Basquiat, Brooklyn Botanical Garden, White Horse and Dylan Thomas, and finally, a cupcake...

So Sunday was a good day, I met Megan at the Brooklyn Museum to see the Jean-Michel Basquiat (http://www.basquiat.net/) retrospective, which was supercool, I'm amazed by his paintings, they are so crazy and weird and facinating, I wanted to buy the catalog (I should have, now that I think about it) just because there is so much going on in his paintings and to really examine it all, you have to stare at each piece for hours and hours...he's truly amazing...then we headed out to the Botanical Garden to see some of the flora and fauna in its springtime bloom...it's actually a little too early, only the tulips and the cherry trees and lilacs are in full bloom right now, but it was beautiful nonetheless. As we walked along the Cherry Tree Esplanade, it was so windy out, all the cherry blossoms were falling and they looked like pink and white snowflakes falling...a lovely effect, kind of like this really beautiful scene in Kurosawa's Dreams where the tree deities come to life (but I think those were peach trees)...I love that name by the way, Cherry Tree Esplanade...there is also a Bluebell Wood...I told Megan I think I like those names so much because they make it sound like you are walking through Candyland or a fairy tale...
We were starving by this point and decided to go to the White Horse Tavern, Dylan Thomas' favorite spot, (http://www.pbs.org/hollywoodpresents/collectedstories/writing/write_greenwich_1.html)
where he had his famous last drink (supposed last words: "I've had 18 straight whiskeys. I think that's the record.")...legend has it his ghost still haunts the premises, sitting down at his favorite table for a drink and a cigarette...Mr. Thomas was not spotted, but a yucky old purple-faced drunk was - he was tossed out after lighting a cigarette and then insulting the staff and their mothers (on Mother's Day, no less) in a vulgar fashion...amusing, yes?
So then we went on a quest for cupcakes. Not just any cupcakes, mind you. AMY SEDARIS CUPCAKES. Many of you probably don't know how much I LOVE Amy Sedaris (http://amysedaris.com/), I get such a kick out of her...I loved the show Strangers With Candy, but I mostly like her for being her, like when she is a guest on David Letterman...weird, kooky, hysterical..very fine qualities! So Amy loves to bake, and bakes cupcakes on a daily basis and decided to make some money off of this habit and every day, she brings her fresh cupcakes to Joe's ( http://www.joetheartofcoffee.com/ ) and I want to be able to say that I have had one of her cupcakes. Alas, we arrive at Joe's to find it closed for the night. Yet the hankering for a cupcake remains...what to do? "Off to Magnolia Bakery" I exclaim, and we headed back to Bleeker Street where a too-sugary-too-much-frosting type of cupcake just like Mom used to make and a coffee were enjoyed immensely on a bench across the street, next to one of my favorite bookstores - I say favorite because the last time I was there, a cutie bookish type guy worked there and I need to go back there and hang out and see if he has any more good books to recommend to me...