Finally we go to Balto!!!
Wake up early this morning because the day will be nice full and first of all …
Central Park, where I will see…
Balto!!!
I’m not in the skin really, it’s kind of like since I’m 5 years old that I dream of seeing the statue of Balto that you see in the cartoon, and now, after 20 years, I can realize this little desire of my own child.
It all starts at Columbus Circle, not just a square.
It is a sort of golden miliary from which all official distances from New York are measured.
It’s wonderful: to see Central Park covered with a thin layer of snow.
There are dogs brought early in the morning to take their usual walk; a few daredevils who face the morning frost to play sports and a surprising number of good skaters on the ice rink of the Walmark Ring.
It’s really cold, this must be emphasized because you immediately freeze your nose and slowly we froze.
But, undaunted, we follow our own roadmap because we cannot surrender to the stupid cold; we are in New York, in Central Park!
No squirrel in sight but many beautiful chubby birds that are looking for some seeds in the snow, or to get a little heat from the shy rays of sun that pass between skyscrapers and trees; because yes, it is a cold dog but the sun is there, a fairytale day.
In the end we arrive at Balto and it was just as I imagined, reading the plaque and being able to hug him filled me with emotion; are
back the little girl with tears in her eyes who extracted the tape recorded on TV from the video recorder.
I embraced him as if I had met him, as if his story was also part of mine.
We continue along the Literaly Walk until we reach the Dakota Building, the building in front of which John Lennon was shot.
I try with all my strength to smoke a cigarette (since inside Central Park it is strictly forbidden) but between wind and cold it is really an epic undertaking.
I can not hold the cigarette between my fingers that are going from red to purple, at the end I put the cigarette in my mouth and try to smoke it without using my hands.
No comment…
One night at the museum
We arrive at Belvedere Castle, an ancient building that towers over a hill in Central Park.
We also pass by the frozen lake and I have experienced the resistance of the ice; unfortunately highly inadequate to allow me a walk without ending frozen dead.
At nine o’clock it’s time to head to the Museum of Natural History, another point that I never wanted to miss; I knew that inside it would take me at least a week and get lost in its immense rooms full of treasures from all over the world.
This is our third entry using the pass, but if you have to buy tickets you can find them here.
Before entering we had the meeting I had been hoping for since I got on the plane…
See squirrels!
We found two of them on a tree and I studded them with photographs, even if they were Hollywood superstars!
They are so cute, all hairy and intent on stretching on the tree.
Before entering the museum we caught the usual mid-morning peck so we stopped at a foodtruck and got a hotdog.
Hot dog that unfortunately cooled instantly since the temperature is well -8 degrees! Even if the perceived is much lower.
Anyway the hotdogs are really good even if they cost an eye of the head (4$ !!!!!); in our opinion they are made of beef and not pork or chicken like those found in Italy.
Outside the museum there is a cute dinosaur made with a plant but as soon as you enter… oh my god!
We are welcomed beautifully posing the first skeletons of dinosaurs that are really huge.
We climb one of the entrances in the pass and we leave, starting from the rooms where the animals of the various parts of the world are located.
They are not embalmed but made with a special technique that involves the creation of a wooden sculpture of the animal’s body.
On this is then glued the fur and horns, while glass eyes and other details in non-perishable material complete the reproduction. They are really interesting and beautiful to look at.
Continuing you pass in the room dedicated to the space in which there is a lot of information on discoveries and dimensions related to the celestial giants.
Too much information for us who don’t have my ideal week to spend inside the museum. A quick look and then we move on, to the rooms dedicated to the cultures of the world.
A pinch of the East
I didn’t expect them to be there, I thought the whole museum was about animals, too bad we didn’t have enough time to read everything.
We have seen the technique of making Japanese prints; through different wooden matrices that are pressed in succession on the paper creating the various layers of the design, complete with shadows and colors; a bit like the screen printing used by Warhol quite a few years later.
In the eastern wing there are very fine carved statues depicting characters from Japanese and Chinese mythology,
the masks of the No theater and a canopy used in weddings in ancient China.
In addition, there are some showcases dedicated to the habits of the various populations among which I have focused on the important events in the life of an ancient Chinese.
I found that they start counting the years from 1 and not from scratch as we do.
When the child turns old, objects are placed before him, each of which represents a craft, and the child choosing an object will decree his future.
Then there are the rooms dedicated to Burma and Tibet where there are some Buddhist sacred texts.
The section dedicated to Africa!
Unfortunately time flies, so let’s go directly to the room dedicated to the African tribes that I could never have missed given the sickness of Africa that has taken me in recent times; even though I’ve never been to Africa.
I saw up close the tribal costumes and an infinity of original ancient masks on which I would have continued to drool willingly for hours.
But damn time that flows too fast when you have fun.
South America!
The room dedicated to South American civilizations is also beautiful, full of feathered headdresses of a thousand colors.
After this room there is the reproduction of the head of Easter Island, which in the film “A night at the museum” says: “Stupid Fool give rubber rubber”!
But I found out that it is a reproduction!
Bummer…
After our tour around the world we pass by an area with all the monkey evolution accompanied by many skeletons.
And here there is really everything, many known and unknown animals: the turtles of the ice age, saber-toothed tigers and mammoths.
I thought they were bigger but probably with all the hair on them they had to be really impressive; I discovered where the belief in the existence of the Cyclops comes from.
Well it derives from the skeletons found of the mammoths who had a huge hole in the center of the skull, where the proboscis was located; the ancients believed that this was the seat of the only eye of the Cyclops.
Here is the skeleton of the famous T-rex, with its small paws picciò, really hilarious at least for me.
We then arrived at the area of Papua New Guinea where I discovered other interesting masks, all intertwined with natural fiber, almost as beautiful as the African ones even if less varied.
We saw huge totems and discovered that these were placed on the graves of the deceased.
Finally we enjoyed an excerpt of the section dedicated to plants where we saw the trunk of a tree that was more than two thousand years old!
It is a beautiful room dedicated to evolution, with many bodies of various animals that illustrate the various species; including jellyfish in jars and many creeping animals that fascinate me a lot.
Another note to do to myself in case we were to return to New York is to go back to this museum to visit the mineral section that also interests me a lot; but really, time is up.
At the exit another cute squirrel is jumping from one tile to another looking for good acorns to nibble and I also studded him with photos.
The Vessel and Chelsea Market
Taking the metro at the station just below the museum (nice since it is one of the rare decorated stations in the city) we went south, towards the Pub of How I Met Your Mother; at least the inside of the pub where they shot the series, but then we were annoyed to enter without taking anything and so we gave up.
I promise not to do it again in the future because I was sorry not to see it, f***ulo good manners or socially accepted behaviors; if I want to see something from now on I will give a damn what people may think.
At three o’clock our free entrance to The Vessel awaits us, so we head to the Chelsea quarter.
This area is in full reconstruction since for years she and the Meatpackaging District have been industrial districts of the city and therefore inhabited by poor and a little more infamous people.
But now thanks to the construction of the High Line (unfortunately closed that day, I think because of the ice) and the Vessel that concludes the journey; I think the area will grow a lot in the coming years becoming a nice new place for New York.
Inside the shopping center we find an entire wall formed by thousands of double face paiettes that allow you to play by writing and erasing drawings on the wall; a game much appreciated by children and of course also by me.
We are preparing to climb this huge hive composed exclusively of landings and stairs; and so much wind that forces us to turn in the direction in which we can take less.
I like these light and geometric constructions that offer good ideas for beautiful photographs.
From the top you can admire New Jersey and the cemetery of the trains that years ago brought all the basic necessities around Manhattan.
This neighborhood is also known for its art galleries.
Side note: Giulia remember to visit it better if you ever return to this city; so I could see in a showcase an original Banksy of the revolutionary throwing the bouquet of flowers.
In Chelsea the red brick dominates, all the buildings are in this style and shades of color; which makes it very different from those seen so far.
For example, it looks much warmer and more intimate than the grayness of the mighty twenties-thirtie style buildings that are located in the Rockefeller area.
Here, at an intersection, I found a multitude of illustrated books that were part of an old collection of stories inside a bin; yes, the bin was clean so nothing prevented me from peeking well and taking a book to take home.
In this area there are no real skyscrapers; there are the typical houses ground roof that you see at the cinema with their entrance door, the staircase and the small fenced piece of land.
Brachi’s Tip: spend half a sunny day strolling around Chelsea.
We end the day at Chelsea Market, another really nice place.
I was hoping to close it with a fantastic lobster sandwich from Lobster’s, but the cost is really absurd.
Maybe on a next trip we will give it to ourselves, as well as the oysters that I really want to try at Central Station.
We watch Japanese chefs sharpen their knives on stone and admire the many varieties of fish on their stalls, including Bronzino!
The market is located in an ancient building with a very suburban and decadent air.
But do not be fooled, it collects many chic places inside creating an interesting combination.
There is also a small ravine decorated with very fairytale reflective cards.
Walking around the neighborhood we found many murals, some of which were made by a single collective or artist given the very similar style.
Being in Chelsea I could not help but pass in front of the famous Chelsea Hotel; unfortunately it is under renovation.
In this hotel Sid Vicious killed Nancy and many important musicians stayed there.
We end our day at the Flatiron Building, also under renovation but still beautiful to look at.
Interesting is its pointed shape that leans towards Madison Square Park.
Although we could not admire its thousand lit windows, we still enjoyed the view of the park on which stand some beautiful buildings to admire both day and night (such as the Henry Luce Foundation building and the Clay Avenue Building).
Also on the park overlooks a huge LEGO shop complete with a statue of liberty made with the famous bricks.
In the evening usual soup and bed also because tomorrow we expect a morning levataccia not just.
At 4 am we have the bus to Baltimore, then to continue in the afternoon to the capital, Washington D.C.
If you do not know where we started and where we will end, click below!
