Christmas Eve 2006
a gratuitous self-promotion . . .
One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.
Our photo is currently number 12 out of 467 photos.
You can vote by clicking here
Remember a 10 is good!
Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!
*smile*
Christmas is a time for family and friends. This year we did something we had never contemplated doing before – we left the hustle and bustle behind and went away for Christmas. Actually we just substituted one hustle and bustle for another because as we were to learn – New York is NEVER quiet.
We had never been to New York before. When it became apparent that we were to be deserted by family and friends for Christmas we started to look for travel options on-line. We found a wonderful deal on Orbitz - $ 900 a person for a return flight to New York from Toronto on Air Canada, shuttle service to and from the hotel, and 4 nights at the amazing Westin New York at Times Square. Needless to say we booked immediately.
This is how we spent December 24th, 2006.
It was a far slower daythan the previous one. We had no reservations for anything and we could just wander at will. We slept in, had a relaxing start to the morning. While Paul was in the shower I went to the bakery around the corner from the hotel for breakfast. For $11.50 I got two large coffees, some cut up fresh fruit, and two breakfast bagels. The same from room service would have cost $60. It may have been fancier but the extra $50 is better spent on other things I think.
We decided to head up to the Guggenheim Gallery. We caught the subway across from the hotel at the Port Authority station, switched at Grand Central Terminal and headed north to the 86th Street Station. We walked towards Central Park and ended up just south of the gallery.
Unfortunately the fantastic structure by Frank Lloyd Wright (the last building he designed prior to his death) was under renovations so we could not see the outside of the structure. The interior was stunning with beautiful undulating lines and curves. It reminded me a bit of the work of a Canadian architect: Douglas Cardinal.
We viewed the special exhibit in the main exhibit halls. The exhibit was Spanish Painting from El Greco to Picasso: Time, Truth, and History which brought together works by the great Spanish masters of the 16th through the 20th centuries: Francisco de Zurbarán, Diego Velázquez, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Francisco de Goya, Juan Gris, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, and many others, as well as El Greco and Pablo Picasso. Unlike other overviews that display paintings in a strictly chronological order, this exhibition was broken into fifteen distinct sections, each based on a theme running through the past five centuries of Spanish culture. These thematic displays demonstrated the affinities between the art of the old masters and that of the modern era. Works from different periods appeared side by side within each section, offering radical juxtapositions that cut across time to reveal the overwhelming coherence of the art. It was a fascinating and enlightening way to display the art.
Leaving the Guggenheim we walked down 5th Avenue to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. This gallery is one of the largest in the world and we knew that there was no way we could do it justice in one day. Instead we decided to look at the famous Christmas tree and their collection of modern art. The gallery has a ‘pay what you want’ policy and I shouldn’t have paid the suggested amount $20 per adult (not $15 as suggested in the guidebooks) given that we would only be there an hour or so.
The Museum has a long-standing holiday tradition with the annual presentation of its Christmas tree, a favourite of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world. The brightly lit, 20-foot blue spruce—with a collection of 18th-century Neapolitan angels and cherubs among its boughs and groups of realistic crèche figures flanking the Nativity scene at its base—delights holiday visitors in the Museum's Medieval Sculpture Hall. Set in front of the 18th-century Spanish choir screen from the Cathedral of Valladolid, with recorded Christmas music in the background, the installation reflects the spirit of the holiday season.
The Museum's towering tree, glowing with light, is adorned with cherubs and some 50 gracefully suspended angels. The landscape at the base displays the figures and scenery of the Neapolitan Christmas crib. This display mingles the three basic elements traditional in 18th-century Naples: the Nativity, with adoring shepherds and their flocks; the procession of the three Magi and their exotically dressed retinue of Asians and Africans; and, most distinctively, a crowd of colourful townspeople and peasants. The theatrical scene is enhanced by a charming assortment of animals—sheep, goats, horses, a camel, and an elephant—and by background pieces serving as the dramatic setting for the Nativity, including the ruins of a Roman temple, several quaint houses, and a typical Italian fountain with a lion's-mask waterspout. We spent more than an hour admiring the tree and delighting in all of the details that we were able to see in the Nativity scene. It is amazing to think that each of the more than 200 figurines must be individually posed. I can understand why New Yorkers feel such love for this display.
We wandered around the European galleries and spent some time examining the modern art. There were some excellent canvasses by Jackson Pollock. We don’t always ‘understand’ modern art but we enjoy trying to figure out just what the artist was trying to depict. After our three weeks of viewing medieval art in Italy this fall we still needed some time away from ‘Madonna and baby’ scenes.
We spent some time in the museum’s excellent gallery shop and headed out into the sunshine.
We continued walking down 5th Avenue until we came to the entrance to Central Park. I understand as well why New Yorkers feel such love for this amazing urban park. It was an oasis of calm and tranquility in the midst of such mammoth urban energy. We wandered through the park identifying the sites we had seen in movies and TV shows set in New York.
Even though it was near the end of December (although the weather gave little indication of this) New Yorkers were enjoying the park in droves. There were joggers, bikers, walkers; young and old. It was wonderful to see children chasing squirrels, playing with their toys, and enjoying being outside with their parents (or nannies as the case may be).
We spent some time remembering John Lennon at Strawberry Fields and contemplated the senselessness of murder. It was a quiet and fitting memorial to such a great artist.
Leaving the park we walked down Central Park West admiring the wonderful apartment buildings. We contemplated how wonderful it would be to live there should we ever come into multi-millions of dollars.
We were hungry by now (the pretzel’s we had bought from a vendor outside the Met had held the hunger off for a bit) so we headed down to Columbus Circle. We decided to get something to eat in the Whole Foods in the Times Warner Centre – I think that half of New York had the same idea. Paul filled up a container at the Indian food bar and I selected two slices of pizza. We grabbed some drinks, and some cookies for dessert. The total was $23; we paid and were able to find two seats together in the eating area.
As always I was amazed at how rude some people can be. The pace was hopping, and people were tired and hungry. The lady beside me insisted on using two seats for her bags of purchases! Finally the dirty looks she was receiving registered and she put her bags on the floor like the rest of us. People applauded and I am pleased to report that she was suitably embarrassed.
After lunch we headed up to the third floor of the Times Warner Centre to check out the Bouchon Bakery. This is for Thomas Keller fans on a budget! The famous chef opened Bouchon Bakery one floor down from his famed Per Se restaurant. The café offers the same quality, panache -- and view -- as the Michelin-starred restaurant above, at prices ranging from $11 to $17. The menu includes soups and eclectic sandwiches such as cashew butter and apricot jelly. There were amazing baked goods. We stood in line and bought some baked goods for our Christmas Day breakfast.
Leaving the Times Warner Centre we took the subway back down to the hotel. There we did something we rarely do on vacation – we napped! The slowtravel website has taught me that you don’t have to be on the go all of the time.
When we woke up three hours later we enjoyed two pomegranate martinis mixed by yours truly and thus fortified headed out for dinner. We had decided to try a restaurant that was recommended in many tour books: Virgil’s BBQ. You may wonder why we would choose to go to a restaurant like this when there are so many excellent restaurants in the city. The truth is that we love BBQ! In Canada it is difficult to get good Mexican food or good BBQ so whenever we are in the US we look for this.
We had no trouble finding the restaurant – it was actually beside the restaurant we had enjoyed so much the night before! Virgil’s isn’t fancy but the service is quick, efficient and the food was good. Like so many restaurants in the US the quantities were HUGE – keep this in mind when ordering your appetizer. We made the mistake of ordering the appetizer sampler, we couldn’t finish it and we were already full! It had a sample of their ribs, famous smoked wings, fried catfish, southern corn dogs, and hush puppies. Paul ordered a pulled pork sandwich and I decided to try the fried chicken. We took more than half of our dinners back to the hotel. We passed on dessert. The bill with beers and the tip came to $75.
We walked back to the hotel where I made still more pomegranate martinis – I wish that I could remember where I bought this mix because I’d like to take a few bottles home with me. I went down to the lobby where I joined many other people wrapping gifts. If I ran a hotel I think that I would offer a gift wrapping room for hotel guests to use on Christmas Eve.
When I returned to the room Paul was engrossed in Christmas movies. He was disappointed that there wasn’t any station showing Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ – in Canada there is a version playing on just about every station on Christmas Eve. He made do.
I made us each a Kir Royale and we enjoyed the shortbread we had purchased yesterday at the Garden of Eden. I had brought one of my Christmas Cakes with me so we had some of that as well. Off to bed we went hoping that Santa would find us in our hotel in NY!
Dinosaur BBQ
