the moma and the morgan (a museum bucket list)

friday august 15th was the date
i've been holding off on going to a few museums because their free days are the same exact day
that day is friday
we were in scouts for most of the year (which is held on friday) so we couldn't go.
then with traveling and being sick and such it just hasn't happened.
well this friday we were sick again....
but i threw caution to the wind and we attended the museums.
1st the moma
i've been wanting to see this one for awhile now- but not $20 wanna see....
then there was the morgan museum and library
this was a must because of my love of history.
i watched the men who made america awhile back and j.p. morgan really rocked my world.
i did a bit of googling and found out he not only lived in nyc but his home was turned into a museum- now i don't believe there could be a more awesome combination of things.
both are free on friday nights- the moma from 4-8 and the morgan from 7-9.
when we arrived at the moma the line was literally 3 massive blocks long-
we thought it was only about one and a half until they wrapped us around an extra block and 1/2
the positive thing about lines in nyc is that they never last long.
i suppose that the nature of the megapolis beast; massive lines always, so they must be managed efficiently.
i've never seen such pro line management.
well here's some pics of how our sick night at the museums went down.

it's fitting that the moma would be housed in an artistic/beautiful skyscraper

 patiently waiting in a very long line

 a little museumiss 

 then we entered. 

it was here that dale said- i could be a modern artist, i thought perhaps i could too.

(sometimes i get modern art.... sometimes i don't.... sorry modern artists....)

 this may look like we are in a church gym

but really this was pretty cool

each canvas had teeny tiny writing covering it entirely. 

 part of the time i wondered about the "art"

then we went to a couple of floors and i saw 

jackson pollock

andy warhol

van gogh

picasso

henri matisse

and

andrew wyeth

each made iconic pictures and it was really quite something to see them 1st hand

 mr. andy warhol- 

 we made our own modern art....

 showed mares a classic (or 2 or 3 or more)

 then she was sure she'd found a massive pile of playdough

 but these little treasures made this museum beautiful.

 mares has a refined taste for lounging art

the moma was really quite beautifully done. 

there were only a few areas i was like... wait what is happening here.... 

then there was the porn photo hall (i mean "nude art")- i couldn't get out of there fast enough

it was terribly crowded on the really great floors- on others there was virtually no one

those few treasures make this a must see (if time permits and if it's on a free friday...)

but the metropolitian museum of art is far superior and always free

 then the morgan

this is the entrance

 walk around the side to see this lovely portion of it

 in mr. morgan's study the walls were wallpapered in red velvet.... 

come on.

it was one of the most beautiful rooms i've ever seen-

history really smacked me in the face at that moment, and i liked it. 

 then there was mr. morgan's library

it was breathtaking. 

it was art in and of itself

exquisite ceilings with intricate carvings and teeny tiny paintings.

then the walls were covered in the most beautiful books you'll ever see.

all i needed was a lounge chair and a small cup of hot cocoa and i could have stayed forever.

within the library they had some enclosed cases. 

within these glass houses were

original sheet music from infamous composers- like bach

as well as multiple first print or rare additions of bibles 

then (elsewhere in the museum) there was the exhibit with the 

magna carta

a 1st edition of shakespeare's collected works

and an original j.r.r. tolkien hobbit cover (the one he drew)

another room had such classics as 

the grapes of wrath

the world according to garp

the great gatsby

the catcher in the rye

etc. etc. 

i was more than impressed with this museum- 

it may by top, or only rivaled by the metropolitan museum of art.

 this pano had to happen

 the gutenberg bible (one of many beautiful bibles on display)

 to connect the dining hall and the rest of the library there was this lovely, modern addition.

it was beautiful really. 

a rather fine mix of modern with classic. 

the only problem with seeing this now is that i'm filled with year long regret.
here i've been living within walking distance of these incredible museums and it took me a whole year to see them.
that's shamefully pathetic.
on the other hand i'm glad i got to see them.
if you have time that morgan museum is really a hidden treasure.
unlike the other museums it wasn't ridiculously crowded.
there was some live classic music playing in the background as well- it was screaming classy.
besides all that the building was declared a national historic landmark- so it's got everything going for it.

the moma was pretty awesome too- there were a few floors i could have skipped but then they had those beautiful classic works i posted pictures of.
it was rather a confusing museum- one floor i would love, the next.... not.

glad i finally got to see these 2 museums.

happy sunday everyone.