The Bub in the Belly

On Friday, 6 May 2011, we went to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). We didn't visit the museum itself, we just went to the gift shop. Bought a ton of stuff there, including some building blocks for Ryan, a reading light for Richard and a wall clock for our home. After that, we went to the MoMA bookstore and bought some books. We bought so much stuff that we had to make a trip back to our hotel to deposit our shopping bags before continuing our day.

We wandered around, just looking at the buildings that we know from books/music/TV/movies. This is Radio City Music Hall. Its interior was declared a city landmark in 1978. Aah.. wish that I could have seen all the beautiful showgirls. Radio City Music Hall is actually part of Rockefeller Centre - more on Rockefeller Centre in the next instalment.

Stopped for lunch at Trump Tower - the 9th tallest building in New York. The decor of the building is golden, glitzy and shiny. Here's Ryan drinking from a bottle with Donald Trump's face. Gotta admire a man who can sell mineral water on the strength of his face!




Tiffany & Co is next door. We went in, walked one round, and walked out. I like this photo - if you think that we're grinning like maniacs, you should have seen Richard's happy face when I decided I didn't want anything from the store! Hahaha, joking, joking. My darling hubby will happily buy the world for me if I asked - yes?


This is the entrance to the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. The store is actually underground, accessed through stairs or an elevator in this glass box. Apple received architectural awards for this particular store.

Image from Wikipedia

We wandered along Fifth Avenue, looking at the various shops, popping into a few. There was a very long queue to get into the Abercrombie & Fitch Store so we skipped that. Walked on some more then decided to make our way to Grand Central Terminal.

Grand Central Terminal (also known as Grand Central Station) is another national historic landmark. Built in the heyday of American long-distance passenger trains, it is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms - 44 platforms with 67 tracks along them across two underground levels.

The main concourse is truly majestic and it was amazing to stand there right in the centre, feeling as though I was a character in the many movies that Grand Central Terminal has featured in.

That's me carrying Ryan in the centre of the crowd

There is a mural of the constellations on the ceiling, which is painted on backwards. Some say it was a mistake, others say it was meant to depict God's view from above.


Besides platforms, Grand Central has restaurants, such as the Oyster Bar, and various fast food outlets surrounding the Dining Concourse on the level below the Main Concourse, as well as delis, bakeries, newsstands, a gourmet and fresh food market, an annex of the New York Transit Museum, and more than forty retail stores.


Standing on the steps looking down at the main concourse, I could imagine the station a century ago, with just as many people bustling about, some arriving in New York for the first time, seeking fame and fortune and ready to start the next phase of their lives. The feeling was exactly as I'd heard it described: "Arriving in New York via Grand Central, you know that you've come to a city worth coming to".


Outside, we kept walking and just wandering about. Here, Richard and Ryan are standing with the Chrysler building in the background. It was the tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building. It is a classic Art Deco skyscraper. Gorgeous.
We came across a children's bookstore (Scholastic) and managed to pick up some books for Ryan. From there, we walked back over to Rockefeller Centre.