NYC: Day 3

On Day 3, we totally slept in. I worked out in the gym and the boys watched some TV, until I returned and showered. We headed out around 11:15 a.m. and walked up to Rockefeller Square.

X-man was excited not just because he could watch the ice skaters (he's only gone once, and decided he didn't want to skate that day) but if you look in the back corner of the photo by the flags, his favorite store is right there!

We ate at a 'wichcraft, and then I left the boys to use the Citypass at the "Top of the Rock" and tour the Lego store, while I walked further uptown to meet my friend George at his office to catch up.

On my way to 6th Avenue, I heard this very loud music. An RV passed by blaring it. And then there were four more RVs. A police car sped by. I looked down street to the south and realized there several dozen RVs in some sort of parade. On the side of each RV was a sign wishing everyone a Happy Passover. And little Jewish children inside were shouting the message into microphones as they went down the street. Shopkeepers came out and waved at the parade. It was noisy, but very sweet. I managed to sneak across the street to the other side in a gap between slow moving RVs.

When I was done visiting my friend, I met up with the boys at the Museum of Modern Art. X-man was excited because he knew of some of the artists in the MOMA. He was most excited about Vincent Van Gogh, because they had studied him in art class at the beginning of the year. He was also fascinated that this was an art museum that had an exhibit all about the design of video games, and that there would be 14 playable games on exhibit (including PacMan). At the Natural History museum, we had to exchange our CityPass book coupons for tickets, which included standing in a short line. But at MOMA, you just walk right up to the ticket guy and he scans the back of your book and you walk right in. It was awesome. However, unlike the history museum, you have to check in any bag larger than a purse. I was thankful X-man was no longer in a stroller and required a diaper bag.

We picked up a map at the 2nd floor information desk and was told about a Child Art Activity being done on the lower floor. X-man wanted video games first, so we went to floor three to check out the design exhibits. He identified the wall discussing the design of SimCity 2000, and the original Sims game, first. He and MacTroll were like book ends traveling from exhibit to exhibit.

Me, I went and got in line to play PacMan. I felt bad that I finished the first two levels without dying, where as most of the people before me killed all three of their guys on the cherry level. Sim when I finished strawberry, I totally let the person behind me take over. :-)

Then we ran up to the fifth floor to seen Vincent. X-man searched and searched and searched. And when he found Starry, Starry Night, he asked me to take a photo of him with it and e-mail it to his art teacher. I have to admit... seeing this picture in person was totally worth the journey to New York. Its so bright and expressive. I have a thing for swirls. In comparison to MacTroll and my trip to Paris two years ago to see the Louvre, it made the Mona Lisa look dull and very boring. Her you can check out in a text book (she's not much bigger), but the Van Gogh was awesome.

X-man was getting tired from all the walking, so we found a bench for him to sit on. MacTroll sat with him, while I walked around taking in Matisse and Van Gogh and Monet and Seurat. I spotted Mondrian, which reminded me of our art unit at MMO. Then MacTroll took his turn. Suddenly, X-man got his brain back and saw the giant Waterlilies of Monet, and asked MacTroll to take him to see them. He was excited that it took an entire wall. 

After looking so much, X-man really needed to "do" something. So we headed down to the children's art exhibit. Because it was a weekday, and there weren't any school groups there at the time and most of the MOMA visitors were ages 20+ the kids area was pretty empty. The art study was about "people." And so there were magnetic shapes you could make into faces and this cool idea that I think would go over great in a pre-school room. You put up a dry erase board and then make three doors to cover a head area, a body area and a leg area. Then you take turns drawing in them. X-man went first and made a head. Then I made a body, and then MacTroll made the legs. We covered up what we made so the other family members couldn't see them. Then when MacTroll was done, we uncovered our bodily creation. 

X-man moved on to the another great idea for pre-school. It was three clip on desk lamps pointed at a semi-transparent piece of thick paper. There was a magnet board in the back that held pre-made shadow puppets, but you could also make your own. X-man spent a good 45 minutes down in the art area experimenting with various projects.

But then it was snack time, so we bought and shared a pretzel and some bottled water from a street vendor outside, and walked X-man to his reward for being so awesome: FAO Schwarz. 

It was right behind the big glass cube that is the entry to the 5th Avenue Apple Store. We walked in and X-man found some stairs that you could climb to look over the first floor of the toy store. He went up there and was delighted at how he could take in everything. And then he looked over his right shoulder and saw someone waving at him -- Iron Man! He waved back, and then ran down the stairs and got on an escalator to go to the second floor. There was a magician showing elements of a magic kit, and a woman with a colorful no mess drawing board. I hadn't seen that kind of "salesmanship" in forever. X-man cruised through the train section, the Mega Blox, the dolls, Barbie, until he found a mini Lego store inside the bigger store, where he found his newest hero waiting for him. 

Then there was a Lego minifigure movie showing the guys playing the large $250,000 piano at FAO (like in the movie Big). And through the other side was that piano. I asked X-man if he wanted to go over and play on it because the line was very short. He was too shy. But he kept staring and staring. And then suddenly, he walked over and waited for his turn.

He got around 3 minutes on the piano, which he said was not long enough. But he though it was cool.

We grabbed the Lego set he wanted and went down the stairs to finish the first floor. The escalator dumps you off right into a massive candy shop. X-man got some Gummi Angry Birds and some Gummmi coke bottles. Then we walked for 45 minutes back to our hotel room and ordered Thai food for dinner -- delivery. :-)

As we waited for it to arrive, X-man and MacTroll put together Legos together, and I totally iced my foot.