Shock: more sightseeing and a museum

Empire State Building

Today was a day of sightseeing and culture - again. Popped onto a top deck bus for lower and upper Manhattan and went up the Empire State. It was a sunny, clear day around 27 C.

Constantly amazed at the monumental scale and decoration.

Had three guides on the bus tours: one was entertaining and sang a bit; one spoke quickly and with an upward inflection- 'the city was settled in 1626?'; the third was OK but had a thick Russian accent - I don't think many tourists would be able to understand him.

Realised my book of tickets will expire before I get back so hastily put MoMA and Guggenheim on the itinerary before I leave. MoMA again induced aesthetic bliss. Van Gogh's Starry Night, Picasso's Girl behind the mirror and many others. My favourite was the room lined with works by Matisse, including a huge one of five dancers. Life, colour, movement.

Revised plan: Top of the Rock at 10pm instead of Guggenheim for the present. Two hours would be all I have for the art, so will go when I have more time. The Frick Collection was also highly recommended by the Russian tour guide. He had me at 'free'.

Bloody Swarovski commercial at the Rockefeller building. Want to see the history film so composing post in the meantime. That John D Rockefeller got a lot done. His son, who narrated the story, talks with his jaw clamped together.

The city sparkled much more than the bloody Swarovskis.

American tick-offs: rode the subway; ate eggplant parmigiana and spaghetti.

An urban canyon

The Flatiron Building