February « 2011 « Michelle J. Enemark

A Day at the Met

I’ve been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art at least 10 times, and yet every time I go, I manage to find myself in rooms and dark corners I’ve never seen before. Sure, the first class collections make this museum important, but it’s the labyrinthian setup and the promise of surprise that keep me coming back again and again.

Sea nymphs holding up the Golden Harpsichord of Michele Todini (1616–1690)

Flags and Chandeliers in the Equestrian Court

“The Vine” (1921), by Harriet Whitney Frismuth

“Bacchante and Infant Faun” (1894) by Frederick William MacMonnies

Statues stored away in the visual archives, a section I had never seen before and was completely enchanted with. Theme and variation!

Tiny, well-loved toy horse in the visual archives

Egyptian scarabs, pleasingly arranged.

Central Park West, as seen from the Temple of Dendur gallery.

My sister (visiting from Maine), absorbed in the visual archives.

Carved skeleton table in Southeast Asian art section.

World of Wonders: Gocta

The fourth installment of Atlas Obscura’s series for Slate is now online. This is my favorite video Dylan has done of the hidden wonders thus far. With titles and a little drawing by me!

Ludlow, Vermont

Freshly returned from a weekend of sledding and beer, looking over my photos, I’ve decided that it’s time for me to get my own cabin in the woods. I’ll take a dog exactly like Benjamin, too.

Vermont Bound

I’ve been rummaging through the huge cedar chest I inherited from my great grandmother, looking for my high-school-era snowpants and warm wool hat for a weekend in Vermont. I usually spend 2-3 weekends every winter at my pal Katie’s cabin in Ludlow, but this time, I’m told we’re going to make an attempt to leave the fireside and go snowtubing at Okemo Mountain! Or sledding in the backyard at the very least.

And doesn’t it seem like this Forest Bound Carryall would make a perfect weekender bag for Vermont? I mean, it practically has my name on it!

I’ll be back on Monday with pictures from a snowy paradise!

World of Wonders: El Cable

Part two of Atlas Obscura’s South American wonders, featured in Slate Magazine, went up today! Go now and read the wonderful article by Joshua Foer.

But first, watch my fiancé Dylan take his life into his own hands without casting so much as a “farewell, my sweet,” to little old me, waiting patiently for his return – alive. I need to send teenaged and shirtless Mario a fruit basket for returning him to me safely.

World of Wonders: Caño Cristales

For the month of November, the founders of Atlas Obscura – my fiance, Dylan Thuras, and writer, Joshua Foer – traveled around South America, seeking out the hidden wonders of the continent. (I spent most of the month with my family in Maine, hoping Dylan wasn’t dead in the Amazon somewhere, covered in exotic insects.) Their reports are being featured, through a series of articles, videos and slide shows, on Slate for the month of February. The first installment went up today, on Caño Cristales, a rainbow-colored river in Colombia.

I contributed in my own small way – I created the titles and map in the video – and as always gave Dylan my ruthless feedback as he worked on it.