W 37th St – Lever House, Captured

Sometime in the not-too-far-off future you’ll be meeting friends for drinks in NoPS. It’s bound to happen. NoPs is what I call that little neighborhood of garment factories, fabric shops, 99¢ pizza joints and Lincoln Tunnel traffic just north of Penn Station. In the last five years little gems have been popping up across the grid. Take west 37th: Ohm Factory, Houndstooth Pub, Lower East Side Printshop… So, resolve to do some exploring in 2012 and check out Lever House, an exhibition inside Printshop’s 6th-floor studio of newly published editions by New York based artist Enoc Perez. These seven-color screenprints of New York's Lever House are vibrant and deep and just the perfect pick-me-up for this frigid winter day.

All you need is 15 minute to see the show, grab a granola bar from the bodega downstairs and head back to work. Still, if you have more time (and your new year’s resolution does not involve lunch in bar form), head westward to Market Café for grilled-to-order flatbreads and beet & bean salad. Then check out Captured (A Portrait Show) at Heskin Contemporary. From Maurizio Cattelan perched on a bookshelf to Alberto Giacometti in the window by Christer Stromhülm, Captured is an opportunity to see a range of portraiture by 26 artists working in various media. Should you find yourself inspired to try your hand at a self-portrait, circle back to the Printshop and sign up for Intro to Printmaking. 2012 is the year to create the world you want to live in. Go for it!

Ingredients:
Venue: Lower East Side Print Shop, Heskin Contemporary 

Artists: Enoc Perez, Maurizio Cattelan, Christer Stromhülm, Others

Streets: W 37^th St, 7^th – 8^th Aves

Eats: Market Cafe

Map: