A trip to the Central Parl Zoo and the The Metropolitan Museum of Art was planned for this day. I knew in advance that I would have a lot of walking to do in the coming days, but still I couldn’t resist heading towards the center on foot.
The weather in the morning was as it should be in November – cold and windy, so after walking a couple of blocks uptown, I quickly abandoned that idea, went to the first Starbucks I could find, had a snack and then took the subway to the center.
Times Square
Since I still had plenty of time before the opening the Zoo, I decided to get off at the famous Times Square location.
Being here for the first time, I felt like I was in some cyberpunk movie about the future, which is stereotypically represented by big skyscrapers, neon billboards, heavy traffic, crowds of people, etc.
The prevalence of giant backlit billboards in Times Square is largely due to specific zoning regulations, historical precedents, and conscious urban planning decisions. While New York City has extensive regulations that limit the size, brightness, and placement of signage in most neighborhoods, Times Square is governed by a unique set of rules that contribute to its signature visual intensity.
However, I wouldn’t want all streets to look like this – too many distracting objects that obscure the unique architectural features of buildings and the very look of the city. Thanks to the laws regulating street advertising.
Central Park Zoo
I’m not a fan of zoos, and last time in one when I was about 10 years old. I just feel sorry for living creatures that are forced to stay in a confined space for the rest of their lives. I understand that some were rescued from poachers, some were raised there, kept there for protection, etc., but still I just can’t look at them without regret. Try to stay in an apartment for a week without leaving the house with the condition not to use the Internet, books, etc. The question is, how long before you lose your mind? For more craziness let’s imagine that one wall is transparent, and some creatures not of your kind are constantly looking at you, poking you with some outgrowths, pulling out some devices, bringing them close to the transparent wall. Perhaps animals perceive things differently, but I noticed one pattern, at least in large animals, while I was there for a short time: they either sleep (pandas, leopards) or run around in circles to no end (grizzlies and harbor seals). I doubt this is typical normal behavior for them.
I made one lap, looked at the poor seals, sea lions, bears, leopard (only one got in the frame), red pandas (I saw them sleeping in their “boxes”, but could not get a good shot), and left there. I don’t want to go back there again. I understand that some animals are classified as threatened species like the red panda and snow leopard, all animals have to fed, so sending a donation to the Zoo is not an issue, but not to look at them again. They don’t exist to look at them for entertainment.
A walk in the Central Park
While I was walking around the Zoo, it got much warmer and the weather was just perfect for a walk in the park, which I took advantage of on my way to the Met.
I don’t know why but I really like photos like this – skyscrapers in the background. Usually something man-made is opposed to natural, but here I see that they complement each other very well.
Next time I’ll probably dedicate a whole day to this park. really, it’s amazing how they managed to organize such a place in such a city and especially in such a country, which is practically synonymous with the word «capitalism».
After reading a bit about this park after the trip, I found out that the park might not have existed at all (not surprisingly, to be honest), and there was even a settlement and other buildings on its territory.
I didn’t walk near the monument Alice in Wonderland and took a picture of it from afar, thinking I’d stop by again later, but after that I never bothered to take another walk in that area of the park.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
In the Egyptian section, the most eye-catching were the sarcophagus and the sphinx for their unusual preservation for such ancient exhibits. At first I thought they were replicas, because I thought in my head that such relics could not have been preserved so well. It turned out that some of them could be very well preserved.
When I walked into that room, I had a “whaaat?!” moment. I didn’t expect an entire temple to be housed inside the building, albeit not the largest, but still a temple with a foundation.
There were pictures of George Washington in all sorts of angles.
And then I saw that famous picture “Washington Crossing the Delaware”. Just as I was in the hall a tour came up and I willy-nilly overheard the guide’s inspirational talk about this painting. As is usually the case with stories of this nature, the guide told me that the picture was drawn with many inaccuracies – the direction of the boat should be reversed, the time of day should be at night, the weather is shown in the wrong way, etc., at the same time constantly making it clear that this is not important, but its symbolism is important, with which I categorically agree.
As I recall, I spent about five hours there, and I might have spent more if my feet hadn’t at some point told me, “Enough!”. Even though there was some walking planned for tomorrow, I decided to pack up and head back to the hotel anyway.
Way back
That was the end of the active part of this day. I took the metro back and finally gave my long-suffering legs a rest.
