New York Skyline

A promise that we would one day visit the American Folk Art Museum found Janet and I flying to New York City for our summer vacation.

101 Crosby Street

A friend of the parents of a colleague of Janet's conveniently vacationed the same week we did, and graciously allowed us to use her apartement in SoHo while she was gone. We settled in, and our first full day we spent nearly three and half hours at our destination's goal - the American Folk Art Museum.

Central Park

The following morning we walked through Central Park.

Bethesda Fountain

Bethesda Fountain is a famous landmark in Central Park. When we arrived, Disney was filming Enchanted, a new movie starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsy, and Susan Sarandon. Of course, we saw none of these people, since at the time we weren't sure what the heck was going on and knew not at whom to gawk!

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

That same afternoon we wound our way through the park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and spent three and a half hours in the American Wing alone!

Hudson River Valley

On our third day, we rented a car and headed out of the city for the Hudson River Valley. Driving out of New York was a small adventure in itself, but worth the effort. We ended up in Tarrytown, of Headless Horseman fame. Yes, there is a Sleepy Hollow bridge, but it looks like any ordinary, contemporary street construction.

Kykuit

As meager as the Sleepy Hollow bridge was, however, the Rockefeller home of Kykuit [keye-KITE], located just outside of Sleepy Hollow, was outstanding!

Exceptional Home

Originally developed as a Rockefeller escape from the New York summer heat at the turn of the century, Nelson Rockefeller and his family lived at Kykuit year round during the 1960s while he was governor of New York.

Grounds

Sculptured grounds created lavish landscapes.

Modern Art

Nelson Rockefeller is famous for his patronage of modern art, and his home is itself a museum. Rare Picasso tapestries hang in the basement of Kykuit, just one example of the many pieces of modern art by renowned artists found inside.

Shopping

The next couple of days were dedicated to Little Italy and Chinatown in the Canal Street area, and shopping! Lots of shopping.

Theater

We saw Some Girl(s) at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in Greenwich Village. Erick McCormick (Will and Grace), Fran Drescher (The Nanny), Judy Reyes (Scrubs), and Maura Tierney (ER) starred. It was fun to see them all on stage in a small theater. An interesting aside, the Lucille Lortel theatre is where the character Joey on Friends would perform when the story-line called for him to be working on a play.

No Place Like It!

Janet and I had a great time. We ate at some fantastic restaurants, and truly enjoyed the museums, excursions, and theater.