new york diary - day 15

I almost had a fantastic day.

Deb was supposed to leave this morning but she found out that her sister would be speaking at the Culinary Institue of America in NYC today, so she bumped her departure until tomorrow. We took an early train to Grand Central Station and then parted ways. She, to have breakfast with her sister. Me, to visit the American Museum of Natural History.

It takes about an hour to walk from Grand Central to the Museum. I headed up 5th Ave and was feeling irritated by the crush of people, oppressed by the buildings and the honking and all the Christmas lights and music, and depressed by the terrible poverty next to such extreme luxury. And then everything was alright. I could see Central Park probably 10 blocks before I got there. The skyscrapers just end and my spirits lifted.

Central Park is amazing! If I'd known how wonderful it is I would have planned a day there instead of at the Museum. But on my way there I just cut through, stopping to take a picture of the angel for O. And that's when my day went from fantastic to just okay. I forgot my memory card for my camera in the computer. So no picture taking today, just lugging my camera around for nothing.

Feeling like an idiot, I continued on and had pretty good time at the Museum. I guess it is quite spectacular but sociology has kind of ruined things like this for me. Went to the Our Global Kitchen exhibit; it was really interesting and well put together but the content was thin. All of the content of the Museum was a bit thin, actually. And very American. Which makes sense, of course, but I left feeling a bit underwhelmed. The most interesting part for me was the exhibit on the State of NY, including history, flora and fauna, and geology, which answered my one big question: what kind of rock is Kana and Brad's house built on? Answer: gneiss.

On my way back to the train, I spent more time exploring Central Park. It is truly a gem. As soon as you step in the air is cooler, it is much quieter, it smells better, the people watching is excellent... I wished over and over that I could use my camera. Argh! Next time I'm here I will set a day aside just for this beautiful space.