New York, New York! Day 6: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Central Park.

4 June 2014

On our final full day in NYC we went to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. There was an exhibition of costumes and another highlight was seeing the famous pieces of Vincent van Gogh. The museum was so big and like a maze; so much so that we struggled to find our way out and had to ask several staff members to help us! The rooftop of the museum was also impressive, it had an interesting design and great views over a very green Central Park and Manhattan. You can get a drink, relax and enjoy the view.

The Met

View of Manhattan from the roof of the Met

Rooftop Garden

Vincent van Gogh in the Met

After getting lunch we walked through Central Park to see the parts we hadn't seen properly the day we cycled around. We saw the Alice in Wonderland statue, the Conservatory Water boat pond, the "Imagine" memorial for John Lennon and the Bethesda Fountain and Terrace which we had already seen but wanted to go to again.

Alice in Wonderland Statue, Central Park

Conservatory Water, Central Park

The Boathouse at Central Park

Bethesda Terrace, Central Park

Staircase of Bethesda Terrace

Me in Central Park

Boats

Strawberry Fields "Imagine" Memorial for John Lennon

After Central Park we went to the Empire State Building to go on the SkyRide which was included in our NYPass. It wasn't worth the time it took to go and the experience needs updating so I wouldn't recommend it unless it changes. We then got dinner at a food market nearby where they had really cool street food trucks and I had a great pizza! We headed to Times Square and then back to the apartment to prepare to fly back to Long Beach the next day!

NYC was amazing, one of my favourite places I went to in the USA and I can't wait to get back there one day to see more of the city!

Just one more post and then it is officially the end of my year abroad blog! The next and final one will be on my second trip to San Francisco!

New York, New York! Day 5: The Guggenheim and "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway.

3 June 2014

Day 5 was quieter, we went to The Guggenheim Museum which was impressive. I was more intrigued by the unusual architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright than the Italian Futurism art exhibition inside but that was very interesting too! By the time we had finished there it was time for lunch. We wandered for a while, not seeming to come across anywhere at all to eat in the area, then a nice man stopped us (we obviously looked like confused tourists) and he told us about a lovely place just down the street. We were thankful and so very very hungry. After lunch we went to Times Square to buy tickets for a Broadway show. We got them for Phantom of the Opera that night. We didn't have enough time before the show to go far so we went to Madame Tussauds in Times Square as it was included in our NYPass. It wasn't very good but it filled the time.

The Guggenheim Museum

Inside the Guggenheim

When we got to the theatre we were surprised at how good our seats were, we were in the stalls, pretty close to the front and the show was great!

Waiting for The Phantom of the Opera to begin

The Phantom of the Opera

Once we got back to our apartment we went to the roof of our building. There was a really great view of Manhattan from there which was a nice surprise!

One more to go!

New York, New York! Day 2: Uptown TV & Movie Tour, Rockefeller Center Tour, Top of the Rock and Times Square.

31 May 2014

On our second full day in the city we got the subway to Times Square and then walked to the meeting point for our Uptown TV & Movie Tour run by On Location Tours, which we were able to do through the New York Pass. The tour started at McGee's Pub, which was inspiration for MacLaren's in TV show How I Met Your Mother. We got on the tour bus just as it had started to rain; we were fortunate to be doing something sheltered for the morning and although it meant I couldn't take photos out of the bus windows I was happy to be out of the rain and able to sit and enjoy the ride!

New York Police Dept., Times Square

Spiderman, the Cookie Monster and the Statue of Liberty x 2 hanging out in Times Square

The Inspiration for MacLaren's in How I Met Your Mother

The tour was great as we saw lots of famous and iconic locations including Cafe Lalo which featured in You've Got Mail. We were able to get off the bus there and take a look inside so I managed to get a couple of photos. We also saw locations for Gossip Girl, the apartment building used in Elf, the diner used in Seinfeld, the building used as Chandler's office in Friends and many others. Our tour guide was very good, an actor who had actually been in a couple of episodes of One Tree Hill, he made the tour very funny and enjoyable. We were shown clips of the films and TV shows to put the locations into context, which made it very surreal to be in the place where so much film history has been made. The tour was also good for getting our bearings in Uptown Manhattan as we gained an idea of where everything was for the rest of the week!

Cafe Lalo featured in You've Got Mail

Cafe Lalo Interior

After the TV & Movie tour we walked to the Rockefeller Center to buy our tickets for a tour there later in the day. We also saw the famous LOVE piece by Robert Indiana, and St. Patrick's Cathedral, an 1879 structure, nestled between the skyscrapers, a contrast of old and new. Although the Cathedral was under restoration with scaffolding obstructing the exterior beauty of the building, the interior made up for it, a piece of history in a modern city.

LOVE, by Pop Artist Robert Indiana

St. Patricks Cathedral (under restoration)

Inside St. Patrick's Cathedral

The Rockefeller Center tour showed us the history, art and architecture of the buildings. This was also included in our NYPass and was well worth doing as you actually begin to understand what you are seeing. Headsets are used on the walking tour so you don't miss a word your guide tells you as you walk around busy New York streets learning about the Rockefeller Center from its very beginnings.

30 Rockefeller Plaza

Radio City

A project of the 1930s, the Rockefeller Center's architecture and art is of the Art Deco style. Its from an era of great interest in innovation, technology and looking to the future. The famous piece above the entrance to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Wisdom, depicts this theme together with the pieces on either side, Sound and Light, which represent radio and film.

Wisdom. 1933.

Inside 30 Rock is the mural American Progress by Jose Maria Sert, a replacement to the original by Diego Rivera which was considered offensive as communist Lenin was featured in the piece. American Progress is a much more positive depiction of the USA, as it shows what can be achieved in the development of the country using intelligence and hard work.

American Progress. 1937. by Jose Maria Sert in the Rockefeller Lobby

Time. 1941.

We were told by the tour guide about protests and issues between Rockefeller and the Church in the development of this Atlas statue opposite St. Patrick's Cathedral. Then also how it actually became favoured by the church as it looks from behind somewhat like Jesus on the Cross, and it is he who has the world on his shoulders. The Cathedral also appears to fill the globe, meaning that it can be interpreted as religion being of utmost importance to Earth.

Atlas. 1937.

Atlas. 1937. and St. Patrick's Cathedral

Prometheus. 1934. Rockefeller Center

30 Rockefeller Plaza

After the tour we went up to Top of the Rock which had amazing views over all of Manhattan, including Central Park and the Empire State Building. We got there just in time for sunset so were able to see the city in both light and darkness. 

View of Central Park

View of The Empire State Building and Lower Manhattan at Sunset

Me and the Empire State Building!

Sunset

Lower Manhattan at Night

Empire State Building and One World Trade Center at Night

After Top of the Rock we headed to Times Square to see it at night. It's pretty surreal being in one of the most iconic places on earth!

Times Square at Night

George M. Cohan Statue

All of the Lights

1540 Broadway

Me in Times Square!

Thanks for reading! Look out for my next post; Day 3: The Natural History Museum, Lincoln Center, Riding Bikes around Central Park and Grand Central!

Moving Out and LA: The Last Bookstore, Central Library and the Hollywood Museum.

The semester and the academic part of my year abroad had come to an end. After the most amazing time living the American dorm life I had to move out and onto the next phase of the year. It was really sad to say goodbye to so many people but it was made easier by the fact that my friend Abbi had finished her year in North Carolina and had come to stay with me for the weekend. It was kind of chaotic as I had to pack up all my stuff and move but we managed to fit in some fun things that weekend and it made my transition easier. I had about a month before I had to leave Long Beach and head home and I wanted to make the most of my time left. 

On Thursday, after handing in my final essay of the year we went to pick up Abbi from LA. I then showed her around the Long Beach campus and took her to 2nd street where we had one of my American food favourites, Yogurtland! The next day I showed Abbi downtown Long Beach and we relaxed in the sun with a smoothie at Shoreline Village. On Saturday which was a really nice day, I took her to Huntington Beach where we had a lovely walk along the beach, the pier and also around the shops.

Views from Huntington Pier:

On the Sunday, Abbi, Sara and I took the Metro to LA. We visited a cool spot called the Last Bookstore where we had fun seeing the unusual set-up, the impressive building and looking at the books. There are also some interesting shops and art pieces to see. It is definitely worth a visit to see the quirky arty side of LA. 

The Last Bookstore:

Colour-coordinated:

We decided to continue our book theme by going to see LA's library, a 1920s building, as shown by its architectural features. The Library is surrounded by LA's downtown skyscrapers which are quite a contrast. The library, although somewhat dwarfed by the surrounding structures, is an example of the LA area's rise to importance at the beginning of the 20th century. The building holds its own amongst the modern and this is also shown by the interior which has impressive artwork covering the walls and ceilings which was completed in 1933.

"In the world of affairs we live in our own age, In books we live in all ages."

The Hollywood Museum was next on our to-do list and well worth a visit to experience some of Hollywood's history and also view its impressive collections of costumes, props and autographs. Hollywood, with its extraordinary reputation, can be somewhat underwhelming if you just visit the Walk of Fame. However, visiting places like the Hollywood Museum make you realise you are in the iconic and creative place where so many films have been made and where so many stars have lived and worked.

The museum building itself was originally owned by Max Factor, who was the original make-up artist to Hollywood's actors and actresses. Opening in 1935, designed in an art deco style, the building became a place where make-up was now acceptable for the higher classes and many stars went there to be prepared for their roles. Inside the museum are old make-up sets and brushes used by the stars and also authentic make-up rooms where actresses such as Marilyn Monroe were transformed into the iconic images we know today. There is also an invention of Max Factor's, The Beauty Calibration Machine, which spotted where corrections needed to be made with make-up, showing just how innovative for the times Max Factor was.

The Hollywood Museum:

Max Factor Make Up:

The Max Factor Beauty Calibration Machine:

The museum has many of the most iconic props and costumes in film and television history, including Dorothy's Red Shoes from The Wizard of Oz, boxing gloves from Rocky and the red swimming costumes from Baywatch. It also features a piece of the original HollywoodLand sign which stood from 1923 to 1978.  The sign deteriorated over the years as it was intended to stand for less than 18 months, not for over 50 years, however it continued to represent the film industry. It was decided in 1978 that it was to be replaced with a long-standing structure due to its iconic significance and today it remains one of the most important landmarks in Los Angeles.

Dorothy's Red Shoes:

A Piece of the Original HollywoodLand Sign:

There are items featured from Hollywood's beginnings to its most recent productions. The museum has featured items from TV shows as recent as Breaking Bad, Modern Family, Once Upon a Time and The Walking Dead. The combination of the restoration of the Max Factor building with its purpose as a museum in which you can learn about the rich history of Hollywood makes this one of the best attractions for the film industry in LA.

Breaking Bad Costume and props:

A LOST Costume:

Next up: Road trip up the Pacific Coast Highway to Santa Monica, Malibu and Santa Barbara!