Fireside Raps

Last night my art world and my rap world melded together in the most interesting and bizarre of ways. I went to hear a lecture on the art of the fireplace and see a rap performance all in the same space. I attend lectures and rap shows pretty much on the regular. But I had not yet had the two combined. Until last night.

Last month, Prem told us he was going to be the first rapper to perform at the National Arts Club, a private club in Gramercy Park. Obviously, I was really intrigued. The National Arts Club was founded in 1898 to "stimulate, foster, and promote public interest in the arts and to educate the American people in the fine arts". Some of the club’s more famous members over the years have been J. Pierpont Morgan, Frederic Remington, Mark Twain, Robert Redford, three U.S. presidents, the list goes on...

Walking through the doors of this Victorian Gothic Revival building, with all its intricate woodwork, moldings, and beautiful stained glass, I had to wonder how a rapper landed a gig at one of the notable cultural landmarks of NYC. Not because I don’t think rap is culturally significant, but usually the people in charge of such clubs don’t think so. My expectations were confirmed when we entered the room and saw the crowd- a relatively older audience all wearing business attire.

Prem’s childhood friend Christian Herrmann is a stonemason who has been doing renovations at the NAC for the past year. Since he recently restored the chimney, he was asked to give a lecture on the topic of fireplaces. He did a run through on the history and evolution of the fireplace, and then showed some of his own masonry work, including time lapse photography of his restoration of the chimney. He ended with a discussion about the fireplace as a communal space where people have gathered around for hundreds of years to talk, eat, and perform.

And this is when the rap show started. Prem wrote some verses that he delivered alongside a cellist. The setting and the cello made it feel like a poetry reading, but delivered by a rapper. I was pleased to see an older gentleman in a bow tie bobbing his head to the beat. But I loved the moments where the two worlds didn't quite line up.

After he performed, in true rap club fashion, Prem asked everyone to raise their drinks for Christian. I looked around at the slightly confused older folks lifting their champagne glasses in the air, probably wondering why they weren't applauding instead. After the music ended, a member of the NAC took the lectern and clearly a bit flustered, exclaimed “Wow, that was something” before he went on to thank everyone. I’m pretty sure that was his first time seeing a rap performance ever.

It was a bit unconventional, but I actually thought it was lovely, especially in the context of the fireplace. I imagine many a distinguished person has gathered around the fireplace at the NAC to hear musicians sing and play the piano or harp or something charming like that. It’s time to break down some barriers- for both worlds. Getting to hear some fireside raps set to a cello seemed like an oddly fitting tribute to a restored 19th century fireplace in a 21st century world.

Also, I want Christian to build me a fireplace when I have a house one day. Check out his amazing portfolio.

Adventures at Spa Castle

For years, almost every single one of my lady friends and I have talked about making the trek to Spa Castle in Flushing, Queens. And finally, this past weekend, a dream came true! We went for my friend Beth’s bachelorette festivities. We imagined it to be something in between one of those cheesy all inclusive resorts (think Sandals) and a mall. It did not disappoint.

A $45 entrance fee grants you access to a four floor complex of saunas, salons, restaurants, buffets, and a rooftop of pools, including one with a swim-up bar. Of course, the food and salon services are extra, but you get these watch bands that you swipe to tally up all the charges. Totally dangerous. After obtaining our watches, going through a security checkpoint (is this normal?), and years of built up expectations, we had finally made it!

The weirdest/most hilarious part of the whole experience is the one-size-fits-all “uniforms” they force everyone to wear around the complex when not in the pools. The uniforms are knee-length, elastic waistband cotton shorts and t-shirts with “Spa Castle” on them. Or if you’re 5 feet tall like my friend Deb, the shorts are capri length. Oh and of course the women's uniforms are pink and the men's are blue. We all looked like prisoners of Spa Castle roaming from floor to floor and standing in line at the Korean buffet in our ill fitting, matching uniforms.

We spent most of the day at the rooftop pools. The pools are lined with built in chairs with massage jets, which are awesome but a little too powerful. Luckily there are handlebars to hold on to so you can stay put. And then there is also the jacuzzi that we coined the “mountain dew pool” cause of the bright neon green lights that make it look like a giant vat of bubbling mountain dew.

The pools are simultaneously super family friendly and really sleazy. In spite of the “Public Morals” signs posted around Spa Castle, which list rules like “no overt public displays of affection”, we saw many couples making out in the spa pools. There were more than a few times we suspected something was going on underneath the water that we couldn't see. The condom wrapper that floated by may have confirmed our suspicions...

Spa Castle is open 6am-12am every day, so you can really make a day of it. They even have a nap room filled with beds, which was actually at capacity when we peeked in. People really need to get their $45 worth of Spa Castle, ya know? As for us, after six hours there, we staggered out exhausted and hungover from our daiquiris at the swim up bar.

Spa Castle surpassed all my expectations. It was way more ridiculous than I could have ever imagined. Would I recommend it to others? Absolutely.