It is one of the best responses to a first ‘I love you’ when Princess Leia tells Han Solo she loves him right before he gets frozen by Darth Vadar:
Leia: I love you.
Han: I know.
Swoon! It was funny, in character and just about the hottest smirk Harrison Ford has ever given on film. I ‘got Han Solo’d’ a few days ago, so spotting this little gem as part of an exhibit at MoMA made me giggle. It’s the little things in life that have to be appreciated.
I seem to be collecting my fellow Eurasians (hey Patti Stanger take that term ‘Amerasians’ and lose it, you are leaving out my global brethren.) I love showing off the NY in case you haven’t guessed by now dear readers.
I met up with the Swiss Miss & Her Mister at MOMA for another go round of the Tim Burton Exhibit. A little update for you, due to the overcrowding and probably the endless complaints, you need to either book a reservation online for it or queue up early and hit the information desk for an assigned time to enter. Although it was still overly crowded and poorly laid out, there is a prolific amount to see. I had a chance to see things I missed the first time and actually read some of Mr. Burton’s notes ie to Johnny Depp about a line he had for ‘Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.’ It was on cable the other day and the line made it in there so that gave me a little giggle.
If you are a huge Burton fan, at the end of the exhibit you will find one sketch from the forthcoming 3-D Alice In Wonderland film. ( I personally love that Johnny Depp snort laughs in the trailer as I am a snort laugher myself! Own your snorts!)
I suggest you also skip watching the Stainboy short films since you can watch them & actually hear them online.
We also enjoyed our fair share of Rothko, Miro, Picasso, and the circle obsessed Orozco. Seriously Senior Orozco you are a genius getting away with having an entire room with just one yogurt cap on each wall. It’s an implied Dannon yogurt endorsement.
We added a little Sex & The City to our day tour by staring at the Manolo Blanik window display and then hitting Magnolia for some red velvet cupcakes.
It was time to get things on track with a little Yum Cha Hong Kong Style which they do not apparently serve in all of Switzerland. How do you Eurasians survive over there without yum cha? Egads! Keeping it young and hip, we headed to the Golden Unicorn just like they did on ….yes, Gossip Girl. Hey, it’s in the top 10 rated Yum Cha restaurants in Chinatown so why protest? I was also very pleased Golden Unicorn serves yum cha until 4pm unlike LA where it ends at 2. I love you New York!
A little bargaining can go a long way so tourists, please do not get your t-shirts in Times Square. Head down to Canal Street and get a bargain. You can negotiate and it’s fun. I rescued several random Swiss guys from overspending last week. I am happy to be paid for my services in….Swiss Chocolate. Oh it is so delicious. I may have to move there!
xoxo Grrlgenius
ps hit up Hopstop.com for subway directions! There are free maps of NYC available in the subway. xx
Other Eurasian Adventures:
When I was just an intern back in the day at MTV, I was assigned the task of logging a few tapes of an interview with Tim Burton. This entailed hours on end of writing down every single word (by hand at that point) said on the tapes and the timecode so producers can just scan what was said.
The associate producer (Jesse, how far you’ve come!) who assigned me the task was totally mystified when I came back 8 hours later, task completed. (Guess the other guy who was paid to do it kept returning with a dozen excuses for stopping.) Why didn’t I stop? Tim Burton is that fascinating. He is truly a mastermind of creativity.
Mr. Burton’s MOMA exhibition has been extended a few extra months to April 26th (originally ending in January.) 
It is the most extensive exhibit I’ve ever seen crammed with notes from when he was a child, his days at Disney, and throughout his illustrious career.
Moving through the MOMA exhibit at the rate of an LA traffic jam, with collisions every five seconds, loud yelling between museum visitors and security guards constantly berating picture takers, I would normally have bailed, yet every turn provided visions and colors to magnificent to leave.
This year Mr. Burton will head the Cannes Film Festival Jury which takes place in May. Oh how I wish I could be there to watch the films Burton annoints as worthy! It’s also been announced Burton is planning a 3-D version of “Sleeping Beauty.” How I wish our time working for Disney had overlapped! Sigh.
While at the gym going over the day’s planned activities, I pondered the question ‘what does an 800 pound mako shark dream about?’ from the movie Deep Blue Sea. Of course, I had to spin it ‘what does a teenager want to see in NYC?’ and in a flash scrapped the day’s events with visions of Dylan’s Candy Bar & Serendipity dancing in my head.
Here are more NYC delights the Eurasian Power Duo suggest:
1. Dylan’s Candy Bar: the sugary smells lure you and it’s hard to stop the intoxicating treats from popping straight into your mouth. Head upstairs for a Frozen Hot Chocolate made with real chocolate shavings instead of waiting 3 hours to get one down the street at Serendipity 3…that is unless Nick Jonas is taking you there and then you’ll get seated right away.
2. Guggenheim – the fabulous Russian Kandisky’s current show (which leaves Jan. 13) is the best overall collection I’ve ever seen at the Guggeheim. After waiting a half an hour in the cold to take part in the Saturday night (5:45-7:45 pm) ‘pay what you want (vs. the regular adult $18 admission) plus we’ll throw in a free audio guide’– my little Aussie was frozen to the bone and had decided never to live in NYC during the winter.
3.
The Apple Store 5th Avenue-– this one looks like the Louvre so much you’ll be looking over your shoulder for Tom Hanks rushing around solving mysteries. This location during the day is pure tourist madness however it’s open 24/7 so busy New Yorkers can get their Apple fix anytime. We exited the building with @brianistuft & another friend singing Ring Around The Rosie, our Apple salesman Justin was so proud we’d been his customers. Hey, it was almost 1AM people need entertaining especially us!
4. The Plaza– you know the hotel where Crocodile Dundee stayed…. has shops, welcomes Eloise fans and contains The Oak Bar. This is another opportunity for you to go all ‘Gossip Girl’ with your young visitors and snap them like they are running from photogs…okay, maybe that’s just me ….
5. La Esquina– 
while wandering around Soho looking at all the fabulous models, trendy stores and bars, one might need a nice, inexpensive bit of refueling. Add some spice to your life at La Esquina. It looks like a divey taco bar, and seating is rare but it is damn good. If you have more time, head around the corner to the restaurant version.
6.tkts– recently reopened with those red stairs in the center of Times Square, you can re-enact Jay-Z and Alicia Keys belting out ‘In New York these streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you’ before you get kicked off and return to the line for discount theater tickets. The Brooklyn Branch has shorter lines but is not open on the weekends.
7. The Staten Island Ferry– it’s free, takes 25 minutes each way and you get incredible views of The Statue Of Liberty without having to shell out $20 bucks just to freeze on Liberty Island as people who booked ahead to climb up the Lady’s dress pass you by. Take the R/W/1/5 to South Ferry/Whitehall. You can also jump on the 2/3 express train, exit at Wall Street, take a few steps to Tiffany’s(much less crowded then the flagship store on 5th Avenue and the architecture is beyond fabulous especially the grand marble staircase that leads up to the engagement rings. Check out my personal fave The Legacy!), snap a pic with Bull and then hit the Ferry. You’ll hear the most incredible real accents as opposed to Matthew McConaughey’s faux-Southern-drawl.
Note: You better have a camera with a great zoom lens and a quick trigger finger as you go by the Statue. It’s like the ride is in slow motion until then but you can get some decent shots, a lot better than the spec you’ll get from The Brooklyn Bridge.
8. Little Italy– Viva Italia. Better at night then during the day unless of course it’s during San Generro Festival during the fall or the filming of John Mayer’s “Who Says” video…. The restaurant workers who try to lure you in with promises of amazing food don’t hold up to London’s Brick Lane where promises of free wine & ‘young looking waiters’ are used, but the cannolis & tiramisu is still enjoyable. Though our waitress was surly and threw the bill in between us while we were enjoying our sweet treats at Cafe Roma (don’t bother!), our hearts were full of sugar and laughter. That’s how we roll!
9. MOMA- we dig art, modern art. The Tim Burton exhibition has been extended through April due to it’s popularity. Woohoo! The cafe on the second floor is wonderful. I have often gone there and sat people watching while enjoying their fresh Italian treats. If you are looking for a fantastic meal, make a reservation for The Modern, MOMA’s upscale restaurant. In summer you can go for a fabulous cocktail at the bar.
10. Henri Bendel’s– New York is about letting out your inner shine and sometimes that means being surrounded by a palace of glitter! It’s fun to try on fabulous items in this girly paradise that is Bendel’s. Rumor has it there will be a new cafe after some remodeling to replace the now defunct Chocolate Bar space. Though the brown & white may not be as well known as the blue boxes with white ribbons, this is a must for any trip to 5th Avenue.
The holidays bring together many random friends dropping in from all over the globe. Since mid-November I’ve caught up with friends from LA & The UK. I’ve been looking forward to one of my Down Under cousins spending Christmas in New York, the best city in the world to enjoy this holiday! Who can resist the lure of Cartier wrapped up like a present? It really is the most wonderful time of the year especially since I was born in December. I love that the whole city is decorated.
On Christmas Eve aka Ricky Martin’s birthday, I found out we were doubling our Aussie young visitors from one to two. Is there anything better than showing off your city? If you are looking for some New York Fun, the Eurasian Power Trio has some suggestions:
1) Brooklyn Bridge– walking over this one should not forget that it gets seriously windy so bundle up and make sure to advise your guests to wear walking shoes. (Visitors constantly underestimate how tiring walking in NYC will be for novices.) Walking over The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the greatest ways to see the Statue of Liberty and vistas of Brooklyn and New York that are astonishing.
2) Pizza! Who doesn’t want to have a slice of New York Pizza? The food in NYC is just as legendary as Wall Street. You can take Scott’s Three Hour Pizza Tour for $33. It’s supposed to be completely amazing or try your luck walking over to Grimaldi’s which is good enough for John Turturro. You gonna mess with him? Of course, the queue is always crazy. I find it hilarious since there is a location on Long Island, no wait, ever! No matter what your pizza choice, it’s a must for visitors.
3) Jacques Torres Wicked Hot Chocolate. As always, the D.U.M.B.O location was overflowing with tourists, but that was no deterrent for us. I had to appease the Swiss Eurasian Aussie male who laid down the gauntlet with the greatest of facial expressions.
4) The Metropolitan Museum of Art— this was the one request of our engineering Eurasian’s mother. He thinks in binary code so he didn’t recognize or care for the beauty of Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Degas, Renoir or the other masters. Unfortunately the Modern Art sections were closed at this time. This sums up our feelings on that, and of course, we still had fun in the Temple of Dendur
Yes, I know you are wishing you were with us so you could’ve heard me put on my bad mall accent or French one. Unfortunately, these are the only two I do. This makes me the Pied Piper of my young chargers who I strongly encouraged to pose on the steps of the Met ala Gossip Girl so their friends back home could be envious of their NY adventures.
5) The Subway– what?! Oh yes, I hate to admit this but there was a too close encounter with two big guys who put up their fists behind us. My young charges were fortunately ahead of me and I turned on my New York ‘keep moving’ voice that keeps feet heading for safer ground. It is always an amusing freak show in the subway and achieving the fulfillment of a one day passes’ “destiny” with at least 4 rides!
6) Good news! Tim Burton’s exhibit at MOMA has been extended through April. Woot.
7) A New York HOTDOG!!!
8) Greenich Village– okay, it’s sort of water down from how racy it used to be, but of course I still managed to expose my poor visitors to a “local” caressing a rat as he exercised his turrets syndrome and somehow steered them into a fetish shop which we all thought would be kitchsy, not traumatizing. Opps. Luckily the guys at Employees Only (which the iPhone App “Around Me” suggested for good coffee. Hello, it’s a cocktail bar!) to Joe’s The Art of Coffee.
9) MOCA— I told you we are all Eurasian and the Asian part is Chinese. While scouring for fabulous handbags, meeting up for ‘Legitimate Massages Only’ and eating tasty treats at Taipan Bakery are always fun, you can also get some culture in at The Museum of Chinese in America.
Too bad the dude never heard of the Eurasian discount! We left these glorious beauties behind.
Guess I won’t be making some extra cash at Fishion. LOL!
Louis was holding on to that cake like there was no tomorrow. It was not sweet enough for him, but I really liked it and …it’s pink!
Our brief two days of exploration ended seeing the amazing Erin Quill sing at Splash‘s Musical Monday at Midnight. She sounded amazing and even did a duet with her hubbie Chil Kong, you may have seen recently on Law & Order: SVU “Anchor Babies.”
Yeah, I’m classy, I took that off the TV old school style like when I was 10 and did that when George Michael was on TV. Happy Holidays!
Xoxo Grrl Genius
note: minus Chil & Friends all those pictured are gorgeous Eurasians! I can count. There are five of us, but the players changed but the Power Trio was together the past 2 days.
Ramblings of the BK GrrlGenius 