Day 7 A Ride in the Park

East Coast Trip: Day 7

We had such a fun day today. We rented bikes and rode all around uptown New York- through Central Park, to museums and 5th Avenue shops.

It was a beautiful day ~ sunny and blue skies.

We rode to the MET- Metropolitan Museum of Art. We admired every kind of art imaginable. From Ancient Greek to Medieval to the great artists of the Renaissance. None of us really liked the Modern art. While looking at canvases covered with random splotches of paint, or "statues" made from garbage, or portraits with two eyes on the same side of the face and no lips, we asked eachother "Who decided that was artistic!?" But we loved Monet's lillypads and Renoir's scenes in the park.

We rode through the park to the Museum of Natural History. Jaren and Michelle were anxious to visit this museum because it is in the movie "Night at the Museum" with Ben Stiller. They wanted to see the Easter Island head, the Huns, and the "strange puppet men with no faces." :) Like all the Smithsonian museums this museum is huge. One could spend days and still not see everything.

We rode to the Plaza Hotel and peeked inside. They have tight security ~ don't want riff-raff like us hanging around with their elite, wealthy, paying customers! It is beautiful inside.

Then we headed over to FAO Schwarz. What a store! Typical of most teenage boys, Jaren does not like to shop, but he was like a kid in a candy store at FAO Schwarz!

Wait...

he was a kid in a candy store! Candy Galore!! Even I was like a kid in a candy store. :)

We rode and walked along the famous 5th Avenue and pretended we were those elite, wealthy customers from the Plaza as we visited all the posh shops like: Tiffany & Co., Cartiers, Gucci, Chanel, and Trump Towers.

We loved Rockefeller Center

And stopped in for a bit of Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Then we did a really cool thing. We spent the entire evening on the top of the Empire State Building.

We saw the city in the daylight and found all the spots we had visited or were going to visit: Chrysler building, downtown & Ground Zero, Statue of Liberty, Central Park, etc...

Then, the sun started to set. We stood atop the Empire State Building and enjoyed a spectacular sunset as we watched the sun slowly set in the distance. It was fabulous!

After the sun went down, we stayed and watched as the city lights slowly came on one by one, like twinkle lights on a Christmas tree. Soon the whole city was lit up and sparkling. It was simply magical!



End of Day 7