Diva: Out and About

An afternoon with the husband ... our Friday in words and pictures:

Oddly enough, we began our adventure at the HBO Store. Last week the husband surprised me with a t-shirt in honor of my devotion to "Flight of the Conchords." Height-challenged Diva that I am, that shirt was rather more of a dress on me. I exchanged it for the one below and ended up with a bonus cd to boot. Sweet!

After a brief stop at Macy's, we made our way to Columbus Circle for lunch at Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Center ... one of my favorite places in the city. I somehow managed to resist the siren's song of their famous tomato soup and grilled cheese combo, about which I wrote last October. Small wonder that ... its divine. I had a lovely salad, topped with grilled chicken and garnished with pickled red onions. It was delicious!

The husband chose the tuna Nicoise plate and it was a feast indeed. We briefly considered the idea of dessert ... I mean, its a bakery after all ... though our better natures won out and we decided to save the sweet treats for another day. Sigh.

Following lunch, we walked across the street to the newly opened Museum of Arts and Design. Very interesting place! Though the permanent collection is nice, we were particularly enamored of the current exhibition - Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary.

The exhibition features a host of international artists who create objects and installations using ordinary, everyday, manufactured items as their medium. Visually stunning, these works invite us to consider such lofty topics as consumerism, the nature of disposability, and a variety of other cultural concepts and assumptions. Pictured above is a garment fashioned out of disposable rubber dish-washing gloves that have been turned inside out. Its just one of the many varied and unusual works featured in this provocative exhibit. Much of the work was sculptural in nature and all of it was impressive. I recommend it, highly!

Needing to fortify ourselves after our visual exploits, we skipped back across the street and settled in for a chat at a lovely and unusual wine bar.

Located on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center, Clo is a sleek, edgy, high-tech wine bar which features over 100 wines for your sipping pleasure. The wine is served in 4 ounce pours from their bank of automated dispensers.

After surrendering your credit card, you will be given a key card which you simply insert in the slot ... press a button ... and, like magic, your wine will spring forth from the wall. No waitress necessary, though one is on hand to facilitate if needed. Pretty cool, huh? Make no mistake, this place can be spendy. The wines range in price from $9 to $94 per glass, with the average coming in around $12 per glass. And though the selection is impressive, I can see where it would be easy to get carried away and drop a bundle here ... in a hurry. I had a lovely French rose, followed by a nice crisp Italian white from the Friuli region ... then called it quits.

The staff was friendly and helpful, the wine selection interesting and varied, and the atmosphere quiet serene. It was the perfect way to cap off our day on the town.

Our last stop was a trip down the escalator to the Whole Foods located in the basement of the Center. Grass-fed steak for the husband and an organic pork cutlet for me. We cooked at home and neither of us remembered to take pictures!

Every now and then we like to pretend we're vacationing in our own city. It doesn't happen often, but when it does its a blast! So there you have it, a day in the life of a Diva at play - and a host of recommendations to boot. Enjoy!

Bon appetit!