Damkier's Travels

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

New York City Museums - July 2016

Statue of Liberty

If you are going to do a blog post about New York City Museums, you might as well lead with the Statue of Liberty. In a city full of icons, one literally stands above all others in the harbor and in the minds of all global citizens. New York is busting at the seams with many museums ranging from the weird and wild to world class institutions. After walking 10-13 miles a day through heat and illness, I still managed to work my way through many before heading home.

Ellis Island Processing Area

Many Americans can trace their family through Ellis Island. Millions of European immigrants arrived in New York and were processed for entry through this facility. The island and buildings were preserved and restored as a National Park and are now part of a ferry tour including the Statue of Liberty. Then as now, immigration was a hot topic with lots of opposition and hatred, but those willing to travel across the globe and work for a new life were rewarded with becoming full citizens. Unfortunately, I was stuck at Ellis Island myself for several hours due to a massive thunderstorm so I can partially empathize with my own ancestors.

Since my last visit in 2008, the construction of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and the neighboring Freedom Tower were completed. The museum and memorial do an excellent job honoring that fateful day with respect with lots of items from the rubble and details of the entire event. I was very moved by the experience, but not by the tragic events. What really moved me was the spirit and camaraderie of those who united and helped the survivors and those who cleaned up and rebuilt the area. This event really united everyone, not in anger and revenge, but in hope and the human spirit. It was very helpful to have tissues strategically placed in the exhibits. Photography is prohibited in most of the museum, but the images and items leave a lasting impression for everyone.

Enterprise Training Shuttle

After the end of the Space Shuttle program, the remaining shuttles were donated to several air and space museums across the United States. The Intrepid Air & Space Museum in New York was chosen for the Enterprise. Although it never flew, the training model was an important part of the program training and testing so the others could make it to infinity and beyond. The museum is on the USS Intrepid, a former aircraft carrier, and features many historic military aircraft and even a Concorde on loan from British Airways. They cannot fly them anymore, so the loan is likely long term!

A Tree Grows in the Brooklyn Museum

Even Brooklyn cannot escape the museums. The Brooklyn Museum is located of course in Brooklyn and is home to some more edgy art including modern feminine artists and a retrospective on gentrification in the borough. Mingled in are a good collection of all other forms from Egyptian relics to modern art paintings and an unexpected amount of recreated rooms from various time periods. The museum is also next to Prospect Park, making the area an interesting alternative to the Manhattan complex.

Smile, You're Extinct!

Since I have visited New York before, this trip was an opportunity to fill in the gaps from my previous journey. I started the day at the American Museum of Natural History which is famous for the Night at the Museum films and Neil deGrasse Tyson. The museum is very large and complicated with many exhibits arranged haphazardly. The exhibits are somewhat dated and dingy, and I was constantly dodging kids of various ages and attention spans on various summer school trips. Still, it is pretty cool to see the fossils.

Degas Exhibit

Much more interesting for me was the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is Disneyland for art lovers with a massive complex in Central Park spanning the ages with extensive collections for everyone. I had to zoom through most of them, although they had some intriguing Eastern Art combined with a drool-worthy collection of French Impressionists. Even their Modern Art collection rivals entire galleries in other cities. Combined with Central Park, these museums can really eat up your day and leave you wanting more.

MoMA PS1

I was unable to visit the main Museum of Modern Art because I was just too exhausted. I was able to visit the MoMA PS1 gallery which was pretty close to my apartment and part of the overall museum. This place is just weird enough to scare away the tourists with some really abstract and bizarre art. The museum is in an old school building that was repurposed into a gallery using the existing halls and classrooms in a way the teachers probably never envisioned. This is not a gallery for amateurs with many exhibits pushing the boundaries. What better way to end my trip? Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.

Freedom Tower

9/11 Memorial

Freedom Tower and Skyline

9/11 Memorial with Plaque

Damaged New York Fire Department Vehicle

The Last Support Structure

The Only Tree Left Standing

Statue of Liberty Torch Model

Statue of Liberty from Below

Entrance to Ellis Island Immigration Museum

Main Entrance Hall at Ellis Island

Ellis Island Thunderstorm

Flight Deck of USS Intrepid

Early Stealth Spy Plane

Display in Internal Aircraft Hangar on USS Intrepid

British Airways Concorde

Star Trek Exhibit at Intrepid Air & Space Museum

Replica Deck of Star Trek: TNG Bridge

Brooklyn Museum Exterior

Entrance to American Museum of Natural History

African Wildlife Exhibit

Entrance to Metropolitan Museum of Art

Modern Art at the Met

MoMA PS1 Courtyard

Attic Exhibit at MoMA PS1

Slanted Table at MoMA PS1

Candle in an Old Television at MoMA PS1

New York City Culture - July 2016

Manhattan Skyline and Brooklyn Bridge

After flying and driving nearly 5,000 miles over two weeks, I finally arrived in New York City. By the time I picked up the keys to my sweet apartment in Queens, I had already succumbed to the effects of travel including exhaustion and a possible cold. This was not great combined with the continued heat and humidity from an untimely and massive national heat wave. Fortunately, arriving in one of my favorite cities reinvigorated my soul and prepared me for a week in the Big Apple.

Times Square at Night

New York is unabashedly a big city. They fully embrace being a large and in charge. At the same time, I have always enjoyed the friendly residents and the feel of the city. Even though you are on an island with millions of people, walking though the streets can seem relaxed and open. Yes, if you are in the tourist areas or wandering during rush hour, you are going to be swamped. Outside these times and areas, New York is actually quite pleasant and enjoyable.

Greenwich Village

All jokes aside, New York is a great place for comedy. Why not spend my first night in the city at one of the famous clubs? I squeezed in to the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village for an expensive, but hilarious performance including Jim Norton, Colin Quinn, and Judd Apatow. Lots of big names perform and attend, so it is common to see celebrities all over the place. Fortunately the air conditioning was cold and the jokes were hot, all within a 20 minute subway ride.

The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore

On a much funnier day, I was able to attend a taping of The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore that airs on Comedy Central on cable. The show was very funny and topical, being filmed during the Democratic National Convention. Compared to other TV shows, the process was much more fun with better music and the ability to take pictures inside the set. It is also a great show.

Underneath the Brooklyn Bridge

I also had the chance to spend the day in Brooklyn. By this time, I had to scale back a lot of my previous plans due to the relenting heat and illness, but I was trudging along across the East River. The area has become very gentrified with lots of young, rich people moving into the area dramatically changing it. This has caused a weird balance of old and new in the neighborhood, but this is typical of the area even from the beginning. Gone are the Dodgers, but they are now home to the Nets and Islanders, so things are looking up for the scrappy little borough!

Inside Richard Rodgers Theatre for Hamilton

You really need to see a Broadway show when visiting New York. There are shows all the time ranging in topic from light to dark with many even advertised on the morning news. To ensure the maximum number of jealous friends and family, I was able to score a ticket to Hamilton. This Tony award winning musical has earned a lot of praise and fame across the spectrum. After attending, I can verify that this is one of the best musicals I have ever seen. The music and performances are fresh and engaging, and the subject matter is intriguing and enlightening. Everyone cheered and cried and left the theatre feeling like they just experienced something special. Not bad for a Thursday night!

Central Park Rocks

Even strangers know about Central Park. What you do not appreciate until you visit is the sheer scale and size of the park. Once you enter, you quickly disappear into an urban forest and garden park that reminds you of the suburbs or a rural location. The park has many features including various lakes and hills with some major rock formations. Yes, the nannies, professional dog walkers, and hundreds of joggers will quickly bring you back, but the park is massive and easy to wander. It was still too hot to linger too long, but it is perfect for a short walk and an iced cold brew coffee.

NorCal in the Lower East Side

One special pilgrimage was to Finnerty's Pub. Many Giants fans have heard tale of the famous sports bar dedicated to Bay Area sports teams, serving as the official gathering point for expats in Manhattan and beyond. I stopped in and enjoyed the very low prices for drinks, but otherwise nonplussed by the basic and a little dicey interior. However, when you are surrounded by Yankee and Jets fans, having a little San Francisco probably feels great.

Entrance to Men in Black Headquarters

So many movies and television shows have filmed in New York, that you will often see many locations that stand out. Men in Black shot several key scenes at Battery Park and Flushing Meadows with the iconic structures still standing. Of course Katz's Delicatessen has their famous When Harry met Sally scene, but fans of Sex and the City, Ghostbusters, Seinfeld, and countless others will often find their special scene just wandering the streets. It really is a great background for any production.

Manhattan in Manhattan

For me, wandering the streets is the best part of New York. There are museums, restaurants, plays, sports, shopping, and lots of other diversions, but riding the subways and walking the streets is just plain fun and very interesting for me - even fighting the heat and cold! Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.