Nature’s mean of transport, our feet, is still the best way to explore any destination. This is particularly true for discovering the wonders which await visitors around Manhattan. Here are just two examples of what I discovered that I would have never seen if I had taken a car:
An amazing art deco head just sat in the front yard of a brownstone in East 82nd Street. On top of it, the work of art languished near the trash cans. I have no idea if this was the owner’s very special version of a garden gnome or if it was actually meant to be taken away by the trash collectors. What ever the purpose it made for a great picture.
I crossed over to the Guggenheim Museum and after visiting that, continued south on 5th Avenue. Being a museum fan, my eyes were immediately drawn to a rather small plaque on an ornate wrought iron gate which read: Neue Galerie, Museum for German and Austrian Art. Closer inspection revealed that I had stumbled upon a very fascinating museum exhibiting paintings and other art work by Schiele, Kokoschka and Klimt.
What’s more, the museum (1048 5th Avenue) is located in a land mark mansion built in 1914 by the firm of Carriere & Hastings and is a work of art all by itself. The stair case leading up to the two upper floors with its wrought iron banister is a sight to behold. The building breathes fin de siècle refinement and art.
The ground floor holds yet another attraction: The Cafe Sabarsky. The wood paneled room has become a favorite spot for New Yorkers. Entering the cafe, you are greeted by a piano player and you can easily imagine having stepped into an old Vienna cafe.
The menu is deliberately in German and for astonishingly reasonable prices visitors can enjoy a Kutscherkaffee, Sachertorte, Kaiserschmarn and other rich, Austrian specialties.
I find museum shops often disappointing, but not this one. They offer beautiful art books, objects and other things that are actually useful. I bought a wonderful calendar of Klimt paintings which will give me pleasure long after the year is over.
After all the schlag (whipped cream) in the cafe, I had to walk the calories off and topped my walking day in Manhattan with a brisk round in Central Park.
Inka is German and used to be an international attorney with offices in London and Spain. Retired two years ago because I wanted to be a traveler and writer and now live between Didim/Turkey and Miami with plenty of travel in between. Next destinations: Istanbul, New York and Petra/Jordan. Inka’s first novel has just been published and can be found here
Last 5 posts by Inka Piegsa-Quischott
- New York's First Wall Street Hotel, the Andas - February 26th, 2010
- Circling Manhattan - February 24th, 2010
- Reyes Magos in Miami - February 1st, 2010
