Culture

This morning we had a later start. We drove to the Upper West Side and parked. We tried to find a park on the street (which is free) but we couldn't find one on the right side of the road. It turns out that every second day, the street sweepers clean the streets so all the cars parked on the north side had to be moved by 11:30am until 2pm else they would be towed. Apparently what they do is at 11:30am the people parked on the north, double park their cars on the south side (one way streets) until 2pm when they move them back!

We walked through Central Park and around the Jackie Kennedy Reservoir. The park was quite lovely and green.

We visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art (or The Met) which is on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. This museum is full of artworks from different countries and different eras. We started in the Egyptian section and saw mummies and frescos filled with hieroglyphics. It was quite fascinating to learn about the techniques they used to preserve people. From there we moved to the American Wing followed by Arms and Armour. I really enjoyed seeing the knights and the different suits of armour. The Medieval Art was spectacular and they were playing some dramatic music which really set the scene. Things came a little unstuck in the European Paintings section when I heard Andrew and Mercina casing the joint. We figured out that each Monet was worth approximately $7Million and they were trying to figure out how to take one! Eva encouraged us to take a trip to the Roof Garden where we saw some spectacular views. We ended our time at The Met reviewing our own cultural artifacts in the Greek and Roman Art room.

Andrew took us to Lennich (a famous NY deli) which was further uptown. We had to get two taxis for the 6 of us. I managed to flag one down straight after Andrew and was able to utter those magical words "Follow that cab!". Lunch was delicious. We even managed to watch the second half of the France/Belgium semi final - although the commentary was in Spanish.

After lunch we took a walk to the Dakota Building where John Lennon lived and died. It was a special moment for me. Luckily there were no other tourists when we were there so I had plenty of time and space to contemplate. We then walked across the road into Central Park to see Strawberry Fields and the Imagine Memorial. There were heaps of people there. Some had brought flowers. A man was playing John Lennon songs on his guitar and we were all singing along. It was great to sit there and reflect on his life and his death and the impact he made on the world. I am really glad we did this as it was something I was really looking forward to seeing.

On our way back, we stopped in at the NY Barber Museum which was run by a couple of guys who were quite passionate about the history of barbering in NY. Thy gave us a full guided tour of the place. It was very interesting.

The kids wanted to take the girls to their favourite frozen yoghurt place , 16 Handles. Everyone had a great time selecting their yoghurts and their toppings.

By now it was 5pm and we were all a bit tired so we returned to the hotel. The kids went for a swim and I updated my blog and had a nap.

At 8pm we went to Rosa Mexicano for dinner. We enjoyed the food although there was too much of it again!

Another great day. Andrew is an awesome tour guide. It has been fun seeing where he lived and worked and also learning about the city. We have covered heaps of ground and we have seen a lot. I do have photos to share and I hope to put more up in the morning.Read more