In any case .... God willing I will be spending some time in New Jersey within sight of NYC come the fall (this is the actual view from east coast groovy sister hq where the novitiate house will be). That in itself is an opportunity! I will be spending most of my time doing nun-in-training type things, but am hoping to see a few of the sites and experience a few of the "musts" that the New York area has to offer when I'm there.And so ... I ask you, my bloggy friends, many of whom live or have spent time in the New York area ... what should be on my "Top 5 Must See/Do" list? Please keep in mind they need to be a) nun-in-training appropriate and b) doable on a day trip as overnights are limited during canonical novitiate.
Please share your ideas in the comments!
6 comments:
I'm very excited for you and your trip. Here's my "top 5" for NYC.
(1) Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty
(2) MoMa - Museum of Modern Art
(3) The Metropolitan Museum & The Guggenheim (I know that's two, but they're across the street from each other.)
(4) A Broadway Play
(5) Macy's - You know, the "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" Macy's.
St. Patrick's Cathedral is magnificent. On one trip, I stopped in for Sunday mass. The Cardinal was confirming a group of young people with special needs. It was incredibly intimate...for all 2,000 of us in attendance!
Have a great trip!
I'm gonna second the "Broadway" recommendation -- of course! It can be expensive, but the TKTS booth in Times Square usually comes through.
I also recommend The Cloisters, the often overlooked northern-Manhattan branch of the Met. It's a collection of Medieval (mostly) religious art and artifacts, built to look like a European monastery (out of bits of real monasteries). Not quite as nice as actually being in Europe, but it's a real treat in Manhattan! And Ft. Tryon Park (where it's located) is really lovely.
It's so hard to recommend only five things and it depends on what you're into. Definitely the Metropolitain Museum and the MOMA. I love the Cloisters, though it is far from downtown. Broadway plays are always good, but we also have great opera and ballet, depending on what you're into. Go to Central Park on a Sunday afternoon -- it's beautiful and there's so much going on. If you can, go on the first Sunday with good weather after a long period of nasty weather -- you get such a sense of joy.
Walk around different neighborhoods. Fifth Avenue near Rockefeller Plaza and St Pat's, the Village, Soho... You can't go wrong. It's great just to see the sights and the people.
Walking around different neighborhoods is a very good suggestion -- too many tourists only ever see Times Square! I particularly recommend taking the subway (any subway) to the Financial District/Southern Manhattan -- sometimes tourists get down to South Street Seaport or the World Trade Center site, but in general it's an area people don't go to unless they work down there (or, like me, have jury duty). It's very quiet on the weekends, but it's worth wandering around down there, because it's the one part of Manhattan that gives you a sense of NYC's historical roots; the streets are narrow and random, European, even, and the architecture is really interesting. And the exterior of the Centre Street courthouse is an exciting site for "Law & Order" fans!
Excellent ideas ... I've got a few months to get my Top 5 list ironed out. Sight seeing is of course NOT the main point of novitiate, which is why I want a very short list of "musts" that I can be sure will be squeezed into the year.
I hadn't even thought about law & order sightseeing!!!
Thanks guys! You have helped me help myself to get more excited about my future exotic locale.
I haven't forgotten to post here. I am still narrowing my list for you :)
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