The MET
I picked our first thing to do -- explore the Metropolitan Museum of Art! We rode the bus from NJ into Manhattan, and then tried to find a subway that would get us to the MET. One subway entrance was closed, and another entrance we couldn't even find. So after walking for a while we called an Uber.
We had free passes to the MET, thankfully. There was a huge line getting in, which went semi-fast. Once inside it was a madhouse! Lines everywhere, and we weren't even sure where they ended up. Finally a security guard told us where to go, and then with city pass tickets we didn't have to wait in the longer line.
The thing about a museum is that everyone goes through them differently. Jon and I had different things we wanted to see, so we kept to those areas mostly. But I also wanted to wander and not have a strict route. Jon wanted to take a route. It's ok to separate if you need to and meet up later. I felt a bit rushed, but sometimes that happens.
One thing I like to do when taking pictures of things is to also take a photo of the description right after it, so it's saved on my phone. This make it easier to remember what is what later.
Onto my favorite things at the MET:
Christopher Columbus
Drawing for a French courtier costume/dress.
Joan of Arc
Theadore Gericault
It just looks like it belongs in a medieval novel.
Theadore Rousseau
Also looks like a medieval novel.
Grave marker, 4th Century BC.
1600-1450 BC
I remember learning about cuneiform in school, but seeing it is amazing!
Detail on the side of a really cool thick slab of bigger dudes.
Jon and I love ancient Egyptian stuff. I mean, this stuff is SO OLD! It's crazy!
A little bit of Roman stuff. I mean really.
In the US area was this beautiful stained glass.
There was a large collection of armor. Such detail!
This photo is for my mom. Late 1700-early 1800 stoneware by Thomas Commeraw.
You know who this is.
One of my favorites in the MET. The sheer scale is amazing, plus it's a great painting.
Childe Hassam
I could have spent pretty much all day in here, but it was lunchtime and Jon had a very specific place in mind to go.... so another subway ride and long walk later, we ended up here:
Katz's Deli
Katz's Deli. It is literally a madhouse. People everywhere! They know how to pack them in.
They also know their meat. They had different lines for cutters. We got the pastrami. They give you a small piece to taste, and it just melts in your mouth.
Jon was in heaven!
Random Walking
Afterwards, we had a few hours of nothing really planned. We went into a few shops, walked around, sat on a bench, and other such nonsense.
Another drama book store, the Theatre Circle. They didn't have much of a selection of theatre-related socks!
My lovely friend Lara from Tennessee happened to be visiting NYC! We met up at the M&M Store in Times Square.
There are several spray painter guys on the sidewalk. They do some cool stuff!
Broadway!
More Broadway!
A show we didn't see!
A fancy residence sorta near the MET.
And finally.....
Phantom of the Opera
I had picked to see this one, so I was really excited! It's the longest-running show on Broadway. It's such a grand production! We had great seats up front! I'm so glad Jon bought our tickets to all the shows (except Cats) months in advance.
Phantom of the Opera summary:
Young Christine is a ballet dancer at the Paris opera house, where strange goings on have been happening. The prima donna opera lady Carlotta is whiny and doesn't like the new owners, so they decide to cast Christine in her place. Apparently, Christine has been taking singing lessons from a mysterious man, who happens to be the Phantom of the Opera--the very same person behind all the strange happenings at the opera house. Christine's childhood friend Raoul sees her perform, and so then it becomes a competition between the Phantom and Raoul for her heart.
Phantom- James Barbour
Christine Daae- Ali Ewoldt
Raoul- Rodney Ingram
Carlotta- Janinah Burnett
You gotta hand it to the people who run the show from behind the scenes! This show had so many set changes, huge curtains, lots of fire, a chandelier, lots of people up high,etc. So much action! I loved the music. I especially loved Christine and Carlotta.
One thing I had learned from my week of seeing multiple shows was to use intermission wisely! As soon as the curtain is drawn, I book it out of my seat and head to the ladies room. There is usually already a line forming, but it's better to be the 5th in line than the 45th. Seriously. These old theatres don't have a lot of stalls.
Behind the Scenes Phantom Tour!
Remember Terrance we met the day before at a concert? He told us to meet him in a specific spot. A guy was waiting there with a clipboard and had us wait. Terrance showed up pretty soon after that and took us backstage!
We were on stage with the curtain drawn for a bit, waiting for all the audience to leave. Then they opened the curtain. It was so fun to be on stage. The set guys were putting away the chandelier as Terrance explained all the trap doors.
Then he took us to where they store all the props! So cool!
The chair with a false back so the Phantom can disappear.
The boat, which you can't see super well in the show since there is fog everywhere. It's run via remote control.
The musical monkey! When the show first opened, its fur cost some crazy amount. As they have updated things, sometimes they switch to cheaper versions since they look the same from the audience.
Christine's dress for the Don Juan opera. My fave.
Terrance, our tour guide!
Another costume area. The costumes were so HEAVY! And beautiful.
The original cast! They had different frames with the cast from different years. So cool.
We met Christine and had her sign our playbill!
Then we had Terrance sign the production section. Our hero!
1 comment:
Fabulous pictures. I love the up close detail and the amazing places you visited. You are right about the salt glaze pottery, I love it.
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