NYC trip

I took a whirlwind trip to NYC for Christmas. I was lucky enough to have enough frequent flier miles to afford the trip. The main thing I wanted to do was see Waiting for Godot with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan and see the New York City Ballet's Nutcracker. I got to do both of those things. The play was just amazing and did not disappoint at all. I read Waiting for Godot either as a teen or in my early 20s, and always wanted to see it performed. I couldn't have asked for a better cast! I was a bit disappointed with the Nutcracker. The set and costumes were amazing, but the ballet was just OK. They didn't do the traditional choreography, and I missed that. The acoustics in the Lincoln Center were amazing though and I did enjoy it.

I decided that I would try and see some of the museums I've never seen. Despite having been to New York many times, I've often wound up wandering the city and not doing a lot of "tourist" things. So my first full day there I went to the Met. I could have spent all day there. It was heavenly. Lots of Monet, and other impressionists that I love. I had hoped to also go to the Guggenheim that day, but I couldn't look at another piece of art. It was raining and the museum was very crowded. I rested at the hotel and then went to the play.

On my second day, I crammed in a lot. I started off at MoMA. I enjoyed it more than I thought, and could have spent more time there. They have a nice collection of impressionists and post impressionists. I also enjoyed the Kandinsky exhibit. My plan for seeing several museums was to triage and see what I really wanted to each museum. So on to the Guggenheim. I mostly wanted to go here for the building, and it did not disappoint. Even the bathroom was interesting since it too had curved walls! It didn't take long to walk through and I enjoyed the Christopher Wool exhibit as well as a few other modern pieces. I took a break and saw the Nutcracker in the afternoon. And after the Nutcracker, I had just enough time to make it over to the natural history museum. I wanted to see the dinosaurs, and the blue whale. It was fun to see some of the dioramas as well. It's a beautiful building. My day wasn't done yet! I then took a walk to see the Christmas displays in the stores and the tree at Rockefeller center!

My last day was Christmas day, and very cold. I think it was about 25, but much colder with the wind chill. I tried to take a bus tour of the city, but there was no heat on the tour bus, and once I got to Battery Park I got off so I could get warmed up. I took the subway to Grand Central Station, and then back to Time Square. I had a nice lunch and then it was time to head home.

Oddly, I'm kind of tired after all that! :-) I had loads of fun though, and it was really nice to get to see some things I've always wanted to see.

Pictures!!