Reason #44 that we love New York: even the culture comes with a side of gin. On a recent Friday evening, we stopped into The Morgan Library for a night of free events. From 7 – 9 pm, this small but classy museum waives admission and encourages the masses to check out the early 20th Century digs of J.P. Morgan. In addition to a series of rotating exhibits (one on book binding, and another on small landscapes when we visited), and guided tours, the museum lets you visit Morgan’s opulent study and library.
We could tell that Morgan was our type of guy. It’s easy to imagine him sitting on one of the study’s red velvet chairs, drinking a gigantic goblet of scotch while playing solitaire in front of his epic fireplace. After his third cocktail, he’d surely amble over to his gorgeous three story library to page through what was one of the lushest collections in the world. We’re no expert, but we think those little brown spots on the original Gutenberg Bible must have dripped from old J.P.’s glass.
The museum is small enough to take in quickly, which left plenty of room for our favorite part of the evening: lounging in the small cafe, listening to a jazz trio, and enjoying a martini. The lounge, like the museum, is tiny, but we think it would make Morgan proud. They may not have a lot to offer, but they sure know class. We enjoyed a Hendrick’s Gin Martini as our companion sipped on their Blood Orange Cocktail. Both cost only $10.
The conversation skipped from art, to wealth, to 19th Century history. Wow, at The Morgan Library, we suddenly weren’t just pretending to be a sophisticate. We plan on making our trips to this little cafe a regular thing. Maybe we can learn a lesson from Morgan’s wealth, like how to leverage priceless tapestries for better interest rates on our credit cards.
The Library is located at 225 Madison Avenue. It’s free every Friday from 7 – 9 PM.
Review: Free Fridays at The Morgan Library
Cocktail Options – 4 olives – It’s not the most extensive list in town, but we were impressed with the variety offered at what is basically a concessions stand. At $10 a pop, the drink prices rival many of the neighborhood’s less posh happy hours.
Jazz and Conversation – 5 olives – Leave it to New York to liquor up even its most upscale cultural institutions. It was hard not to enjoy the music after a few sips of that drink. It’s a great place for a date, especially if you are trying to convince your partner that you’re not a complete derelict.
Opulence and Wealth – 3 olives – We suspect J.P. never heard the word “recession”. It’s not that he didn’t go through bad times, it’s that he was able to give everyone around him a bag of money if they agreed not to say the word.
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Wow free events at "The Morgan Library" that's perfect. Martinis also for free?. Because Imagine if I was there I got so drunk because I love martinis, that's my passion, I'm waiting for another event like that.
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