After downing sliders at the famous Shake Shack, we did Top of the Rock at 30 Rockefeller Center, catching the sunset over New York Harbor. Lady Liberty faced the new Freedom Tower, which now stands at about thirty stories above Ground Zero. In the foreground the Empire State Building reflected pink off the sunset before its white lights twinkled in the dark. In contrast to Dallas's 100+ temps, an 80-degree breeze cooled us as we looked. Ahhh.

On the way back to Amanda's, the three of us strolled down Fifth Avenue looking at all the high-end store windows. Our faves were Tiffany's jewels on ice cream cones and an ostrich with Louis Vuitton purses on its neck. Then we hit the Apple store to play with iPads.

In the morning we caught the metro and visited Amanda at her office in Soho. Then we got on the hop-a-bus for tourists. After about thirty minutes on the bus, the rain came down. Picture us on a double-decker outdoor bus with no lower level. Outside. Wearing cheap, yellow freely-provided ponchos, first in a drizzle and then in pouring. down. rain.

At first we felt geekish wearing those yellow bags. But when people kept running up to us asking where we got them, we suddenly felt quite stylish. We dashed inside a TGI Friday's to wait it out, but when we emerged an hour later, the deluge continued. (Actually, we are so rain-deprived in Dallas, we really didn't mind. Much.)

My husband got out in the downpour and tried to hail a cab, but every other New Yorker wanted a cab, too. I wish I had taken a photo of him in his wet yellow garb. But I didn't want to soak my lens.

So we walked to the MoMA and saw Starry Night, some Monets, and a bunch of other modern stuff. When the rain stopped, we went to Filene's Basement to shop for dry clothes before meeting Amanda for a quick bite of pizza. Then we headed to Greenwich Village, where we had tickets to STOMP. What a great show! Imagine an hour and forty-five minutes of sheer percussion using everything from brooms to garbage can lids. Our fave part was synchronized cigarette lighters in the dark. Lots of audience participation--a real crowd-pleaser.

Afterward we grabbed dessert at Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man. Imagine a restaurant where pretty much everything on the menu and the entire decor screams "chocolate!" My kind of place.

In the morning we headed down to The Met. On the way there we drove through Central Park. The only problem was that we didn't see the sign telling us that after rush hour that road is ONLY FOR RUNNERS AND BIKERS. We got lots of dirty looks and gestures before finding our way out.

When we got to The Met, we discovered it would cost us more to park for one hour and eight minutes than it cost us to get in to the Museum! Okay, so driving in New York: I don't recommend it. (Did I mention we got a ticket for failing to leave seven feet between us and a fire hydrant? Or that we had to move the car every day to accommodate street cleaners?)

But the Met is amazing. Highlights were the Greek and Roman collections, a room designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and eating sandwiches in the atrium as we watched joggers in Central Park. (They ran on a street with, imagine this, no cars.)

We drove back to D.C that afternoon. Then yesterday my girl and I took the DC Metro down to meet my niece and her three boys at the National Gallery of Art. That place is gorgeous and amazing. And I felt so art-rich--the MoMA, the Met, and the National Gallery within three days of each other! The National Gallery's sculpture garden has a fab fountain with the National Archives in the background. We sat in the shade under huge trees and enjoyed the breeze with the boys. Inside the museum itself (which was free!) we saw Monets, Rembrandts, one of my favorite Da Vincis (Ginevra de' Benci; c. 1474), even an Andy Goldsworthy (of "Rivers and Tides")...an amazing collection.

After that our family got dropped off at Reagan National Airport. Three hours after we boarded our flight, we walked out into the Dallas heat, which our shuttle driver told us was the result of a cold front. We couldn't believe it. At nine PM it was only 90 degrees!