Doctors recommend moderate physical activity and mental stimulation for good health. Our recent New York City experiences toned up our bodies… and wondrously expanded our minds!
Of countless art museums, we visit the big three: Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), Metropolitan and the iconic Guggenheim. Headsets guide us through their renowned collections. The Impressionists prove especially interesting. Like intrepid scientists, these 19th century artists investigated the properties of light seeking to capture fleeting impressions of early morning meadows, snowy valleys, rain-soaked fields, sun-baked mountainsides and smoke-filled train stations.
At MOMA, we study Cezanne and Pissarro’s pastel landscapes of French countrysides, Monet’s swirling wall-sized depictions of his own garden’s water lilies and Van Gogh’s shimmering renditions of evocative scenes such as Starry Night. Inside the Met, impressionist masterpieces document their fascinating era: Renoir’s reflections on social life; Degas’ intricate world of ballet and horseracing; Manet’s vivid portrayals of Spanish culture.
From over 80 shows playing on and off Broadway, we pick two award-winning musicals. In the first, aspiring DJ Huey Calhoun and friends passionately integrate 1950s rock and roll on Memphis radio. Next, Billy Elliot tap dances his way out of a struggling coal town with a tour-de-force London performance. Dazzling choreography, catchy musical scores and those uplifting plotlines of Memphis and Billy Elliot trigger standing ovations… and inspire optimism.
Central Park inspires miles and miles of rousing exercise. From our perfectly located park west hotel, we explore this vast green gem afoot… and during a bike tour. The tour begins inside the park as guide Richard recounts park history: “These old photos show the huge fanfare when Central Park opened in 1857. Olmstead and Vaux designed this stylish 843-acre park to compete with those in Europe. It’s been popular ever since!”
Spinning along shady East Drive, we pass a 3,500-year-old obelisk rising among a grove of huge elms; just yesterday we’d discovered an elaborate bronze sculpture portraying Alice in Wonderland’s quirky characters just below. Further on, Richard leads us onto a pathway toward idyllic serenity under a stone bridge. “Few know about this wilderness haven! You’re standing under some of the park’s 24,000 trees – and beside schist boulders first excavated to create early subways.”
Our single file procession exits the park into Harlem’s light Sunday traffic. Cars are double-parked along this borough’s wide streets due to attendance in its 350 churches. Seated inside a small neighbourhood church, rousing gospel music and a passionate sermon stirs our congregation.
Distinctive brownstone homes line these streets, occasional gaps providing space for community gardens. Street names eulogize distinguished citizens. Statues memorialize abolitionist Frederick Douglass, jazz great Duke Ellington and civil rights advocate Adam Clayton Powel Junior.
We pass legendary Apollo Theater, where stars like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, Sarah Vaughan and Michael Jackson launched careers. Posters still list top acts and Tuesdays’ amateur nights. Just beyond Bill Clinton’s glassy offices, New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research boasts collections reflecting the richness of black culture.
A soul food restaurant’s smorgasbord provides salad fixings, collard greens, cornbread, candied yams, fried chicken and more. Plates loaded, a Dutch couple compares travel in the Netherlands and Manhattan with us. We all agree NYC motorists consider pedestrians and cyclists courteously.
On our return, Richard leads us to the lush Great Lawn, venue for countless famous performers. Our ride continues to the park’s western edge to see The Dakota, turn-of-the-century apartment block where John Lennon lived – and died. Embellishing a nearby path, a mosaic Imagine is strewn with flowers honoring John’s birthday. Perhaps imagining Lennon’s better world, many pose here for photos. A celebrant in floral-patched denims grins, “His widow Yoko Ono chose this tribute rather than a statue to be disrespected by pigeons!” Pulling off the roadway, we listen to a folky guitar group harmonizing Lennon favourites… and soon join in.
Still humming “Strawberry Fields Forever,” our pedal culminates at spectacular Bethesda Terrace, often used in movies. Of the park’s abundant artwork, its 1873 fountain topped with a bronze eight-foot winged angel surrounded by cherubs proves the most grand. Our Big Apple pedal proves a delicious bite of healthful explorations.
Subway trains whisk us off on further thought provoking adventures. In historic Greenwich Village, we ramble along tree-lined streets past shops, second-hand stores and restaurants. Inside Washington Square, children romp in the playground while elders play chess at tables and listen to musicians. Built in the late 1800s, its massive white Washington Arch celebrates the centennial of George Washington’s presidential inauguration. We later browse through a street market at Union Square, and hop another train with our bag of fresh pretzels.
On the tip of lower Manhattan, Battery Park overflows with sculptures, many conveying immigrant struggles. Looking south through an iron slab, a soldier’s profile frames the bustling waterfront. Nearby, long line-ups await ferries to visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
A few blocks away lies Bowling Green, NYC’s earliest park. Eager photographers like us swamp its Wall Street Bull. This financial district’s sleek skyscrapers overshadow gothic Trinity Church. Clearly etched headstones, from the 1600-1800s, dot its restful burial ground, including those of Alexander Hamilton and Robert Fulton.
To experience the city’s architectural grandeur, we enter its tallest building. A ground floor exhibit outlines the Empire State Building’s ongoing $550 million green renovations. Headsets recount its original completion at the start of the Great Depression. Unable to rent office space then, it was nicknamed “Empty State Building.”
Elevators sweep us up 86 stories to the observation deck for extraordinary city panoramas. Looking up 16 floors above this deck, we see its distinctive Art Deco spire, now used as a broadcast tower. It was a mooring mast for dirigibles. As airships encountered dangerous updrafts, this idea never “flew”!
Circle cruising around Manhattan gives us yet another insightful perspective on this glorious city. Approaching tiny Beloe’s Island, we gaze upon the Statue of Liberty atop her star-shaped pedestal, once an early fort. Our nautical guide notes, “The Colossus of Rhodes inspired Bartholdi to conceive this similar gigantic statue. He created Libertas to greet world travellers at the entrance of New York harbour.” We learn the unveiling ceremonies excluded most women, outraging the suffragettes. Also shocking, when completely revealed in her flowing gown and cloak, Liberty was wearing slave sandals!
On up the East River, we pass under the Brooklyn suspension Bridge, an 1883 marvel and first of Manhattan’s 16 bridges. When the United Nations Building appears, we reflect more on NYC’s international perspective. Imagining King Kong clinging to the Empire State Building, and Ghost Busters de-spooking the Chrysler Building, this much-filmed cityscape also causes a few chuckles.
Veering northward along the Harlem River, we border the Bronx, NYC’s mainland borough. Settled by a Danish farmer James Bronck, this agricultural area became industrialized in the 1900s – and, recently, the ’hood for hot Latin jazz and hip-hop.
Returning along the Hudson, we glimpse Columbia University straddling Morningside Heights, Grant’s Tomb and Roman Cloisters Museum. Alas, there’s no time left to investigate the Cloisters’ priceless medieval art. Slicing the busy waterfront is Manhattan’s newly developed greenway; it would be great to have another day to rent bikes and pedal this trail!
NYC endlessly entertains, educates, and beckons visitors like us to return for further healthy adventures!
When You Go:
General NYC Tourist Information: www.nycgo.com
Recommended NYC City Pass: www.citypass.com
Theatre Productions: www.broadway.com
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