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Visiting New York City

After 5 years of planning, I took my only daughter to New York City to celebrate her 13th birthday. It might’ve been the best trip I have ever taken. I love New York City. I loved all the friendly locals who offered to take our picture, the sales clerks who were lovely and welcoming, the museum security guards who kindly asked us to dispose of our water bottles and even the hurried workers who took time to explain the subway system to us. New Yorkers are pretty darn nice.

And so is their city.

On our first day in New York City, I took Elly to The American Museum of Natural History. It was impressive. I always thought of Elly as my artist child, but now I’m convinced she is a future science major. She was enthralled, intrigued and curious. The Beyond Planet Earth tour guide, a British lady, captivated Elly and I with her knowledge and enthusiasm. It was almost overwhelming. So much to learn! We spent four hours at the museum, but it wasn’t enough. Going back someday for sure.

I convinced my sister and her two 20-year old daughters to visit the MoMA. Some exhibits are pretty difficult to explain to a non-artist , like why a blank canvas gets to be in a museum or why a bowl of mussels is art. My sister was so funny and at one point, even had a security guard cracking up over a trash can exhibit. But then we got to the good stuff…Modigliani, Picasso, Van Gogh, Miro, Klee, Gaugin…..and we all understood.

We took lots of pictures. Lots.

Retail stores are a work of art, too. The colors, merchandising, the marketing…pretty impressive. Elly and I went to Dylan’s Candy Bar (Elly’s favorite), Uni Glo, The Lego Store at Rockefeller Center and a host of others.  One store on Fifth Avenue played tribute to some pretty cool kid’s art. That was my favorite!

My nieces are from Atlantic Canada, which is not exactly the shopping mecca of the world, so you can imagine what they wanted to do. Yup. Shop. But they also wanted to go to Ground Zero. We spent some time reflecting on what happened and what it must have been like for the families of those who perished. It was sad but I know Elly gained some appreciation for the now common terms ground zero and 9/11.

We capped off the trip with a carriage around Central Park. I know it sounds hokey but it was a really beautiful perspective on the sparkling city skyline. Afterwards we went to the famous Serendipity 3 for dessert. We were planning on going there for dinner but the restaurant is small and holds maybe 7 tables. Dessert was more appropriate and yes, we ordered the Frozen Hot Chocolate!

I’m so glad I went. I’ll be creating some modern master lessons soon, so stayed tuned!

Have you ever been to NYC? What was your favorite thing to do?

 

What do you think?

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  • Dana

    We took our only daughter to NYC a few years ago. (I posted about it here: http://alexml.blogspot.com/search/label/Vacation%20-%20NYC). My favorites? Wow…MoMA, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty (*& the ferry ride), and The Lion King. A wonderful trip! I enjoyed reading about yours. I need to get back and visit the 9/11 memorial now that it’s opened.

  • phyl

    I love to make bead jewelry, so a walk up 6th Ave between 35th and 39th St, and side trips up and down each cross street for a block totally enthralls me, as they are loaded with bead stores and stores with all sorts of exotic trims and doodads. And while I’m walking this loop, if take a little detour down 37th St. between 7th and 8th ave, I will stop in Mood, the store where they buy all their fabrics for Project Runway. The selection is amazing, and I can always hope I’ll bump into Tim Gunn (though to be honest it’s pretty unlikely I’m sure).

    My other favorites: the Strand bookstore – amazing and huge; and the Brooklyn Museum, home to Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party, an amazing and huge art collection, a lot of ancient Egyptian artifacts, and also 2 carved heads by my grandpa Harry Levine.

    The Met is so big its mind-blowing in the depth of its art collection, and I always love MoMA, but then the relatively new quirky Museum of Art and Design on Columbus Circle can be a real treat.

    And then of course there’s the food………

    • Patty

      I was so hoping to get to The Strand. I LOVE books and heard it was a good one…like Powells in Portland.

  • Gallo

    I love NYC too!! My daughter moved there last year, so I am obligated to visit her as often as possible. Yes Patty, she is that old now! Loved your pictures of MoMA. I spent a day there, and could not believe that you can take pictures in there! I am smiling because we took many of the same ones! Next visit go to Ellis Island, and a great food stop is Eately, they have outstanding foods and Italian design products. Glad you had such a memorable trip. Miss you at Mt. View!

  • Diane

    I love NYC and have visited there 3 times now with my daughter. We loved our carriage ride through Central Park, hokey yes but lots of fun and a must ! Our favs…..walking up 5 th Ave, Central Park, visiting Bank St. Books in the Upper West Side, full of fabulous children’s books….I could go on and on. A little retail therapy too at Hollister’s Flagship store in SoHO. We were lucky to visit there last Christmas and the lights,the stores all decorated (Tiffany’s) , the trees ! Emma skated at Rockefeller Centre, we saw the Nutcracker at the Lincoln Centre, visited Dylan’s Candy Bar and even made a trip over to Jersey to see the Cake Boss. Just LOVE NYC and can’t wait for our next visit. Sounds like you had a lovely time…..

  • Miss Swan

    I lve NYCity. I been there countless times and I am from Bermuda!! I love to shop, dine, see shows, etc. I’ve been to ground zero, Soho, Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Met, the movies, travelled the subs, driven through the Holland tunnel, stayed in hotels, visited friends, and a whole lot more!!! Love it! very stimulating! In comparison to island living! I love both!

    • Patty

      I agree…NYC is the best. Can’t wait to go back!!!!

  • Christine O'Connor

    What is going on in those portraits? What are the kids thinking about? I am interested in hearing more of what you can remember about that project.

    Are you going back to NYC for NAEA? I leave tomorrow!

  • Kay Shirley

    I love NYC too! Personally it is a tossup whether I love the Met or Broadway shows more. I found New Yorkers to be so nice . I think our southern accent always draws attention. A visit to New York always inspires new art lessons for me. I bought a book called My New York that my 1st graders use as a jumping point for a class collage.I use it to teach foreground ,middle and background and to understand proportion. There is a print by Agnes Tait we use too. The Met had the most wonderful collection of books for an art/book junkie. I bought Goodnight New York too. Great if you haven’t seen it. My 5th graders do a Peter Max lesson I found on Artsonia and I found a wonderful book at the Met on the planning and building of The Statue of Liberty. It has the most beautiful pictures and explains what a true marvel she is. We also do a collage based on Faith Ringold. I can’t wait to see what lessons your trip inspires. I’m thinking a lesson using Serendipity or Dylan’s might be cool.

  • Ma.Janice

    I agree New York is amazing .Nice picture your daughter really enjoy your trip.I hope someday we can go and explore in that City.Check this out https://preply.com/en/New-York-City-NY/art-tutors

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