saturday in nyc

After a manic week of travel, arrival and multiple, sometimes overlapping obligations and commitments, Fiona and I each took a day to ourselves. She stayed at the university, slept in and explored campus with her roommate. I went sightseeing, then met up with my Aunt Barbara..

I took the subway up along 8th Avenue, then walked through Central Park to the side where the Metropolitan Museum of art is. The park is a gorgeous, peaceful oasis full of people. It's funny to see so many runners all in one place that you have to wait to cross the street as if they were driving cars!

I spent the morning at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I knew it was going to be big and beautiful, but I could not have imagined how big or how beautiful. I will surely return to this lovely place and try to just take in one or two exhibit areas at a time. My survey style visit was overwhelming. Another surprise for me was the number and variety of artifacts in the museum. Besides paintings and sculptures they have musical instruments, furniture, dishes and glassware, and fixtures from heritage buildings. The other part that was astonishing was the attention to detail and the variety in styles of exhibit and other public spaces. Even the stairways are beautiful. Every room is designed and arranged to complement the works in that room. There are some standout spaces like the big sunny glass-roofed courtyard in the centre of the main floor, and the rooftop garden. I think my favourite find though was in the Egyptian exhibit. In one gallery there were miniature dioramas from a king's tomb. They illustrated life in ancient Egypt. I found them fascinating.

After my museum time, I got lunch from a food truck, and lounged on the stairs of the museum with a few hundred other people, enjoying some music and watching the crowds drift by. Then I was off to meet Aunt Barbara.

I have never met my aunt before. My Dad's family was reunited after many years of him not knowing his 2 half-sisters. I'm grateful that we now have this connection. There's lots of catching up to do! Aunt Barbara and I met in Times Square, and went on The Ride. It was a lot of fun! After that, we went out for supper. Aunt Barbara's father was my paternal grandfather. I never met him, so I wanted to ask Aunt Barbara about my grandfather, and about her growing up. She was gracious in answering all of my questions. She brought photos of herself and my Aunt Lucy, her sister, as little girls, and a photo of my grandfather. We had a good time together, talking and getting to know one another.

I made it back to the hotel around 10pm, full up with impressions and emotions. I don't know if I have ever taken a trip so rich and so demanding all at the same time. I'm glad for the opportunity, but found I needed quiet time each evening to process the experiences of the day. I went to sleep full up with new ideas and experiences.

question: have you ever had a reunion?

mompoet - a day of beauty and connection