sides: New York is the place for museums, and a trip there requires visits to a few of them or all of them. Being alone is the way to check everything out, so museum shows were a way for me to kill some hours and hopefully see some cool and inspiring work. Here's a rundown: MOMA Their show blew. Bring back the permanent collection. I miss it. MET Rothko's art. I used to hate it, I didn't get it and I still might not. But the first time I went to New York and saw his work in 1987, I was pissed that it was on the walls. Where did this guy get off painting a few lines of color and getting famous? Now it was my first and last destination in the building. Although I still don't get it, I like it, and seeing it 13 years later is a welcome surprise. It's cool how we can move around and re-visit things to make different opinions on them, along with millions of others doing the same thing. While crowds were looking at Van Gogh and Picasso in numbers, the works of Rothko are empty. Maybe I'll get it in 13 more years.

Natural History Museum The space show is cool. But for 15 minutes of screen watching, be prepared to wait hours. Forget it. Go see a movie instead. The best part of this museum is that Woody Allen's Manhattan has a scene here, and walking around among stuffed bears and wax people from Mongolia remind me of his bickering and whininess. Maybe it's not so cool to be here. NY Historical Society Currently, there's a show of photographs of people getting hung. Mostly blacks from the south, their stories are sad and unbelievable. Tons of unjust hangings, towns of people breaking into jail to lynch innocent folks, and more. New Museum Tibor Kalman rules. The guy looks a little like David Letterman. The store is equally cool, since they stock every cool art book. Check out the Tibor book, and this other new book from a photographer who drives a cab. It's thick and only $20.

Tokyo Lounge. Being the supposed media capital of the world, weird events take place in New York City, and Tokyo Lounge was one of them. For two days, an elaborate display of images, free mags, and more was staged for the media. A waste, in my opinion. Everything was geared towards the phoniness that people are willing to believe. I took some free magazines, and wondered how much wine they would drink at their party celebrating something bad. Maybe the fashion show was good, but I'd rather just walk in Ikebukuro, Shibuya, or Harajuku in Tokyo to see everything in real time on the street instead of in pictures. I couldn't figure out the point of this show, but then again, it's a play for media and I wasn't played.

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