The Big Apple

As part of the Washington Seminar program they gave us a three-day weekend with no classes or work called an enrichment weekend. My first thought for the enrichment weekend was to just sit home, rest, and go to a few museums. But when I have the option of doing something or nothing, I have always been taught to do something; so I decided to go to New York. Looking back, the low-key weekend in DC might not have been a bad idea. I have been to New York before with my family so I was just along for the ride and was excited to see whatever the group had planned.

We left Union Station at 6:00 am Friday morning and made the four hour journey by bus. I suddenly became very grateful for my gift of sleeping while traveling. We could not have had better weather. We hit the ground running and went straight to Ground Zero. I had not yet seen the memorial built there but it was stunning. I found the two large black fountains stunning and so symbolic of what occurred at that site. I think the place had an even greater impact after visiting the Newseum and seeing their 9/11 exhibit. The event was fresh in my mind and I was truly taken back by the magnitude of the attack and its impact on the entire world. 

Friday night was filled with the Museum of Modern Art and Time Square. When I thought of modern art I was thinking of the super funky art but I was surprised by how many artists I recognized including Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Claude Monet, and Frida Kahlo. I really enjoyed the museum and the variety of mediums displayed. After the museum we grabbed food and ran to a performance of Wicked. I had seen the musical before but it was fabulous.

Saturday was another experience entirely. We started out the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was fabulous. We saw the largest Egyptian temple outside of Egypt and the self-portrait of Rembrandt. I had been tired all morning but during the subway ride towards the Brooklyn Bridge, my body decided that it could not take it any longer and I threw up in the middle of the New York Subway. So gross! I have always passed those throw up accidents in public settings and wondered "couldn't they have made it a few feet further into the trashcan?" It all makes sense to me now. I headed back to the apartment and slept the rest of the day. 

On the way home we went to church in the New York Temple. It was pretty neat!My overall take on New York City was that there were a ton of neat things to do there but I did not like how dirty and crowded it was. I cannot say that I absolutely loved New York City but I cannot say that I regret going.