I swear the population of this city doubles on weekends. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, opened the holiday shopping season with a bang. Droves of people flocked to the city, thrilled to be given a run for their money with 4 a.m. - 12 noon markdown madness sales, all in an effort for retailers to benefit in the slightest from the downward spiralling of the American economy. As if this city is not crowded enough, the most popular shopping districts in Manhattan, Herald Square (which is home to all eight levels of the World's Largest Store, Macy's), as well as Fifth Avenue (shopping paradise at its best), are literally exploding at the seams on a typical Saturday afternoon. If you dare brave the pandemonium and hope to come out alive, I'll give you one pointer, get those elbows out and moving! It's a dog-eat-dog jungle out there, both in the stores and on the streets, and it's one jungle I'm so elated to not have to deal with... I think the majority of my Christmas shopping was done by Halloween.
So in my best efforts to avoid prime commercial hot-spots without having to hibernate in my apartment, I've most recently spent a free Saturday aftenoon entertaining and educating myself with a little history. The largest natural history museum in the world, The American Museum of Natural History, holds more than 32 million artifacts in 40 grand exhibition halls. Renowned for its collections that illuminate millions of years of the earth's evolution, from nature to space-age technology, the museum, which spans 3 city blocks and towers five stories high, is a tremendous undertaking, particularly when you're limited to just a few hours.
Perhaps my expectations in thinking I would be able to thoroughly take in the entire museum in just four hours were a little high. I failed miserably. No wonder people buy memberships to institutions like these... you'll give yourself a headache attempting to see it all in one afternoon. I know I did and completely crashed for the night upon my arrival home. What I did see though was quite incredible. From the Rose Center for Earth and Space which showcases a 13-billion-year history of the universe; to a series of fossil halls, including two famed dinosaur fossil halls wherein 85% of the fossils are real as opposed to casts; to a spectacular biodiversity hall depicting the Dzanga-Sangha rain forest, the most biodiversity-rich ecosystem on Earth; it was an information-overload outing on my part, but still an enjoyable one nonetheless. I'll be sure to give myself a little extra time though on my next visit to a museum... I've set aside a full day for MoMA this coming weekend but the Metropolitan Museum of Art will definitely require a full weekend, or maybe even a full week! Before I make that visit, I'll be sure to look into whether or not they allow visitor sleepovers.
A realistic display of elephants in the Akeley Hall of African Mammals
Tyrannosaurus Rex in the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs
The Origami Holiday Tree: Over 500 creations including dragons, unicorns, mermaids, and animals hang from and surround the tree
Holiday Barosaurs greet visitors at the entrance to the Museum
The Rose Center for Earth and Space
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