W 59th St – Museum of Conan Art - NY COCO MOCA

New Yorkers are used to losing our favorite celebs to the west coast, but when Conan moved away the hurt was a little deeper. Now, for a limited time, those lovin’ feelings are back thanks to The New York Museum of Conan Art. (There hasn’t been this much “caution” orange in the area since The Gates were in Central Park!) This pop-up gallery (on the 2nd floor at the Time Warner Center) is a showcase for Conan O’brien fan art, and a lot of it is really good.The collection runs the gamut from oil painting to crochet sculpture, and there is even a free audio tour with commentary by Conan and Andy. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Lil' Crochet Coco by Allison Hoffman.
He comes complete with crocheted blimp and ice cream cone!

A Wordy Host by Josh Mirman.
In a world where Conan is made of words, his mustache spells "funnyman" 

Coco Tribal Mask by Stephen Kinsey. Polymer clay, leather. 

It's no more than 4 inches tall and a lot of that is the hair.

After you’re done perusing, head down to the Jamba Juice inside Whole Foods for a Mango Mantra smoothie because, you know, it is delicious and it is also that particular shade of Conan orange. For Conan's signature jitteriness, add a 3G Charger boost. Enjoy the rest of your day! 

Ingredients:

Venue: New York Museum of Conan Art, Time Warner Center

Artists: Allison Hoffman, Josh Mirman, Stephen Kinsey

Streets: 59^th St & Broadway, Columbus Circle

Eats: Jamba Juice

Map:

BRUNCH - Time Warner Center

Wipe that incredulous look off your face! I’m telling you, there is inspiration to be found at the Time Warner Center. First of all, there are always the views of Columbus Circle and Central Park from the higher floors. Then there’s the ginormous (and tempting!) Fernando Botero sculptures. And now, thanks to a collaboration with Galerie Elysees, there is an extraordinary exhibition throughout the mall of rare original artwork by Salvador Dalí. These 18 sculptures and 40+ drawings, watercolors, collages and studies of paintings have never been seen in New York before, and they are seriously worth a look. Those famous melting clocks have an entirely novel effect in 3-D.

 While you’re here at the ol’ TWC, treat yourself to brunch at Bouchon Bakery. Chef Thomas Keller is a master of French cuisine, so you can’t go wrong with the quiche du jour or tartine au thon. My fave, though, is the tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwich (san marzano tomato soup with grilled fontina & gruyère cheese on pain au lait. YUM!). Don’t have the time to sit down for a leisurely meal? Swing by their take-away window, and make sure you throw in a Nutter Butter cookie for dessert. It’s two peanut butter cookies sandwiching creamy peanut butter filling, and it’s beyond good. 

Ingredients:

Venues: Time Warner Center

Artists: Salvador Dalí

Streets: Broadway, 58^th – 60^th Sts

Eats: Bouchon Bakery

Map: