Day 4: Central Park & Museum of Natural History
I woke up at the same time as the last two mornings. The day's program agenda was Central Park and free time afterwards to do as we wished. In addition to those, we had two other things to do. First, the room attendants would be coming in to - among other things - take out our trash. We locked our luggage, and I took my laptop with me in my backpack. Second, today was laundry day. We consolidated our dirty clothes into plastic bags to be later packed into a luggage. Then it was off to Tick Tock Diner (full details of the dining experience is found in Addendum - Complimentary Dining) and afterwards meet at the lobby at 9:30am.
The near 100°F weather did not deter the folks that showed up. There were pedicabs, bicycles and joggers on the parkway. More were sightseeing, strolling, picnicking or chilling on the benches. There was a tour group there with their tour bus parked near Tavern On the Green.
We made a right after the Tavern and away from the parkway into a walking path. Going where the path went, we had no destination in mind. It was a hiking adventure of sorts. Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at a familiar location.
I don't remember if we ever saw the Bethesda Fountain and Terrace in 2008, but I had definitely seen them in the movies. They famously appeared in a certain hard-hitting franchise (no pun intended). Every information I came across on the internet said that the two scenes below were shot on location and not on a sound stage.
John Wick featuring Bethesda Terrace John Wick: Chapter 2 featuring Bethesda Fountain
We continued on and arrived at the Central Park Boathouse Cafe for a break. Guess how much a bottle of water cost here? I could only imagine the cost of dining.
We noticed a woman posing for her camera phone on the Glade Arch. There were many doing the same thing throughout the Park. We eventually reached near the northeast corner, after which son took one look at the map and decided on a different route back to the Information Kiosk. We stopped by Conservatory Water, admired the view and moved on. There were playgrounds on this side of the Park and they were teeming with children and parents/guardians.
The Balto Statue was a big deal that I only found out later. Had I known at that moment, I would have taken a picture with it. The plaque was difficult to read. Below is the full text:
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DEDICATED TO THE INDOMITABLE SPIRIT OF
THE SLED DOGS
THAT RELAYED ANTI TOXIN SIX HUNDRED MILES OVER ROUGH ICE
ACROSS TREACHEROUS WATERS THROUGH ARCTIC BLIZZARDS FROM
NENNANA TO THE RELIEF OF STRICKEN NOME IN THE
WINTER OF 1925
ENDURANCE FIDELITY INTELLIGENCE
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We continued on our way when we met group members Eileen and grandson. They wanted to go see the Balto Statue. Under Son's astute lead, we arrived at a circular path surrounding the Olmsted Flower Bed flanked by two statues. The one closest to us got my attention.
Riddle me this: why is William Shakespeare (statue) facing one direction while the plaque is located on the side of the pedestal facing the opposite direction? This inconvenience required me to take two pictures. As we approached the other statue, a busker standing next to it was belting a familiar hit and sounded good. "Karma Chameleon" brought back memories of the first time I saw the titular music video back in the 1980s. I thought Boy George was one hot woman. It didn't take long to find out that he wasn't (woman).
We arrived at the Information Kiosk twenty minutes later. Son was an amazing guide and deserved to be rewarded... with a meal. The boxed lunches were ready, and delivered in person by Karl B., Program Director for Explore New York. It was the only time in the program that the group got to meet him. Wife and Son each had roasted turkey & Swiss sandwich, and I had tomato, basil & mozzarella sandwich. Bottled waters were plentiful. When we were finished, Joe inquired of each family their plans for the day. For us, he told us which train to take and where to alight for our chosen plan - American Museum of Natural History.
It was two stops from 59th Street–Columbus Circle Station to 81 St-Museum of Natural History Station on the C train. Getting to the Museum took some figuring out. We got to the surface through the Beresford entrance facing Central Park West. Another family in our group was trying to find the Museum and decided to head north. We headed south following the directions on my Google Maps app. It took us across the traffic light, a right turn into a walkway, past some thick bushes and to the museum entrance. We purchased tickets online by scanning the QR code posted by the entrance.
My primary concern was my backpack being too large to be allowed in. In addition, it contained my laptop, which I brought along because I wasn't comfortable leaving it in the hotel room with the room attendants coming in to clean it. Then I noticed a departing visitor with a backpack about the size of mine.
The first hall we went to was the David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, or Planet Earth as shown on the map. Its exhibits offered a wealth of information on everything geological about the planet. It would take me at least an hour to peruse them all.
Next was the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall - devoted to the namesake half-term Governor of New York and Rough Rider boss. There was also another hall on Floor 2 bearing his name but we didn't get around to see it. Ok, he was a man's man and one of the better Presidents of the United States, but I don't care that much for him. I was however amazed by the next hall. It also bore Roosevelt's name but is simply known as Biodiversity on Floor 1 map.
If the Biodiversity hall was amazing, the next one was epic. Named the Irma and Paul Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life, aka Ocean Life - and spanning two stories - its biggest star is the life-sized great Blue Whale hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the hall. No matter where I was, the whale was in my line of sight. There were more exhibits on the lower level, including the Walruses. I did not take more pictures because the lighting was poor.
I could sit in the Ocean Life hall all day and do nothing but marvel. I would even pay to spend the night here in front of the great blue whale (I know it's not the real thing but it's still magnificent). But time was limited so we moved on... to the Futter Gallery. To all the party-lovers out there, this is the place to host a party. You can claim you partied with celebrities... well, portraits of them. Better than nothing. But please leave Ocean Life hall alone. That would be a quiet sanctuary for me and the great whale.
Next was the Northwest Coast Hall for exhibits of Native American culture. Wife liked this one the most. "What's with the green walls?" I wondered. The collection was impressive. One exhibit was a set of Tlingit artefacts enclosed in glass located near an alcove. These artefacts supposedly had a history of occultic usage with a sign on the glass warning against any form of photography. Though not superstitious, I chose not to take any pictures.
At this point, Wife was ready to call it quits. I wanted to see the dinosaur exhibits, which was on Floor 4. She was interested in Gardner D. Stout Hall of Asian Peoples that was on Floor 2. According to the map, Asian Peoples had the largest floor area and certainly felt like it. Unlike the layout of Northwest Coast where one could access to and from any point in the hall, Asian Peoples had wall partitions and aisles flanked on both sides by enclosed exhibits.
Lots of life-sized dioramas of human figurines in period costumes, minimalist homesteads, domestic tools and wares, weapons, statues and miniature ships that represented the diverse cultures across Asia. Most notable were the Chinese and Japanese ones with artifacts from religion (especially Buddhism), mythology (including the Eight Immortals) and theater (Noh and Chinese opera masks).
Saving the best for last, we went up to Floor 4. In the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs, I saw what I came to see. The awe quickly turned to frown initially when I saw the t-rex and the apatosaurus but not the other big ones. Was that it? A guide told me that we happened to be in the final hall and suggested that we backtracked using the arrows on the floor.
We left Saurischian Dinosaurs and went into the long, large Hall of Vertebrate Origins. Unlike Saurischian Dinosaurs, Vertebrate Origins had life-sized models and fossils hanging from the ceiling. I didn't notice a pterosaur among them until I reviewed my photos later.
The Orientation Center did indeed have the titanosaur with its neck stretching to the next hall. Sadly, the pictures I took of it didn't turn out good. Oh well, on to Paul and Irma Milstein Hall of Advanced Mammals, then the Hall of Primitive Mammals, and finally the Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs.
That was it. After a little over two hours in the museum, Wife wanted to leave. It would take up to two days to appreciate every exhibit in every hall (on every floor). The ticket price felt like a bargain, but we got $30 worth of it.
We took the train back to the hotel. The room was tidied up, beds made and pillows fluffed. After a brief rest and freshening up, we packed the plastic bags of dirty clothes into a luggage and were on our way to Plan452 Laundromat & Dry Cleaner. Personally, I prefer wheeling than carrying the laundry load for the five-minute walk in the scorching and humid summer heat.
I wondered why the laundromat was called "Plan452" when the name did not appear on its signs. Services included dry and wet cleaning, and coin-operated machines. The smallest washers were located at the back and were $4.50 per use; dryers were $0.25 per 6 minutes. The back area had enough seating for five persons and there was no air-conditioning. While waiting, I was sweating profusely. We dried our clothes for about 30 minutes, left for the hotel, dropped the luggage of clothes in our room, and then went to dinner.
The road traffic had not improved since our last visit in 2008. I have no desire to ever want to live in the Big Apple. After returning to our room, I went on a solo exploration to see the rest of the hotel. At the end of the day, the Health app tally was 18,435 steps, 7.4 miles, 12 floors and 420 calories.
Ranking (from best to least)
Only activity of the day not covered by program. Too much to see in one day, but what I saw was impressive: Planet Earth, Biodiversity, Futter Gallery, Northwest Coast, Asian Peoples. Liked Ocean Life and the entire Floor 4 of dinosaur fossils the most. Glad to see the Dinobots represented. Certainly helped that this was all indoors. Wish I had stayed longer.
2. Central Park
Not a walk in the park when in upper 90s weather. Cafe items pricey. Bethesda Terrace was highlight. Partly adventurous when figuring out which direction to go. Many good scenic views, took picture under statue of Shakespeare. Would be better appreciated if given at least half a day and cooler temperature.
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