A few days in New York
Nov. 22nd, 2013 07:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chickenfeetThe lemur and I are back from a few days in New York. It went something like this.
Monday
Uneventful flight on Porter from the Island to Newark. Train to Penn Station then subway to 72nd and Broadway. We emerged into daylight right by the Verdi statue; a good omen? Dropped bags off at hotel; funky, small rooms but convenient. Wandered around by the river and had lunch. Went back to hotel, checked in and stuff. Later walked up to Jin at 125th for noodles then hit Time Square, currently under reconstruction, to be touristy.
Tuesday
The New York Historical Society for the Armouries at 100 exhibition and the Frick collection for pictures from the Mauritzhuis. Odd to see how differently different movements were viewed in early 20th century New York than now. Whatever happened to the Symbolists? The Frick collection is very, very eccentric. It's a mash of everything from 14th century religious art, through a lot of canonical 16th - 18th century works plus a coop;e of random Turners and a Manet. It has the classic Holbein portraits of Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell plus more Gainsborough family portraits than is decent. We also did a lot of walking in Central Park. Dinner at Land of Plenty; a very good Szechuan place near Bloomingdales. We realize that two appetisers and a main between is is more than we will ever need in New York.
Wednesday
Breakfast at The New Wave Cafe (Broadway at 78th); very much my idea of what a New York diner should be like. The lox plate is huge and they have Irish breakfast with black and white pudding. MOMA. A bit of a disappointment. The pre 1940s stuff is good but I've seen it all before. The post 1940s collection is dull and seems to focus on the least interesting aspects of the art. We spend the afternoon walking by the east River before returning to the hotel to change and go out for an early dinner at Jalapeno (68th and Columbus); very good Mexican and again huge portions. Then it was on to the Met for Strauss' Die Frau ohne Schatten.
Thursday
New Wave Cafe for breakfast again followed by walking the High Line trail and generally mooching around the Meat Packing District and Greenwich Village. Lunch at a rather nice pub near NYU and more mooching around in Battery park before picking up bags and heading for home where happy kittehs were happy.
It's been a while since I was in NYC (like 15 years). It seems to have changed quite a bit. It's still insanely busy and noisy but it seems cleaner and people seem friendlier. In fact people, from subway staff to random construction guy I asked for directions to staff in restaurants were really friendly and helpful; not stereotypical New Yorkers at all. I was also quite impressed with the cycling infrastructure. It's vastly better than Toronto though I'd still be pretty nervous riding a bike there.
Monday
Uneventful flight on Porter from the Island to Newark. Train to Penn Station then subway to 72nd and Broadway. We emerged into daylight right by the Verdi statue; a good omen? Dropped bags off at hotel; funky, small rooms but convenient. Wandered around by the river and had lunch. Went back to hotel, checked in and stuff. Later walked up to Jin at 125th for noodles then hit Time Square, currently under reconstruction, to be touristy.
Tuesday
The New York Historical Society for the Armouries at 100 exhibition and the Frick collection for pictures from the Mauritzhuis. Odd to see how differently different movements were viewed in early 20th century New York than now. Whatever happened to the Symbolists? The Frick collection is very, very eccentric. It's a mash of everything from 14th century religious art, through a lot of canonical 16th - 18th century works plus a coop;e of random Turners and a Manet. It has the classic Holbein portraits of Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell plus more Gainsborough family portraits than is decent. We also did a lot of walking in Central Park. Dinner at Land of Plenty; a very good Szechuan place near Bloomingdales. We realize that two appetisers and a main between is is more than we will ever need in New York.
Wednesday
Breakfast at The New Wave Cafe (Broadway at 78th); very much my idea of what a New York diner should be like. The lox plate is huge and they have Irish breakfast with black and white pudding. MOMA. A bit of a disappointment. The pre 1940s stuff is good but I've seen it all before. The post 1940s collection is dull and seems to focus on the least interesting aspects of the art. We spend the afternoon walking by the east River before returning to the hotel to change and go out for an early dinner at Jalapeno (68th and Columbus); very good Mexican and again huge portions. Then it was on to the Met for Strauss' Die Frau ohne Schatten.
Thursday
New Wave Cafe for breakfast again followed by walking the High Line trail and generally mooching around the Meat Packing District and Greenwich Village. Lunch at a rather nice pub near NYU and more mooching around in Battery park before picking up bags and heading for home where happy kittehs were happy.
It's been a while since I was in NYC (like 15 years). It seems to have changed quite a bit. It's still insanely busy and noisy but it seems cleaner and people seem friendlier. In fact people, from subway staff to random construction guy I asked for directions to staff in restaurants were really friendly and helpful; not stereotypical New Yorkers at all. I was also quite impressed with the cycling infrastructure. It's vastly better than Toronto though I'd still be pretty nervous riding a bike there.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-22 04:21 pm (UTC)New Yorkers do tend to be brusque; a lot of people from other areas have been known to take that as rudeness.
The Symbolists probably clashed. (sorry.)