First of all, can I say, this is hard! I can't believe I'm only on Day Three! Does that mean I am lazy or very busy? I don't know, I think I'm very busy but that could be to make myself feel better about the laziness... who can say?! And the photo is the view of Long Island from across the Hudson River.
So we got up first thing and trekked down Fifth Avenue to the Empire State Building, we had been warned to get there early because the queue really builds up but luckily we managed to be on the 105th floor in about 20 minutes, which pleased Glenn no end, and that's a joke, because he hates heights and visibly shook the entire way around the top. He's actually been up there before and was going up again just for me so we must not laugh at his shakiness because he could have told me to do one. It was freezing up there but we tried to take our time and take some photo's, some man was shouting at his what looked like about 8yr old son to "STAND BACK FROM THE SIDE, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU FELL OFF?!" well if he wasn't thinking about it before.... there is a HUGE fence that goes way, way up all around the side so you would have to incredibly dedicated about doing it to actually fall off, and there are so many people around that I very much doubt even the most committed suicide jumper would manage it, but apparently there is nothing to match scaring the living shit out of your child.
Spectacular views by the way, but I guess you already had an inkling of that.
After the Empire State Building came my absolute favourite part of the day, if not the whole holiday, the Museum of Modern Art, there was a Munch exhibition on (they did not have 'Scream', but they did have 'Despair' and 'Angst', which are equally disturbing! So that was nice), there were countless works by Mondrian, Picasso, Matisse, Klimt, Dali, Hopper, Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. And one of my favourite paintings in the whole world, 'Christina's World', by Andrew Wyeth, it was tucked away in a corner somewhere and when I noticed it it just took my breath away.
Glenn is a bit gay and very much enjoyed Monet's 'Reflections on a waterlily pond', which is HUGE by the way, but it was a very big thrill standing right in front of it.
A lot of people hate modern art and I think sometimes it's felt that it doesn't take as much talent as more traditional pieces, but can you imagine being in the world, say, 100 years ago and seeing something like a Picasso for the very first time, a world that had never dreamt of Mondrian or Warhol, where does an artist like Picasso come up with the idea for something like that? With no point of reference, how does he think to do it? I don't agree with the idea that modernism is not as accessible as more classic art, surely it's the most accessible, because you can make of it what you will. What is it? It's whatever you want it to be, what do you think and feel when you look at it? That's what it is.
Anyway, blah blah blah and all that...
Munch's 'Portrait of Inger' freaked Glenn out so much he had to leave the room, which was very funny.
After MoMA, we walked down Fifth Avenue and attempted shopping for the first time which was a disaster of mythical proportions, turns out in New York, I am just all the wrong shape, looking back they have the same problems we have n the UK, no proper sizing system, the size 12 jeans slipped on easily in old Navy but I couldn't get them past my thighs in Gap. As say though, it's on reflection that I have realised this, at the time I was not rational and thought only of changing my name to Lardy McFatArse.
Sachs was beautiful, really, really beautiful but not for people like us..... I asked Catherine where the 'Sex and The City' type of women were to be found because I hadn't yet seen any of these uber stylish, wealthy types yet, she said 'Sachs, they're all in Sachs', and she was right! Except close up they're just frightening looking... Like an extreme version of the make up counter attendants in Debenhams, very orange.
Back at the hotel to have an hour off from it all and we discovered that American news reporting is bloody weird!
"A father goes to court today to seek to legally relinquish his parental rights, is he right to do so? Or an irresponsible jerk?"
I want to hear Anna Ford say that!
Another gem:
"Convicted of his parent's murders 12 months ago, new evidence comes to light during his appeal showing his father's business partner could be to blame"
And that poor sod is sat in front of the TV, innocently watching to news, only to find out he's the new suspect in a murder case...
Now according to the diary, we didn't do anything that night. I think that means that that's the night we had a row and Glenn stormed back to the hotel while I stood aoutside the Rockefellar Centre wondering what to do, but I didn't tell you about that, shhhhhhh......
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