A friend from high school, Roland Racko, lives in New York and had asked if I could visit while I'm working in Connecticut. I got up early yesterday and took the Metro North into Grand Central Terminal. I had not seen it since its restoration. It's really an incredible building.
After taking the subway down to the Village, I met Roland and we had a pleasant, liesurely lunch at Jack's (corner of University Place and 11th Street). Then we went to Union Square to catch the subway uptown. There was a farmers' market in the park at Union Square. Such wonderful smells and sights! Fresh breads, fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices all mingling in the breeze. I bought some fresh tart cherry preserves which I later had to forfeit to guards at the Met -- no glass containers allowed in the building.
We took the subway to 77th and Lexington and walked over to Central Park. It was a perfect day for sightseeing. Lots of people had decided to go to the art museum on this gorgeous day. It is an absolutely overwhelming place! I saw on one poster that their collection includes over 3,000,000 objects. I can believe it.
We restricted ourselves pretty much to the Egyptian collection. It only contains 36,000 items. Everything from the tiniest statuary to the Tomb of Dendur -- each object is presented beautifully, with careful lighting, wonderful accessibility, and sensitivity to its cultural context.
After we left the museum, we proceeded to the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Terminal for a delightful dinner. Courtesy of Metro North, I was back in my room in Stratford by 9:30. What a fabulous day! Come to think of it, aren't they all fabulous?
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