2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
I Scream, You Scream. They Don't Scream for Ice Cream.
The Museum of Ice Cream is a sugarcoated daydream — or nightmare, depending on your tastes. The location in SoHo opened in 2019, spawning out of a temporary pop-up three years earlier that reportedly had a 200,000-person wait-list. It's less of a museum than it is a made-for-Instagram selfie emporium.
You won't find much on display to spark any philosophical thoughts — what is there to say about the ephemeral nature of ice cream, or how about its role as a symbol of pure hedonism? You will instead find a banana jungle, a spiral slide, unlimited scoops of Fruiti Cereal Swirl and Ess-a-Bagel ice cream sandwiches. 'Ready To Rediscover Your Inner Child?' the museum prominently asks on its website.
But in the depths of the museum's sprinkle pool, a feud has been brewing. The inner child belongs to adults, and the Museum of Ice Cream wants to cater to them. Though 'pinktinis' and sprinkle shots are on the menu, the party ends early: the latest available tickets on weekends are for 8 p.m.
For years, the museum has wanted to extend its hours and liquor sales. Last week, the New York State Liquor Authority denied the museum's latest proposal, which would have allowed the museum to serve alcohol until 10:30 p.m. daily and midnight during private events. The application also sought to extend liquor consumption to all three stories of its building; alcohol use is currently limited to the main floor.
'We are requesting nothing beyond what other similar SoHo establishments already have — whether it's ice cream shops with licenses to serve alcohol or museums that host occasional private events. We're simply aligning with longstanding practices in the neighborhood and industry,' said Kate Ambas, a representative for the museum, in an emailed statement.
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