Rain, Rain, Go Away

So I was released from work yet again yesterday because of the change of the schedule. And because of the change of schedule yesterday, I didn't even have to go in today. I made the most of the opportunity yesterday. Having taken a lot of flack for not having rain gear, I was dead set on getting some. But, as it was still raining, I didn't want to be searching for a place in the middle of the rain. Thankfully, for New Yorkers on a rainy day, there's a place to go: Museum Mile.

I had heard about this exhibit going on at the Guggenheim that was supposed to be pretty cool. "Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video/Performance." So I trekked up to 5th Avenue between 88th and 90th and was immediately aware of the swarms of people flooding in and out of the Guggenheim. I walked in and there was a long queue line for admissions snaking through across the ground floor. I looked at the admission price (General Admission $18, Students $15). Wait, I thought every New York museum was $15 general admission and $10 students. Oh right, this is the Guggenheim Museum. I panned the expansive ground floor and followed the spiraling ramp up with my eyes. Then it hit me, this place is way too crowded, I'm not THAT excited about this exhibit, entry is a little too expensive for my tight budget, and besides the main reason to go to the Guggenheim is to see the building. So I took in my surrounding for a little longer, visited the museum shop (which had customized Lego sets of the Guggenheim and Frank Lloyd Wright's other famous work, Falling Water), and then headed a few blocks north.

Poised pretty much smack dab in the middle of Museum Mile, the Smithsonian Institute's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum is, in my very biased opinion, the greatest museum I've ever been to. First of all, there was no line. Secondly, they accepted my expired student ID, so it was only $10 to enter. Plus they had a free iPod touch tour guide thing. The museum's currently featuring an exhibition called "Why Design Now?" which highlights new aesthetic technologies that are sustainable and eco-friendly. It was amazing to see the wide range of ideas—from a wooden radio made of local materials to the car-free, carbon neutral, zero waste city on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi.

When I finally emerged after three hours in the museum, the rain had finally stopped. The rain had cooled things down, so I decided I'd walk along Central Park until I got tired, then hop on the subway to get to the sporting goods store in Union Square where I'd find some quality rain gear. I kept walking and walking and walking, passing by all the 5th Avenue landmarks—Saks 5th Avenue, the Rockefeller Center, eventually making it down to the Empire State Building and the Flatiron District. Next thing I knew, I was in Union Square. That's right, I walked almost 80 New York City blocks (apparently the rule of thumb is that 20 north-south blocks equals a mile, so 4 miles!). I got my rain gear and headed home to rest my feet. It was nice to finally make something of a day off, rather than lie sluggishly at home.