Ah, I love New York. There is such a positive, energetic vibe in the air. Even when it is raining. We arrived on Saturday night to 32 degree heat (Are you listening Calgary? That's a real summer!) and enjoyed an Italian patio dinner on Broadway in the Upper West Side. The next day dawned with perfect sightseeing weather - low 20s. Perfect for a bagel breakfast and a stroll in Central Park. We wandered through the park, making our way towards my favourite art collection in New York ... the Frick Collection. I just love the story behind the Frick family, their home and their art collection. Mum was equally as impressed.
Our next stop was coffee on Madison Avenue before hitting the Guggenheim for another shot of culture. Unfortunately, some areas were closed because they were installing the next exhibit. However, we were still able to see a lot of great pieces of art, including a Kandinsky exhibit featuring his geometrical pieces from the 1920s. The Julie Mehretu 'Grey Areas' exhibit was also interesting.
In the mid afternoon, we headed Downtown to the Brooklyn Bridge, where we joined hundreds of other tourists in the stroll across the iconic bridge. Upon arriving in Brooklyn, we found the Dumbo art festival, a three day of arts in all shapes and forms. We arrived just in time to catch the tail end of the festival, some street music performances. We stumbled across the fantastically trendy Galapagos Art Space where we enjoyed a wine while watching a great French string band.
After a day of walking, we were exhausted, so made our way back to the wonderful Broadway Hotel and Hostel and crashed, ready for day two in New York.
Today, we were up early again, ready for another injection of New York's energy. However, it was absolutely pouring, which continued, on and off, for the whole day. We changed our plans to indoor activities and headed for MoMA, only to be greeted by hundreds, possibly thousands of tourists with the same idea. The line for the tickets and then the cloakroom, for all the wet coats and umbrellas, was huge. Deciding not to let the rain deter us, we headed off down Fifth Avenue, taking refuge in the shops when the rain proved too much.
We spent the whole day popping in and out of shops and other New York sights such as the Public Library (still covered with scaffolding unfortunately) and Grand Central Station. We quickly discovered which shops were within our budgets ... I was searching for a pair of funky New York rainboots and was directed to Saks - $300 for a pair of Valentino gumboots anyone?! We managed to score some bargains and plan to continue our shopping over the next few days, aiming to hit up some recycled designer clothes stores.
Tonight, we are off to the theatre, opting for an off Broadway play titled 'As Time Stands Still' featuring the lovely Laura Linney and Christina Ricci. You can read a review here. Tomorrow, Ellis Island, lunch with a friend in West Village and 'Chicago' are on the agenda. Ah, I love New York.
(I can't seem to load photos at the moment, so stay tuned for those later on)
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