Ivy and Tia Julie Take New York: Day Two

Since rain was forecast for Tuesday, we decided to do the museums on Ivy's list today so we would be inside. This would coincide nicely with some of the other things on Ivy's list that were on the Upper East and West Sides (so no ice cream today, as they are all in lower Manhattan).

But first we needed breakfast. We went to the restaurant in our hotel for their gourmet doughnuts. We spared nothing in getting six, very large, doughnuts from coconut to lemon poppy to nutella-filled to share between the two of us. We sat by the window and looked out on the people rushing around during the morning commute hour.

We took the Shuffle to Grand Central so we could catch a green line train to the Guggenheim Museum. I loved explaining the subway and city streets to Ivy - where each subway goes, what an express line is, how streets are short and avenues are long. She caught on quickly and it made my little heart so happy.

The Guggenheim is a museum I never visited when I lived in the city, so I was excited to be able to experience this for the first time just like Ivy. She had a couple pieces she wanted to see, specifically the Picasso piece, "Woman with Yellow Hair." The Guggenheim is also home to several Van Gogh paintings as well as some Kandinsky.

We both loved the Guggenheim! Most museums are so large that they feel overwhelming and I never get to see everything. But the Guggenheim is the perfect size, and the architecture with the spiral walkway means you don't miss out on anything. It's the perfect museum.

We then walked through Central Park, since there aren't subway options for travelling cross-town. It was overcast and a little drizzly, but the walk along the Jackie Onassis Reservoir was still nice.

Now on the Upper West Side, we took the 1 train up to Columbia University. This was on Ivy's list because she wants to go to school there (or NYU). I told her about how after Auntie Em and grandma left New York after moving there, and I was alone for the first time, I came to Columbia and sat on the steps of the library so I wouldn't feel alone.

We walked around and took photos, imagining what it would be like for Ivy to attend school there. And then we were on a quest to find a bathroom. Which is always difficult when in NYC. Since we were on campus, surrounded by several essentially public buildings, we chose one to enter and look for a bathroom. We did, and liked that Ivy used the bathroom at an Ivy League school.

Since we were uptown on the west side, I decided to take Ivy up a few more blocks to see where I used to live. But first we stopped at the Hamilton residence uptown. Sadly, it was Tuesday and the National Park is closed on Tuesday. So we just took a photo before walking down 141st to my old apartment building. Oh the memories!

My old apartment building! 

My subway stop. The deli I used to love is gone, replaced by a Duane Reade. 

Then it was downtown to get lunch at Grey's Papaya! But first we made a small detour to West End Street so Ivy could take a picture for her mom of the apartment of the character Rose in the film The Mirror Has Two Faces. While walking down 86nd Street we walked past actor Mark Ruffalo. A true New York moment!

We got our hot dogs and walked to Central Park to eat them on a bench, even though it was kind of cold. But Ivy wanted to see the well-known bridge in Central Park, which we walked to after scarfing down our hot dogs and papaya juice.

Our next stop was the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and we needed to fit it in before heading Broadway that night to see Wicked. So we got on the subway and headed to the museum, with Ivy knowing exactly what she wanted to see. She knew she wanted to see "Starry Night" from Van Gogh and "The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory" by Dali. We also made sure to see Monet's "Water Lillies", which, along with "Starry Night", is still breathtaking even though I have seen it before. Dali's painting we missed the first time through, since it is a small painting. We had to ask where it was, then realized we had walked right by it!

I tried to get photos of Ivy looking at the art. But whenever I'd pull my phone out she'd also pull her phone out! 

The MoMA is cool, but it can be overwhelming with all the different levels and rooms. The Guggenheim solves those problems with its awesome structure and form.

Then we headed to our hotel to get ready for Wicked, which will be a separate post because this is already too long!