The Big Apple Day 4

I'm back!!

Right as we were in the process of setting up a new gmail account so I could load more pictures, blogger increased the picture allowance. 

Saturday we hit the MOMA...actually we ate breakfast at Pret A Manger first and then went to the MOMA.  "Pret" is a European natural fast food restaurant which is not pronounced the way it reads in English.  It's like "prey awe man-jaw" or something like that, I speak zero French so I sound like a hick when I try to pronounce it. 

Rachel and Cristin had put together this fantastic guide to some of the "must see" art in the MOMA and The Met which made this experience for me.  I enjoy dance, music, and literature but I have never been exposed to much visual, wall type art. I have never taken an art, or art history class.  I know what I like but I don't know why and don't always agree with what the masses like. I wasn't moved by the paintings as others at the museum were, but I appreciated it so much more with some background.  Knowing a the historical context, a bit about the painter's life, and the emotions around the painting helped me enjoy this experience much more that I would have.  That being said, I enjoyed The Met leaps and bounds more so I think I am more of a "functional" art appreciator (like furniture, clothing, jewelry...that kind of stuff). 

Some of the girls taking a break from the art.

Then on to lunch.
Chelsea Market is an enclosed urban food court, shopping mall, office building and television production facility located in the Chelsea neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan, in New York City. 
(I just copied that sentence from Wikipedia)
The television studio mentioned is the FOOD NETWORK! (how is that for shouty capitals). The food was divine, but we weren't allowed up to the network.

 We indulged in crepes, and some chocolates from Jacques Torres ("Mr. Chocolate").  

Half of our group went shopping, the other half went to the Tenement Museum.

This is one of my most cherished experiences of the whole trip. Miriam and I had done some reading about immigration into New York so seeing the actual apartments and hearing stories about real people who lived there was amazing. We are very blessed my friends...very blessed.
I thought a lot about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn durring this tour.  Our guide was wonderful.

This is also when I realized that Miriam needed a break.  The rest of the group went out to dinner and then to a show but we took a breather.  We grabbed sandwiches on our way back to the hotel and Miriam watched some episodes of cupcake wars.

By the evening we were rested and feeling brave so we walked all the way up 5th Avenue to FAO Swartz.  We searched for the perfect toys for the boys and of course played on the piano.  One couple did a perfect rendition of chopsticks, just like the movie Big.  We found a couple of squish penny machines...... score!
We stopped to buy a street vendor to buy $5 Pashminas, and went back to our hotel to share a slice of chocolate cake.