Spending the Day In NYC and Why You Should Be A Tourist In Your Home City Too

Sometimes it’s really easy to forget that I live in a city that people from all over the world come to visit. I forget in the middle of my routine of train rides, bar shifts, and dodging tourists on the street, that there is so much to see right here.

Occasionally, I brave the crowds (and sometimes snowstorms) to get out of the little bubble I’ve created in New York City. It’s important to be reunited with the places that make this city a top travel destination.

During one of the winter’s worst snowstorms, my friend (Elizabeth) and I slid onto the N train and spent a day in NYC. And we started at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

MUSEUMS

I have gone a handful of times since I’ve lived in New York, but I have usually been dragged there by out of town visitors. Most of my time is spent following them around. I’ll read about a painting or two and leave with my sticker souvenir feeling the same as I did before I got there. Knowing I can always go back.

I was determined this time would be different.

Unfortunately, I am not much of an art connoisseur. I wish I were but most of the time I just look at a painting and think it looks better than anything I could ever do. There are some exceptions but maybe that’s for another post. I still like to leave a museum knowing something I didn’t know before I went in.

This time I did a little research to see what masterpieces I was actually supposed to see. I was armed with artists, paintings, sculptures, and the official Metropolitan Museum App.

One of the greatest things about the Met is that it is still donation based so you can give whatever you’re able to afford for a ticket, which makes it an attainable activity for anyone.

Update: The Met is now only donation based for New York City residents.

We spent most of our time gazing at European paintings, appreciating the rough brush strokes of Vincent Van Gogh’s Wheat Field with Cypresses.  And we had a good laugh at the hidden cowboy (Elizabeth spotted) in Pissarro’s Rue de l’Épicerie. 

We learned what we could and laughed when we needed to. Because when it comes to Art, sometimes you just don’t get it and other times it’s just plain silly. I think someone who can be silly in a museum is the best person to go to a museum with.

The Met app was a great download for quick information about anything we saw that caught our eyes. It also served as a great way to find the galleries we were looking for. The commentary under each exhibit is short and provides limited information. So a guided tour would be beneficial to get the most out of your visit.

DESSERT

After the Met, we made our way to Cafe Lalo on the Upper West Side for dessert and coffee.  Right out of You’ve Got Mail, this place has all the charm you’d want. It’s lined with white tea lights on the outside and rows of delicious desserts on the inside.

We ordered a latte, a macchiato, strawberry shortcake and a slice of key lime cheesecake. Mmm. The snowstorm couldn’t even get in our way.

If there is something in your city you have been waiting to get acquainted with, you just go do it. What exactly are you waiting for?