city that never sleeps

Back in February, my husband needed to be at a one day training conference in New York.  As in New York, New York.  Not one to be left behind when there's a party happening somewhere in the world, I tagged along.  I love tagalong trips and it was my first time ever in New York.

All told, from the time that our plane touched down to when it took off again, we only were on the ground for 27 hours.  It didn't leave us much time but we really enjoyed ourselves.  Coincidentally, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show was happening while I was there.  I very nearly hopped onto the subway to go while my husband was in his conference.  In the end, I had missed my favorite dog breeds so instead I headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art which is really a highlight, a truly singular experience for me.  I could have spent three entire days there.

Here are some of my favorite photos.

This is what New York, upper East side, really looks like in February.  Cold, snowy, dirty, and packed to the gills with living spaces, people, dogs, cars and taxis.  It had this appearance of a large organism that was constantly trying to find enough resources and energy to feed its burgeoning growth.  I'm imagining something primitive without too many differentiated systems but high cellular replication rate, something globular and maybe lots of eyes, googley eyes.

 We walked and walked and walked some more.  Walking in Ugg shearling boots (actually Emu brand) might keep your feet warm but kills after four hours of walking.  We hopped on some subways and got off in Grand Central Station.  Never having been there, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the architecture and its grandness and opulence.  I could imagine the history of people bustling through its 100 years as Grand Central Station.  It was a beautiful thought.  I also couldn't help but think the oft repeated phrase "they just don't build them like they used to".

 We hopped off the Subway (which wasn't any more difficult to navigate than Euro underground and train systems) and walked to Times Square.  New York is...busy, energetic, creative, hectic, amazing, alive....insert your own adjectives here!

 I played with the color editing too much hence the neon taxis.  They really aren't that neon.

 We continued walking to Radio City music hall and the Rockefeller Plaza.

 We were so cold that we didn't want to be anywhere near that ice.  But it was great to see a few brave New Yorkers up to the challenge!  (I seriously have never heard so many complaints about weather, cold or hot, or what have you as my brief day in New York.)  Check out the great statue...

 ...and its equally great Lego counterpart in the neighboring Lego store.

 As we walked down 5th Avenue (what a stroll!), there was a church being renovated.  I don't know which one or its name but the image of its restoration in the light as the American flag snapped proudly in the wind demanded my attention.

 Of course we have Tiffany & Co. on 5th Ave, an icon, impressed on my younger self by "Breakfast at Tiffany's".  This was a big moment for me.

To finish the day, we caught the Guggenheim museum an hour before it closed.  My overall opinion: the architecture is fabulous and I loved the juxtaposition of the convex and concave concentric circles.  But, the art pieces were few and diverse with the rotating exhibits being modern, close to edgey.  I would recommend skipping it if you have other choices but it was a perfect way to use our last hour before heading back to the hotel.  (It did have a handful of very beautiful pieces that I'd always wanted to see in person.)  And oh-my-word did it feel nice to put up my feet after all of that walking.

Tomorrow I'll put up my other half of the photos from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  There will be less words because there isn't much I can remember to say; we were speedwalking through the museum to see as much as we could in 3 hours.

Let's not forget about the important topic of food:  

• The first day we ate a late lunch in one of the restaurants at Grand Central Station.  They all seemed to offer decent food and there's a great variety.  
• The second day, I got a sandwich at Yura on Madison (between 91st and 92nd) which looked like a good bakery.  (The sandwich was only so-so but it was all that I tried.)  
• Also, Eli Zabar has a string of bakeries that seem to be notable.  We stopped at Eli's on Manhattan (on 3rd Ave. between 80th and 81st) and found their macarons, cookies and chocolates to be delectable.  We didn't stop to eat much because we were walking around like lost pigeons and just stumbled on these places.  They looked the most appetizing of the small cafes that we peeked in.
• Oh and one more thing: if you get hungry smelling the aroma from the food carts in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it's a deceitful ploy and you will be disapointed in the hot dogs.  Just thought you should know.

How would you describe New York?  What are your thoughts?