museums – thosecoolkims

KimTrippin: Pacific NorthWest — Day 9 (Seattle)

We had a big day in Seattle today – so much ground was covered! We needed our coffee fix to kick off the action, so we went to Capitol Hill to check out Victrola Coffee Roasters — the same shop we fell in love with on our last visit 10 years ago. The shop – and most importantly, the coffee – was still great!

We couldn’t wait to get to the EMP Museum. Not only is it the coolest music museum ever, it has a Sci-Fi branch attached to it that had a Star Wars Costumes exhibit currently on display. Needless to say, Daddy + Daughter had an all out geek-fest checking things out.

Equally as geeky for me, Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses was on display. So many pieces of iconic memorabilia were there, including Kurt Cobain’s guitar from the Smells Like Teen Spirit video, the cardigan he wore at the MTV Unplugged show, early demo tapes and so much more.

Finally, even more fun was the What’s Up, Doc? The Animation of Chuck Jones exhibition. Ruby got a kick out of the old cartoons, especially the classic What’s Opera, Doc? with Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. I was excited to see this original sketch from what I remembered of the cartoon as a kid:

Since the EMP is right next door to the Space Needle, we took some time to take the obligatory shot.

We knew we couldn’t blow off Pike Place Market, and decided it was today or never. We didn’t make it in time for Ruby to see the fish throwing and what-not, but we caught the vibe and went to Steelhead Diner for dinner.

There were shrimp & crab tater tots on the menu and Cioppino that was like Seattle in a bowl. It was a solid 100 Things to do in Seattle… recommendation.

Last stop — Kerry Park. We had the selfie stick in hand and we were determined to get the family shot with the Seattle skyline and Mt. Rainier in back. It didn’t work out as well as we wanted, but we still got some cool shots.

This time tomorrow night, we will be in Anacortes, WA. After spending the night there, we’ll be getting up early to take the car ferry to San Juan Island. We might see some Orcas …

Gary Baseman exhibit at The Skirball!

Our minds got blown this weekend at the Gary Baseman exhibit on view now at the Skirball Center in LA. It was such a cool exhibition! It’s called The Door is Always Open and couldn’t be more fitting, as part of it is an entire facade of a house, all done up in his signature style. Our pics don’t do it as much justice — you should just go see it! It’s on view until August 18.

Outside the “house”

Ed, Me and Andreas standing on the Welcome Mat outside the “house”

The Dining Room

Dining Room chandelier and Fireplace sculpture

The Living Room

Awesome Library wallpaper and sculpture on the Living Room mantle

I can’t remember the name of this room! (Borrowed this photo from the internet)

The Bedroom

Seriously creepy Bedroom dresser and closet

It’s even pretty darn kid-friendly. Aside from the “house” on view, there is a small room dedicated to Baseman’s sketches, and tiny tables and sketchbooks for kids to draw whatever they liked! Ruby was enamored with the fact she had a place to “do art”.

So. Much. Awesomeness.

More pics here.

Road Trippin’, Day 3 – San Francisco!

Thanks to Auntie Shannon, Ed + I got to spend some alone time in the city. We were thrilled to get back to San Francisco, and we were determined to fit as many of our favorite things here in less than 24 hours!

Here are the highlights:

#1: Garry Winogrand photography exhibit @SFMOMA
We love SFMOMA and we were just in time to catch this huge Garry Winogrand exhibit while we were here. He has been one of my favorite photographers ever, and if you’ve been to our home, you’ve definitely seen this print before. I’m so glad we had a chance to catch this show.

#2: A snack at the Ferry Building
We skipped lunch just so we could go to the Ferry Building and “sample” some of our favorites. We decided on splitting the salame sandwich at Boccalone and sharing a Gingerbread Cupcake from Miette.

#3: Drinks at The Tonga Room
The Tonga Room is the most magical Tiki Bar in the world. The drinks are stiff, the ambiance is amazing, and they actually make it rain inside. Seriously, it’s the best place ever. We sipped on a Mai Tai and a Pipeline and soaked in all the glorious kitchiness.

#4: Late dinner at B Star
Trying to commit to a restaurant for dinner in San Francisco with all of the options available is tougher than trying to figure out what to do on New Year’s Eve. We decided to stay true to our love of all things asian fusion, and try out B Star, which says to be a mix of Thai/Chinese/Burmese/Indian/Japanese with a California twist. Yeah, its a mouthful, but it delivered! The food was outstanding – so bold and flavorful and like nothing we’ve ever eaten before. It was the kind of experience we always love having in this city!

p.s. We got an awesome groupon and are staying at the Hotel Griffon. It rules! It’s right across the street from the Ferry Building (seriously, we can see it out the window) and we get free parking. Total score.

Six years

We spent the better part of the day on October 7th up in L.A. doing some of our favorite things to celebrate SIX years as Mr. + Mrs.

//Our Itinerary//
Hammer Museum: Graphic Design: Now In Production
Architecture+Design Museum: Eero Saarinen
Canter’s Deli (matzo ball soup + bagel chips are a MUST!)
LACMA: Stark Bar
Sundance Cinemas, West Hollywood: Detropia

Perfect day. e+c=<3

Art appreciation and a taste of Detroit

We often consider our membership to LACMA similar to an Annual Passport at Disneyland. We go so often, it’s paid for in a few visits, and it’s nice to know that we can pop up to L.A. to take a quick peek at a new exhibition and leave for lunch, or spend the majority of the day walking around, spending time outside and visiting our “friends” up on the walls.

One of our faves is Ed Ruscha, and there is a new exhibition on view now called Standard. It was “Carmegeddon” weekend in L.A. and we arrived quicker than ever, and the museum was practically empty! No pics were allowed inside, but I snapped these two before the guard yelled at me. (Oops.)

It’s getting harder and harder to snap pics of this kiddo — she is always on the move!

After seeing Ed, we headed downstairs to the awesome Metropolis II, which is a favorite of all three of us. (We posted a few pics and video of another visit here.)I love the sheer design of it, Ed loves anything having to do with miniatures, and Miss Ruby is fascinated by all the commotion and moving cars!

A few more shots from our visit, including “The Rock” in the Levitated Mass exhibition.

The grand finale for the day was heading up to West Hollywood to try out Coney Dog L.A.! Ever since my cousins exposed us to the famous Detroit style hot dogs, we’ve been slightly obsessed. (Read all about our Coney face-off in Detroit here!) While Coney L.A. didn’t hold a candle to Lafayette in Detroit, it was a great homage to a Coney Island Hot Dog Shop and they really did keep things authentic. They had the Michigan vs. Ohio State game on … and they even had Faygo Red Pop!

Art + Hot Dogs = a great family day in L.A.!