The New York Public Library Main Branch, illustriously located in front of Bryant Park, is an undoubtedly impressive Beaux-Arts architectural achievement. Having lived and worked near the building for some five years now, the obvious assumption would be that I've graced its hallowed halls a great many times. But we all know that to assume is to make an ass out of you and, well, just you. I myself would never be so gauche!
Turns out the first occasion I had to set foot in the place occurred on Friday of last (sounds so much more sophisticated than "last Friday", doesn't it?) when I participated in the 3rd annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic Gala. Anything containing word "gala" in it's title is bound to be decent and this event certainly set a precedent. Thousands of attendees donning full-on tuxedos and floor-length gowns swarmed the library like zombies attacking Robert Neville's house in I Am Legend. They came to sample some of the best cocktails made from the hottest booze brands on the market. Four floors of frivolity made for a lot of sampling space. A lot of sampling space made for a lot of sampling. And a lot of sampling made for a lot of drunkity drunks--which sounds like the perfect premise for a DIRECTV commercial.
The exhibition area I found most appealing was the (Not So) Classic Art Gallery located in a fourth floor side room. There, I tasted concoctions from Tito's Handmade Vodka and Heering Cherry Liquor. I was quite partial to Heering's Blood & Sand cocktail:
-1part Heering
-1 part sweet vermouth
-1 part blended scotch
-1 part fresh squeezed orange juice
-shake, strain and garnish with orange twist
While I sipped, I observed Soup by Allison Berkoy (berkoy.com). Had I been chugging rather than sipping, this installation--said to "emerge from your most disturbed nocturnal projections"--might have really made me ship my flit. Observe below:
Soup by Allison Berkoy (berkoy.com)
Nestled in an opposite corner of the lofty side room, I found yet another ship flitting installation by artist Karolina Sobecka (gravitytrap.com). Titled Pornographic Pursuit 2, it reminded me of playing this on Nintendo Power Pad as a kid, but with significantly more areola. Damn, I was good at that game; much better than the guy in the clip below. Here, the artist tries to explain that running in place will cause Marilyn Monroe to remove her clothes:
Pornographic Pursuit 2 by Karolina Sobecka
More fun pictures:
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| Amercian Dream, Soup and Multiply by Allison Berkoy |
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| Soup by Allison Berkoy |
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| Wrath of Achilles by Dustin Yellin (dustinyellin.com) |
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| Chicks loved the Xante Poire au Cognac. |
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| Medieval Scribe, Edward Lansing. "Sick coiffure," CydviciousM |
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| Perrier sponsored the event. |
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| View of Fifth Avenue from veranda. Some day, I'll come back and read a book. |
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| Ode to Richard Branson in Virgin Atlantic suite. |
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| DJ in the Virgin Atlantic suite. Pretty sure I saw this guy waiting in line to enter. |
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| Brian Miller and pals from Brooklyn's Double Windsor making mean Appleton Estate Reserve Caribbean Punch cocktails. Other ingredients included Coruba Dark Rum, Angostura bitters and, of course, no cocktail would be complete without a lil' simple syrup. |
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| Would die to know how many people between the arbitrary ages of 22 and 37 and a half own library cards. |
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