I want to wake in a city that... never stops shopping??

Saturday, 10/22/2016, we split up the team.  Kari, Ashley and Katie went one way.  Grace and I went the other.  

Kari, Ashley and Katie went shopping with Rox.  Rox is a young lady who takes women shopping around NYC.  They go look for bargins and go to some behind the scenes location in the garment district and Madison  Avenue.  The girls reported that they had a good time.  Tried on some jewelry, bought some pants, got a bag.  Generally they seemed to have fun, I met Rox at the end and she seems like a cool person to spend the day with in NYC.

Gracie and I caught a cab and head to the Metropolitan  Museum of Modern Art on the upper east side 82nd and 5th approximately.  The first awesome thing that happened was the cabbie didn't start the meter till we were almost to the Met so our cab ride was $10 including the tip.  It was unpleasant in NYC, rainy and about 25 mph winds.  That did not dampen our enthusiasm.

 

Grace on the steps of the Met

 

Selfie time outside the Met.

We found a side enterance and quickly payed.  With our stickers on we headed out around the Met.

 

Grace is unsure about the artistic significance of medieval armor.

I thought it was cool.

The temple of Dendur was transported to the Met from an archeological site in Egypt.  It represents the Roman period and was completed in around 10 B.C.  I was given to the Met in 1967 and housed in its own wing since 1978.  It is from the West Bank of the Nike River near Aswan.  I thought it was very cool and so did Gracie

 

Archway of Dendur in Black and White

 

The columns in B&W

 

Hieroglyphics in B&W.  What do you think they say?

"Walk like an Egyptian", see the Bangles 1985

 

Signature move with the Sphynix.  Now you know what he is pondering?

 

Selfie with the Sphinx

From there we wandered into the great hall.  It was filled with light and amazing sculptures.  The picture does not do it justice.

 The great hall.

From there we headed up to look at some paintings.  We visited the American wing and saw probably the most famous painting of  the Revolutionary War.

 

Washington crossing the Deleware 

 

This painting is massive.  Look how small Grace is!!!! Wait, Gracie is small.

 Portrait of Ben Franklin

 

Grace liked this one better.

My favorite portrait of Ben Franklin is on the $100 bill.  Unfortunately with this crew, I never get to look at one for very long before it is traded for goods and services, usually starting with Starbucks.

 Grace with some crazy art that looks like Hunter Thompson.  The color is off because I couldn't use a flash in the museum.

 

Gracie dabbing with this sculpture by Rodin

The sculpture is actually titled Eve.

Grace was super pumped to see these sculptures as she remembered many from our time at the Rodin Museum in Paris.

Ok. No skipping ahead.  It is quiz time.  I will show the masterworks of several famous painters. You will try to match the painters with the paintings see how you do.  These were the paintings that Grace and I liked best.  Bonus points if you can guess which one Grace likes the most and which one I liked the most. 

Ready. Set.  GO!!!

 #1

 

#2

 

#3

 

#4

 

#5

 

#6

 #7

 

#8

 

#9 

Ok take a minute.  We are looking for artist, if possible the name of the paintings and the Gracie's favorite and Scott's favorite.  NO GOOGLE.  Write down your answers and let us know how you did in the comments.

Side note we need more comments, nobody ever rights any comments in the blog.  We need more comments it adds to the fun!!!!!!!!

ANSWERS:  

 

#1. Roses ----  Vincent Van Gogh

 

#2. The Jetty at Cassis ---- Paul Signac

 

#3. Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde. --- Paul Signac

 

#4. Bouquet of Sunflowers. ----  Claude Monet

 

#5.  Wheat field with Cypress---  Vincent Van Gogh

 #6.  Bridge over a Pond of Water Lillies ---Claude Monet ---- Gracie favorite!!!

 

#7.  Northeaster ---  Windslow Homer --- Scott' favorite 

 

#8. Autumn Rhythm #30. ---  Jackson Pollack

 

#9.  Self Portrait. ---  Vincent Van Gogh

Hopefully everyone got a few right.😎😉🤔😀

This was my favorite picture from the day.

 

After that Gracie and I started on a walk.  Kari happened to text me, she and the other 2 were coming up to 83rd street to shop.  Gracie and I ducked into  3 Guys Diner.  We enjoyed shakes, French toast, bacon and chocolate chip pancakes.  It was a great lunch in a classic New York diner.  

After that we met Kari and the girls as they finished shopping they also seemed vary satisfied with their day.

 

The girls with Rox

We all gathered up all our things new and old for a Subway to historic Grand Central Station.  I thought Grand Central Station was amazing.

 

The girls in low light at Grand Central Station.  Who took this terrible picture.

 

This picture is much better, what is up with your tongue 👅 Katie??

 

Finally we got it right.  Yeah me!!!

 

This is Whispering Corner it is just down from the Oyster Bar.  The acoustics are such that if you whisper in one corner a person standing in the opposite corner can hear you.   It was a beautiful spot and the physics of this is amazing.

 

Signature look in the Whispering Corner

 The main hall of Grand Central Station.  Constellations in the ceiling

 

The girls on the steps of the Main Hall.

 

We made the NYC subway work for us.   Thank. You Switzerland 🇨🇭 

We left Grand Central and head back to our hotel.  Along the way, we stopped at the NBA store and Katie set the 4:30 pop-a-shot record.  Not her best but enough to get a win.

 

We cleaned up after a full day and enjoyed a nice Italian dinner.  Grace got hit in the head by a lady with a package.  It actually just grazed her.  Her husband felt bad and bought me a dessert, so that happened.  After that is was back to the hotel to pack for our return home.

New York State of Mind

On Friday, we embarked on a list of scheduled activities.  Kari, booked tickets to the crown of the Statue of Liberty and we needed to be on the ferry ⛴ by 10 AM.  At 9:05 in a slight drizzle we dropped down to catch the R train to Whitehall Station.  When we emerged into a torrential rain ☔️.  If you have ever travelled with us or read this blog you know that trouble was brewing, some members of the Anseth travel team do not handle adversity well (ref. The sea was angry that day and so was Ashley).

We boarded the ferry and headed out for the Statue of Liberty.  I couldn't wait to see it but the weather was certainly less than ideal.

 

Grace and the Statue of Liberty.  Nice view 

 

Looking back at the city

Once we got to the island, the rain lightened up and we were only mildly uncomfortable.  We dropped our bags in a locker and headed to the Crown.  377 steps later we, the Anseth family, were in the Crown of the Statue of Liberty.  How many people from Choteau, Montana have been in the Crown???  This also kept the Anseth family streak alive, we have now climbed the stairs of several easily acessible family orientated national tourist attractions.

 

Grace and Katie with the original torch

 

The original torch

 

Inside the Statue with her spiral stairs

 

Ascending the 377 steps: determination, indifference, confusion and hope.

 

View of the tablet from the crown, through the only open window

 

Anseth family in the 👑 

 

Selfie nation in the 👑 

 

Up the inside, the math and engineering that were required for the creation of that Statue are amazing.  Each plate only needs to support it own weight through an intricate system of bars, beams and saddle joints. Frederic Bartholdi really could work a slide rule.

 

These giant bolts that anchor the Statue to the base

 

Doors leading into the Statue of Liberty base

 

Happy family on the pedestal level at the Statue of Liberty.  Will it last????

 

One World Trade in the ☁️ .  TB this for you with my special big lens 😎

 

Finally, some picture of the Statue. With a little water on the lens

 

Lady Liberty

 

The Lady and the torch

 

Can you find the girls?

 

There they are!!!!

 

Everybody get in this photo.

 

The skyline during a break in the storm.

We boarded the ferry and headed back to Battery Park.  By the time we exited the boat it was pouring again.  

Cold, hunger, sad and some struggling to hold on we were very much like the first immigrants to our shores.

 

#thestruggleisreal.  #ifonlywestfieldhadamallnearby

We pressed on hound by our Doubting Thomas; "I am cold", Where are we going, do you even know?" and "My feet hurt!!!".  Despite these trials we found PJ Clarkes a shimmering oasis of salvation.  After a 🍔, some mac and cheese and a few 🍻 we regrouped and agreed to press forward to the 9/11 museum.

We travelled through a futuristic tunnel from the mall and emerged near the 9/11 memorial and a blue sky.

The future is now

 

 One World Trade Center

 

9/11 memorial 

 

The girls at the 9/11 memorial

 

Another view of One World Trade Center

We went to the 9/11 museum at 4PM.  Amazing, moving, heart breaking.  I didn't have the desire to take a single picture.  The lose of life is staggering, but so is the courage shown by first responders, the passengers on Flight 93 and many more.  For me, the saddest moment was when a first responder was at a local NYC hospital, the staff apologized for ignoring her because they were preparing for more seriously injured patients.  She turned to another first responder and said. "No one is coming".  9/11 is the only time in my life when I didn't think things were going to be alright.  I remember laying in bed for 2-3 night wondering what it all meant for me, my wife, our family and our country.  Hope does spring forth in a smile from my wife  or the goofy looks my daughters give me.  Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. (See Shawshank)

After leaving the museum, the sky was still clear.  We ascended to the 102 floor of  One World Trade Center and its observation deck.  Again another Anseth family streak continues paying for overprice views of metropolitan skylines and ascending skyscrapers in high speed elevators.

The views of NYC were fabulous.

 

Anseths at the top of One World Trade 

 

Empire and Chrysler building 

 

Empire State Building 

 

The Chrysler building at night

 Statue of Liberty from One World Trade.  Look at the torch, it looks like it is burning

We wandered to a Shake Shack enjoyed a burger, shakes and maybe a 🍻.  We the board the Subway and took the R train home.

 

Can you get us home, we are not street performers 

What else could we do in  NYC?  Nobody knows