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:
