More movie magic!

I still have a few more pictures to share from my recent trip to the Museum of the Moving Image- I hope you don't mind!

To me, one of the coolest parts of the museum was the area devoted to the history/science of movies.

The exhibit started with examples of the beginning of movie history.

And the displays were all tactile, so you could play with them and really appreciate how far movies have come.

For example, these Charlie Chaplain "films" were operated with a hand crank.

As you cranked the handle, lots of little pictures flipped by and Charlie got into a barroom fight... the technology was so simple, yet I can imagine it was pretty revolutionary when it was first developed.

Another cool area of the exhibit was the stop motion station. Housed around a large table, there were 8 interactive computers that allowed you to record stop-motion videos...

Using paper shapes in various colors and sizes.

As if that wasn't cool enough, when you were done playing you could even email your video to yourself! Of course, I had to try the technology, so here's my 13 second video in case you want to check out my handy work. (Don't worry, I won't quit my day job!)

Fun, right? Further into the exhibit there were all sorts of other items and artifacts used to create movies. For example, there was an entire room of movie and television cameras...

And each one was developed or used for a special purpose. This particular camera was created in order video motion, like this scene from Judy Garland's Meet Me in St. Louis.

There was also a display of audio recorders, which was pretty interesting!

Another cool (and interactive) part of the museum was the sound effect display. It included an area where you could select a movie from a list, and insert different sound effects.

I chose to play around with Home Alone II, and had all sorts of fun replacing the movie's actual sound effects with crazy alternatives.

I had similar fun in the soundtrack area. There I decided to take a scene from Independence Day...

And played the scene with a different score. (In my opinion, nothing beats Holst's Mars, although the original soundtrack is still pretty good!)

As you can tell, I had a great time at the Museum of the Moving Image, and I highly recommend it if you're ever in Astoria.

Oh, and if you're in town, there's a Jim Henson exhibit showing until next month. I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but it was amazing- I actually teared up when I saw the Bert and Ernie puppets that were used on Sesame Street when I was a kid. The exhibit had so much to see: in addition to an incredibly interesting display of Jim's art work and puppets, there was Ms. Piggy from Muppets Take Manhattan and items from the Dark Crystal, which I loved to watch when I was a kid (event though I was slightly terrified the whole time).

Thanks for stopping by- I hope you had a great weekend!

How moving!

As I alluded to yesterday, I visited another amazing museum recently: the Museum of the Moving Image!

This cool place is located in Astoria (just about 20 minutes from my apartment), so I couldn't wait to check it out! As their mission states: 

Museum of the Moving Image advances the public understanding and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media. It does so by collecting, preserving, and providing access to moving-image related artifacts, screening significant films and other moving-image works, presenting exhibitions of artifacts, artworks, and interactive experiences, and offering educational and interpretive programs to students, teachers, and the general public.

Now, I am nowhere near what most folks would call a "film buff," but I love watching movies! So I was pretty excited to see what this museum had to offer. Upon entering the first exhibit, I wasn't disappointed. Spanning an entire wall were photos of the greatest film actors/actresses of all time.

And it didn't take me long to spot my boyfriend, Bing Crosby! (For those of you who have never met me, I have loved Bing for as long as I can remember... he's the best!)

Of course, there were all sorts of other things to see at the museum as well. From prop busts...

To mechanical "heads" (the plaque said that this one was used in Black Swan, though I don't know for sure since I'm too scared to see the movie)...

And terrifying puppets. (Do you recognize her from The Exorcist?)

In addition to the creepy items, there were also cases of interesting cinematic artifacts.

For example, this was Marlon Brando's dental insert for his role in The Godfather.

And like I shared yesterday, these were the prosthetic faces for Mrs. Doubtfire.

The museum collection also included a few interesting costumes...

Where Mrs. Doubtfire's dress and padded "lady suit" were prominently displayed (you can even see Cliff Huxtable's sweater and slacks on the right).

Another fun part of the museum was the area devoted to movie memorabilia. There was a wall of movie magazines...

Toys based on movies and television shows...

(Including these awesome coloring books that I would LOVE to have owned...)

And a whole alcove of video games. I was surprised to see these at first, but then I realized they're also great examples of "moving images." Oh- and the best part? YOU CAN PLAY THESE!! There are a couple that are free (the older games), while the newer games like Ms. Pacman are 25 cents a game. Isn't that fun?

One of my favorite little displays on this floor was this area devoted to movie scores. I was proud to realize that I already owned quite a few of these (including one my of personal favorites Fame in the upper-left-hand corner).

And as if that whole floor wasn't cool enough, there was a movie theater IN THE MUSEUM! Even better, the theater is home to screenings each week, so people can come to the museum and see a movie... how fun is that?

As you can tell, this museum is great! I have a few more pictures to share, so make sure to stop by on Monday to see the rest of the photos!

Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Time for a tease...

I went someplace pretty cool recently and I have quite a few photos to share from my visit. Unfortunately I don't have them uploaded quite yet (sorry!), but I did get my act together enough to share a single teaser-picture...

Do you recognize her? Make sure to visit tomorrow to learn where you, too, can meet this famous 'lady'!

Home again, home again... jiggity-jig!

When I leave the office extra late (after 10pm), I sometimes treat myself to a cab ride home. And the other day, on just such a ride home, I realized that my phone could take video...

You can probably figure out where I'm going with this...



This video, all 59 seconds of it, takes place along 21st Street in Long Island City. From looking out the side window of the taxi, to the view through the windshield and finally a glimpse of the in-vehicle television, this is what a portion of my ride home looks like!

I hope you enjoyed it and sorry about the wobbly camera... there are a lot of pot holes in this city!

I hope you have a great weekend and thank you for visiting!

Come on ride the train...

The other morning I was waiting for the train...
And there was no one else on the platform...
And the bells were pealing at a nearby church...
The sky was blue...
The sun was shining...
And it was just a wonderful moment! So- I took a bunch of pictures and I didn't even mind that I had to wait for a train for a few minutes! I got so caught up in my own thoughts that I forgot to be annoyed- don't you just love when that happens?
Thank you for stopping by- I hope you have a great day!

I'm a Swiss-Miss now!

I love nail polish, and I particularly love getting my nails painted. My local nail salon is reasonably priced, so I stop in for visit whenever I can find the time! Over the weekend I decided to get a pedicure and couldn't resist choosing one a color from OPI's Fall 2010 collection: SWISS!
I thought Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous was too sparkly to pass up- and apparently the lady in the pedicure chair next to me agreed because after she saw my toes she decided to go with the same color! Since I don't have a picture of the polish bottle (because it was in use), you'll have to take this one of the nail dryer.
After of ample drying time, I was able to truly appreciate my new paint job. I think the sparkly pewter color is lovely- it's quite versatile and looks perfect glimmering out of my favorite peep-toed high heels!
Thank you for visiting- I hope you're having a great Wednesday!

Fresca Tortilla

I live in a great neighborhood. But when I get off the subway after a long day of work, I have a bit of a walk before I make it home. And sometimes on that walk, I start thinking: when I get home, I'll still have to make dinner. So every once in a while, I rationalize a stop at one of my favorite restaurants: Fresca Tortilla.
Now, I'm the first to admit- this place is not exactly "nice". In fact, it's more like a guilty pleasure. And to be perfectly honest, if I didn't know better, I would probably walk past this place and not give it a second thought.
But when I first moved to NYC, a friend told me to try this place- and against my better judgement, I did. And boy, am I glad about that! In addition to being the only Mexican restaurant in my 'hood, it's also insanely delicious and convenient!
And you can't beat the price! For about $2 I can get a yummy #28 for dinner!
(Oh- did I forget to mention that when you order food at Fresca Tortilla you have to order by number?)
In any event, this is what I got: a quesedilla...
With black beans...
And Monterrey jack cheese!
Take a look at that- isn't it easy to understand why I love Fresca Tortilla so much?
I mean, YUM!
You know, maybe I'll have a quesadilla for diner tonight... my tummy is already rumbling!

Thank you for stopping by- I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!