A Second Day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Friday, October 7^th, 2011 Back to the Metropolitan Museum

Today we decided to learn the bus system for traveling. First was the challenge to find a store where they sold Metro Passes other than Grand Central Station. Sure enough, there was one at the end of our block across from the grocery store. After one wrong turn that took us several blocks in the wrong direction we were soon the proud owners of a Metro Pass. No Senior Discount but we purchased ten tickets for $21.03; a bit more expensive than our Senior Tickets on the Subway but more to see and also the added scenery along the way.

Off to Madison Avenue where helpful citizens guided us to the right bus stop for a slow ride down a street filled with designer shops. We had the milk run which was perfect for enjoying the sights and also the chatty New Yorker lady who kept me entertained on the whole trip.

Soon we were at 81^st Street and only a few blocks to walk to the Metropolitan Museum for our second visit. This time I was very careful to not delete any of the photos! I’m posting a few of the multitude of paintings and statutes that I took photos of along with Egyptian and African artifacts. And….wonderful rooms to wander in that were furnished from the eighteen and nineteenth centuries. Did I mention the Tiffany glass displays? It just went on and on. I really do think that it is as large as the Louvre in Paris…probably not but it sure seemed like it. We even went up to the roof for views over Central Park and the city beyond. Plus we saw Cleopatra’s Needle, an Egyptian Obelisk, from the roof towering above the trees in the Park down below us.

We walked along the park all the way back to the city, past the lakes with motorized remote control sailboats, bicycles, horse pulled carriages, joggers and hundreds of walkers like us. I’m enjoying the crowded streets but Jim has a bit of a problem as he’s somewhat claustrophobic, but we manage. We walked past the Plaza Hotel that is still being converted to condos, stopped for some photos of the Apple building where a spontaneous display of post-a-notes has been growing daily in memory of Steve Jobs who died this week. Then we continued on to 56^th Street where we located the restaurant Beacon. Jim had purchased a meal for us online before we arrived valued at $60.00 for $20.00; he loves a bargain. We had a delightful time, beautiful restaurant, a glass of wine, a tasty mushroom pizza and a chocolate soufflé for dessert! And, since we were there mid-afternoon during their slow times the service was great!

Afterwards we headed back to 5^th Street and walked through the Trump Towers, up and up the escalators to the top floor and then back down. In 1998 several floors had wonderful little shops but they are now closed. There are still several restaurants in the building. We walked out through the back doors which lead into an atrium that was full of people sitting at small tables, some just resting and others eating food picked up from carts over in the corner. Speaking of carts; there are hot dog carts, vegetable carts, and many different types of food carts on nearly every corner. Let’s see…what are there more of in NYC: food carts, taxicabs or police officers?

All three are everywhere!

Back to the streets and past our restaurant as we headed for Carnegie Deli on 7^th Avenue for a slice of their famous cheesecake. We got it to go and shared it back at the apartment later in the evening for dessert.

Walked on through Rockefeller Center, past St. Patrick’s and home to our apartment. How many miles today….who knows but our feet tell us it’s close to ten at least!