From one artist to another...
I really don't have the words to describe New York. We walked over 45 miles in the 6 days we were there, saw some incredible artwork (more on that in a bit), ate some FABULOUS food, saw some quintessentially "New York" neighborhoods, rode in a yellow taxi, the subway, AND a taxi boat, saw 2 Broadway plays (one of which was actually in the "Broadway Theater"), ordered food from a street cart, got honked at while crossing the street... and that's just the tip of the iceberg!
Now, being an artist and reading books about art and artists, and studying art and artists, we HAD to hit a few art museums while we were there. We didn't get a chance to go in the Guggenheim - even though we took a picture of it (from the street), but we did go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the MET) and the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and between the 2, I thought I had died and gone to heaven!
Saturday we went to the MET and we ended up staying 7+ hours and totally closing them down. We were seriously some of the last people in the building and we didn't even see half of everything. From Matisse to Van Gogh (we saw the sunflowers, the cypress, and his SELF PORTRAIT) to Cezanne to Monet, this museum was right up my alley. When you think it couldn't possibly get any more incredible, we even got to see a Leonardo Da Vinci (I was so in-awe that I didn't get a picture. Sorry.)! Steve was even surprised to find that the MET is the home of Emanuel Gottlieb Leutz' painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware. I must admit, it's a bit surprising to round a corner and see this larger than life (seriously - at least 20 ft wide) painting that you've read about and studied your entire life! It's exhilarating and awe-inspiring, to say the least.
Wednesday we were flying out at 4:15, so we decided to walk to MOMA before heading to the airport. Once again, I was ASTONISHED by the paintings that are there... Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Dali, etc. Some of these works were the ACTUAL works that I studied in Art History 101... I definitely had my little freak-out moment when I got to see The Starry Night...
There were a TON of Picasso paintings at MOMA, but I honestly think I blacked-out from excitement. When I came to, with tears on my cheeks, I was a bit disappointed that this was the only Picasso I managed to take a photo of.
Oh well, I've got them all in my memories.