Visit New York - Day Four

I got up and went in search of somewhere that served a short stack of blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, but failed. Instead I opted for the NYPD's favourite and had coffee and two donuts from Dunkin Donuts (left)- delicious but not exactly a balanced and nutritious breakfast!

I got the subway uptown and then walked in the bitter cold (stupidly I didn't take my hat, gloves or scarf!) to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (5th Avenue and 89th Street), which is a work of art in itself. The 1959 building (right) was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, who envisioned a building that not only broke the rectilinear grid of Manhattan but also shattered existing notions of what a museum could be. He conceived of its curving, continuous space as a "temple of spirit" where viewers could foster a new way of looking. The special collection is displayed on this continuous upward spiral and there are annexes for the permanent collections.

The special collection was of the sculptor David Smith, but despite him being the namesake of my boy, I wasn't that impressed. The permanent collections are mainly comprised of modern art, but I really liked a couple of the Kandinskys and one of the Picassos. I took advantage of the free audio tour, which was definitely worthwhile as I learned a lot more about the artworks than I would've done otherwise.

Kandinsky - "Dominant Curve"

Kandinsky - "Several Circles"

Picasso - "Woman with Yellow Hair"

The Frick Collection (at 5th Avenue and 70th Street) is the mansion (left) of Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), the Pittsburgh coke and steel industrialist. The house cost $5,000,000 to build in 1913 and was designed to accommodate his paintings and other art objects, with the intention of them being left to the public after his death. The house itself is beautifully built in an Eighteenth Century European style, with many grand rooms including a music room (still used as a concert hall today) and a central courtyard garden (below right).

The art collection includes some of the best-known paintings by the greatest European artists, major works of sculpture, superb eighteenth-century French furniture and porcelains, Limoges enamels, Oriental rugs, and other works of remarkable quality. I saw some gorgeous and very famous works by Boucher, Degas, Van Dyck, Fragonard, Gainsborough, Hogarth, Holbein, Renoir, Reynolds, Romney, Turner, Vermeer and Whistler. Definitely well worth seeing.

Boucher - "The Four Seasons: Summer"

Fragonard - "Love Letters"

Gainsborough - "Sarah, Lady Innes"

Hogarth - "Miss Mary Edwards"

Holbein - "Sir Thomas More"

Romney - "Lady Hamilton as Nature"

Vermeer - "Mistress and Maid"

Whistler - "Harmony in Pink and Grey - Portrait of Lady Meux"

After walking along the East side of Central Park (left) and eating a hot cheese pretzel for lunch, I went to The Central Park Children's Zoo & Wildlife Center (on 5th Avenue and 64th Street). Since the 1860's, animals could be here, although at first, the collection was simply a growing group of donated animals - from 72 "white swans" to a black bear cub. In 1864 the Central Park Menagerie was formally established (becoming the Central Park Zoo in 1934) but over the decades it became a woefully inadequate facility for its inhabitants.

In 1980 the WCS signed an agreement to renovate and operate the zoo and in August 1988 the new Central Park Zoo opened, attracting nearly 1 million visitors a year. The Wildlife Center (right) leads visitors through tropic, temperate and polar regions to encounter fascinating animals and the Tisch Children's Zoo, added in 1997, lets little animal lovers meet gentle creatures up close. The zoo is also actively involved in helping endangered species.

I saw bunnies, sheep, goats, cows, ducks, lots of tropical birds, spider and tamarind monkeys, mouse deer, snakes, penguins, puffins, sealions and polarbears. It was lots of fun and I felt like a kid again!

Next I went to St Patrick's Cathedral (left). This cathedral (on 5th Avenue and 50th Street) is the seat of the Archbishop of New York and is the largest decorated gothic-style Catholic Cathedral in the United States. Building began in 1858 and the doors opened in May 1879. Towers were added to the West Front in 1888 and work began on the east addition, including the Lady Chapel in 1901. There was an extensive renovation of the interior between 1927 and 1931 when the great organ was installed and the sanctuary was enlarged. Both interior and exterior were completely restored to their original beauty during the years when Cardinal Cooke was Archbishop.

The cathedral is a truly breathtaking and serene building, with fascinating shrines and confession booths. I was unable to take any photos of the interior as my camera batteries died, but I lit a candle for my family and loved ones, and respectfully left before evening mass began.

Back at the hotel I showered and changed and went for dinner at Niles, the hotel's restaurant (on 7th Avenue and 31st Street). At the bar I had an aperitif of a Key Lime Martini (A mix of Stoli vanilla, pineapple juice, triple sec and a dash of lime juice) before going through to the restaurant (right). I was worried about looking like a loner, but the staff kindly sat me in a corner booth and later on a wealthly looking old lady came in to dine on her own too!

While I looked over the menu the staff were very attentive with the bread basket and iced water. For an appetiser I had Steamed Lobster Dumplings (with shiitake mushrooms and scallions in a spicy lemon garlic sauce) and for my entree I had Risotto Crab Cakes (with pesto mashed potatoes, spinach and chipolte aioli), washed down with a glass of Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio, from Trentino, Italy. Feeling stuffed I declined dessert and went back upstairs for a lie down!

After a rest I packed my bags while watching a cable TV guide to New York, then went to sleep before my final adventures!

See my New York photos here