My best friend (my BFF according to Sophie), is getting remarried in March. She’s keeping it simple – in fact, she’s essentially eloping with her fiancé. But she still needs a dress. And because I her self-appointed best woman (I refuse to use the term “matron of honor,” which is just so stupid), she and I are spending the weekend in New York to find something she can wear in front of her soon-to-be husband and the justice of the peace.
Tag Archives: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Scavenger Hunt
We had a scavenger hunt at the Metropolitan Museum of Art today. The day got off to a rocky start, when Chloe realized that I hadn’t really put together a scavenger hunt. I was supposed to have researched the museum’s collection online, but that didn’t quite work out. She started to mope, which made me mope. And yet, it’s often when I mope that the lightbulbs go off in my head.
The Museum
The other day, Papa took Chloe and Sophie to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They had a great time, really they did. Despite Sophie’s running commentary to the contrary.
The Museum
We took the girls to the Metropolitan Museum of Art today. Got there early enough to avoid the crowds (which were immense when we left after lunch) and hooked up with a family lecture that took us to a few different parts of the museum that I hadn’t seen before. The girls got to sketch and I played “I Spy” with Sophie.
The tour ended with a story in front of a statue by Battista Lorenzi of Alpheus and Arethusa. Arethusa was a nymph who was being pursued by the river god Alpheus – she wanted no part of his advances and asked Artemis (Diana, for those of you who prefer the Roman nomenclature) for help. Artemis transformed Arethusa into a river leading to the Underworld and she was able to avoid Alpheus, who turned into a river himself, from then on.
You know you’re in New York when 20 kids – ranging in age from 4 to 12 – are told a story in front of a statue of a naked man and woman (and there was no mistaking it – the man’s nether parts were as clear as day). You know you’re in jaded New York when not one kid openly reacts with a laugh, a smirk or pointing fingers when confronted with the nakedness. We definitely were not in Kansas. No morality police around here, that’s for sure.
When the storyteller asked the kids what they thought the man and woman in the statue were doing, one girl innocently said that it looked like they were dancing. The little girl obviously wasn’t jaded enough. Or maybe she wasn’t from New York. Clearly, the two figures were not dancing. Chloe then raised her hand. “It seems to me that the nymph is looking at him resentfully.” Eight years old and using SAT words already. My kind of girl. The storyteller, clearly impressed with Chloe’s verbal acuity, adopted her phrasing as he told the tale. Chloe was very proud of herself. As was I.
A Day at the Museum
We spent our first day as New York tourists visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art. All nine of us piled into two cars and trekked into the city. It was ten times more pleasurable than I would have imagined, given that our group included a toddler, two six-year olds and two teenage boys.
We explored a good four hours in the halls of the Met, where Chloe received some tutorials about Greek and Roman mythology, and learned a little more than she already knew about male and female anatomy, which caused quite a bit of laughter. We saw sumptuous bedrooms in the European Decorative Arts wing, lots of mummies and the Temple of Dendur.
Sophie logically fell asleep somewhere during our visit of the European bedrooms. Chloe, other than a few “I’m bored” comments, held up admirably well, and even enjoyed most of the adventure.
I like to think that our warning to her earlier this week – that her French family was expecting a well-behaved little girl – might have actually had a small impact. But if I’m being honest, the real reason is probably the Game Boy – incredibly, she and her cousin took turns without any disputes. Their shared interest in electronic games has allowed them to bond. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m liking Game Boys a lot this week.
