Guggenheim

 

For our last fling we went to the Guggenheim Museum, which is just slightly further away than the Metropolitan Museum.  The main exhibit here is the building itself.  It's not particularly large but is almost entirely comprised of one large spiral structure.  Inside you walk steadily upwards around the spiral until you reach the top, with the artworks displayed in spaces opening off the spiral.  Very unusual.

Unfortunately the work of acclaimed artist Lee Ufan left us cold.  Large rocks, heavy sheets of steel, and large canvases covered with dots or lines.  We tried, but failed to see the revolutionary artistic qualities.

Went there on a bus, which was nice and cool, and probably much more comfortable than going down into the subway at the moment.  You pay using the same "Metro" swipe card used on the trains - $2.25 for any journey.

Sue enjoying a coffee

After the Guggenheim we walked across the road into Central Park to see a large lake marked on our maps.  It is the Jacquie Onassis Reservoir, and is indeed quite large.  It was still very hot, so we didn't spend long there but got back on the bus and stayed there until it reached the end of its run on 8th Street (we started at 88th Street).

We were in the "West Village" area, in between the "midtown" we have been staying in and the Wall Street area at the south end of Manhattan.  The University of New York is here - a collection of medium-sized skyscrapers housing the university and student accommodation.  It all looks a bit worn and grubby.  Nearyby Washington Square was full of people and activity, with a number of impromptu jazz performances going on, children playing in the fountain - despite the green and slightly smelly water - and some others practicing their dancing under a large Arc-de-Triomphe style arch.

Washington Square

Washington Square musicians

We walked back through a street market selling all sorts of cooked food, as well as the usual hats, belts, scarves, etc. Another bus took us home.