We had the huge luck of being able to stay for 18 months (in 3 years) in one of the most exciting cities in the world: New York. Since I really had a lot of time on my hands to do some proper ‘tourism’, I made sure I visit some of the best known attractions and also try to visit few of them that don’t always appear in the top 5 places to see in NYC.
One of the attractions I didn’t plan on seeing in my first days there, but was clearly on my list, was the American Musem of Natural History. I didn’t do my homework with too much care for the details, so I just knew it’s an interesting museum to be visited and decided to let it surprise me. And it did.
Even if there was a subway station right under the Musem, I failed to realize it, so I got out somewhere at the South-West corner of Central Park and decided to walk. You could blame the hot sun for my miscalculation, but to be honest I never stayed away from the idea of doing some walking. It allowed me to really experience the city and get to some places many tourists didn’t have on their priority list.
So, I exited the MTA subway station and started walking North towards the Musem.
This is Trump International Hotel and Tower, one of Donald’s buildings. I really lost track of their number, already know the one on Wall Street, the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue and one I saw somewhere in the North-West side of Manhattan. I’m sure there are more.
Since the heat was pretty intense (well, summer in New York is not too cold actually), I decided to get into the Park just for few minutes.
Just another clear and peaceful summer day in Central Park. This is one of the best known destinations in New York and it’s surely living up to its name.
After getting a little rest in the Park (year, I walked like few hundred feet and was exhausted :)) and some pics (which were actually the reason of my detour), I got back on the street and had the chance to view some really nice buildings. The Upper West Side is filled with amazing ‘houses’, and it’s really worth the effort to visit it by foot.
One of the buildings that really caught my attention. I’m more fond of buildings that are not all ‘steel and glass’ and this one does look amazing.
While I’m not a church person myself, I do like seeing these buildings.
And something I really wished I could live in. I guess those apartments in the top are really nice to inhabit.
Another glance at the peaceful and huge Central Park and a huge tree that caught my attention. It was horribly hot, but the place was amazing nonetheless. I said goodby to the scorching heat and made my way inside the Musem.
Here is a huge dinosaur, right where you purchase the tickets. A simple visit cost me 16 bucks. I wasn’t too pleased to pay extra for few other exhibits, feeling that 16 bucks wasn’t too little either. So I proceeded to view what I paid for.
The first things I saw where stuffed animals, but nicely presented. I wasn’t too impressed with them (maybe because I could see many of them in the Zoo and they were live there even), but it’s a nice thing for kids especially. Can’t complain too much, I did enjoy the exhibition.
After having my share of furry or not-furry animals, I moved elsewhere into the Musem and got to see a huuuuge canoe.
And a really beautifully looking stibnite. What I really loved about the American Musem of Natural History is the many ‘topics’ it covers. You can surely find something that interests you, whether it’s about space, geology, biology or history.
And the canoe you saw earlier. This pic helps us see it’s indeed very big.
And an exhibit I was really looking forward to: the prehistoric animals. Sure thing, there’s almost nothing left of them (except for their bones), but it’s always thrilling to go to a trip down history and view life as it was before we were even roaming the Earth.
And the very famous T-Rex, plus few humans who’d stand absolutely no chance. I mean the creature was huge, even if not as big as the one you can see in the right. It’s sooo long its skeleton spans from one side of the room to the other. Really huge, makes T-Rex look like a small toy.
And a pic that allows us to see how ‘big’ we are in comparison. If T-Rex was still here, a face-to-face encounter would get really messy for us, humans. Well, we do have the Jurassic Park franchise to help more with our imagination.
After getting my ‘fill’ with all these amazing animals and exhibits, I decided to leave the Museum. Got myself some nice pics and a lot of memories, plus the thought of getting back there one day. It’s a really good place to spend a hot summer day and learn something nice.
I crossed the street and got back to the Central Park to relax and put some order into my thoughts.
