Something for everyone

Looking south from Central Park

Belvedere Castle

Egyptian room at The Met

Guided tour at The Met out of 21 people
on the tour, 10 where Aussies

Temple of Dendur

View from the terrace at The Met

A mythical interpretation of  Washington crossing the Delaware
 painted 50 years after the event at 4m by 6m it was an impressive piece

Guggenheim

Day 3 is starting well a squirrel just ran in front of me. Its early morning and another beautiful sunny day I am walking through Central Park up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met). Let’s see what Central Park has to offer.

Dogs, dogs, dogs are everywhere, mainly chasing the squirrels and then each other. I keep heading north, through the giant American Elms in Literary Walk, down and onto Bethesda Terrace and around a lake and up to Belvedere Castle. A folly if I have ever seen one. What is that lady doing down by the Hans Christian Anderson statue? Let’s go find out. I now have a new friend, Ricky and will tell you about her tomorrow if all works out as planned.

Time to head just a bit more North. To the most important object in the park for me, it’s the obelisk, also known as Cleopatras Needle. I have seen the two other ones in London and Paris, so New York will complete the set. Under an archway and along a curving path and I am there. What’s this????? It’s covered in scaffolding, no one told me about this. Darn. I can make out some of the hieroglyphs, but definitely underwhelming.

Onto the main event for the day, The Met has a line down the stairs and along the path it does not look too bad and gives me time to read over my notes of the highlights I want to see. Will my planned highlights work or not? We will find out. Through security, audio guide ready and turn left into Egyptian collection. Beautiful cartouches, the Tomb of Perneb, sculptures and a mummy for starters. Someone get me some oxygen, I think I am hyperventilating this collection is amazing.

Really too much happens to do justice in a blog post to my constant level of excitement throughout this 5 hour sensory overload exploration of many time periods and different cultures. One minute you are in 12^th century China the next 18^th century Venice, then a scramble back 2,500 years to Syria.

For me the key to the brilliance of the Met is the selected works in each room cover a theme for example, still lifes in 17^th century France, this demonstrates the essence of this style, culture or period. A treat for the senses. Getting on a plane and coming to New York is worth it just to visit the Met.

The final excitement is the gift shop, it is so big it needs a map of its own. Alas I need Jane to help with spotting the inside outside postcards.

Now to put one foot in front of the other and walk the 600m up to the Guggenheim. Yep, its looks just like the pictures but somehow I don’t think Frank Lloyd Wright envisaged street vendors with yellow umbrellas plonked in front of it when he designed it. I enter the atrium soaring up 6 floors and its quite a sight, suddenly all my energy comes back and I can enjoy the current exhibition, Italian Futurism and the obligatory exit thru the gift shop, plus bonus outside street vendors.

Its time to head for home, I could catch public transport or google maps tells me it will be a 32 minute walk. I am not sure Mr Google knows how many times I can stop for photos in 32 minutes, he really should allow more time in his estimates. I am about half way there and a storm is approaching, the row boat people are calling everyone in and packing up in a panic, street vendors are making a run for it and most of the tourists are just sitting under the trees enjoying the cooler breeze. I head for home as quick as my swollen feet with take me and make it within 20 steps of the door before the first rain drops fall.

Tourist tip: At the Met can highly recommend the visitor highlight tour (1 hour), and the audio guide for the directors tours of Level 1 and 2 (90 minutes each), just make sure you pick up the map for the directors tour which is different to the standard museum map. Both provided much need context to allow a good appreciation of a selection of works.