The Museum Mile

A couple weeks ago I braved NYC alone.

Jason was nervous about the whole thing, stating it would be too easy to get lost/robbed/kidnapped, etc. going solo, but I brushed him off with some sort of "I'm a big girl" statement. Well I guess maybe, kinda, sorta, he was just a little bit right...

No, I didn't get robbed or kidnapped, I mean obviously. But I may just have gotten myself a teensy bit lost delayed.

I was determined to attend NYC's annual Museum Mile. I'm a fan of Shabby Apple on Facebook, and it just so happens that the Shabby Apple chick is from New York so she'll occasionally post the goings-on of her hometown. Town? Can New York City ever be referenced as town? Never mind.

So I saw this blip about NY's museum mile, checked it out and decided to go. Apparently thousands of tourists come from all over the country for this and I'm a mere 20 minutes, so why not check it out right??

Here's how it goes. Nine major museums along Fifth Avenue are free to the public one night each year. They've been at this for 32 years- collectively opening their doors to the public for three hours that evening. It's like one big New York block party. They close off the streets, que the music and call in the hot dog stands. There's art in the street, activities for kids, and nearly 50,000 visitors. Now that last part I somehow didn't expect...

First- I was late getting started. Pretty much my zits refused to hide, my straightener started smoking, my dog wanted to come and my mac and cheese took too long. Oh and I got halfway to the station before I remembered my camera. So I missed the 5 o' clock train. That left me only the 6 o' clock one, and the musuems would open at six. Oh well, I figured. I can be late.

Well, apparently all the trains thought they could be late too, because the time I got out of New Jersey we were well past 6. But that's when the real torture  fun started. Jason had written me out a detailed plan of which train would take me to which station and where to get off when. Well somewhere in there I got on the right train going the wrong way. Yeah that'll mess ya up. For the next 25 minutes I stopped New Yorker after New Yorker, desperately trying to get directions from where I was.

Finally I made it to my last stop, and only then did I realize I didn't actually know where the museums were from my last stop. I'd been so eager to get off the trains I hadn't really thought about what to do once I'd reached the Upper East Side. Thankfully a nice NYU student directed me to Central Park, where I found a huge line of people snaked around the corner. Yup, I must be in the right spot.

Originally I had hopes of seeing the Guggenheim, the Met, and the Museum of the city of New York during Museum Mile, but it was 7:50 and I sure didn't feel much more navigating. I settled on the Guggenheim and joined the line where we were ushered into the building.

It's a pretty cool building, you have to admit, but by the time I got through the doors I was pretty much a genuine grump ray of sunshine. An entire half of the building was blocked off for the construction of a new exhibit, so I enjoyed the cattle of people pushing their way up the stairs since the elevators were going beserk with overuse.

Fourth floor- the children's exhibit or something of that sort. Pretty much it was a bunch of clay sculptures, foil-made robots and painted rainbows. I walked through real quick and moved on to the next floor. If I wanted to see kid's art I'd hit up my local elementary school. 

Third floor was all cubism. You know, all that Picasso-type stuff. Triangles in boxes, and circles within squares, red yellow and blue sort of stuff. That was better than little Tommy's school project, but I swear I could paint that exact same stuff.

Onward- to the second floor. That was a lot better than the previous two, but not near enough to keep me around. I jumped in line, yes there was a line through each exhibit, although it sure wasn't moving much, and studied the paintings of old farm towns, fields, and macho women's backs. Next!

Finally, I was back at the first floor. I grabbed a brochure, eager to read about the fantastic art that I had somehow missed, and noticed a sign for a Hugo Boss exhibit. If there was one exhibit even remotely interesting  I hadn't seen, I had to find it! So I climbed the stairs once more to retrace my steps, and returned to square one as disappointed as before. That must be the exhibit they're working on. Ugh.

On my way out I spotted the gift shop and decided to give that a whirl. And let me be honest here, the gift shop was the best part of the museum! I found the coolest napkin rings, NYC Monopoly boards, and vintage covers of the New Yorker. There was the coolest stuff, and in the gift shop for cryin out loud!

I may be uncultured. So sue me. (Natasha that's for you ;) The Guggenheim may be one of the 20th Century's most important architectural landmarks, but I've seen it once that's enough for this girl.

Wanna know what my favorite landmark is?

That's because that building is totally worth your money. Although you won't get any less people that's for sure. And who can resist those pretty colors? I love that they light it up for holidays and special occasions. So fun. I heard that's how everyone gages direction around here- in relation to the Empire State just like we do with the Wasatch Mountains in Utah.  Even people across the river can see this buildings' beauty. Aka: I can see it on my way to Walmart in Jersey, or when I'm at Nicole's apartment- they have the most amazing view of the city.

 

Speaking of view to the city- well you know how I said the Guggenheim is right by Central Park? As I was walking back to the subway I noticed a few people up these stairs, past this monument for some long gone mayor, and on the other side of the jogging trail- I found the most amazing view of the big lake in Central Park. The sun was setting and birds were settling and the city lights were beginning to flicker on... It's amazing how you can find that much beauty, that much serenity, in one of the largest, busiest cities in America. But it was serene. So calming and perfect watching the city from afar, hearing the sound of nature, and a fountain nearby. I wish Jason would have been there so we could reenact our engagement. ;)

Anyways, while I appreciated the time spent out of the house, the Museum Mile didn't exactly pan out the way I would have liked. As it turns out maybe the Guggenheim isn't all that glamorous, and maybe I'm not the big girl I thought I was. Next time I'll know which museum not to hit, and I'll know just who to take with me.