Cruisin' the Apple

I'm in New York City...for the first time ever!  It's really pretty ridiculous that this is the case...after all, NYC is only about as far from California as Hawaii, and I've been to Hawaii at least 25 times.  But...better late than never...way better, as a matter of fact. We've been seeing a lot of interesting attractions.  Here, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, are numerous works that I've read about or seen in books all my life, but now I'm actually in the same room with them.  For example, here's Houdon's famous bust of Benjamin Franklin.  I didn't even know that it was in the Met.  I'm reading a biography of Franklin right now and there's a picture of this bust in the book.

One of Gilbert Stuart's quintessential portraits of Washington, painted in the 1790s.  It's just a little different than the one on the dollar bill, also painted by Stuart.  He did over a dozen similar likenesses of ol' George.

I love this sculpture of an American Indian, by Remington, I think.  Sublime belligerence!

There's a room full of armor at the Met...even for the horses!

I crossed an item off my bucket list by going to a game at Yankee Stadium.  I waited too long to be able to go to the original House that Ruth built, but the new stadium is really nice.

The Flatiron Building, an iconic NYC structure.  This was the first real skyscraper in the city, 21 stories high, constructed in 1902.  I love the elegant stonework...classic Edwardian!

And here's the Flatiron again, this time from the 86th floor observatory on the Empire State Building.  In just 29 years, NYC went from a 21 floor Edwardian classic to a 102 story Art Deco masterpiece!  I wonder if any people worked on both buildings...wouldn't be surprised.

And here's the Empire State Building, soaring into the sky.  The first morning I was here, I couldn't see the top...it was immersed in the clouds.

The lobby of the ESB is superb.

There are glittering Art Deco plaques scattered throughout the building.

We visited the observation deck on one of the better days of the year, after a cold frontal passage.  It was a bit chilly and blustery up there, but the scenery was superb.  This view is looking south.  The tallest building is the main structure in the new World Trade Center under construction...when finished, it will be 1776 feet tall.  It has just surpassed the Empire State as the tallest structure in the city.

Looking northeast.  Notice the pinpoint top of the Chrysler building in the middle distance.

The Chrysler Building in all its Art Deco magnificence!  Blow up the pic and see the aluminum gargoyles on the corners.  Completed in 1930, the Chrysler was briefly the tallest building in NYC, till the Empire State was completed a little over a year later.

Grand Central Station, restored to its original splendor.  There has been a major train station here since 1871...most of the current station dates from 1913, after an extensive renovation.