Ruthie Bird

~ Life & Culture from the heart of NYC

Ruthie Bird

Tag Archives: Midtown

Wonder, Delight, and Home

12 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Coffee

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Tags

Birch, Birch Coffee, Delight, Midtown, NYC, Wonder

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Life delights in life, said William Blake.  It’s rare to find friends to share a mutual joie de vivre, and I am blessed with two: Carol Anne and Alessandra.  Whenever we share our thoughts about beauty, philosophy, theology, or literature over a sunrise cup of coffee, I’m consistently encouraged by their deep sense of wonder, firm conviction of life’s beauty, and unwavering understanding that the whole world is charged with meaning.

When I am discouraged, I am thankful for reminders of grace that come in the form of encouraging friends. In the trying few weeks that I have been facing, I’ve been given some light and some hope–God’s tangible love in human form–from these two wonderful women. They remind me of what is important, even among the rocks. Every Friday morning we meet at Birch Coffee, just north of Madison Square Park. Lately, our conversation has been about place and home.

There are few words that can capture the heart-wrenching longing a single, fleeting thought of home can stir in our hearts.  We can’t adequately describe exactly what home is, but we all know what it looks like when we see it because it dwells so deeply in our hearts. Home is more than the place where we lay our heads or store our books.  Home has something to do with a proper longing for how our lives ought be ordered physically, centering on the material place where we spend most of our out-of-work time.  Home is where we rest, re-charge, practice hospitality, share meals, reflect.

Moving to NYC often demands a trade-off: a home for a life in the city.  Right now, I’m learning how to make the place I live a home. It’s far too easy to make excuses and never grow into the building you go to when the day turns to night. Because the city is so volatile, many people never actually move into the place that they live. They plan to move a year after they sign the lease to their first apartment, but suddenly six years have passed and they’re still at the same address – and still haven’t unpacked their suitcase.

Since moving back to NYC I’ve made the conscious effort to unpack everything that I brought with me – no matter how long or short I might be here.  My favorite picture frames that line the walls of my room are surrounded by decorative mirrors, curtains drape across the high window next to my bed, the bookshelf is stocked with antique hardcovers arranged by color.  My room in the apartment has not become a home yet. And even though the desire to make my own home gnaws at the back of my heart stronger than I’ve ever felt it before, I am at peace. I long to have a home where people can gather, where my cooking pans and utensils are all together in one place. This will come in good time, but for now I’m making the most of the cubic content that I’ve been given.

Birch Coffee, Midtown NYC

18 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Coffee, NYC

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

27th Street, Birch Cafe, Madison Square Park, Midtown, NYC, Shake Shack, The Girshwin Hotel

Sometimes you just need a break from the hubub in midtown-including the Ace Hotel. It’s almost impossible to believe, but there are time when I actually want to take a break from hanging out with my books, notepad, and laptop in the lobby of the Ace Hotel and park myself in a quiet little nook to do work.  When I do, I walk south on 5th Avenue a handful of blocks (to 27th Street) to a little spot called Birch coffee inside the Girshwin Hotel just north of Madison Sq. Park (and Shake Shack!).

It’s about now when I order myself a steaming cup of coffee-black, of course and maybe an organic blueberry muffin, depending on whether a stop at Shake Shack will occur in the future. Once you order your food/beverage, you can retreat around the windy staircase upstairs in the ‘library.’ Here, you can rest, relax, and enjoy some peace and peace of mind.

Tip: want wi-fi? Ask the barista’s downstairs for the password. If you’re feeling brave try the ristretto shot.

Order? Hungry for breakfast? Their egg and cheese bagels are delightful, so are their muffins and pastries. The food choices are pretty predictable, but they’re still tasty! Hungry for something else? There is a menu with some delicious

Price: Average. Expect to spend between $3-5 on a drink and $3-$10 on the food.

Hours: Mon-Fri 7 am – 9 pm; Sat 8 am – 9 pm; Sun 8 am – 8 pm

Adonde? 5 E 27th St (between 5th Ave & Madison Ave). To get there, subway it over to 28 St (N, R), 28 St (4, 6), or 23 St (N, R).

Oh! By the way, there is a $5 or so limit on your credit card, so if you just want to buy a coffee, it’s best to bring some cash with ya.

Battling the Weekend Woes: The MoMA

02 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Art, Coffee, NYC

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

free museums, free NYC, MET, Midtown, MoMA, museum, New York City, NYC, suggested donation, The Guggenheim, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Natural History, what to do in New York City

I love spending three hours on a Friday night after a long day at work doing something I really enjoy, and ending the evening feeling a healthy tired-not an exhaustion that takes the whole weekend to cure. Sorry Katy Perry, NOT this.

This Friday Night, my college roommate Virginia and I are heading over to the MOMA for a handful of reasons:

  1. It’s SO close to my office
  2. A new photography exhibit opened up two weeks ago that I’m dyyyying to see
  3. It’s free on Friday nights after 5p

Need I say more?

Something I love about NYC is that many museums here (the MET, Natural History, etc) have a “suggested donation” that the native New Yorker knows really means pay whatever you wish. If there isn’t a suggested donation next to the price, usually there are specific days and times that visitors can pay whatever they’d wish. At the Guggenheim you can pay what you want to pay on Saturday evenings from 5:45 until close (8:45-the last ticket is sold at 7:30), at the Frick it’s Sunday mornings from 11a until 1p. The Moma, however, is absolutely FREE on Friday nights. Seriously. My college economics professor always told us that there was no such thing as a free lunch, but I think free Friday’s at the Moma come pretty close.

Let’s face it, if you’re not all into modern art the museum is pretty weird. It’s cool, but ropes with knots tied on it and straws glued together to make a dollhouse remind me more of the arts and crafts projects the kid’s I babysit make, but there are some incredible galleries with works of art that you are bound to recognize: Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Starry Night (my most favorite painting of ALL time!!!!!), Picasso’s dancers, Jackson Pollock’s abstracts, Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup, and the list goes on.

The MoMa is worth a visit, especially on Friday night’s when it’s free. Although the museum closes at 8p on Friday (5:30p every other day), don’t worry about not having enough time to see everything.; it’s the perfect amount of time.  Even the least cultured of your crew won’t feel overwhelmed or exhausted by the art. The only downside to going on a Friday night is that it’s completely crowded because it is free, so expect a winding line and long wait outside.

Oh! If you go to the museum, stop by the café…they serve La Columbe coffee!

KEXP RADIO ALIVE, Ace Hotel NYC

19 Wednesday Oct 2011

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Music, NYC

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Ace, Ace Hotel, Atlas Sound, Broadcast, Caveman, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, CMJ Music Marathon, Givers, KEXP Radio Alive, Live Radio, Manhattan, Midtown, Music, NYC, Portugal The Man

Head over to the Ace Hotel today to hear live broadcasting of performances of Portugal The Man (2:30), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (4:30), Givers tomorrow at 12:30, and Caveman (2:30) and Atlas Sound (4:30) on Friday afternoon. This is a great buildup for this weekend’s CMJ Music Marathon.

“We’re honored to keep the noise alive with our second year of live broadcasts with Seattle’s own KEXP during CMJ.” Reads the Ace Hotel Blog. “We’re more thrilled than ever to host three days of bands and DJs from independent labels in the lobby at Ace Hotel New York, powered by Toyota’s Free Yr Radio.

All sets will be broadcast live over the airwaves in Seattle and everywhere else online and via podcast.”

Keep an eye on the ACE Hotel Tumblr for real time posts, photos, videos and interviews during the event.

Stop by 20W 29th St for the festivities from 10 AM-6PM Wednesday through Friday.

Mexicue, NYC

20 Tuesday Sep 2011

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Food, NYC

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Barbecue, Food, Food Truck, Lower East Side, Mexican, Mexique, Midtown, NYC

I used to hold a grudge against food trucks. For some reason I thought food from a truck just wasn’t real food. Thankfully, I’ve recanted that opinion and have developed a thing for food trucks (like the ones in the beergarden at the Lot on 30), and especially bar-be-que food trucks.  One of my most recent favorites is a new creation called MEXICUE, the sweet love child of red-hot Mexican cuisine and down-home, barbeque goodness. I don’t think it’s blasphemous to say heaven just might taste like this.  Sloppy joes with zesty guacamole bring zing to your mouth in an “ultimate nomz” kind of way, and pulled pork tacos overflowing with smoke and spice will leave your mouth watering for more.

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Uniqlo Cubes, NYC

31 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by Sarah Ruth in Fashion, NYC

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Cube, Fashion, Midtown, NYC, Pop-up, Shop, Uniqlo

Uniqlo is up to something. The Japanese brand seems to be popping up everywhere these days-literally. Pop-up stores have opened all over the city, and two megastores are scheduled to open in Midtown (34th St. between 5th and 6th, and 53rd St. & 5th) during the middle of October.

Last night I discovered four structures that look like giant Rubix Cubes next to The Lot and rink at 30th (and 10th Ave). These white, plastic squares are Uniqlo’s newest invention: the retail Cube. The four cubes are stocked full of Uniqlo best sellers: cashmere sweaters, soft t-shirts, jackets, and accessories, all at affordable prices.

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Ruthie Bird

Ruthie Bird

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Sarah Ruth (Ruthie Bird) is a Fellow at the John Jay Institute. She graduated from The King's College in NYC and subsequently studied at Oxford University. SR loves adventure and has moved 17 times in the past 5 years. She is in search of the best cup of coffee the world has to offer, loves Brooklyn, GK Chesterton, and desires to pursue all things Good, True, and Beautiful.

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