New York, Day V

Spent half the day at the Museum of Natural History, and the other half at the Museum of Modern Art. I loved them both! The Museum of Natural History had a significant display dedicated to the area of Biology I love most - invertebrates! I have decided not to bore you with photos of jellies, crabs, and squids. Needless to say, I spent the majority of my time there and sped through everything else.

I doubt I would have enjoyed the MoMA as much if it weren't for their pretty extensive photography exhibit. Somehow paintings and drawings are difficult for me to fathom. They have a lovely area surrounded by the building where you can dine, have some coffee and just people watch all afternoon!

The 9/11 Memorial is, in my opinion, very well designed. I was a little put off by people posing and smiling for photographs taken by the memorial pools - this, to me, just doesn't seem like the place for it. A very nice NYPD officer took the time to talk, our conversation initially being about the sweltering heat. I eventually found out that his sister (whom he is very, very proud of) attends Harvard, while he is considering pursuing a master's degree at the City University of New York.

It's amazing how you can talk to anyone there!

New York, Day IV

Standard tourist day. Took a ferry to Liberty Island alone. As much as I wanted to do a John Lennon pose in front of the Statue of Liberty, there were just too many people and I didn't take my tripod with me. Another ferry took me to Ellis Island. Everyone there was listening to one of those audio guides. There was no sign saying they were sterilized, and the obsessive compulsive in me can't take the chance. I almost got on a ferry to New Jersey. They need to make their signs much bigger, seriously.

The walk across the Brooklyn Bridge would have been enjoyable if not for the weather. That said, I only made it to about 1/5 of the way or less. Didn't stay too long for the same reason.

We dropped by Washington Square Park and NYU (might as well), walked past a fantastic Beatles mural and headed home early for once.

I tried out my new B&H babies (that place is nuts) at the High Line after dinner. That's Steven Molofsky, who works in fine arts.

New York, Day III

A short visit to the beautiful Columbia University campus was followed by a short trip to Central Park and therefore a visit to the famous Strawberry Fields. Huge Beatles fan here. Huge. No photos from Columbia, at least not any digital ones. I will get around to scanning the prints...eventually.

Surprisingly the lineup for the Empire State Building Observatory wasn't that long. I don't understand why there isn't any cell reception up there. None of my 'signature' night shots here. Got there a bit too early and wasn't willing to wait four hours for the sun to set.

Only in New York will you find an elevated park made from an abandoned railroad. That would have been demolished or left to rot had that been located anywhere in the Philippines (a bit mean of me to say, but it's true). Free concerts, jazz and classical musicians here and there, food, interesting people and amazing views of the river and the city.

New York, Day II

Dropped by Grand Central first thing in the morning to take some tourist-y photos of the famed subway station. They have a very open Apple store maybe two stories up where I bought my mom an iPhone case (like you care).

I met up with Nicole (who was studying at NYU for the summer), for lunch at the adorable Alice's Tea Cup on East 64th. We ordered the Mad Hatter, which included some scones, sandwiches and cookies with tea served in adorable pots. I had the usual Earl Grey - not too adventurous when it comes to food, no. I was able to get a few photos from the famous Laduree on the Upper East Side. It costs about $20 for 6 macarons. It's a little steep but I doubt I'll get another chance to try them out.

The MET is huge. There was hardly a place to sit on the steps ala Blair Waldorf and minions of Gossip Girl. Regrettably, I forgot to take down the name of the artist who did my favourite piece with miniature people glued to the wall (I can't think of a more elegant way to put it). If you're ever at The MET, make sure you head up to the rooftop. There's a pretty decent view of the city in addition to the occasional exhibit. I probably would not have made an effort to find the elevator if it were not for Nicole's rooftop tip. I lazy. My being lazy also explains the pathetic photo of The MET's exterior. The 24-70L is a pretty heavy lens, so I stuck with the markedly lighter 50mm.

I took a photo of a homeless woman at the subway station in a well-off area in Manhattan. A few seconds later a woman angrily asked me why I would do such a thing. I'm not the type to not defend myself when faced with situations like this, but given that I was in public in a foreign city in the company of my godfather, I decided to keep my mouth shut for once. It's really none of her business, and she should have thought about possible reasons for my supposedly offensive actions before asking such a stupid question.

If you want a fantastic view of the Brooklyn Bridge without actually getting on it, head to South Street Seaport and into the whats-it-called mall-like place. They have a veranda you can lounge in that provides you with said view.