Museum of Natural History, New York City

You know by now how much I love New York City. My nephew was off from school last week and we made plans to meet him and his dad at the Museum of Natural History at 77th Street and Central Park West.

It was a beautiful day, sandwiched between two rainy, icy days so we considered ourselves lucky. Stelios and I walked up Central Park West for twelve blocks passing by the Museum of the City of New York on the way, where I had to stop and greet Lincoln standing at the steps.

 NYPD Policewomen!

 Theodore Roosevelt

The familiar smell of old New York buildings brought me back to childhood memories of school visits to the Museum as soon as we stepped into the great entrance hall. The old marble halls, the gleaming brass handles of the staircases, the grand scale exhibits felt so comfortingly familiar that I almost sighed with pleasure as we crossed the cavernous entrance with the dinosaurs into the elephant exhibit.

The giant beasts stand in a cluster at the center of the room in the exact same pose as they have been when I fist saw them  as a New York City public school first grader eons ago. They are as alive and vibrant as ever and I wanted to reach out and touch their majestic legs when I spied the "DO NOT TOUCH" sign. I guess a lot of people have the same impulse.

 The moon

The Willamette Meteorite

 The Great Canoe

 The Star of India

Pearls

 Opals

 Diamond necklace!!!

We strolled through the labyrinthine exhibit halls and among others we visited the Human Origins exhibit and the Hall of Minerals and Gems, the Great Canoe and the Dinosaurs, of course.This was a broad overview. One could spend days wondering through the halls of this iconic New York City Museum and still not see everything there is.


If you are ever in New York City, the Museum of Natural History is a must on your list.


Enjoy,


Maria