tourismo in madrid

For those of you who think that I just bounce around Europe, drinking coffee and eating flaky pastries, sometimes I do stay in Madrid. And it's café con leche, much better than coffee, for the record. Anyway. The past long weekend, I took it easy with the traveling, and hung out in Madrid. But, to avoid massive boredom, I did some touristy things around town. Beacause when you live in a place, you don't really see what's around you. Example: I lived in New York for three years, and I did not see the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Guggenheim, or the Whitney Museum. I'm not proud of myself, I'm just saying. So, while in Madrid, I decided to go to the tennis tournament, the Masters Series in Madrid, at the new stadium, la Caja Mágica. (Translation: The Magic Box) I lucked out, and got to see Nadal vs. Verdasco, an all-Spanish affair (Verdasco is even from Madrid), followed by Murray vs. del Poltro (Battle of the Gangly). It was pretty cool, and the view was definitely not that bad, considering where I was sitting. Not only did I see some sports action, I also went to some museusm, fulfilling all cultural requirements. Having taking a class at the Prado (and really having no desire to return), I went to a temporary exhibition called La Sombra (The Shadow). It was two parts, starting in the Museo Thyssen (for the more classical works...about to the year 1850), and finishing in Caja Madrid, a gallery-like art space, which had more modern paintings and films. It was all about the shadow in art. Actually really cool. I don't know why I hadn't gone earlier. So, although I didn't travel anywhere, I lived it up here in Madrid, which, clearly, is a pretty cool place.