Seems like our timing was excellent - just beating the volcanic ash cloud. The planes were full, but otherwise just the usual 24 hr endurance test. We are staying in Chelsea, on the 19th floor, so can see out over parts of the city. Just around the corner is a discount fabric shop with a window which looks like the Job warehouse in Bourke St. Across the street is Midtown Lumber and the Art Quilt Gallery which seems to be between exhibitions.
On Sunday we thought we would walk in Central Park, so we bought Metro Passes and started riding the subways. Lucky the rails are not deep underground as there are few escalators just stairs. We got off at 72nd St near a very elegant building with beautiful wrought iron railings and only later realised it was the Dakota building (but we didn't spot Yoko) First impressions of Central Park was surprise at all the pedicabs and as always how green and luxuriant all the North American trees are.
It was Puerto Rican National Day Parade on 5th Ave and so half the park was closed off and there were cops everywhere. After an hour or more we came back to the hotel for a sleep. Later we found a pasta place to eat, but we had forgotten how big American serves are and one plate would have been enough for two.
On Sunday we thought we would walk in Central Park, so we bought Metro Passes and started riding the subways. Lucky the rails are not deep underground as there are few escalators just stairs. We got off at 72nd St near a very elegant building with beautiful wrought iron railings and only later realised it was the Dakota building (but we didn't spot Yoko) First impressions of Central Park was surprise at all the pedicabs and as always how green and luxuriant all the North American trees are.
It was Puerto Rican National Day Parade on 5th Ave and so half the park was closed off and there were cops everywhere. After an hour or more we came back to the hotel for a sleep. Later we found a pasta place to eat, but we had forgotten how big American serves are and one plate would have been enough for two.
Below is the ornate railing on the Dakota building
Pedicabs in Central Park
The Imagine mosaic in Strawberry Fields, Central Park.
New York Mounted Police in Central Park.
Monday we went
to Penn Station to checkout our train to Montreal and then walked along
7th Ave towards Times Square. We happened to pass a Borders and the
Michelin guide to New York at $2.99 was a real bargain. While we had a
cup of coffeee we studied it and realised we were quite close to the
New York Public Library. What a fabulous building and contents that is.
Surprisingly it is much younger than our State Library and the special
exhibition was celebrating its centenary. (The Beaux Arts building is
also 1911) All sorts of items - Audobon's Birds of America of course,
but various author's typescripts and their typewriters, a beautifully
illustrated children's book by Alexander Pushkin, George Washington's
handwritten retirement speech, a voting paper for the first universal
elections for president of South Africa - the one Mandela won and so
on. The rooms in the library are monumental in size with elaborate
painted ceilings and furnished with matching oak furniture.
Next to the library is Bryant Park, complete with a carousel and lovely shady trees. We continued walking to Times Square and the pavements got more crowded and there are neon signs, billboards etc and everything seems frenetic.
In the afternoon we set off on a tour of New York. The guide seemed to be a movie buff and thought the most important things to point out were where movies and American TV shows were filmed. I suppose it is like Poms coming to Melbourne to see where neighbours is filmed. Anyway it did give us an idea of the general layout and we had many famous buildings pointed out and saw Wall St and took to the water to see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty at close quarters. All in all well worthwhile for orientation. We are not finding New York too expensive and with bananas at 3 for $1 who could complain!
Today Tuesday once again we took the subway to Central Park and walked across to 5th Ave and inspected the Guggenheim from the outside. it is a great building, but New York has so many. The city has obviously been very wealthy for a long time.
I am now weary as we spent several hours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We started off looking for Vermeer which meant going through some earlier European art such as Fra Angelico and Botticello. I thought the huge queue was for the Impressionists but it turned out to be for Alexander MacQueen so we saw all the usual favourites, Manet, Monet, Van Gogh etc in uncrowded galleries.
Last but not least, some of the Greek and Roman art. The Romans in particular were such skilled crafts people. The glass and silver in particular and there is one fine mosaic of African pygmies very like some of the ones in Villa Silin in Libya. The Greek gold was equally impressive. Apparently after Alexander sacked Darius's treasury at Babylon, there was a glut of gold. On that note I will finish today.
Next to the library is Bryant Park, complete with a carousel and lovely shady trees. We continued walking to Times Square and the pavements got more crowded and there are neon signs, billboards etc and everything seems frenetic.
In the afternoon we set off on a tour of New York. The guide seemed to be a movie buff and thought the most important things to point out were where movies and American TV shows were filmed. I suppose it is like Poms coming to Melbourne to see where neighbours is filmed. Anyway it did give us an idea of the general layout and we had many famous buildings pointed out and saw Wall St and took to the water to see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty at close quarters. All in all well worthwhile for orientation. We are not finding New York too expensive and with bananas at 3 for $1 who could complain!
Today Tuesday once again we took the subway to Central Park and walked across to 5th Ave and inspected the Guggenheim from the outside. it is a great building, but New York has so many. The city has obviously been very wealthy for a long time.
I am now weary as we spent several hours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We started off looking for Vermeer which meant going through some earlier European art such as Fra Angelico and Botticello. I thought the huge queue was for the Impressionists but it turned out to be for Alexander MacQueen so we saw all the usual favourites, Manet, Monet, Van Gogh etc in uncrowded galleries.
Last but not least, some of the Greek and Roman art. The Romans in particular were such skilled crafts people. The glass and silver in particular and there is one fine mosaic of African pygmies very like some of the ones in Villa Silin in Libya. The Greek gold was equally impressive. Apparently after Alexander sacked Darius's treasury at Babylon, there was a glut of gold. On that note I will finish today.
Carousel in Bryant Park near New York Public Library.
Chrysler building.
Times Square
Times Square - not that it is square!
Empire State - a very elegant building
The Flat Iron building.
Redevelopment of World Trade Centre.
No caption needed.
Bronze bull in Wall Street which hopefully will bring luck.
Parking is both exorbitantly expensive and a nightmare in Manhattan.
$15.99 a kilo for bananas here today.
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