Come on feel the Illinoise... in New York?

I (Paul) am a big fan of Sufjan Stevens, the Michigan-raised singer whose decades-long career includes banjo-driven folk music, an album about the planets, a 58-song Christmas album, and an Academy Award nomination. He is perhaps most famous for his "fifty states project," where he (jokingly) said he would release an album for each state in the country. He did end up releasing Michigan and Illinois, and his 2015 album Carrie & Lowell could be considered an Oregon album. Illinois (or, "Sufjan Stevens invites you to come on feel the Illinoise!") is his most popular work, with the song Chicago appearing in The Bear, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Politician, and there's even an entire music festival named after lyrics from the song's chorus. And that brings us to this post - almost twenty years after release of the album, a Broadway musical inspired by Illinois opened for a 4 month run at the St. James theatre. I made plans for a quick weekend trip to go up and see the musical and visit with our friends Thomas and Petros. My flight was delayed by storms, so I didn't get in until after midnight on a Friday, and had less than a day and a half in the city. But we still managed to walk around quite a few neighborhoods and get some great food. And the musical itself? I loved it! It's probably gone forever after its short run, but if it ever comes back or travels I'd love to see it again. So, this post will be just a quick photo tour of a short trip to see Illinoise in New York.

Brooklyn skyline is getting impressive.

Lower Manhattan.

Love the architecture in New York.

The cool mural in Conwell Coffee Hall.

We happened across Alexander Hamilton's grave.

Stained glass windows in Trinity Church.

Central Park views.

Walking around Central Park.

Time for the musical.

The set design was great - yes, those are upside down trees hanging from the ceiling.

"Group of Four Trees" by Jean Dubuffet

View from Manhatta cocktail bar.

Nice atmosphere.

Looking toward Jersey.

Good cocktails, too!

It rained and we even got a rainbow.

Rainy view of Midtown.

Manhattan municipal building.

Dinner at Artesano.

My cocktail came in a tea pot!

We shared a whole spread of Peruvian food.

City hall park on Sunday morning.

An atmospheric little alley.

We walked by the Ghostbusters firehouse.

The South Street SeaPort.

See ya later, NYC!

Florida Winter Wedding

It's winter outdoor wedding season! Sound like an oxymoron? Well, not in South Florida. Our friend Omair was getting married in Ft. Lauderdale, so we booked an AirBnB with our friends Alexis, Thomas, and Petros, packed our bags, and flew to southern Florida.

We arrived on a Thursday night and picked up some groceries before retiring to our AirBnB. It was a nice house on a lake/canal, with great outdoor spaces and a pool. The canal view was of a Rooms to Go, which was quite hilarious.

Our AirBnB pool at night.

On Friday we visited downtown Ft. Lauderdale. It has a small but nice touristy center, and we walked along the riverside path and through "Old Fort Lauderdale" before having lunch at The Downtowner.

Next we went to a wedding social event for people who had arrived early. It was on the rooftop deck of an Irish pub overlooking the beach. We enjoyed some drinks and snacks and enjoyed hanging out with the grooms. From there we wandered down the beach to get cocktails at the bar in the Four Seasons before heading back to the AirBnB where we ordered some delicious empanadas from Amado Market for pick-up. 

What a view of Rooms to Go from the backyard!

Some iguanas in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. These are an invasive species that are now everywhere in South Florida.

There were a lot of draw bridges around Fort Lauderdale.

We're the beating heart of this city!

Brightline train heading to Miami. New American high speed rail future?

Small historic site along the river in Fort Lauderdale.

Downtown Fort Lauderdale is super bougie.

View out towards the ocean from the Friday welcome venue.

Los of fancy hotels along the beach in Fort Lauderdale.

Hi!

Petros and Alexis say hi too!

Late dinner empanadas.

Saturday was the wedding day. Thomas, as best man, went to rehearsal events, and the rest of us took the rental car down to Miami, about 40 minutes to the south. We, unfortunately, weren't feeling the best today. We both picked up a cold somewhere on the way to Florida. Luckily, it never got too bad and we were able to soldier through with some cold medicine... but it put a slight damper on the weekend.

We started our half day in Miami at Wynwood Walls, an outdoor mural exhibit. From there we drove down to Miami Beach, and spent a few hours walking on Ocean Drive, checking out the beach, and having lunch. While at Miami Beach, we also visited the Art Deco museum to learn a bit more about the history of South Beach's unique architecture.

Oh, did Miami not tell the rest of us enough times that Messi plays on their (very bad) MLS team?

Wynwood Walls statute. Man-child hulk?

We really love the colors in this one!

This mural is from Atlanta native Greg Mike.

Miami has a really pretty setting.

South Beach is an art deco paradise. This few block stretch was closed to traffic.

The Leslie.

We briefly went down to the beach to put our feet in the water.

Very Miami.

Random Polish car club. Everyone was speaking in Polish.

The Art Deco Museum is very small, but tells the history of the architecture's presence and preservation in Miami.

Paul's an art deco flapper!

Leaving Miami Beach we drove back to the AirBnB to get ready for the wedding. The wedding was at the historic Bonnet House Museum & Gardens. This venue was a very beautiful, densely vegetated oasis among the strip malls and hotels that lined Fort Lauderdale's beachfront. The service and reception were both lovely. 

Our AirBnB had a great back patio! Unfortunately, we didn't have too much time to lounge around this trip.

Outdoor wedding in February? Why not! The weather was beautiful.

David, Alexis, and Petros posing by the lake.

Great venue!

 

David and Alexis all dolled up.

Cocktails after the wedding but before the reception.

After the ceremony and reception, we called it a somewhat early night and headed back to the AirBnB with Alexis. Thomas and Petros kept the party rolling with the grooms well into the early hours.

On Sunday morning we grabbed some coffee and pastries for takeaway from the Alchemist Cafe, which was a super cute restaurant/coffee shop with a large patio and a homey vibe. After showering and chatting for a bit, we headed to Bo's Beach for the post-wedding brunch. Shortly after we arrived the sky opened up in a torrential/very Florida storm that lasted 15 minutes before clearing out.

From Bo's the five of us went to a nearby coffee shop to hang out for 30 minutes before parting ways and heading to the airport. All in all a great 3-day weekend and happy event to celebrate with friends in south Florida.