After my first trip to New York City, I find myself wanting to return soon to keep exploring. I stayed in Manhattan, visited a friend in Brooklyn, walked from one end of Central Park to the other, saw some of Chelsea, took trains, ate a massive Katz corned beef, enjoyed LOTS of authentic Korean food, enjoyed so many great meals, and caught a few glimpses of other neighborhoods on my way in and out of town, I now have a bigger list of must-see places for when I get back up that way including Grand Central Station, Ellis Island, Natural History Museum and the Met, Broadway for a show, and so much more! I must admit that for my first visit, I fulfilled my goal to ‘experience’ the city.
One of my main agendas in ‘the city’ was to take in as much of the magic of Fredrick Law Olmstead’s FIRST landscape architect project. He and Calvert Vaux designed Central Park to be a ‘democratic greenspace in a growing metropolis’. This 843-acre park is such a unique experience with its beautiful winding pathways that circle around the reservoir and lake, the natural and curated gardens, an awe-inspiring array of historic trees, stonework, arches, and structures created with an artisan touch, and so many sculptures. I spent an entire day of my visit taking as much of it in as I could, traversing from one end to the other. Reeling in the sights kept me walking and seeing art along my way back to my hotel.
Somehow in Central Park, the jacket I saw with ‘It was all a dream’ on it then the squirrel posing for me alongside Dr. Seuss-like trees summed up the feeling of this magical place! Those three moments happened one after the other. I’m excited to share some of this awesome trip with you all!
When I found myself in the park alongside Museum Mile, I emerged from the huge gates to find myself looking at the magnificent Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum. I could not resist the call to enter that magnificent building. The Guggenheim Museum in New York has always been somewhere I wanted to see, not just for the art, but to experience being in that building. The architecture is one of a kind and a work of art unto itself. The art was spectacular- pieces on display from Picasso, Renoir, Monet, Manet, and amazing current exhibitions by Alex Katz ‘Gathering’ and Nick Cave ‘Forothermore’ (woah – that is some deeply moving and intriguing work – check him out!) .
Did you know that Asheville’s Biltmore Estate and NC Arboretum were also Fredrick Law Olmstead projects? I loved getting to see this special place – and am honored to help support this legacy by being a community partner of the NC Arboretum. These non-Asheville area photos actually do relate to our area and ultimately, it is all connected no matter where we end up. Have you been to NYC? If so, what are your favorite places to explore?
I am so excited to finally share some of my trip to NYC to wrap up the end of 2022 and start 2023.