Kelly Purkey

Fondation Louis Vuitton

As you probably know by now, Paris is like a home away from home to me. Friday night's attacks in the city were heart breaking and I felt so sad to hear these horrible things happening to the city I love. It made me spend some time over the weekend searching through my memories and photos of Paris, and wanting to share more of both here.

During my trip in August we went out to Fondation Louis Vuitton, which is a modern art museum that opened in October 2014. Designed by Frank Gehry, it is absolutely one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever been to. It feels like you're on a boat, with water running through the bottom level and views of Paris from the top levels.

I admit to being far more taken with the building itself than with the exhibits but this was definitely a place that I could have happily spent all day at. 

You can prepurchase tickets to avoid waiting in line, but we also went at the very end of the day and were lucky to not have to share it with many others at all. There is also a Velib bike share station right outside the museum, so if the weather is nice I recommend hopping on a bike and going for a ride to or from. 

I've been working on a Paris workshop for Destination Documented literally a couple of months now and haven't been able to make it come together like I want. I hope to be sharing more Paris tips and memories there soon, but for now I'm keeping the city close in my heart.

New York City: the New Whitney Museum

In the beginning of May my Instagram feed started being filled with snaps of the new Whitney Museum. It looked amazing, so I made a date with Jodi to go as soon as I was back in NYC in the middle of the month. The day we chose was an incredible spring day, which only added to the incredible experience.

The Whitney used to be located on the Upper East Side, which was pretty inconvenient to get to, so I'd only gone for special events. The new Whitney is located down in the Meatpacking District, right alongside the entrance to the beloved High Line park. It couldn't be more perfect.

It was really crowded the day that we went so I didn't take that many photos inside of the art, but to be honest the real sights to see there are the views of the city and New Jersey. There are plenty of places to sit and just take everything in. There are several floors of outdoor patios and balconies, along with those now (over)Instagrammed colorful chairs.

You can see up to the Empire State Building and down to One World Trade Center. I can only imagine how spectacular it is at night with the city all lit up.

If I still lived in New York, I wouldn't hesitate for one minute to gift myself with a membership to the new Whitney. There's a cafe up above and Danny Meyer's restaurant Untitled from the old Whitney moved right along downtown with this one. I can't imagine where else I'd want to escape to on a nice day to sit back and enjoy the masterpiece that is lower Manhattan.

Richard Serra at Dia:Beacon

I have a crush on a man. His name is Richard Serra. And he makes my heart literally skip a beat. Richard Serra installation pieces are some of my favorites and I love walking through, in, and around them.

Last Saturday when I was in New York, I convinced Amanda to go up to Dia:Beacon with me. There are many museums in the city, but it's always nice to get away for a bit and visit somewhere new. Dia:Beacon is about one hour north of NYC and easy to get to via the metro north train. The day I chose to go was freezing cold and we had to trek through the snow, but it was worth it. This was my first time to Dia:Beacon and I loved it. The museum mostly has installation pieces and incredible natural light. There were only a few people there, so we basically had the space all to ourselves.

I'd first see a Serra exhibit years ago at LACMA and then last summer at the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain (blogged here) but I never, ever get tired of them. I am amazed at how huge they are and when you walk inside how the bottom walls get wider as the top gets skinner and vice versa.

I've heard that Dia:Beacon is at its best in the fall, so I will definitely have to plan a trip back. See you again soon, Mr. Serra.

Paris: Top of the Pompidou

I met a friend at The Centre Pompidou museum the other night and only snapped one photo. 
Then we went for a scooter ride, ate tartines, and killed a bottle of wine. Le sigh.

Paris: Palais de Tokyo

Paris is full of many incredible museums and Palais de Tokyo is one I've never visited. Modern art is my favorite and all of the contemporary installation art that is popping up more + more is fascinating to me. I love the whole 360 degree experience. Palais de Tokyo did not disappoint - in fact I think it might be my favorite museum in Paris. The exhibits are really well done and interesting. 

I went on a Sunday afternoon so it was fairly empty, which left me a lot of space to explore. (I really hate fighting through crowds in museums and for this reason I haven't gone back to the Louvre yet.) You are also allowed to take photographs and there is much to snap.

I absolutely loved this giant piece hidden in the back of the museum, it's Baitogogo by Henrique Oliveira and amazing:

I literally had to pull myself away from it and wished that the ropes were down so I could wander under. It's even more stunning in person and an incredible mix of the outdoors indoors.

There's also an old school photobooth right inside the entrance to the museum but unfortunately I didn't have the right change on me at the time. There's also a beautiful restaurant that would be perfect for lunch. Looking forward to spending another afternoon there soon.

Palais de Tokyo
13 Avenue du President-Wilson
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