Big Apple Anniversary/Part 1/The Museum Tour

Mark and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary with a kid less trip to New York City. And what better way to celebrate never ending love than with an near-endless parade of museums! Hey, don't knock it. It's my love language.

Day 1 began with The Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side. This building was condemned in 1935 but never torn down. And there it sat for decades as a time capsule. This is the BEST museum in NYC if you want a real taste of the city. You literally get to step into the lives of immigrants and see how they lived and follow real life stories. The two families we followed lead right up to real people living in New york today. As we walked the stairs we touched the banister that about 7,000 immigrants used between the 1800's and 1935. But the side effect of such amazing stories of triumph is that you will leave there feeling like your own generation is a bunch of whiny, spoiled wimps! Hard times are not when you are unable to buy the newest iPhone!

Later that day we ended up at Francis Tavern in the Financial District. You may ask how a colonial building from the 1700's survived amongst the skyscrapers shinning of modern prosperity in the financial district? Well, George Washington took his men here for a celebratory meal at the end of the Revolutionary War. In a city that has been remade and torn down for bigger and better time and time again, only I would search out for the oldest and smallest! They are still serving food and there is a museum inside.

Day 2 sent us WAY up to 191st street! Tyron Park is beautiful in the springtime. And nestled in the back sits a hidden Manhattan gem, The Cloisters.

This museum incorporated recovered architectual pieces from the middle ages into it's building. Although they are all well labeled, the conglomerate is really seamless and you feel transported to Europe all for a $2.10, 20 minute subway ride.

Religious art reigned here with several pieces of architechture from cathedrals (1500's-1600's). Even the windows were stained glass from ruins.

And then there were the infamous medival unicorn tapestries. If your kids read the Magic Treehouse books. This is THE ONE!

Day 3 we hit the Metropolotan Museum of Art which is bigger than my neighborhood. There is so much more museum to the left of this picture that I could not fit in the screen. I suppose this is about half the museum. And no, we did not see it all. That might have prevented an 11th anniversary.

We hit the Greek and Roman art since we've had a lot of that time peroid around our house this year. Here is old Cesear himself.

And we couldn't pass up Ancient Egypt. Here is Queeh Hatsheput (she is the only woman who got to be Pharoah!). She is a favorite of ours.

Next up: Part 2/Food Tour

P.S. My spell check seems to be stuck or not working at this time. I'm sure there are a few things wrong in this post but I am kind of over it at this point so you will just have to live with it! :)