The Museum of Natural History - so much fun!

The truth is, this museum is huge, and there is a lot in it. I can't share every photo of every wallaby, crustacean, roach, duck billed something-or-other, elephant, whale, skeleton, pomeranean (kidding), and what not, but below are some of my favorites. 

I took pictures of most of the exhibits, but those are so flat and strangely back-lit, and while the animal exhibits did impress me, the museum's overall environment and feel inspired me even more. The interior and exterior may be simple and traditional, but that translates to familiar and comfortable—and that is what we all need right now... when we're cold and alone in the winter months of this giant city. 

There's so much to take in... so many people, so many places, all one day and one night at a time.

they're looking at me! (from the african animals exhibit, 3rd floor)



1 green balloon inside the ground floor lobby

Theodore Roosevelt

museum's exterior on Central Park West, close to 81st street

Now I really want to see that movie, Night at the Museum!

The Museum of Natural History - ice skating

I hadn't been inside the Museum of Natural History since I was a pre-teen. My 8th grade class visited NYC and D.C. during a school field trip but I don't remember anything about it. Well now I'm a grown up and ready to take on every museum in the city and blog and post photos about it; remembering each visit and every view forever.

My main attraction to this museum was the Polar Rink - an outdoor skating rink next to the planeterium and along 81st Street. My initial understanding, based on photographs and random details, was that it was an indoor skating rink. Well I was surprised when I got there on the cold day that was Sunday March 1st and it turned out to be outside!

I'd had a busy weekend and was a little drunk still from Sunday brunch, but I was on a mission to see this so-called ice rink (it's not real ice, it's a synthetic, plastic-like material), on its very last day, which was this day (March 1st)!

what a cute bear, er, polar bear

Contemporary Art in LIC

Here are some more images from the P.S. 1 MoMA: Contemporary Art Center, located in Long Island City. These are all in the same room as part of the Jonathan Horowitz: And/Or exhibit, containing minimalist style sculptures, humanist pop portraiture and video projections. Man, I love going to museums!

Tofu on Pedestal in Gallery, 2002



Go Vegan! (200 Celebrity Vegetarians
Downloaded from the Internet), 2002

and there's Miley...



Recycling Sculpture (World Trade Center Memorial), 2005

The MoMA in Queens

There's a MoMA in Queens! I didn't realize that until now. The venue is called: P.S. 1 MoMA: Contemporary Arts Center.




I've been reading about this awesome installation by Leandro Erlich titled Swimming Pool and was unsure of the piece's ending date (March 09? October 09?) so I rushed over there on Sunday afternoon to check it out and see for myself what it would be like to stand inside of a swimming pool, fully clothed and camera equipped.

Erlich's installation is a full size swimming pool that is actually empty except for a few inches of water on the surface that lie above a full length piece of acryllic. You can enter inside the empty pool by taking the stairs underneath the deck, through a hallway and then into a small entrance way, and look up at the visitors above as they look down at you, standing inside a pool, unwet!

Bethesda still feels summerish

In the winter the Bethesda Fountain is dry and the gooey green stuff in The Lake by The Boathouse is frozen over, but something about this spot can still make you feel like it's summertime and you've gone for a jog in your shirt and shorts, like most people did on a fairly warm February day when the temperature peaked around 50 degrees.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from My New York City Photos, aka @NYCphotos (if you're on twitter).

I'm spending the weekend showing a special someone around the city, touring places like Central Park, Astor Place, Times Square, The Upper East Side, The Upper West Side, Greenwich Village, Battery Park and any spot that has a great photo opp. Shouldn't be too hard to find some here in NYC!

These are some specialty items from the Judith Leiber store on 61st and Madison. The little crystal miniatures are about $295. Yes, I want one(s).

Bethesda

The Bethesda Terrace, located in Central Park near the east 60's and 70's, was a popular spot on Sunday February 8th. Saturday it had been warm, in the 50's, and on Sunday it was warm up until the afternoon when it became cold and windy again. People were out jogging in shorts and shirts though. It was freakish.

So the Bethesda angel is part of the Bethesda Fountain that blesses the Bethesda Pool (in The Gospel of John). Her wings are pointy and pierce the sky.

Now I've got snow pictures!

I jinxed myself in a good way - I finally took some cute snow pictures! On Saturday, January 31st I headed over to Central Park just before the sun set to see what the park looked like in the dead of winter. I figured the snow would be melted away from the afternoon sun, but instead everything was white (and black too, as you can see).

I've never seen the park covered in snow before. I was impressed. So I entered the park and walked along the slippery paths towards the pond where ducks and geese fluttered and flew about, picking at seeds thrown by a nearby park goer.

It was cold and I froze so I had to leave, but I was happy to see the animals, including a raccoon.

View from border on 59th Street & 5th Avenue. See it in the summertime.

and on flickr.

Night is scary

It's February and I haven't posted any winter related pictures yet! What kind of New York City photos person am I? Last year it only snowed about three times and not one time did it last throughout the day. The sun came up and melted it all right away.

So far this year it has snowed nearly a dozen times and always at night while the city that never sleeps, sleeps. In the morning I put on my snow boots and long johns and grab an umbrella in case there is still a little bit of a snowfall. There usually is, but between carrying a purse, my bag lunch and umbrella while fumbling with gloves and scarves, it's pretty impossible to take a picture of the beautiful white snow.

So I don't have any cute pictures of the snow, but for now I have this scary image of a tree and pedestrian sign on 31st Street in Astoria, Queens.



look closely, there's a little bit of snow!

OOFOOFOOF

'OOF' by Edward Ruscha, 1962. Part of the MoMA's, 'Here Is Every' exhibit, 2008

MoMA Walls

Even the walls at the Museum of Modern Art are picture perfect!

From the 'Architecture and Design Drawings' on floor 3 of The MoMA

Gum!?

Created by John McCracken in 1967 this is The Absolutely Naked Fragrance, made of plywood covered with fiberglass and resin. It's Pink. It's at The MoMA in NYC and it looks like a big stick of gum! It is really a laquered monochrome "plank" made to look like a surfboard. McCracken was interested in the 1960's southern California culture and aesthetic.

Modern Art

Modern art is not for everyone, but I think that at The MoMA, there's a little bit of something for everyone!! By the way, this is the place Van Gogh's Starry Night calls home...

Inside The MoMA

Back in November I visited The MoMA with a friend who was visiting me, and I we got excited over the Joan Miró exhibit because we both love speaking spanish! But the Exhibit itself, titled, Anti-Painting, wasn't all that interesting. The entrance was though.

A Place I love to go

DUMBO stands for "Down Under The Manhattan Bridge Overpass". It is a town on the edge of Brooklyn that is located under and between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge overpasses. You can take a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge (like they do in Sex & The City, ha!) and then take a shortcut to get to DUMBO, where are there are lots of unique local shops, restaurants, cafes, art studios, book stores and more. I personally love to visit powerHouse Books on Main Street, right by the Brooklyn Bridge Park. There is a cool little theater called Galapagos and a sugary smelling cafe called The Almondine nearby. DUMBO is also the setting of some Gossip Girl scenes. They show a peek of it in 27 Dresses as well!