personal day.

I firmly believe in personal days. My definition of a personal day is as follows: minimal work, something fun, and time alone.
We spend the majority of our time with other people. Not that anything is wrong with that, I love being around other people. However, think about the last time you were by yourself for more than two or three hours. I mean really by yourself. The only people around you are complete strangers. It doesn't happen often and sometimes it is almost impossible with school or work or family. After my day Saturday, I encourage everyone to get out and do something by yourself.

This past weekend I woke up early and stopped at Presti's Bakery in Little Italy for a latte and chocolate filled croissant. My plan was to visit the new Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Uptown. I must admit, I was a little nervous about finding parking. (I actually parked and got out of my car before realizing I was blocking a fire hydrant...No wonder I was the only one that wanted that spot.) City driving is clearly not my forte.

However after driving around for about 10 minutes I found plenty of parking along the Wade Oval in front of the Cleveland Museum of Art just down the street from MOCA. 

The first Saturday of every month is free at the MOCA! Being the crazy girl that I am, I was the first person in the door. The museum itself has a really cool architectural design with big glass panels covering the entire building. During the day, the street is reflected in the facade, but at night, you can see inside to all the floors. 

 

I spent an hour or two wandering around the museum and talking to the employees. The art is definitely contemporary. There were some very unique pieces. At first I was a little disappointed because it didn't look as though there was much to see. I took my time admiring the pieces that were there and quickly realized there was A LOT to see once you started to look.
While it's no Louvre, the art just as compelling. It was fun to come up with my own meanings behind a piece of wood with a pot on it, and then read what the artist was envisioning as he created it. I love that nothing is obvious and everything is subjective. Modern art really takes an open mind and a willingness to reflect and question. After leaving the museum, I thought back to how naive it was of me to be expecting more. MOCA has a great approach to keeping their art collections new and fresh. I highly recommend visiting this museum any day of the week.

After leaving the MOCA, I headed back towards my car, stopping to check out Severance Hall and the Case Library on the way.

I can't park right outside the Cleveland Museum of Art and not go in. (its free 24/7 no excuses not to visit) This place has a lot of meaning to my family. On the most basic level, we love it because we love art. However, it is also the place my parents were engaged and one of the best stories.

Our favorite gallery is the Impressionism exhibit where Monet and Van Gogh are featured. I usually sit down the bench in front of Water Lilies. I love looking at the actual painting of our family room picture! After wandering through the galleries for another hour, I finally decided it was time to head back. I felt refreshed and glad to have had that time to myself.

I really believe in order to be happy, you have to be happy by yourself. It's hard finding the time to spend alone, but trust me. It is worth it.