Grand Central Station and the Met

Saturday dawns and the group is up and out and Oscar and I are

 actually walking out with them to Grand Central Station.  John can’t go in the little side door to access the subway that they use and they have to go through the terminal.  I think that the kids liked this because Grand Central Station is worth going to.  From the great space to the constellations on the ceiling to the shops.  Oscar and I are here because it is bitterly cold today, it’s not that far from the hotel, and there is a transit museum here that is supposed to have a subway train that you can play on.  Of course, the museum

doesn’t open until 10am and the children’s toy shop doesn’t either, so we have some time to kill.  But running up and down the ramps and watching the trains leave and policeman going around on Segways is fun for Oscar.  After about 20 minutes, we run into the group again on the other side of the station and they realize that the reason they couldn’t go in the side door to their line is because it’s closed today.  So, now they’re scrambling for an alternate way to get to the Met Cloisters museum in the far north, far west side of Manhattan.  Oscar and I waste some more time until the museum

  opens to find out that the actual museum has moved to Brooklyn and the subway train that they used to have here is gone.  So, not much use, then Kidding Around opened, but they didn’t have a train set up like the other location, so not as much fun to be in for a long time.  Oscar fell down a few marble stairs while reaching for cars to play with, but that didn’t deter him from only crying when I tried to leave the store.  We grabbed some lunch and headed back for a nap because we’re going to try to meet the group at the Met when they go there.  Yes, I’m going to try to take 

Oscar to an art museum again, but John should have some time there before we get there and has offered to keep him for a couple of hours while I look

around.  We take a taxi to the Met because of how ridiculously cold it is and head inside to meet John.  He calls and says that they’re going to be having lectures periodically because Rachel has gotten a special dispensation to be able to lecture in front of the artwork.  So, I’m stuck with Oscar for the next hour and we end up in the cafeteria because he’s hungry and angry all ready.  When we found the group, I had just put his sticker for admission on him and he

  tried to take it off, so 3 different people yelled at him not to do that and he started howling.  So, it’s been a great start to my visit to the Met.  After the cafeteria, I just head off in a direction and have 

 given up pretty quick on trying to follow the map.  I’m pretty good with maps and I’ve used a ton of them in museums, but there is something about the Met’s map that just doesn’t work for me.  It’s the first time that I can look at the map and still have no clue where I’m going or where I am.  I have to ask the docents in the rooms if I’m on the right track.  We head through some amazing spaces and Oscar is still not that happy, he wants to walk, but then will not walk in any direction for any given time.  He wants to run in circles

 and not listen about where we’re going, so we go through a set of fights about walking, riding, and then having to ride when he won’t walk the way.  We end up in the Egyptian temple room that is wide open and I think that he can move around a little, but the docent in there

doesn’t want him walking up and down the 3 steps on his own.  What the hell people?  I can’t win for losing.  John has made contact with a former student of his that lives in NYC now and we meet up to move haphazardly through the collection some.  It’s good seeing Damari again and Oscar stays good as long as we keep moving, so we get some things seen.  We have to meet back up with John and Damari after the next lecture in the American Wing and hit the impressionists before hitting a wall and having to leave.  When we step out of the Met, Oscar just starts to cry from the freezing cold wind that is blowing at us.   And this is a kid who wants to play outside normally in Michigan.  Back to the hotel to pack up and try to get some sleep before a very early start tomorrow.