Faux Spring in NYC: "The Roses" and "Park Here"

While I will never purchase a faux Chanel purse from the "handbaghandbag" ladies on Canal Street, I will gladly partake in other "fake" NYC experiences.

Enter, FAUX SPRING.

Yes please!

We escaped the frigid, depressing January weather by soaking up two exciting art installations meant to give New Yorkers a glimpse of spring.

Today, after the snow stopped falling, I went for a walk with Savvy to check out Will Ryman's, "The Roses", a new sculpture installation on Park Avenue. The gigantic roses and bugs were installed this week and will be on view through May 2011. Here's a sneak peak:

I never realized how bleak Park Avenue is. Every office and apartment building are the same bland brown. These sculptures definitely help brighten up the stretch of Park between 57th and 67th Streets.

I'll have to walk through again during a sunny day. I bet the flowers would glisten in the sunlight.

I love the attention to detail. This small bud emerging from the snowy ground makes me crave the first crocuses of spring. I CAN'T WAIT.

I had to snap a pic of me and the sleeping bean. Yes, those are llamas on her hat! And yes, she loved The Roses.

Earlier this month, my little family visited the 74 degree indoor oasis, Park Here, for an afternoon of chilling out sans chill. The Openhouse Gallery in Nolita was transformed into a pop-up park for the month of January 2011, complete with plastic rocks, forest murals, picnic tables, bird sounds, SAD lamps, fake grass, fall leaves, a pond, the whole shabang.

The exhibit/installation closes in just a few days. If you are downtown, DEFINITELY check it out. It's on Mulberry Street, between Spring and Kenmare.

Telemundo T47 was filming the afternoon we were there. I just stumbled across the video on the Openhouse Gallery's Facebook page and we are caught on tape a few times towards the end. Watch it here. So cool!

It's official. Savannah has touched fake grass before she's felt the real thing. How very Manhattan of her. A new page to add to the Urban Babies Wear Black board book series, perhaps? "Urban babies play on astroturf."

(To our credit, she has momentarily lounged on real grass when she was a wee lass, but was too young to purposefully touch it before the weather got too cold.)

I'm feeling very thankful for the seasonal copyright infringement happening now throughout the city. I'll gladly consume Spring any way I can.

p.s. Savannah turned 5 months old today! Took her monthly photos today on my fab chair: