A Morning at The Met in New York City

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is the largest art museum in the United States. It houses more than two million works of art. Our itinerary called for us to spend one morning there. So we had to choose what kind of art we most wanted to see and head directly there.

The entire building is a work of art. Just peeking down hallways you can see lovely architecture like this.

We opted to see the Impressionist artists and made a beeline for those rooms. It’s a large section with many adjoining areas. My favorites are here, including Auguste Renoir and his girls at the piano theme.

In this Renoir painting of Madame Charpentier and her family, we were surprised to learn that the younger child is her son Paul, dressed identically with his sister Georgette. How styles have changed.

Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings at The Met include the little known still life not mentioned in any of the artist’s letters. Scholars conclude that, because of the blues and earth tones, Van Gogh painted this at Auvers near the end of his life in 1890.

This more typical Van Gogh is also at The Met.

The View of the Domaine Saint-Joseph by Paul Cezanne is one of the few paintings this artist signed. It’s also the first Cezanne to enter an American art gallery. It was purchased during the historic Armory Show of 1913 for the highest price of any painting in that exhibition.

One of my favorite artists is Edgar Degas. A good showing of his focus on ballet is found at The Met.

I love this sculpture of a young ballerina, with her cloth tutu.

We thought we had found all of the work of the impressionists when I wandered through a door and discovered an entire room of sculptures by Degas. What a beautiful place.

The café at The Met offers cafeteria-style food. Salads, sandwiches, and grilled selections are available, with a yogurt bar and cookies for dessert. After lunch, we headed out and hopped on the bus for more adventures. The foggy day cleared up somewhat, so we decided to check out the view from the top of the Empire State Building. From the 86th floor you can go all the way around for a 360-degree viewing of the city. 

You can see the World’s Largest Store, the Macy’s of Miracle on 34th Street fame.

Hello, Chrysler Building!

The detailed architecture is fascinating.

It’s not difficult to find a taxi in New York City.

My favorite building in New York City is the Flatiron Building. It’s in the shape of a triangle, is 22 stories high, and is less than seven feet at its point. Built in 1902, it was called “Burnham’s Folly” by some people who were sure it would topple over. It’s still standing, folks.

Here’s a closer view from another day when we walked to see the Flatiron.

Back down in the lobby of the Empire State Building, the security guard seemed to be hiding behind the flowers.

That evening we enjoyed the show, Wicked. What fun! I highly recommend this funny and touching story.

From morning to night, it was a fine day in New York City.

IF YOU GO:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is open Sunday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Suggested admission is adults $25, seniors $17, students $12, children free.

The Empire State Building is open every day of the year from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets to the 86th floor observation deck are adults $34, seniors $31, and children $12.

The New York City Pass provides admission to both The Met and the Empire State Building. We used this and we were able to skip to the front of a long line at the Empire State Building, a big time saver!

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