More New York ...

Statue of Liberty with Manhattan in the background

After several days of culture at the art galleries and theatre ('As Time Stands Still' was fantastic, highly recommended), we decided that we needed to lower our level of class for a bit and join the hordes as they descended up the Statue of Liberty.  The ferry out into the harbour seemed to be filled with CUBs (Cashed Up Bogans for those not in the know) from all over the world.  It made for fascinating people watching.  Most of them got off at the Statue of Liberty, whilst we continued onto Ellis Island, which was one of my favourite parts of my last NYC trip in May.  The history behind the buildings and the people is simply fascinating.

Immigrant sculpture in Battery Park

Lovely building in the West Village

In the afternoon, we injected a bit more local culture into our day with a wander through SoHo, Greenwich Village and into the West Village, where we caught up with Ben, a family friend, for a glass or two of wine.  I've decided that I would quite like to live in the West Village.  In fact, I've already picked out a school to work at when I live in New York ... Hunter College, a school for gifted students on the Upper East Side.  The West Village just has such a great vibe to it, I love the architecture (NYC is all about looking up, above the street level), the cute cafes and the eclectic mix of people.

Colourful building in Greenwich Village

Broadway

Following our catch up and my daydreaming, we headed to Times Square and Broadway, mixing in with the CUBs once again.  We saw 'Chicago' at the theatre and it was great - the music, the dancing, I love Broadway!  It was interesting to compare the crowds at the play the night before and a big Broadway show, completely different levels of sophistication ... wine in a 'Chicago' sippy cup anyone?

Mother and daughter running team in Central Park

Post run breakfast - bagels with cream cheese and salmon 

On our last morning in NYC, the sun was shining and we decided to go jogging in Central Park.  We followed it up with a bagel breakfast at our 'local'.  MoMA was on our sightseeing agenda for our last day in the big smoke.  MoMA is such a huge space that in order to get the most out of a visit you really need to carefully choose the exhibits you want to see.  We chose the temporary Matisse exhibit and I was dying to show Mum the Jackson Pollack paintings that I fell in love with last time.  The Matisse exhibit was super busy and although I admired and appreciated the art, I didn't really connect with any of the works on display.  I was disappointed to find that the Pollacks were in a 'members only' exhibit, so we headed to the Impressionists and wandered through the surrounding galleries.  It was exciting to see a couple of Picasso paintings that I have used regularly with kids - 'Three Musicians' and 'Girl Before a Mirror'.

Coffee and cake stop at The Hungarian Pastry  Shop

The end of the mother/daughter trip to New York City

We ended our mother/daughter NYC trip with a quick stop at The Hungarian Pastry Shop for a coffee and piece of cake. It was a whirlwind big city trip full of culture and energy.  Next stop ...  the Rockies for some hiking and tranquility.