Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Quality Time

I took a break from blogging last week, because I had a childhood friend visiting me from Poland. We were mostly just hanging out together, talking and drinking a lot of wine. Our older daughters are the same age and my friend's daughter just got married and is currently living in Ohio. When she came over for the weekend, the four of us had great time together.

It was a very cold week with temperatures hovering around 20 degrees Fahrenheit which made staying home an attractive option. But eventually, we did decide to brave the cold and took the train to NYC. My friend has already seen all the usual tourist attractions in NYC, so we wanted to venture out to some not so popular destinations. We debated what to see but since she is very much into history and I am into fashion, we decided to visit Merchant House Museum and the Fashion Museum at FIT.

located just blocks from Washington Square
Merchant house is the only 19th century family house in NYC preserved inside and out. The Tredwells, the wealthy merchant-class family lived in the House from 1835 to 1933. During that time the NYC population grew exponentially and most wealthy families have moved uptown but the Tredwells decided to redecorate and stay.  


The house has floor stories with the kitchen and family room located in the warmest part of the house, the basement.
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 First floor included large parlor and the dining area.

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Second floor features his and hers bedrooms. Third floor housed several small children's bedrooms (not open to public) and the servant quarters were on the forth floor.

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As we climbed the stairs to the servant floor my friend and I tried to imagine that we were two immigrant  Irish girls that came to work there.



The garden is small but enclosed and tranquil.




Of course it turns more lush in the spring but winter emphasizes its classic structure.
 
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The visit to the Merchant House Museum took us a little bit over an hour which was just perfect for us. After seeing the garden we headed out for a long lunch at the local restaurant. If it was warmer we would have probably wandered more around Greenwich Village but since it was freezing we went to see Fashion and Technology exhibit at FIT.


Photography is not allowed at FIT exhibits so I don't have any pictures but the exhibit was worth seeing. Again, the exhibit will most likely not take more than 45 minutes of your time but it is free of charge. I thought that the garments looked so much more beautiful in person than in the pictures since it is all in the details. It was also interesting to see the older pieces. When you see them at historical museum they are usually more worn out and faded, sometimes to the point where you miss the actual beauty of them. but here the emphasis in on fashion, so I was able to really appreciate them.
  
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There are plenty of quirky pieces like clutch with electrical plug closure, suit that can be worn in the shower (coming with really funny commercial video), 3 dimensional dresses and many techno fabrics.

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But overall, I was surprised that it was much more eye pleasing and 'wearable' looking than some of the runaway shows.

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I really enjoyed our visit and I am looking forward to upcoming Shoe Obsession exhibit, which I have already put on my schedule for February.

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My friend and I had great time seeing both museum and I recommend them if you are looking for something  more unexpected, if you have short museum attention span or if just want to spend more time drinking margaritas with an excuse of 'quality time' .

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That's all folks!

Have you been to Merchant House or FIT exhibits?
What are your favorite 'off-the-beaten-track' museums and other places to visit?

Please share, it would be no fun without you!!!

20 comments:

  1. I looooove museums and galleries (which makes sense since I work in them) but the period clothing exhibits have always been so interesting. It's fantastic that we have been able to keep so much of this things of the past so that we can still see them today to see how far we've come :) Thanks for sharing this!

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    1. I loved seeing all the details of the clothes on display, it is really something that has to be seen in person. I was very happy that we decided to go despite the cold!

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  2. Hi AJC - will definitely add these to my list. My favourite museum (non art) in NYC is the Tenement Museum - I felt I was really learning the history of the city! I would love to go to both of these and will see if I can fit them in during the upcoming trip!

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    1. I have to check the Tenement museum next time, thanks for the tip! I think you would enjoyed both.

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  3. The servants always had the rickiest narrowest staircases to traverse each day, some round here are so narrow I don't know how they managed. I love looking round old houses, and imagining how people lived.
    WMM - Most folk here still live in tenements, they are still going strong.

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    1. You are right about the staircases. They also had a bucket filled with coal that they told you to lift to get an idea what a hard work it was carrying it up the stairs all day long.

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  4. That pair of shoes, I kind of love them! Sounds like an interesting trip, both places. That's a lot of floors to have in a house, and it's interesting that the basement was warmest, I wouldn't have guessed. These places make want to visit NYC, which is saying a lot because it is not some place I've wanted to go. I would need some kind of a guide because I'd never find my way anywhere, I probably couldn't even find a hotel that wouldn't make me faint at the cost lol. NYC overwhelms me (have been, but loooong ago and not for long).

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    1. Cate, I love the shoes as well! Yes, the basement was the warmest because of less windows and low ceilings. Although, in fact, the ceilings were 'only' 8 feet high, which is the standard height in many houses nowadays.

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  5. What a great day with your friend, it sounds so fun! I need to visit these places when I come to NYC again, wish I was coming for a visit sometime soon.

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    1. It was really fun, I am so glad we braved the cold. I think you'd like both places Dani and I wish you could come visit more often:)

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  6. i'm so glad you had a wonderful visit with your friend! i am heading to NYC for the first time in a few weeks and i have so many things i want to see and do! this is definitely going to help me!! xox P

    phiphi's blog

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    1. Thank you Phiphi! There is so many things to see, it should be exciting trip!

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  7. Now I see what you meant when you left the comment on my blo saying that you have been wearing a similar outfit ;-).
    I have visited the Merchant House and it was interesting but CREEPY. It was actually an exhibit about death and mourning and they had staged everything like there was a dead in the house. Creepy, I told you!
    Funny, I worked for seceral years two blocks away from the FIT and never went in
    For some reasons I am not interested in clothes when they are in a museum, only when they are in stores (ah, ah, ah).

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    1. OMG that sounds ghastly. I agree, I am less interested in clothing in museums, unless they are historical displays. I can never resist exquisite handiwork.

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    2. I can totally feel the creepiness, what a place to go for hunted house. As for FIT I did not expect it to besp fun, you should check it out, I think you'd enjoy it more than you think. I was never interested in period clothes in other museums but this is different.

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  8. I haven't visited the Merchant House and will put this on my list. The garden must be beautiful in the summer. We went to Boston for a conference and I took a house tour of Beacon Hill. Looks very much like it with high walls and narrow lots.
    Once again you look wonderful and wasn't it nice to catch up with a best friend from your homeland.

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    1. Thank you Marsha! I love those walled gardens, this is something I always dreamed of having.

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  9. What a great post. I did not know about the Merchant Museum(you never visit things in your own backyard) but I am now going to put it on my list the next time I go into the city. You look very put together, and I like your new bag.

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  10. Thanks KnitYarn, I also did not hear of Merchant House until now when I was looking for something different to do with my friend. There are so many things to see in NYC and sometimes we overlook it because we are so close. It is fun to have relatives and friends visiting, it gives you a chance to visit many interesting spots that we would never plan to visit.

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