Metropolitian Museum of Art

Since our trade show didn't open until 12:00PM on Tuesday, we decided to take a trip into the city to view some of New York's finest museums. Unfortunately, the time constraints that we were under were very tight - The American Museum of Natural History opened at 10AM, and the Metropolitian Museum of Art opened at 9:30AM, so that was the logical choice. We took the "C" train north to the 81st Street exit, and wandered across Central Park. At 8:30AM, Central Park was simply JUMPING wtih dogs! It was a like an informal dog show, with varieties and breeds as varied as their owners. The most amazing thing was the these dogs were very playful with each other and well behaved, not barking or bothering people. Beth, you would've liked these dogs! We made our way from the Museum of Natural History over to the Metropolitian, and found a nice place for breakfast as we waited for the Met to open.

The Great Lawn in Central Park - No sunbathers today!

We stopped at City Market Cafe, and had a cup of coffee, and some fried eggs as we waited and while Dad made a few phone calls. Then, it was on to the Museum! The last time I had been here was in 1999, and I didn't even get to see that much of the Museum then. It is truly a vast expanse of art! Best to start off with the stuff you can't see anywhere else, so we headed to the Egyptian wing first and the Temple of Dendur and all the mummies.
We then made our way to the American wing, where the imposing paintings of Bierstadt of the Rocky Mountains and the Catskills and Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware, which is a massive 12ft x 21ft painting. Such intricate details for such a large painting! The most intricate and detailed painting was Church's Heart of the Andes, which as you got closer and closer to it, kept opening up new levels of detail. I need to spend more time here. So much to see.