Sometimes solo explorations around New York City are the best, right? They allow you to be as poky (or speedy!) as you please, and to really focus 100% on the adventure at hand. Last week I took myself on a little museum + lunch date in Midtown.
The Alice: 150 Years of Wonderland exhibit is currently live in the Morgan Library & Museum, and kid-lit fan as I am, I couldn’t wait to see it. It was fun learning the history of the story…in 1862, author Lewis Carroll was on a Thames River boating trip one delightful English afternoon with the young Liddell sisters–Lorina, Alice, and Edith–when the girls asked for a story. Creative Carroll happily obliged, making up a tale that sent his heroine “straight down a rabbit hole, to begin with, without the least idea what was to happen afterwards”, and thus the story of Wonderland was born! That evening young Alice asked for a written copy of the story, and a few years later, the original manuscript was finished. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was a wild success, and from that day on, has never been out of print. The exhibit is up through October 11th, so if you’re a fan, do be sure to stop by!
^^One of the last 25 remaining copies of the original edition.^^
Fun, right?! And of course, I couldn’t leave the Morgan without popping into Mr. Morgan’s exquisite study and library. It’s truly a treat, and I’d recommend a visit to every New Yorker and tourist alike!
After my visit to Wonderland, I stopped in to a nearby cafe for lunch. Keko Cafe is small and adorable with a Parisian vibe circa 1930 (oh, the music!), and serves up every kind of crepe you could possibly imagine, along with on-point tea and coffee drinks. My appetite was a bit ferocious, so I went with the lentil soup and mozzarella and tomato pesto sammie combo, finishing off with a chocolate chip cookie.
They also have an afternoon tea special where you can get tea, tea sandwiches, and a scone with all the fixings for $14. I’ll totally be back (with company) for that one!
Have you been on any solo adventures lately? Share below!
Jessica Tiare Bowen lives in the juicy Big Apple with her adorable pink-nosed chihuahua, Gillman. He’s the inspiration for her first published children’s book, “Park Avenue Pound Puppy.” The book is the combined result of her two greatest passions: pooches and penning stories.
Her passions include art, urban hikes through Manhattan, drinking coffee with 3 creams and 6 sugars, making extremely detailed itineraries and traveling to far away places, singing along to Broadway shows, Netflix movie nights, discovering incredible treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores, and listening to stories from little people under 7 and big people over 70.
She started her career as New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching elementary school and theater arts at a special education school in the South Bronx for 6 years. She is now a Special Education School Improvement Specialist working in public schools throughout New York City. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the online New York City travel magazine, Used York City. The magazine focuses on finding the best of New York…as used by New Yorkers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an ASPCA Ambassador.
