NYC: Christie's, The Met, and The Guggenheim - Feb 4, 2025

Tuesday, Feb 4, 2025 - My Birthday was yesterday, so I wanted to give myself a present: A Day-Trip to New York City! There were over 80 pieces of art (including 3 Greek vases) that I wanted to see at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, plus The Guggenheim is only 10 blocks north of there, and there are some Turner watercolors and Guardi paintings up for auction (and on display) at Christie's.

It is no longer any fun driving to New York City. There always have been "regular tolls" for bridges and tunnels, but The City just instituted a "congestion pricing program" for vehicles driving on "local streets and avenues at or below 60 Street". Also, the traffic has always been hit-or-miss (sometimes it worked GREAT, sometimes in has been a VERY LONG RIDE HOME). So I decided to spring for The Amtrak Acela train (out of Westwood/Route 128). It is expensive - $217 down, and $138 back (total $355), plus $7 parking, but I did reading, Sudokos, and resting. (of course, the non-Acela options are cheaper, but take 45 minutes longer - time is money)

I left the house a little after 6 AM, and was parked by 7:20 for my 7:29 train - nice train:

Pretty views along the Connecticut shoreline:

Slight delay, and we pulled into "Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station" at 11:07

A BIG PART of a New-York-City-visit is being out on the streets, seeing skyscrapers, theatres, and Times Square:

I reached Christie's at 11:50, and saw some fun stuff:

Francesco Guardi - "The Piazzetta of San Marco, Venice, looking towards San Giorgio Maggiore", no date, oil (estimate $600,000 - $800,000) [sold Feb 5, 2025 for $756,000]:

Hubert Robert - "The Antiquities of Nimes, Orange and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence", no date, oil (estimate $300,000 - $500,000) [sold Feb 5, 2025 for $252,000]:

J.M.W. Turner - "Lake Lucerne at Dusk", circa 1842, watercolour (Price upon request) ["Private Sale" = no results announced]:

J.M.W. Turner - "Binger Loch and the Mäuseturm", no date, watercolour (estimate $200,000 - $300,000) [sold Feb 4, 2025 for $226,800]:

NOTE: the picture you want to see may not be there: J.M.W. Turner - "The approach to Venice" or "Venice from the lagoon", circa 1840, watercolour (estimate $300,000 - $500,000) [sold Feb 4, 2025 for $327,600]:

Don't worry - maybe it will turn up:

UP FOR AUCTION AT CHRISTIE'S - if there is any art at your local museum, you BETTER SEE IT NOW, WHILE YOU STILL CAN. Top photo: Jan Both - "An Italianate landscape with bandits leading prisoners", no date, oil (estimate $1,000,000 - $1,500,000) [unsold Feb 5, 2025]:

I hit the MFA Boston website, and this is what I found:

I left Christie's and walked up to The Metropolitan Museum of Art:

Getting there at 12:53

The sidewalks are bone-dry, so I didn't need my L.L.Bean boots; it is windy, so I shouldn't have brought my hat; and it is in the low-40s, so I didn't need my coat/scarf/gloves. Aside from that, it is a beautiful day in The City.

I am always impressed by The Entrance Hall:

My first stop was "Three Greek Vases". Old photo (top) was taken Nov 22, 2013:

Other "Comparison Photos" include Thomas Moran - "The Teton Range", 1897 oil. Old photo (top) was taken Oct 8, 2019:

Francesco Guardi - "The Grand Canal above the Rialto", late 176Os oil. Old photo (top) was taken Oct 8, 2019:

The last "Comparison Photos": Frederic Edwin Church - "Heart of the Andes", 1859 oil. Old photo (top) was taken Oct 8, 2019:

That's all for here, for this blog. I took pictures of 98 works of art at The Met, and I covered 2.5 miles in 2 hours 20 minutes:

10 blocks north was The Guggenheim:

I saw a Monet-I-have-not-seen - Claude Monet "The Palazzo Ducale, Seen from San Giorgio Maggiore (Le Palais Ducal vu de Saint-Georges Majeur)", 1908 oil:

It was 4 PM when I left The Guggenheim, so I took a cab back down to Penn Station. It turns out that the Train Station is under the original Post Office (10001 - New York, NY):

The Station is Beautiful:

I bought a pastrami sandwich (at Pastrami Queen), and boarded my 5:00 PM Acela. Nice views Heading Home:

The train got to Route 128 at 8:30; I was home by 9:30, and bed by 10. Thank You God for this wonderful art/adventure day!

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine/New York:
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/