't budge.  He couldn't take his eyes off our bags.  I had to yank him by the arm and drag him through the hotel doors.  The hotel is quite modern, which appeals to me greatly, so that was a plus.  Our room, not such a plus; it was about as big as the Plaza's bathroom, but, in all, it was clean and comfortable, and it suited our needs (not our wants).

Soho turned out to be almost everything I hoped it would be:  Great shopping, fantastic restaurants, beautiful brownstone lined streets . . . and, yes, it was artsy.

 The world (and a metal garage door) is an artist's canvas.

Original piece can be viewed from Room 216 the Soho Grand. 

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A nearby courtyard is home to this masterpiece.  

A 19th century watercolor by Mike Z.

The crowds of people waiting to view this Contemporary artwork 

matched those waiting to view the Picasso exhibit at the 

Metropolitan Museum of Art.

An art collection on display at a local eatery.

  I love the thoughtful placement of the parmesan 

cheese shaker - beautiful accent.

And . . . we did in fact stumble across a true artist.

  

We do plan on going back to Soho, but when we do, we'll probably try out Trump's hotel.

Life is good!