Snow, soup, and Marmion

My recent trip to New York seems like a semi-distant memory, fading slowly away like my Wicked manicure. A few years ago I spent almost two weeks working at my museum's loan exhibit at the Winter Antiques Show, so returning to the show also meant I could revisit at least one of my favorite foodie haunts. With limited time, I sadly skipped Alice's Tea Cup and instead ran to Hale and Hearty for a steamy bowl of curried cauliflower and chickpea soup. Perfect for warming me after a trek in the snow.

The last evening in the city caught me roaming the galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art into the night, running through a snowstorm from the subway to lose myself in the period rooms for hours. Aside from playing with the iPad exhibit labeling, I also stood quietly for a few minutes, soaking in the painted paneling of the Marmion parlor from King George County, Virginia (just down the road from Fredericksburg). Paneled circa 1756 and painted circa 1770-1780, the room comes alive with urns and swags of flowers that skip across doorways and frame beautiful pastoral scenes. Sigh.

And then back on the train for the trip home. Swathed in my bamboo wrap, watching the snow-covered world go by, and losing myself in the gardens of Versailles.