I visited the Rosé Mansion this weekend. I was actually supposed to be attending National Ice Cream Day hosted at the Pint Shop but after my experience at their tasting session, I decided to exchange my tickets for a new pop-up instead. I didn't want to experience more or less the same of what I already did twice. I figured the experience isn't going to be any different so why waste my time. $38 for a ticket was a little steep considering I knew what the space and experience was going to entail. The San Francisco location would've been better considering it gave you access to the museum. But the Pint Shop unfortunately is a very pint size version of the museum experience, for the same price. I figured my time would be better spent trying and discovering new places so I opted for the Rosé Mansion instead.
I actually heard of it from another Instagrammer, @urbanbling, who suggested it to me. She's an indie designer who does custom Swarovski strassing for your shoes and accessories. She actually worked on my first ever pair of Loubies that I decided to blow my first big girl paycheck on when I first graduated pharmacy school back in 2012. I still wear them to this day, with their most recent appearance in Paris with me at the Eiffel Tower, and they still hold up pretty well. Honestly, I think she did a better job than the store strassed version. The crystals shine brighter and there are less gaps in between crystals so they shine and glitter a lot better. Anyways, she's also a local New Yorker and visits pop-ups and desserts spots so our adventures often coincide with the same destinations. We're forever hitting up places #forthegram.
The Rosé Mansion is a new pop-up in Manhattan based on rosé wine. It's another interactive art installation similar to the Museum of Ice Cream and the Egg House. (I know, I know, I still owe you guys a Museum of Ice Cream blog.) You start out on the ground floor and walk up a beautiful staircase to the 'mansion' where you learn about how wine is made and the different types. There are samplings of different wines throughout the rooms as well as different backdrops for your photos. Tickets were $45 and like all other experiences similar to this, are timed ticketed experiences sold on showclix. You have to buy tickets in advance and online only. You can't get in at the door without one. What's notably different about this pop-up as well, is that since it's alcohol themed, you need to be 21+ to enter, so ID is required.
To be quite honest, I'm not a big drinker. Actually I don't drink at all, unless I'm at a wedding with an open bar then I'll get a cocktail because I'm already there and it's already paid for. But other than that, I rarely drink. I don't because waste of calories and not my cup of tea, honestly. Plus I bloat like crazy and gain weight pretty quickly from it. But I'm a sucker for these instagrammable experiences which my husband likes to call IG traps. I was pretty much there for the gram and nothing more. I did taste some of the rose available at the exhibit though.
Before the Rosé Mansion, the Museum of Ice Cream was my favorite pop-up thus far. Right now, I would like to say the Rosé Mansion ranks right up there, if not better. The only thing really winning me still is the sprinkle pool but I would definitely have to say the Rosé Mansion might just blow it out of the water. What's notably different is the quality of the rooms and how much work and detail is put into each. There is definitely enough rooms and instagrammable opportunities to pique your interest. I would definitely say compared to other pop-ups and prices I've paid, this one is the best bang for your buck. Especially since they're serving you alcohol and 8 different types. There's also a station where you can 'create' your own rosé by mixing different wines. What I definitely liked is that not only were there enough rooms to make this experience worth it, but that they put pretty much equal effort into each space. Some pop-ups, one room is really great and the rest are mediocre or just afterthoughts. This was the case with the Sunnyhues Happy Go Lucky exhibit I went to last month. The Diamond room was the pièce de résistance and the rest was just leftovers. But at the Rosé Mansion, nearly every room was carefully curated, I'd say. They also serve you enough wine throughout the tastings to amount to two glasses, but I think you can easily get more if you really wanted to. You can go back and forth to as many rooms as you'd like, unlike the MOIC, where you can only go forward, not backward. If you would like a little more of a certain wine from one particular room, I don't really see them denying you. And the amount they pour into your glass is a pretty decent amount too.
The only negative I have to say, is not about the actual space, but about other attendees. This exhibit was definitely targeted more towards women and girls like to attend these things in big groups obviously for cute photos. Which I have no issue with, since I travel a lot with a big entourage when I'm around adventuring in the city. I knew what I signed up for so I understood that with exhibits like these, there will be lines and you have to be patient to wait your turn. In the swing/bathtub of roses room, there was 2 groups in front of me, one with about 6 girls and the other had 3. So you can see that both groups will take a bit of time before I can get to either photo op. The group of 6 girls was obviously taking longer since there was 6 girls total. When I finally got the swing set, they were still in the bathtub and the line was starting to grow even longer and more impatient. There was a really rude girl on line 4-5 people behind me screaming NEXT! NEXT NEXT! every 5 seconds. No one else was really being rude except her and even the girls in front of her looked embarassed as she tried to passive aggressively move the line along. She wasn't even a worker, just another impatient Instagram hoe. I get it, I'm slightly annoyed that I have to wait to, but instead of identifying the group that was causing the hold up and directly approaching them, she was rudely screaming NEXT! NEXT! NEXT! to me. I looked directly at her and shouted back "I JUST GOT HERE" and I guess that got her attention since she finally left and shut the hell up afterwards. I took my time and moved along thereafter. What I found out after from girls on the line behind me was that same hoe was being a hypocritical bitch and ended up holding up the line when she got her own chance at the bathtub. My only critique is that there should've been a worker there to help maintain the line and usher people along if there is a line forming but also diffuse people from getting rude at other attendees. Not for nothing, I shouldn't have to rush my own time just because the group in front of me took longer. I paid the same ticket price as any other IG hoe so I'm damn sure going to take my time.
Besides that I enjoyed this experience a lot, and despite not being big on alcoholic beverages. I would and could definitely recommend this experience if you're in the city this summer. It's easy to get to as well. It's basically right next the NY Public Library at Bryant Park. I had a lot of fun with friends and family taking photos.
The rest of the weekend feels like a blur despite being less than a week ago. I stayed at the Arlo Nomad this weekend, courtesy of my best friend Kerri. She was supposed to be in NYC this weekend to hang out and catch up but there were last minute hiccups and she wasn't able to make it. Unfortunately the room was nonrefundable so she passed the room onto me. The Arlo Nomad is a very minimalistic hotel when it comes to rooms, but still very clean and beautiful. It's perfect for solo travelers and young couples. It reminds me of the simplicity of Japan actually. I looked at photos on Instagram before I got there and fell in love with photos of girls waking up in NYC with a beautiful view. I was disappointed when I got there and realized the beds weren't actually pushed up against the windows like the photos misled me to believe. But then I realized that no hotel is really like this but that all the models move the beds themselves for the perfect shot for the gram. So you bet your bottom dollar I did that same thing. Having strong friends when you travel with an entourage helps a lot, hahaha. It was really something to wake up to the next morning though. Falling asleep with the Empire State building was really beautiful too as it was lit up in red, white and blue like a firecracker popsicle. I purposely left the curtains open so I could see the view as I woke up and it was just grand. It's funny how you appreciate these things later in life. I always had NYC at my fingertips but only now am I appreciating it for its beauty. The Arlo Nomad also had a bar at the top floor with a glass floor overlooking the streets of Manhattan. I enjoyed this as it was a taste of yet to come of the Skydeck in Chicago, which I leave for in about a week. I'm excited to see that.
I also attended my first SoulCycle session, which my friend Kerri had booked for us but was nonrefundable so I had to go experience it without her since I'm Asian and don't like things going to waste. My impression? OMG, it was so overwhelming. It was intense! And then I find out from another friend who SoulCycles religiously that the teacher of my class was known for being intense. He's good but he's intense. Well that explains it. I thought I was going to die, hahaha. I bike at the gym but this was like being on a bike from hell. It felt like it was never going to end. It's funny how you could get into shape but still suck at another thing and feel so out of shape from it. There's so much to fitness than people think. There's always something new to learn and experience. I don't know if I would go back to SoulCycle on my own. I was seriously intimidated, hahaha. I couldn't even figure out how to get off the damn bike cause I couldn't unlock my shoes from it. Man, I'm such a noob.
We had brunch at Union Fare on Sunday before the Rosé Mansion so I could finally experience it since we only had dinner there last time and I can definitely say this experience was much better than last time. There was no rude host and the waiters were super friendly and attentive. The food was delicious. I enjoyed their artisan Eggs Benedict and smashed toasts. I finally ordered their Fruity Pebbles croissant but was too full to finish it after the rest of the food. I took it home to eat the next day and it was delicious! I would definitely stop by again if I'm in the area. Everything was so good and fresh.
I also finally visited and walked the Brooklyn Bridge. Another anomaly of things I had yet to do, despite being in NYC my entire life. It's a long trek but definitely worth it. I would like to go back during the day to photograph it as well. Maybe in the early morning to avoid crowds. The night views are really something though to see the city all lit up. It's beautiful. Sometimes I hate NYC when I visit other countries, and then other times I remember it's still beautiful in its own way.
Oh, New York City. I'll always be a New York girl at heart.