Explore: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

As a kid I spent a ton of time at the Museum of Fine Arts. My parents took my little sister and I to those children's scavenger hunts on Saturdays, my sister took art classes at the Museum School and she eventually became a teaching assistant in the school. I also explored the halls of the museum with my Girl Scout troop year after year (don't mock, you know you love the cookies). I share all of this with you because it's these facts that make it incredibly surprising that after 27 years of visiting the Museum of Fine Arts, I never once visited its neighbor across the street, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Shame on you, parents.

When my mother was in town from Miami for business a few weeks ago she bought us tickets to visit the new wing of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. For those who may not know, the museum recently unveiled a new addition to the building, a major coup considering the museum's rules (more on that later).

We arrived on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

The first thing I noticed about the new entrance (aside from the glass exterior) was the giant painting of a red tree. Check it out:

I think in the spring, when the trees get their leaves back, this piece will look beautiful among the blooming branches.

Once we made it through the lobby (which was mobbed) we entered what the museum is calling the living room. The living room is where you go to check in with museum staff about anything special happening in the building that day or to flip through the beautiful art books they have or to simply sit and rest after walking around.

I had taken about three steps into the living room when I heard a high pitched chirping sound. I looked around to see where it might be coming from and this little girl was the reason I spotted them - birds!

She was so mesmerized by these tiny, tweeting creatures that she sat still, staring at them for a full five minutes while I snapped away.

As I walked to the other side of the room I spotted a large drawing book with an intricate, pastel blue design. I'm not sure if this was created by the museum or by a visitor, but it's pretty either way.

After the living room we walked across the new glass tunnel from the addition into the original museum space.

Now, time for a short history lesson. Isabella Stewart married Jack Gardner and as a couple they shared great wealth and a love of art. Pursuing that passion, Isabella began a private collection. In 1896, after amassing quite the collection of impressive works, the Gardners decided to commission an architect (William T. Sears) to build them a museum.

On January 1st, 1903 the doors to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum opened with a reception that included a performance from the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Not too shabby, eh?

On February 23rd, 1903 the doors opened to the public. The first three floors housed the art work (all personally placed by Isabella) and she lived on the top floor in a private residence.

Ok! Now that you have the background, on to the rest of the review!

We set foot into the original museum building and I gasped! I had no idea the museum was home to a lush, blooming courtyard, complete with a full sky light ceiling. I was able to take one photo before the security guard scolded me.

Since I wasn't able to take photos in the museum, I'll describe to you what we experienced. We started on the top floor because we wanted to attend the afternoon talk given by one of the museum docents about Isabella's portrait, which hangs in one of the galleries. It was so nice to hear from an expert about all the details of the painting and the time period. No additional cost to attend the talk!

We explored all three floors of the museum, slowly walking through each gallery and hallway to take it all in. According to the museum's website, "The galleries house works by some of the most recognized artists in the world, including Titian, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Manet, Degas, Whistler and Sargent."

When Isabella passed away she left the museum to the city of Boston with one major caveat, "The museum remain as I have arranged it 'for the education and enrichment of the public forever.'" Well! As you can imagine, times have changed since her passing, but nothing in the museum has! The best way I can describe the feeling of walking through these galleries is, "Hoarders: Art Edition." Every room is dark, strangely laid out and for some inexplicable reason, there are so many chairs!

While it was clearly an overwhelmingly generous gift to the people of Boston, mandating that nothing about the museum change is quite a strict order! Hence why the construction of this new wing was such a big deal.

After touring all three levels and basking in the sun in the courtyard one more time, we walked back through tunnel to the new wing.

We walked upstairs to wander the new gallery and I couldn't help but notice two iconic Boston buildings peeking out over the museum walls as I looked out the gallery windows.

From the second floor you can also see from the new wing into the old museum:

When heading back downstairs I caught a glimpse of the inside of the museum's new elevator which is bright, grass green!

Before leaving we toured the museum's new greenhouse which grows the plants and flowers that populate the courtyard on the other side.

We learned the greenery in the courtyard is changed completely nine times a year!

The plants and flowers are brilliant colors:

From the greenhouse you can see the new Mass College of Art dorm which is super funky:

Though the galleries of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum take a bit of patience, I suggest taking a trip to the museum if for no other reason than to bask in the sun light of that spectacular courtyard. Nothing chases the winter blues away like some Vitamin D.

Have you ever been to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum? What did you think?

Gossip Girl: Lonely Boy Rising

Last night's episode of Gossip Girl had me screaming, "What?!" at the TV just about every two minutes. There were bombs going off everywhere! William returns - Boom! William is Lola's father - Boom! Cee Cee leaves all her money to Ivy - Boom! Ivy kicks Lily out of the apartment - Boom! Ok, enough exploding. Let's dissect.

The episode opens with Lola and Nate in bed together. Lola is wearing Nate's pajama top and he is wearing the bottoms. This never happens in real life.

I squealed with delight when Nate recommended a Danny Meyer restaurant for him and Lola to brunch at. I love Danny Meyer!

Post-Cee Cee's death, Lily and Carol discover she has specific plans for her funeral arrangements including an Irish wake, complete with an Irish band. I'm sorry, but I could not help but laugh.

In the end, Cee Cee left all her money to Ivy. She even calls her Ivy Dickens in the will. Poor Lily, you've always relied on the cash of others and now, you get nothing.

When Ivy kicked Lily out of the apartment I just about died.

This episode Serena's dad William, played by Billy Baldwin (who has the exact same voice as her brother Alec and it freaks me out), returns as the executor of Cee Cee's will. I have to say, that seems really unlikely, but I'll roll with it.

This hour we learn that William is apparently Lola's father. I'd love to say I was smart enough to call this one, but I totally wasn't. The idea that William slept with both sisters makes me want to throw up.

Also, did anyone else notice when William said, "Too bad Eric is in Zaire." Are we really supposed to believe that Eric is coming back? He is in some far away place with Jenny and Vanessa. Duh.

Now we come to the real meat of the episode, which all revolves around Blair. First, as background, Georgina leaves her post as Gossip Girl and puts her idiot husband in charge. He publishes an update with Chuck's email on it. Then, Georgina swipes Dan's phone and convinces Chuck to retaliate by sending an update from Dan.

When Chuck confronts Blair about all of this and tries expose Dan, Blair doesn't care at all and has zero interest in Chuck. In that moment, when Chuck was so focused on Blair, begging for her love, I really wanted Ed Westwick's British accent to come out. Even just for one line.

Later at Blair's house, Georgina arrives to try and help Blair get out of her marriage to Louis. Did anyone else notice Blair was sitting in front of a Baldwin piano? Interesting given the cameo of a Baldwin brother this episode.

At the end of the hour Blair goes to Brooklyn and picks Dan! She picks Dan and his horrible hair over Chuck Bass. What is wrong with you, girl?

As Blair is making out with Dan, Chuck is confiding in Lily about his heart break. Lily then drops the bomb that while in the hospital Chuck received a blood transfusion from his uncle Jack! Chuck is now officially part Jack? No!

I hope you all enjoyed tonight's episode because Gossip Girl in on hiatus until Monday April 2nd. Apparently that episode will focus on Blair and Dan's first time sleeping together, which from the looks of the preview, was not a success.

*All images courtesy of CWTV.com.

Academy Awards 2012: Best And Worst Dressed

Last night I hosted a group of my best girls for my annual Oscar viewing party. We assembled at 7:00pm to mercilessly judge the stars as they strutted down the red carpet on their way into the Kodak Theater.

Minus Sacha Baron Cohen spilling an entire box worth of Bisquick onto Ryan Seacrest, I have to admit, nothing really grabbed my attention. Overall, I found the fashion super underwhelming.

I spent the better part of the last two weeks highlighting for you all of the New York Fashion Week dresses I thought should make their first post-runway appearance on the red carpet and not a single one did! Major disappointment.

None the less, tradition is tradition and so, I bring you Pop.Bop.Shop.'s Best and Worst Dressed list.

BEST DRESSED

1) Giuliana Rancic - I highlighted her red, figure hugging dress at the Golden Globes and G wow-ed me again last night in Tony Ward Couture. For me, she was the best dressed last night by a mile. The leaf design on the shoulders of her dress was so feminine and delicate, the sheer panel across the chest showed modesty and then the glitz of the gown's bodice celebrated the occasion. Home run, G!

2) Ellie Kemper - Ellie plays Erin on NBC's "The Office" but was at the Oscars supporting her film "Bridesmaids." I loved this copper colored, sequin dress from Armani Prive that perfectly matched her copper locks.

3) Rose Byrne - Kemper's fellow "Bridesmaids" cast member turned heads in this black, sequin, one shoulder number by Vivienne Westwood which had a nearly 100 percent open back. I loved the styling of the blunt bangs with this dress.

4) Viola Davis - Though I wasn't loving the short, lighter hair, I was gushing over her emerald green, Vera Wang gown which felt like a mermaid come to life. As soon as I spotted Viola on the carpet I thought, "Her Oscar is going to look beautiful on stage against that green color."

5) Natalie Portman - Portman dressed impeccably last year during her pregnancy and brought her A game again last night in Christian Dior (she is the face of the designer's perfume, Miss Dior). Though one of my party attendees said, "This looks like something from J. Crew bridal," I still loved it.

6) Gwyneth Paltrow - At first I wasn't sure what to make of this white, cape/dress combination from Tom Ford, but over the course of the broadcast it really grew on me. The simplicity became more and more stunning. It's brave to take a risk like this at the biggest awards show of the season, but Gwyneth really pulled it off.

WORST DRESSED

1) Melissa McCarthy - I root for Melissa McCarthy. I have been rooting for her since she played Sookie St. James on "Gilmore Girls." My devotion was tested last night when she arrived in this Marina Rinaldi gown that made her look like Miss Piggy. All I can do is shake my head.

2) Emma Stone - Emma Stone is having a great year. Her film "The Help" has been out on DVD for weeks and is still soaring in popularity, she is slated to appear in the next Spiderman movie and she was even asked to present during last night's show. As if to give the universe a giant flip of the bird, she wore this monstrosity by Giambattista Valli.

3) Jennifer Lopez - If this dress had simply had straps and not full sleeves with cut outs, J. Lo could have won "Best Dressed." This dress hugged her body in the all the right places, the cut was beautiful and the pattern was designed to slim. However, the full length sleeves with those useless cut outs made her look like she took scissors to her dress at the last minute.

4) Cameron Diaz - Diaz presented two awards with J. Lo and I was turned off by both of them. Diaz, who is a client of Team Zoe (who I love), showed up in a nude colored Gucci gown that was not doing her a single favor. Diaz has a rockin' body, but this dress was just too tight, too flesh toned and honestly, not fun enough.

5) Michelle Williams - I love that Michelle Williams named her daughter Matilda, had the courage to take on the role of Marilyn Monroe and that she brings her best friend Busy Phillips as her date to every award show. What I do not love is this Louis Vuitton dress that has two levels of skirt, neither of which is flattering.

6) Shailene Woodley - Woodley, who is making the awards show rounds for "The Descendants," has been a disaster on the red carpet all season. When you've got something going, why ruin it, right? Woodley showed up in another horrifying choice last night. She looks like she's wrapped in a paper towel. Can you believe this is Valentino?

And there you have it!

Do you agree or disagree with my picks? Is there someone's outfit you loved or loathed?

*All images courtesy of Pop Sugar.

Academy Awards 2012: The Top 14 Moments

Fear not, there is an entire post dedicated to last night's red carpet fashions coming up right after this! Before diving into who rocked it and who should hide under a rock, let's talk about the 14 moments that made this year's broadcast memorable.

1) Billy Crystal's Opener - I loved the first scene of Crystal's opener where he pretended to be in a black and white film (a la "The Artist") and was being tortured as he screamed, "I will not host!" His hospital scene with George Clooney had me laughing out loud, especially when Billy whispered, "Say - I'm Batman." Ha! Later on Justin Bieber made a random appearance in what was supposed to be the bit about "Midnight in Paris." I wish he'd sung, "One Time" instead. The best part of the opening montage was the reference to Crystal's line from "The Princess Bride" when he says, "Have fun storming the castle!"

2) Tom Hanks Puzzler - Billy Crystal introduced Tom Hanks by calling him "Two time Academy Award winner." Two times? That's it? That seems odd to me.

3) Octavia Spencer's Win - Watching Octavia Spencer fall to pieces as she realized the magnitude of this moment in her life was so moving.

4) "Undefeated" Named Best Documentary - I had seen P. Diddy on the Ellen Show earlier this week talking about his role as the executive producer of "Undefeated." It sounds to me like a real life "Friday Night Lights." I'm thrilled they won and I can't wait to see it.

5) Chris Rock Explains Animated Features - I laughed so hard during Chris Rock's intro to this award that it made me wish he was still doing stand up. His impersonation of the making of an animated feature was hysterical. The camera cut to Cameron Diaz laughing which makes complete sense as she made a killing in "Shrek" as Princess Fiona.

6) Christopher Plummer Begins - Begins a relationship with Oscar that is. At 82 years old, Christopher Plummer became the oldest actor to win an Academy Award for his performance in "Beginners." After taking his statue into his hand he asked, "You're only two years older than me, Darling, where have you been all my life?" He may be 82, but he's still a charmer.

7) The Arrival Of Will Ferrell And Zack Galifianakas - I did not expect to see these two trouble makers at the Oscars! Watching them smash cymbals together would have been enough, but then Zach introducing himself and butchering his own last name was too much. I could barely breathe I was laughing so hard.

8) Kermit And Miss Piggy's Date - I wasn't expecting to see the iconic Muppet couple at the Oscars, but boy did they look sharp! I think this is the best Miss Piggy has ever looked. You go, girl!

9) Angelina Jolie's Leg - When Angelina Jolie took the stage, looked straight into the camera, jutted her leg out, put her hand on the opposite hip and just stood there I had no idea that is all anyone would be talking about today.

When she announced the winner of the Best Adapted Screenplay category and the three writers took the stage (the writers of "The Descendants") one of them used his mic time to mimic her pose! Ha!

Her leg move is now so famous it has its own Twitter account, @AngiesRightLeg.

10) Michel Hazanavicius Basks In The Glory - The director of "The Artist" could not have been more thrilled to accept his award last night. To close his speech he said, "Life is full of grace and it brings to us joy and happiness, and sometimes life is wonderful and today is one of those days!" We should all be so lucky to have that outlook on life.

11) Esperanza Spaulding Pays Tribute - Each year the academy does an "In Memory" montage to honor the community members who have passed away in the last year. This year, Esperanza Spaulding (who beat out Justin Bieber for Best New Artist at the Grammys last year), took the stage to sing a gorgeous rendition of "What A Wonderful World." Just like at the Grammys, I am pretty sure all of America was wondering, "Who is that girl?"

12) Jean Dujardin Loves America - When actor Jean Dujardin accepted his Oscar for Best Actor he screamed, "I love your country!" He could have stopped right there and it still would have been one of the best speeches of the night.

13) Colin Firth Flirts With Meryl Streep - It was Colin Firth's job to make all the Best Actress nominees feel special, but he had some personal tricks up his sleeve when it came to Meryl Streep. He opened with, "Meryl, Mama Mia. We were in Greece. We danced and I was gay and we were happy." LOVE.

14) Meryl Streep Beats Viola Davis - I wanted Viola Davis to win Best Actress. Meryl already has two Oscars and honestly, she doesn't need another. She is already the best of the best. This would have been a game changer for Viola. That being said, when Meryl took the stage she had a sense of humor about the upset. She said, "I can't help but think half of America went - Her? Again?" Yup!

That just about sums it up, Meryl. But in all honesty, Meryl's speech went on to be touching and humble and proved yet again that she's a class act.

I've only highlighted my top 14 moments here, but one of the ladies who attended by Oscar viewing party live blogged the entire show including all of our comments from the couch, so take a read of that recap right here.

Next up, Best and Worst Dressed!

*All images courtesy of Pop Sugar.

Shop: iTrees

One of the perks of my job is that I am actually interested in what my clients do. This week while doing some research into the audio/sound industry, my intern found a list of the most creative iPod docks and several of them were made to look like logs or trees. I don't know why, but I find the juxtaposition of these modern gadgets with these elements of nature to be very beautiful.

This one definitely belongs in a hipster loft in Brooklyn, NY:

I like this dock for a country house:

I'd put this one right into a fireplace! This brings the yule log to a whole other level.

Are you digging these dock designs like I am?