Museums and churches

 

Museums and churches.  Both are good for the spirit though museums tend to be more sensual that strict church fathers would like.  And of course, some are just a short distance from crazy, but crazy in such a beautiful way.

But both can have some   exciting architecture.  We went to mass at St. Patrick’s and did communion with the artists at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim.  There are so many world class museums in New York, that we will have to come back for another week to finish the highlights. Throw in something like the old Shubert Theater and there is as much curvilinear or rococo decorations as a person could want. I don’t usually take pictures in Museums because, well taking poorly lit pictures of beautiful pictures seems at best, redundant.  The  Guggenheim will not you take pictures above the ground floor which is sad because it has some really interesting architecture. The Met lets you take pictures anywhere.  And you would have to be insensitive to take pictures during mass at St. Patrick's, but apparently some people are.  I kept seeing flashes go off.

Photos of St Patrick's and the Guggenheim

Manhattan

 

I’ve been  to Rome, Paris, and  London, but New York is the only city where I felt like the country cousin in town to visit the relatives.  I must confess.  I gawked. The town knows how to party.

Of course there are great shopping areas along Fifth Avenue.  Where else can you walk out of a City Park and get a few forget-me-knots for friends?

We started at Canal street and walked through Soho which stands for SOuth of HOuston, the street, not the city.  It was a former manufacturing are that was to be torn down to build an express way, but the expressway never happened and artists moved into the lofts after Greenwich Village was taken over by all of those folk singers who made enough money to buy the Mercedes parked  outside of the brown stones.  I don’t know where all of the students at NYU live now, but it isn’t in Greenwich Village.  SoHo started a trend in Acronym districts because now there is NoHo (North of Houston), Nolita (North of Little Italy) and of course TriBeCa (Triangle Below  Canal Street).  Once you get an acronym, rich and successful artists like movie starts start moving in. Once through Soho we came to Washington Square which is where all of the folk music started, and judging by the bronze grille work, flower boxes, and immaculate town houses, became very profitable. I guess it is appropriate that fifth avenue starts there.

We continued through the village to Union Square.  New York really does have a lot of great parks where you can get a good cheap hot dog and play a game of chess.  We caught the subway and headed up to Rockefeller Center where we took the elevator to the “Top of the Roc”.  The elevator climbs 67 floors in 43 seconds and has the best view of New York.

And then that night we topped it off with a musical/rage.  We saw American Idiot with music by Green Day. And along the way we crammed in a half of dozen other interesting things to do and eat.  It really is an amazing city.

One day in Manhattan

Take a hike

Central Park is the second largest city park in the country.  Golden Gate park in San Francisco is the largest, but it doesn’t have Broadway, Tiffany's, or the  miracle mile. Do not believe any rumors that you hear.  The park has been safe to walk in since the 80’s, even at night.  We took a carriage ride through it in the evening and it was full of people walking,jogging and holding hands.  It is well patrolled and nobody hassles you while you’re moving.  If you lay down to take a nap, the police will ask you to move along.  Apparently there is safety in motion.  I enjoyed the meandering  trails, all of the hidden nooks and crannies and the peek-a-boo views of the sky scrapers.  And the twisted arms of the trees.  That really is spooky at night.

If you exit on the west side at 72nd street, you come to the Dakota apartments where Yoko Ono lives, though you shouldn’t expected to be invited to lunch.  She requires a lot of advanced notice. This is definitely not the area from West Side Story.  

Just inside the park is a memorial to John Lennon

 

Photos of Central Park

Take a bite out of the Big Apple

 

I landed at JFK airport and crossed the Queensburrough bridge into Manhattan.  I was surprised to look up and see a train going across the sky, but this is new York and all things are possible.

I checked into our hotel and then walked down Broadway

and ended up at Times Square

The next couple of days will be spent seeing Broadway plays, touring museums, walking in Central Park and window shopping on 5th Avenue.  I suspect there will be enough to keep us very busy.

 

Walk down Broadway

Yosemite

 

We raced into Yosemite three hours a head of a snow storm that dumped eighteen inches of snow.  That gave us enough time to race down into the valley to see it in the fog and  a slightly slower trip up the hill where we got to pull into our hotel just as the rangers were making everyone put on tire chains. We then had  a day of being snow bound with nothing but good food, wine and books to read around the fire.  And finally on the last day, there was  beautiful sunshine as we made a final drive through the park.

We stayed at the Wawona Hotel which is historic.  Historic is Hotel talk for small rooms, no television and a heating system best described as quaint.  On the plus side there was a large lodge  with a fire place  and a staff to bring you an Amaretto. We spent a wonderful evening talking to a couple from Scotland who had been traveling around the world and never missed the television. In the morning we got up after being served breakfast, walked around in the snow, and spent the day relaxing.

Yosemite Photos

Things I liked in Las Vegas

 

I liked the Mirage where we stayed.  It had a nice large rooms and being treated well at reasonable prices is always great. The restaurant served a great meal and we got to see a fabulous show (Cirque Du Soliel). The Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay, which bills itself as the worlds only predator Aquarium is probably one of the few places in the world where you will get to see an eight foot Komodo Dragon.

Pictures from Predator Aquarium

The Belagio had a lot of things going for it from the large Chihuly installation at the entrance

to its garden with the great sculptures and live plants.  If you like Claes Oldenburg’s giant sculpture of a typewriter eraser, then you’ll love the giant ants.  Of course if you’re under thirty, you will not know what a typewriter is much less a typewriter eraser and bugs are something in computer programs.

And there is no better place for a fantasy shopping spree.  It doesn’t have to be fantasy if you can afford shops with names like Gucci, Fendi, or Feragamo.  But then if you can afford that, you’re probably not reading this blog.

Belagio Gardens

Back to Egypt

 

Many of the hotels are have themes based around European countries.  That makes it almost like visiting Epicot Center, which is almost like going to Europe for lunch which kind of makes Las Vegas like imitation margarine.  But if you’ve only got two days and want to go on a Gondola ride, get a view from the Eifel tower have dinner in ancient Rome, Las Vegas is your place.

 

Faux Paris Rome and Egypt

On the Road to Babylon

 

We left the Grand Canyon and headed west into the Great Empty and then headed north into the Even Emptier until we reached Las Vegas.  Paris was named the City of Light after it installed electric street lights at the turn of the century.  Las Vegas should probably be known as the City of Excess.  I was prepared for the lights, but not for the Venetian.  Where else but Las Vegas can you take a gondola ride inside of a casino?  We explored the Venetian which is only slightly smaller than its name sake and then return to our Motel, The Mirage, which is merely luxurious.  But I like that.

 

Las Vegas at Night