Daphne

Turns out that I really love the MET. Much more than I was expecting to. I wasn’t quite sure about the MET at first because I’m not one of those artsy types who can tell the monets from the rembrants but a friend was telling me that I absolutely had to visit the MET and I was all “It’s like maybe #6 or 7 on my list of things to do in New York” and she was like “but it’s the American Louvre!!” and I said “that’s not making it any more compelling for me” but long story short, we ended up going and I am real glad we did. 

We started out at the Ancient Near Eastern Art section on the third floor and just a tip, that’s maybe not the best place to start for a noob.

We were so excited like YEAH ART!! but there were all these really ancient-looking remains (like old pots or spittoons or carpets that I’m guessing ancient asian people threw out) that were only sort of moderately interesting.

Like what is this? I’m pretty sure some pieces are missing from this tile collection and I’m also pretty sure I’ve seen something like it (a complete piece at that) back home along Arab Street.

When we got to the paintings and sculptures though, I was a thousand % sold.

Seriously, photos aren’t going to do it justice. We stood there looking at all these magnificent paintings that were so imposing and beautiful and they have a way of drawing you in if you let it and I could feel myself turning into an art snob like “NOOOOO it’s happening to me and I can’t stop it!!!”

(The kids fell asleep just as we arrived at the MET and they basically slept for 5 hours straight while we were there (thank you jet lag) so we had all the time in the world to explore and take it all in.)

I’m gushing now but it was wonderfully breathtaking.

A connoisseur would be able to tell you about the brush strokes and the composition and form and palette but mostly, what I loved was how each painting made me feel. Some were so profoundly sad and some were lots of fun and some were just so, so grand. We spent almost half a day walking around till we could hardly feel our feet and it wasn’t even enough to see everything.

The other sections I really loved was the armor hall and the Egyptian art.

Oh and the Victorian furniture section too. It was so Downton Abbey that I was half expecting to see Carson appear with a tray of tea.

MET, oh MET, I’ll have to be back for you soon.

We did lots of fun stuff in NYC but one of the funnest was visiting the Big Apple Circus in Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park. We don’t have circuses back home and I’ve never been to one but I knew enough about them to know that I’d really love it. In fact, numero uno on my bucket list is to join the circus for a day. Maybe one day I will but for starters, I got to visit a circus so I guess that’s counts for half a bucket list achieved. Sort of?

I hear there’s no better circus for a first visit (or second or third visit) than the Big Apple Circus. It’s a proper circus with that delicious old school charm and a big top and a ringmaster and tightrope walkers and trapeze artists and everything else circuses should have. Including hotdogs and popcorn and lots of candy floss. It ain’t a circus without candy floss, amirite?

All the acts were so, so good. Kirsten’s favourite was Ty Tojo, 15 year old juggler extraordinaire. This guy has mad juggling skillz yo. During the show, I had no idea he was 15(??!!) because he’s insanely talented. At one point, he had 7 balls up in the air at the same time and he caught every last one of them with his 2 tiny 15-year old hands.

All the other acts were equally impressive. Half the time, I was on the edge of my seat trying not to look (because OMG stop all that crazy flinging in the air!!) but at the same time, it was all so fascinating that I couldn’t look away even for a second.

And Truett’s favorite? The Dosov Troupe or as Tru likes to call it, the human catapults. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. They made it look so effortless as they teeterboarded each other up into the air for backflips and somersaults. It’s the kind of thing one dreams about doing as a kid – having someone flip you up into the air with a giant see-saw.

I can’t believe we actually got to visit a real circus and I loved, loved, loved every single minute of the 2-hour show. I almost wanted to yell for an encore when it ended but the husband told me that’s not how circuses work. People clap and then get up to leave politely. But seriously, this circus should totally do an encore, it’s that good.

*Hat tip to Phil from the Big Apple Circus for the invite and tickets. 

I have one observation to make about New Yorkers and it is that they can really walk. That and the fact that they’re so very nice (make that 2 observations!) We’ve had so many random people hold doors open for us, offer their seats on the subway and this super nice lady gave up her spot in line for the toilet because Kirsten was in a bit of a pee emergency – all without us asking.

But back to the walking. New Yorkers walk briskly and they walk a lot. 10 blocks? Without even breaking a sweat. It seems like everywhere is within walking distance, more or less.

Over the past few days, we’ve been walking and walking and walking everywhere. We must have clocked about 50 blocks a day – from 5th Ave to the MET, from 81st street across Central Park to Rockerfeller, from Chelsea to the high line to the Hudson river. We catch the subways whenever we can but once the kids fall asleep, it’s brutal having to carry the strollers up and down the steps so we end up hoofing it instead.

I practically can’t feel my feet at this point but that’s a small price to pay, I guess. Especially since I’m loving the beautiful fall weather and it’s been such a pleasure walking around the city.

One of my favourite spots for walking has been Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO (which stands for Down Under The Manhattan Bridge Overpass), a pretty neighbourhood just beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s got a bit of the Melbourne vibe with a handful of cool kid stores, artsy home decor stuff and nice cafes.

It was such a gorgeous day for walking and both kids fell asleep on their strollers while we took our time taking in the view. We were there right around the golden light hour so it looked like the entire bridge was bathed in a gentle, warm glow. Y’know, exactly the kind of moment epiphanies are made of.

Across the Brooklyn Bridge, we made our way for a triple scoop of frosty goodness at the Brooklyn ice cream factory, followed by a walk around DUMBO and dinner at Grimaldi’s.

All the ingredients for a very spectacular day.