Wet Wet Wet

No not a reference to the band (although don't mind me a bit of their Scottish rock-pop).
More a description of my Wednesday in NY.

At first I was excited - the rain polished the streets a different way and provided some interesting fashion dilemmas for many people (of course fashion has moved to encompass a wellington/gumboot that would not look out of place on a fashion week runway).

I had luckily heeded the weather-man's advice for forecast showers all day, and made sure I had some "indoors" activities lined up. I did pack my umbrella, so was even entertaining some puddle-hopping and adventures down the less-hectic streets in search of yet another little surprise. So out I stride into the early morning drizzle...straight away regretting my decision not to invest in some stylish galoshes from Vermont (they have a reputation for 6 months of "mud-season" so surely a necessity if you live up north). Within several blocks of walking - despite my best impression of the puddle-dodge dance - I had soaking wet socks. Squelch, Squelch, Squelch.
(I then discovered when I got home in the afternoon I had literally worn the sole of my boots - hence the lack of water-tight footwear!!)

 Nevermind - feet can dry - there was no way I was going to let a little damp sour my day! At least I was sensible enough to take the subway, rather than walk the 30 odd blocks to my first planned destination, as I would have done the day before.
Eventually caught the right train, and popped up in upper east Manhattan - at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (or the MET, as it is widely known as). I think one of the highlights in a city as large and diverse as New York is the variety and sheer number of historic landmarks or museums open to the public (to put it in perspective, my guide book had a special chapter on museums in NY; listing a mere sixteen options for getting cultured).

This is what the MET looks like...just imagine the rain and you're right there with me!

 Inside those doors is an entire new world - you could honestly live in the expansive rooms without having to leave for about a month. Now, I'm not a massive gallery buff or even that inspired by art but I was amazed at the size of the place, as well as diversity. I got lost just finding the front desk to buy a ticket!!
A few of my favourite areas are below - including Modern art, Greek/Roman collection as well as other parts in the European sculpture/decorative arts section.

Airy pavilion of sculpture made me glad I was inside...

Picasso

A bit more crazy Picasso

 Above is the picture by Salvador Dali - Madonna. At first its not that impressive....but take a step closer and you see the amazing attention to detail that creates a masterpiece...

Restored 1800's room

The roof was a whole lot more impressive that the pottery it housed!

Then I got hungry. 

There's nothing worse than having to pass judgement on art on an empty stomach! So, I stopped off at one the numerous cafes that were scattered in the MET - and judging by the line I had to endure there was plenty of others that also chose the inside option.

The American wing was also amazing.

You kinda can't tell from the picture but this is 3-D mosaic tile fountain.

Relocated off the NY streets when the area was electrified, but still pretty in this modern setting.

Armour room - complete with life-size horses and soldiers dressed for battle.

I then had the pleasure of taking a peaceful stroll through Central Park, albeit a little wetter than my other visit!! Didn't matter, because by this stage there was no way my legs could get any more saturated....so I enjoyed the serenity of an almost empty park in the middle of the hustle and bustle of NY.

My final destination for this rain-soaked day way Broadway - Jersey Boys matinee show. The story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The songs were fantastic, the show was awesome - I met some lovely people in the crowd, including one lady that had seen just about every Broadway show (even off-Broadway!!) in the past 20 years!

It was a most bizarre feeling walking out into daylight after a day like that. But at least my feet had dried out!! The only thing left to do in the day was find a coffee :-)