We got off the subway at 86th Street just next to Central Park. We were heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art which was on the other side of the park, so it was a good time to stroll through. Central Park is the most visited urban park in the United States as well as one of the most filmed locations in the world and covers 843 acres.
The Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir covers 106 acres and holds over 1,000,000,000 gallons of water. It was originally used to distribute New York City's water supply. It is one of the main ecological sanctuaries in the park, housing more than 20 species of waterbirds making it a popular venue for birdwatchers. I did spot some birds and took some pics, but because I only had my small lens with me they all just came out like blobs!
Being a Sunday, there were lots of people running, cycling, walking their dogs or just taking it easy.
The Met, or Metropolitan Museum of Art, is the largest art museum in the United States and one of the ten largest in the world. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works. The main building is one of the world's largest art galleries and its total area is 190,000 m2! Represented in the permanent collection are works of art from classical antiquity and Ancient Egypt, paintings and sculptures from nearly all the European masters, and an extensive collection of American and modern art. The Met also maintains extensive holdings of African, Asian, Oceanic, Byzantine, and Islamic art, and collections of musical instruments, costumes and accessories, and antique weapons and armour from around the world.
Before heading inside the Brat said I had to try some street food from one of the many kiosks outside the museum. I opted for a chilli dog and the Brat had a chicken kebab. They were quite tasty but expensive on our SA budget - about $5 each!
Once inside the Brat wanted to see the Greek and Roman section as that is what he is studying in Art at the moment. There are just hundreds of statues and artefacts and it's impossible to look at everything but we did our best! What you can see in this pic below is just a fraction of what there is to see from the Classical period!
Next we headed towards the Old Masters but found some interesting things on the way. This is a Kwoma Ceiling from a ceremonial house in New Guinea which I thought was pretty cool!
A real Egyptian tomb that was transported brick by brick!
The Old Master's collection included works by Bruegel, Caravaggio, El Greco, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Goya, Turner and hundreds more!
The Brat was hoping to see Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer but had to settle for Young Woman with a Water Pitcher.
Self-portrait, Rembrandt
After more than 2 hours and 100s of photos we had to leave as the museum was closing and we hadn't even seen half of what was on display, but by this time we were completely "museumed-out"!
Before leaving for America I had found out that a second-cousin had recently moved to New York after winning Green Cards in a lottery and we had made plans to visit them for dinner that night. So we had to cross back through Central Park (a walk of about 15 minutes) to catch the subway to Harlem (upper west side of Manhattan). We had walked so much that day that the soles of my boots had cracked in half but I knew that if I sat down I wouldn't get up again, and I had to 'urge' the Brat to move his butt more than once!
In Harlem it was about a 10 minute walk to my cousin's apartment block. He lives with his wife and daughter (2 years old) in one of the smallest one-bedroom 'apartments' I have ever seen! The kitchen was no bigger than a cupboard and even one person battled to fit in there, and their rent is the equivalent of almost R18000 a month! They had only been there about a month - I don't think I would have lasted a week - but they are determined to stay for 6 months to see what it's like to live in the US! Anyway, despite the cramped conditions and no furniture apart from a wooden table and some mismatched chairs, it was great to catch up with them and we had a great evening. My cousin said it was safe to catch the subway back to our hotel but we decided we had to take at least one cab while in NY and we couldn't walk another step. The trip lasted about 15 minutes and cost over $30 - nearly R400!
Into the Madding Crowds!
- Lisbeth
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Re: Into the Madding Crowds!
I see that you took several photos in the museums. It is prohibited to use the flash, I presume?
Going on holiday to big cities is a very tiring affair....and exchanging from Rands also an expensive one
Going on holiday to big cities is a very tiring affair....and exchanging from Rands also an expensive one
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
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Re: Into the Madding Crowds!
Lis, in MoMA were not allowed to use a flash, but funnily enough in the Met we were!
Our Rand makes travelling very difficult, and depressing! Every dollar we spent was almost R13!
Our Rand makes travelling very difficult, and depressing! Every dollar we spent was almost R13!
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Re: Into the Madding Crowds!
Better spend the bucks now, Flutts...it's going to get much worse! Half my family are trying to vacation overseas ASAP!
Great pics and info again...I think Alf and BC would fit in nicely with the hamster lifestyle over there?
Good that Brat got his art fix...a rare opportunity, and well done!
Great pics and info again...I think Alf and BC would fit in nicely with the hamster lifestyle over there?
Good that Brat got his art fix...a rare opportunity, and well done!
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Re: Into the Madding Crowds!
Great catch up here. Seems you both did a whirlwind tour of the best parts of the city in record time.
Great stuff and I recognise a lot of the places you went to from my previous visits.
Great stuff and I recognise a lot of the places you went to from my previous visits.
Dewi
What is the good of having a nice house without a decent planet to put it on? (H D Thoreau)
What is the good of having a nice house without a decent planet to put it on? (H D Thoreau)
Re: Into the Madding Crowds!
I already thought Germany compared to South Africa is expensive but these prices in NYC are unbelieavable for nearly everything
Loved your Sightseeing tour through New York which sounds like you had a more than wonderful day and you saw a lot - I am sure I also could not walk any step that evening
Loved your Sightseeing tour through New York which sounds like you had a more than wonderful day and you saw a lot - I am sure I also could not walk any step that evening
PuMbAa
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Please visit our website: www.photomaniacs.de
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Re: Into the Madding Crowds!
True, RP. Overseas travel will be impossible soon! The Brat is now nagging to see the "real" art in Italy!Richprins wrote:Better spend the bucks now, Flutts...it's going to get much worse! Half my family are trying to vacation overseas ASAP!
Great pics and info again...I think Alf and BC would fit in nicely with the hamster lifestyle over there?
Good that Brat got his art fix...a rare opportunity, and well done!
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Re: Into the Madding Crowds!
Hey Dewi. I think we did almost everything there is to do in NY.Dewi wrote:Great catch up here. Seems you both did a whirlwind tour of the best parts of the city in record time.
Great stuff and I recognise a lot of the places you went to from my previous visits.
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Re: Into the Madding Crowds!
Ja Pumbaa - very expensive! With our lack of public transport in SA we are not used to walking!Pumbaa wrote:I already thought Germany compared to South Africa is expensive but these prices in NYC are unbelieavable for nearly everything
Loved your Sightseeing tour through New York which sounds like you had a more than wonderful day and you saw a lot - I am sure I also could not walk any step that evening
- Flutterby
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Re: Into the Madding Crowds!
The next morning we decided to cross the East River and take a look at Brooklyn. We caught the subway which travels under the river and got off in the suburb of Dumbo...yes, it's really called that - Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass!
The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge with a main span of 448 m and a total length of 2089 m, connecting Lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn. It carries pedestrians, cyclists, 7 lanes of road traffic and 4 train tracks.
A short walk away is the Brooklyn Bridge. This is a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge and is one of the oldest bridges of either type in the United States. It has a main span of 486.3 m, and was the first steel-wire suspension bridge constructed. Since its opening in 1883, it has become an icon of New York City, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964.
This stained glass house, by sculptor Tom Fruin, was installed at Brooklyn Bridge as part of the 2014 DUMBO Arts Festival.
Looking at Manhattan from Brooklyn.
The settlement of Brooklyn began in the 17th century as the small Dutch-founded town of "Breuckelen", and is now the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with a population of 2,621,793 people!
After a short walk around Brooklyn we caught the subway back to Times Square. Duffy Square is the northern triangle of Times Square and is well known for the TKTS reduced-price theater tickets booth which provides tourists with a grandstand view of Times Square.
This is M&M's World in Times Square - 2 floors and 25 000 square feet dedicated to chocolate buttons!
Toys R Us has its own ferris wheel inside the store!!
We had lunch at TGIFridays in Times Square...the food was awful!!
Next we headed downtown to SoHo. The name refers to being SOuth of HOuston Street, and is a shopper's paradise with trendy boutiques and international chain store outlets. We had to visit the Converse Store which is the Brat's favourite brand of sneakers.
The Brat was so desperate for something healthy to eat that he bought two bananas from a street vendor!
The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge with a main span of 448 m and a total length of 2089 m, connecting Lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn. It carries pedestrians, cyclists, 7 lanes of road traffic and 4 train tracks.
A short walk away is the Brooklyn Bridge. This is a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge and is one of the oldest bridges of either type in the United States. It has a main span of 486.3 m, and was the first steel-wire suspension bridge constructed. Since its opening in 1883, it has become an icon of New York City, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964.
This stained glass house, by sculptor Tom Fruin, was installed at Brooklyn Bridge as part of the 2014 DUMBO Arts Festival.
Looking at Manhattan from Brooklyn.
The settlement of Brooklyn began in the 17th century as the small Dutch-founded town of "Breuckelen", and is now the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with a population of 2,621,793 people!
After a short walk around Brooklyn we caught the subway back to Times Square. Duffy Square is the northern triangle of Times Square and is well known for the TKTS reduced-price theater tickets booth which provides tourists with a grandstand view of Times Square.
This is M&M's World in Times Square - 2 floors and 25 000 square feet dedicated to chocolate buttons!
Toys R Us has its own ferris wheel inside the store!!
We had lunch at TGIFridays in Times Square...the food was awful!!
Next we headed downtown to SoHo. The name refers to being SOuth of HOuston Street, and is a shopper's paradise with trendy boutiques and international chain store outlets. We had to visit the Converse Store which is the Brat's favourite brand of sneakers.
The Brat was so desperate for something healthy to eat that he bought two bananas from a street vendor!