The Dupaix Project: A Few of Our NYC Firsts

As I was typing up our BUCKET LIST I realized there were a couple of items we'd completed that I hadn't written about! Mostly from our first couple of days in the city! So heres a quick rundown...

On our very first night in NYC we were unpacking our four suitcases and sort of trying to organize our empty apartment and realized we had nothing to eat. So, we got on our phones and found the closest Chinese place that would deliver to us! It turns out its like less than a block away, but I was too scared to send Zack down to get it in our new and scary neighborhood! So we ordered our favorites and within minutes it was at our door! Amazing. Why don't all restaurants in the whole world do this?!? Most of the time we like to get out and walk the neighborhood when we're getting dinner, but it is SO nice that most places will bring the food right to our door if we're not up for going out.

One time we ordered food and realized we didn't have any cash on us. Zack had to run downstairs to the CVS that was literally two doors down from the restaurant to get cash. The delivery man beat him here and I just had to stand awkwardly at the door waiting for Zack to get back with the money. Hahaha! It was so embarrassing. So, if you're going to order your food in, pay over the phone or make sure you've got cash!

Here's our first taste of NYC Chinese Food!

One of our first adventures when we moved here was The Metropolitan Museum of Art (aka The Met). This place is unbelieveable. Its huge. I feel like its the size of a small city. Its located on the East Side of Central Park right on the famous Fifth Avenue. Apparently 5th Avenue is also called Museum Mile around these parts because there is over a mile of continuous museums! Its sort of unreal. If I was into Museums I would love it. But maybe I'm not super into museums? So kill me…

But, seriously, the Met has something for EVERYONE!! As someone who doesn't know a lot about art, I wasn't DYING to go. But, Zack was… and its world famous!! So I figured it would be worth our time! Believe me, IT WAS!! If you're coming to the city and dying to see some insanely old art (or looking for something interesting to do on a rainy day) I highly recommend it! But, I do have one or two pieces of advice!

First, go with a purpose! Figure out what you really want to see before you find yourself lost, wandering aimlessly. Rack your brain for any famous paintings or painters that you can think of and find out if its at the Met (it most likely is! They have some of the most famous works of art.) Going with a plan will really make it a more enjoyable experience. This place is huge and you could wander for days! At first we thought we'd just get lost in the art. But that proved much less exciting than imagined.

So, we looked through the map and went straight for the Picassos, Monets, and Van Goghs (all conveniently located in the same wing). Those were pretty much the only artists I knew much about and it was really amazing to see the paintings in person. I was shocked by how some of them took up an entire wall, floor to ceiling, and some of them were no bigger than the text book I once saw them in. We also stopped by the contemporary/modern art wing… which (Spoiler alert!!) has a LOT of nudity. The Met has more than just paintings; there are sculptures and ancient jewelry from Pre-Colombian South America, Egyptian artifacts. When I say there is something for EVERYONE, I mean it. There really is. So figure out what's going to do it for you and check it out! Just being surrounded by so much history and beauty and talent is an experience everyone should have! Its an amazing museum and worth every penny!

This brings me to my second piece of advice! You'll notice when you walk in there is a price list ($25 adult, $17 senior, $15 student, ect) Don't be alarmed! Because what you may not notice is that these prices are "recommended", meaning you pay whatever you want, or whatever you can afford! A lot of the museums in NYC are like this! Don't miss out on the experience because you can't afford it! The purpose of the museum is to bring the art to the masses! So, if you can only pay a dollar per person, DO IT! I can promise you won't regret it!

My last pieces of advice are straight from the mouths of the guards! Don't try to charge your phone in the corner behind a sarcophagus, don't carry your baby on your shoulders, don't try to photograph one certain collection of sculptures, and lastly DON'T try to sneak a sip of the diet coke you hid in you diaper bag (they will see you)!!!! So maybe they have a lot of rules, but they do have like some of the most famous/valuable art in the world so I GUESS they have to protect it! :)

I didn't take like almost any pics at the Met (mostly because one guard scolded me for trying to take a picture of one of the restricted pieces) but I did get this pic of a half naked old guy walking down the street wearing a safari hat... and it is in front of the Met.