Yesterday was a day for culture. Took the Tube uptown to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This also involved a short wander through Central Park. Colours hadn’t changed much. It was Veteran’s Day and there were lots more people out and about. This is a remembrance day, like ANZAC Day in Australia,  but takes place on the internationally recognised Remembrance Day, 11 November. There is a big march up 5th Avenue and much wreath laying. The weather was good for the celebrations.

Once inside the Museum we initially wandered through the ancient section of Greek and Roman stuff. I refer to this as stuff because we have seen so much of it in recent times that it takes on a certain familiarity . Despite that it is quite remarkable how much of it has been ‘collected’ outside of places like Greece, Italy and Asia Minor. The Rockefeller’s certainly accumulated their share, much of which has ended up in public collections.

What was a bit awe-inspiring though was the Temple of Dendur from Egypt. Built by the Romans around 15 BC. This was originally going to be submerged by the Aswan Dam and the USA made a considerable gift to Egypt to ‘save’ it and numerous other objects and antiquities from the same fate. The Egyptians in gratitude gave the Temple of Dendur to the American people and it has ended up here in the Met. Quite a spectacular object and magnificently displayed.

Temple of Dendur

Also wandered around the American painter’s section. Quite an array of monumental works. You could spend days in this place strolling around. We walked back downtown to the hotel along 5th Avenue and took in the action around Times Square and the shopping district.

Today we largely went up.

In the morning it was the Rockefeller Centre, 67 floors up looking up and down Manhattan. But for the fog! We were up early at 10.30 and but for a brief time we were fogged in for 2 hours at the top. Waiting for it to clear. On 2 occasions we sort of started to leave but held back, someone said it would clear around 1pm. And so it did! Sun came out, but from time to time  there was still some low-level cloud below us. A great view though with some interesting photos of the gloom and then the opening up of the skies.

The skies clear and we see the Empire State Building and the Downtown area

From Rockefeller Centre looking at fog.

We finally headed off at about 1.30pm downtown to Greenwich Village for a few hours and a late lunch. Found a  little Italian eatery just near the Tube exit in West Village and enjoyed a couple of simply great wood fired pizzas.

Someone then suggested we should head back uptown and do the Empire State Building. Arrived there and after doing all the getting into the place things ……..tickets, security, a modest queue for the lifts ……..arrived at the top ………86 stories ……….the sun had set, the lights had come on. Simply stunning night-time views in all directions. No fog here!

Brooklyn Bridge

Downtown from the Empire State Building circa 6pm.

This was a great way to finish the day and we somewhat wearily headed back  along 5th Avenue to our hotel.