Like the ABBA song says, "Breaking up is never easy. . . . " But it doesn't have to be utterly dreary, either, so long as you're the one doing the dumping. Of course, it's only polite to destroy someone's life face to face, but that's not always practicable (the poor sod's in another country, or in solitary) or desirable (the family has a firearms fetish, etc.). And e-mail of this sort is so tacky. So take your cue from the iconic British singer Morrissey—who was notorious for dropping emotional bombs on his soon-to-be-ex-friends and bandmates in the form of little notes—and skip off to the Frick Collection to execute your next amatory hatchet job. This gorgeous Italianate palazzo was designed in 1912 by architects Carrère & Hastings to house robber baron Henry Clay Frick's family and trove of paintings, sculpture, and other treasures. It's all very Spoils of Poynton, but without the conflagration. Buy a pretty postcard from the gift shop—Fragonard's mildly naughty The Swing is a good choice if you're planning a post facto mercy fuck, though a stately medieval crucifixion also sends a distinct message—cosy up by the fountain in the Garden Court, and then try to be as kind as possible.

manhattan
1 East 70th Street
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Phone: 212-288-0700