Traveling New York City

Hello everyone!  I have just returned from the beautiful city of New York...an amazing place that leaves you feeling inspired, exhilarated, and exhausted all at the same time.  My husband and I spent six days there and we went non-stop...meeting up with members of my family...all of us thankful it was a happy occasion for a change.

We saw so much and knowing there are so many people who love New York or would like to see it some day, I have put this post together with you in mind.  I have nearly 40 photos to share, so you can just scroll through them if you don't want the details.  Remember, you can enlarge them by clicking on them. I am keeping most of the details brief since anything I share here can be researched so easily on the internet.

So here we go...

above is the view from the top of the One World Trade Center and below is the outside of it.  It is a beautiful building and the whole area around it is dedicated to the memory of the victims of the attacks in 2001 and also the bombing in 1993.

The memorial pools can be seen from the top.  These are where the original twin towers once stood.

The  names of every victim in 1993 and 2001 are engraved around the edges of the pools.  It is sobering to see all the names.

We stepped into St. Patrick's Cathedral for a few minutes. 

At night we saw Time's Square.  If you like lights and noise and overwhelming crowds, this is the place to be.  It's like a perpetual party day and night.

You can't see New York at Christmas Time and not visit the window displays at Macy's.  This one excited me so much because I was a huge Peanuts fan growing up.

The Empire State Building!  We tried to see it at night, but the visibility was so poor we decided to save our tickets and see it in the day when things were cleared up.  I've been on the observation deck at night before and the views are stunning.

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was lit while we were there.  We tried to attend the lighting ceremony, but the crowd was so huge we were two blocks away and around the corner from it.  So we waited until the next evening to visit.  The tree is massive!

We didn't see any shows this trip, but Radio City always excites!

Bryant Park was charming with lighted glass huts...all of them individual shops full of gifts and art.

Here is one of the huts up close.  The entire park was so lovely nestled in the middle of all the illuminated city buildings.

Washington Square!  If you like live street performers and playing chess, this is the place to be.  This is also the place where Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan part ways in the beginning of the movie When Harry Met Sally.

One of my favorite things to look at...homes and apartments.  This is the Upper West side.  Can you see where the inspiration for my cityscape paintings comes from?

Also in the Upper West side is Lolo Cafe where a scene in You've Got Mail was filmed.  

We spent nearly ten hours at The Metropolitan Museum of Art...and still didn't see it all!

But some of what we did see  is ...

Madame Arthur Fontaine
Odilon Redon
1901 pastel on paper

A lot of gorgeous glass beautifully displayed
against the backdrop of Central Park.

Amazing furniture and ceramics.

Big open spaces filled with sculptures of every shape and size.

Degas' beloved Little Dancer.

Picasso's Woman in White

oil on canvas 1923.

I was mesmerized by this Sir David Wilkie oil on wood painting called The Highland Family.

The details of the dogs!  The socks!  The shoes!! All of it!  Exciting!

I watched in awe as this woman painted a rendering.  She had the colors exact.  I know many of you can name the painting she is copying, but I have forgotten already and did not snap a photo of the placard.

Purple rooms really DO exist!  Absolutely love the period rooms at The Met.

Guess which artist did this sculpture called Woman's Head in 1912.

I got lost in the colors of this piece by Paul Klee called Redgreen and Violet-Yellow Rhythms, 1920, oil and ink on cardboard.  

(Who says you can't paint on anything and still end up in a museum?)  :)

Marc Chagall

Lovers Among Lilacs, 1930, oil on canvas

What I loved most about this Chagall piece was getting to see the actual texture up close!  Again...exciting!

We spent a few hours at The Cloisters in Harlem as well.  It is part of The Met Museum and it's full of very old (1100-1600) architecture, sculptures, tapestries, paintings and more.  Worth every minute!  Below is a room at The Cloisters filled with tapestries.  The size of them were a sight...hard to imagine the time it took to make such a thing so long ago.

More than anything at The Cloisters, was the elaborate architecture, still intact and huge and heavy...all created in a day where everything was done without machines.  I found myself wishing I could travel back in time to see the real people and the real sites where all this was created.  Art is SO a part of our history...it's in every culture and in every church...across the generations.  Kind of amazing really.  It is so easy to forget that sometimes.

Speaking of amazing...this is a small ivory sculpture from around 1260 to 1270.  It is about 6 x 6 inches!

Here's a close-up.  How did they do that?

This was a wood sculpture from 1480 and towered above the floor.  It grabbed my attention for quite some time...the emotion in it was moving.  

We finished our last moments in New York City at Central Park on a gorgeous 55 degree day.  It was sunny, yet ice skaters were on the rink, horse and carriage rides jingled all over the place, the buzz and excitement of Christmas was everywhere.

  Here's one last view...taken from the top of the Empire State Building...this is my favorite photo of all that I took.

Well..except for this one...which we had taken at Rockefeller Center.  Our tour group...from left to right...me, hubby, brother, sister in-law, sister and nephew...all with grateful hearts for another joyful memory made in this grand city.

I hope you enjoyed this highlight post!  

Have a great rest of the week!

♥ Lisa