My Thoughts For The Day: If I Had a Week in NYC

I am in a ‘New York’ state of mind and shall be dwelling on NYC for a while longer. For all NYC lovers out there, enjoy!

Before I go on, allow me, first, to make a disclaimer. What I write are not authoritative claims but merely personal opinions and conclusions based on my own experiences and keen observations. Readers are more than welcome to write in their comments and compare notes with me.

Now let me pose you a question. What would you do, all over again, if given a week to spend in this marvellous city, with all expenses paid?

There is so much to do in a city like NYC, towards which the entire world seems to gravitate. There are of course the major attractions that every tourist would want to set aside time to visit like the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Fifth Avenue, Empire State Building, Central Park etc. These places are nice but, once is enough. I don’t think I’d do them all over again unless I am taking some friends to NYC and it is their first time.

How then, would I spend this all-expense paid week?

I have a long list of things I wish to do all over again but top on my list would be to ...

leisurely stroll through the galleries of MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) everyday for the week to acquire an indepth appreciation of my favourite paintings, or at least some of them.

Now, you may think that would be such a waste of time. Why spend such an inordinate length of time at an art museum? My answer is simple. I am trying to learn from a renowned art critic and walk in her footsteps. I am, of course, referring to Sister Wendy Beckett, who once advised as follows:

“… go to a museum and look at no more than two or three works, perhaps even two or three taken at random. Look at them. Walk backwards and forwards between them. Go and have a cup of coffee. Come back again. Wander around the museum. Come back again. Go to the shop. Buy postcards of them. Look again, and go home. At home, look at the postcards. Borrow from the library books on these artists. Go back again.

Eventually you will find they open up like one of those Japanese paper flowers in water. You have to expend time and energy. If you don't want to do that, you can still get a lot of enlightenment and entertainment by just wandering around, but you'll never get the deep spiritual nourishment.”

Spiritual nourishment can be had from wandering through the galleries of MOMA?

I should think, why not? When I came face to face with one of my favourite Gauguin’s painting, for the first time, I looked at it in awe. What human hand could possibly create such a beautiful piece of art except one that is guided by some supernatural power? Surely, he must have been inspired by some greater being. Therein, lies the spiritual connection.

So, I shall justly spend the week in pursuit of spiritual enrichment among my favourite art pieces in MOMA.

Note: The photos in this posting were taken during my last visit to MOMA in 2007.