I used to work in the city and hanged out in cool places but then life happens and I moved out. First, a stint in New Jersey and then back to New York, in Westchester. Not exactly far from the city but not exactly within a distance that a spontaneous outing is ordinary. It takes planning now and a lot more leisure time to venture into the city. It seems that some of my friends who live in NYC find my company desirable and they drag me into doing something there.... I appreciate that. Maybe I shouldn't say it publicly but I do find things in the city to do on my own as well.... There just so many opportunities for such...
Then it was the Metropolitan Museum. I go there several times a year. That's how you can really see it. It's so vast that one or two visits aren't enough. There's always something new on display. Yeah, I know the suggested admission price is $20--which is a bargain for a tourist--but if you're a New Yorker and want to visit often, I'll tell you in private how to get in for free or almost free....
The Francis Bacon exhibit (red banner on the left) is a delight to the morbid-prone individuals. I think the artist was a very disturbed person and his paintings reflected that. Not a fan, if you didn't get my drift.
Of course, I appreciate modern art but not all of it. Salvatore Dali's works (like the one ontop of the page) are interesting. Picasso was a genius, as well as many others. The pictures here (besides the girl) are of works I enjoyed during this visit.
I've been wanting to go to the Museum of Modern Art since it's been some 3-4 years when I last visited but haven't had the chance to do so. Definitely this summer.
Now, I don't want this to spread but the roof terrace of the Met is a must-go-and-see place. It's small and the museum doesn't really make it easy to go there. Ask for directions. There's only 1 elevator and 1 staircase that go there, so it's got to be your mission, unlike the rest of the museum where you can wander freely all over.
Who's this guy with that tiny camera? These windows reflect the whole terrace and they can frame a nice picture with the artword and the sky...
Strolling through Central Park can offer relaxation, excitement, exercise, entertainment, and great views. It's very diversified and I'm willing to bet that many New Yorkers (city residents) haven't fully explored this great public park. I know, I've seen the old pictures of disrepair; I've experienced the decay in the late 1970s and 19080s. It wasn't pretty.
When you see lots of people with blankets and chairs and an inflatable big ..screen at dusk, don't leave, check it out. The many francophones milling around made it more intriguing. The reason was this movie, Home, by Yan Arthus-Bertrand. [hit the link and for the next few days you can watch it on YouTube]. The free screenings in NYC parks on Fridays are sponsored by the French Embassy, http://www.frenchculture.org/ Watch the movie [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU], enjoy the city, and have fun this summer. I'll be posting some more pictures as the summer goes on....
PS. This post has clickable pictures... so, if you want to see them open up bigger just click on them. If you steal them and repost them, just give me credit.