RAIN DON'T STOP ME.

If you don't work for a company that advocates the concept of "Summer Fridays" aka Leave-Work-at-1pm-on-Friday, then you should probably consider finding a new company to work for. Having the entire afternoon at your disposal is a beautiful feeling and allows more time for play-dates!!!!!

This past Friday involved mobbin' the LES with Choz-Trillionaire and crossing state borders to Jersey City.


After donning the appropriately ridiculous rain gear and grabbing a cup of coffee from Falai, it was time to head to My Plastic Heart, a small store in the LES that sells designer toys, art toys, urban vinyl toys, etc. Zipper pulls are totally the new IT accessory now. Especially ones that are COLLECTIBLE. You can't help wanting to buy one of every collection. Be prepared, however, to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder afterwards - there is a HIGH POSSIBILITY that you will end up NOT getting the keychain you anticipated being in the blind box. It is best to go with friends so that there is at least a chance of being able to trade.


For example, I decided to SPLURGE on a $5 keychain from the Yummy Breakfast series. I had my heart set on getting the banana (so I could give it to my banana-loving friend) OR the egg (because I LOVE EGGS). Unfortunately I got the RIDICULOUS stack of waffles with a smiley-face and a slice of butter as its nose. I was really unhappy at first. But now that I see it hanging on my Gucci wallet, it's not so bad.


I got a pink heart from the Things That Hurt zipper pull series, which I traded for a little corn with a smiley-face and dancing arms from the Let's Hang series. I also got an adorable little black ghost/squid zipper pull from the Friends With You Luckies series. Obviously, I immediately hung all of them on my jacket.

Next, the Choz and I made our way over to the New Museum. The Younger than Jesus exhibit encompassed a collection of 145 pieces from 50 artists under the age of 33 hailing from 25 different countries.


I was especially touched by one piece by Katerine Seda, hailing from the Czech Republic. For her piece It Doesn't Matter, Seda asked her late grandmother to draw as many items as she could remember from the her last 33 years running a home supplies store as a way to challenge the apathetic state of her grandmother's mind. It showed video footage of her grandmother fervently yet deliberately drawing out item after item with a black marker on large sheets of paper. After two years, she had produced over 500 different rendering - some of which were displayed in the museum.


I noticed another fun piece on the ground of another floor. It was a banana peel!! Apparently one of the artists requested that an employee of the museum eat a banana and discard the peel somewhere on the floor of the exhibit once a day as a somewhat-live exhibition. Clever, but slightly dangerous!!!


Afterwards we had a craving for Asian sandwiches - but to our surprise, Kampachua was CLOSED!!!!! So we had the next best thing - warm Italian flat bread sandwiches from Piada. I ordered a breakfast piada and also a tuna ciabatta.

The rain continued into the evening, but it did not stop me from tromping all the way to Jersey City for First Fridays. Looking for free entrance to art galleries, music, dancing, and alcohol taking over the streets of Jersey??? Be sure to check out this event next month. Even worth it in the rain. The commute back on the Path train, on the other hand, needs to die.