With today being American Thanksgiving (happy Thanksgiving!), it seemed appropriate to return to our recent US travels and the second of our days in New York City.
Our second day included an ambitious list of destinations: The Cloisters, part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art but located in far north Manhattan; the High Line park in the centre of Manhattan; and the main Met museum on the Upper East Side. We managed all three, but it was definitely a full day.
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| The Cloisters |
The Cloisters is the medieval outpost of The Met. The buildings are formed from old French medieval monasteries, and their insides are lined with statues, paintings, stained glass windows and tapestries from medieval Europe. To be honest, if you have been to Europe, it seems a little odd to have the collection placed in upper NYC. However, the museum also has the benefit of exquisite gardens and a peaceful setting out of the central city areas.
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| Cloisters characters. |
After wandering the ancient Cloisters artwork, we journeyed to a much newer attraction: The High Line park. For those of you not familiar with this raised inner-city delight, it is a public park built on an old railway line that runs above the streets of Manhattan's west side. It opened in 1999 and is well used - as it should be.
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| Looking down from The High Line. |
I think all cities could benefit from converting old railway lines into parks. If you can do it in the sky, all the better.
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| High Line park. |
The High Line park is also located around the corner from Blossom, a vegan restaurant of some fame. I have to confess that the Blossom menu didn't really grab me, with its focus on haute cuisine vegetarian and prices to match. Perhaps I'd have enjoyed it for dinner; for lunch, I had an overpriced salad that was good, but not great.
Happily, our afternoon entertainment was great. I didn't think any art collections could rival Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum or Madrid's Prado, but The Met most certainly does. Plus, unlike its European counterparts, it lets you take photos.
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| Hello art. |
You could spend a whole day in The Met and still not see it all. We had just a few hours. Highlights, without a doubt, were the Egyptian collection with ancient stones, carvings, models and mummies on a scale I hadn't seen before. As Mr Bite remarked, it's hard to believe there is much ancient art left in Egypt, because so much of it is showcased wonderfully here.
At the end of a busy day, we had one of our best Thai meals for the holiday. America does many things well, but I think Thai food is one area where Australia performs better. Our proximity to Thailand no doubt plays a large role! Wondee Siam V was an easy walk from our Upper West Side apartment, and they provided Mr Bite with a mildly spicy (the way he likes it) vegetarian pad Thai, and me with satay tofu and broccoli with a side of brown rice. I can still remember the joy of the satay tofu and broccoli. It was delicious.
When reflecting on these activities half way through a standard work week, it feels like a reflection on another world, where days are leisurely but extended. We were very fortunate to have the trip and I am glad we packed so much in.
Wondee Siam V Thai restaurant is located at 969 Amsterdam Ave, between W 107th and W 108th streets in Manhattan's Upper West Side.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art website has details for the main museum and The Cloisters branch. Both are open 7 days a week and the main museum is located on Fifth Avenue adjoining Central Park
The High Line Park is located in Manhattan's Meatpacking district and can be accessed every few blocks from Gansevoort Street up to W 30th street. It is open 7 days a week during daylight hours.
Do you have a favourite art museum or favourite art memories?
This sounds like a perfect holiday day except for the average salad. Though I suspect even that would have been better than so many holiday lunches I have had. I went to the Met on my first visit to new york many years ago and wish I had returned on my second. It is interesting that they allow photos and so many other museums don't - is it cultural or does it make a difference to the collection - I was always led to understood that the flash was bad for conservation of old paintings. And the high line park sounds like such an excellent reclamation of public space.
ReplyDeleteI don't have such clear memories of art galleries I have visited years ago though the musee d'orsay was a favourite in paris (because I could only be bothered queuing for the Louvre once) and the medieval part of the National Gallery in London was a place I used to visit on a semi regular basis when I lived in london - I have such fond memories of it that I was sad to see that the National Gallery Victoria has taken its medieval section down - it was small but apparently they are rotating other paintings.
I'm not sure about the reasons for no photography either - I do understand no flash (I think it does impact the work) but not beyond that. One of the things we were surprised about, though, is that whilst Europe doesn't let you take photos but also then lets you check your bags, America doesn't have bag check options - which is a bit annoying if you'd like a break from sore shoulders!
DeleteI've not done any of the Paris art galleries! I look forward to eventually experiencing those, and perhaps rethinking my 'best' list after that.
I live visiting museums. My favorites were in Italy. Interestingly, we have only been to NYC once, and I don't think we embedded up visiting any museums on that trip. I don't remember why!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, I didn't visit any on my first NYC trip either! I think there is just so much to do :)
DeleteI believe I am going to NYC next year. Do you have any tips or recommendations?
ReplyDeleteOh, so many! Some of my highlights will come out in these recap posts, but if you like art, then definitely get to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Central Park deserves lots of time, the free Staten Island ferry is the best way to see Manhattan from afar and the Statue of Liberty without paying, and whatever your food preferences, research in advance so you can find the best of what you enjoy :) If you like vegan desserts, Candle Cafe has won my heart forever with the vegan pumpkin cheesecake I had there!
DeleteYou certainly did make the most of your time in NYC, seeing and cramming in as much as possible. My sister who lives in LA and used to live in NYC, finds it very difficult to buy the ingredients you need to make authentic Thai recipes. I just don't think America is a country that does Thai well at the moment and they would probably say the same thing about the way we have been doing Mexican cuisine (but that is changing!) xx
ReplyDeleteI am sure they would be horrified at our Mexican! It's interesting you can't even buy the ingredients easily. I feel very fortunate to have such good Asian food here thanks to our neighbours and immigration patterns. No doubt if I didn't know how good it would be, I wouldn't miss it - but having tasted good Thai food it's hard to leave it behind!
DeleteOh-ho, America let you down after you'd become so used to meal-appropriate salads. Ah well, can't win 'em all.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think I got a bit spoiled! In Australia, this salad would have counted as something special :P
DeleteI am totally amazed that you did so much in one day!!! I'm exhausted just thinking about going to ONE of those places! I've actually never been to Blossom. My favorite vegan restaurant here is definitely Candle Cafe, with V-Note being a close second!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it isn't just me that isn't blown away by Blossom (although if you haven't been there, I guess it still has a chance to impress you!). Candle Cafe was way, way better :-)
DeleteWe really did have busy days! But it was worth it to make the most of our time there.
Your NY stay looks amazing! I loved it when I was there a few years ago. I agree- could have stayed in the Met the whole day!
ReplyDeleteI know! I'd have needed regular rest breaks but I do think that may be the way to do it :-)
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