The Guggenheim, Frick Collection and wandering around Manhattan
Arriving in New York
After arriving at JFK, having somehow managed to get a little bit of shuteye after a ridiculously early start to the day, the first task was to work out how to get to the city center on the subway. There is a very useful train connecting all the terminals at JFK- the AirTrain. It’s free to move between terminals but you have to pay to get the train to/from some other stations- ie- to leave the terminal. More details and prices are available here. I got the train to Jamaica Station to change onto the “E” line, and then had to change several times to get to the final destination (there was probably a quicker way but was somewhat struggling with the subway system!). We found a little airbnb to stay in the Upper East Side- a location we would highly recommend. We were walking distance to quite a number of museums and art galleries that we wanted to visit, Central Park was also nearby and there was a good selection of cafes and restaurants around as well. After meeting Wally and dropping off my luggage, we went to get a quick bite and then made our way to the Guggenheim.
Guggenheim
Instantly recognised, the Guggenheim building is most certainly one of New York’s icons, located across the road from Central Park on Upper East Side. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum- it’s full name- is one of several locations globally, part of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, which collects and displays both modern and contemporary art. Established in 1939, the Guggenheim locations are Venice (Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Bilbao (Guggenheim, Museum Bilbao) and Abu Dhabi (Guggenheim Abu Dhabi). This was our first visit to a Guggenheim collection- of many we hope. More on the collection can be found here.
This famous building was only built in 1959, following numerous delays. The design itself was done by Frank Wright- who had designed many buildings, of which eight (including the Guggenheim Museum) are designed UNESCO World Heritage sites. This one is certainly worth a visit!
Unfortunately our visit fell between two exhibitions with limited pieces on display- so we were unable to see all the museum has to offer. There were however a few Monet and Rousseau pieces on display, which were well enjoyed. We’d suggest checking online in advance what exhibitions are on show and upcoming- see here for more details. Also- a word on tickets, for the Guggenheim and museums/art collections generally. We didn’t realise until we arrived in New York, but it seems that many museums/art collections offer discounted or free entry on certain days of the week. For the Guggenheim for example, they offer a “Pay what you wish” option- where visitors can benefit from discounted tickets for part of Friday and Saturday (as of time of writing (November 2020)- more details here). Definitely do look into this as some tickets are not cheap (coming from London some of the admission prices were a bit of a surprise to us!).
Frick Collection
Next, we went to the Frick Collection. This is located a 20 minute walk from the Guggenheim (or a 5 minute taxi ride). This collection was probably my favourite during this trip as both the pieces on display and the building itself were stunning. The Frick Collection is well known for its Old Master paintings and we’d highly recommend a visit here.
Whilst the earlier pieces were acquired by Henry Frick, and then donated to the Frick Collection upon his death, the collection has continued to acquire pieces since and is housed in Frick’s former residence. Walking around the museum transcends the visitors into peace and tranquillity- and certainly gets you away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We spent a fair bit of time sitting around the indoor fountain and admiring the architecture.
During our visit there were two exhibitions we could visit- the first on Du Paquier porcelain and the second on Veronese in Murano: Two Venetian Renaissance Masterpieces Restored. We couldn’t take any photos inside- but more details are available here and here respectively on some of the pieces of display. The porcelain exhibition was particular impressive, given the attention to detail and intricate patterns and designs.
Unfortunately, it seems that the Frick Collection is currently temporarily closed for major renovation works- and is due to open in early 2021 in a new, temporary location- the former home of the Whitney Museum of American Art. More details are available here on the ongoing renovation and expansion of current building. In the meantime, it seems that visitors can view some of the collection online, although it of course does not come close to seeing these items in reality…
Exploring Manhattan’s dining options
After spending half a day or so walking around the various exhibitions, we realised it was time to try out some of New York’s dining establishments, and ended up doing a mini food crawl ( completely unintentional!). As you might know, we love food- eating and cooking- and whenever we visit a new place, trying out new dishes is always high up on our list of things to do.
We started off the evening with a starter of oysters- at Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant. A few words about Grand Central Station first-which is where the Oyster Bar and Restaurant is located.
The Grand Central Station is a commuter train station located in Midtown Manhattan, and the station itself has a very distinctive and easily recognised internal design- particularly for the main concourse. As well as the millions of commuters and train passengers, millions of visitors visit this station annually- and it’s easy to see why it’s a popular tourist attraction. With shopping, dining and people-watching opportunities- there is a lot on offer. Not to mention the incredible architecture, artwork and even a tennis court! I’m not sure there are many other stations in the world that have a tennis court… The Grand Central terminal site has a lot more information on the history of the building as well as a few more interesting facts. Now back to the food…
You can find the Oyster Bar and Restaurant on the lower level, and consists of a slightly more formal area- the restaurant- and a bar area- which is where we went. We decided to have four small oysters and two slightly bigger ones – and they were served with lemon wedges, ketchup and vinegar. Interestingly, there actually used to be Oysters in New York Harbour but around a century ago these were wiped out due to over-farming and pollution. These are now being restored, slowly- read more on the Billion Oyster Project to find out more.
It’s worth noting that our visit to the Oyster Bar and Restaurant was midweek- so we didn’t book in advance and were able to get seats at the bar without any problems. This might be different during the weekend though- do check out their website for more information.
Next on our food crawl- Vanessa’s dumpling house. We had our second “starter” here- this is a small little place in Lower East Side- all the tables were full so we got some of their famous handmade dumplings to take away. Well worth a visit if you’re nearby and fancy a quick bite/snack.
And now for the final stop- Han Dynasty. Located near Union Square, this place is famed for incredible wontons in chilli oil and spicy cucumbers- so we had to give that a go. If you’re not a fan of spice though- do watch out as both were quite hot, but certainly tasted amazing. We also had the cumin chicken which we’d recommend! From looking at their website, they now seem to have expanded and now have several locations in East Side…more details (and menu) can be found here. After all the walking about (and the food!), and given the very early start, we called it a night and headed back to recharge for the next day.
Click below to read more about our other days….the sightseeing we did, the food we ate…and do leave us a comment!
Day One
After arriving and checking in, we visited the Guggenheim, the Frick Collection and spent a fair bit of time walking around the busy Manhattan Streets and having some really good food!
Day Two
On our last day, we managed to visit the 9/11 memorial and the Brooklyn Museum, before sadly leaving the city and catching an overnight flight back to London.
Day Three
Our penultimate day was rather busy- we visited the Morgan Library and Museum,Whitney Museum of American Art, followed by a Basketball game in the Barclays Center, followed by some oysters…
Day Four
On our last day, we managed to visit the 9/11 memorial and the Brooklyn Museum, before sadly leaving the city and catching an overnight flight back to London.
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