The Streets of New York

MoMA

My flight left New York's JFK airport this afternoon, so I had a couple precious hours this morning to venture out of the hotel and actually look around NYC. I decided to walk to the Flatiron building, Rockefeller Center (which I couldn't find), and finally the Museum of Modern Art aka (MoMA).

The entrance fee was on the steep side, but I wanted to see the artwork there. Coincidentally the museum has a special exhibition of Ernst Kirchner's artwork. The focus is on his Berlin streets series. His artwork is characterized by the jagged humans and lurid colors.

I enjoyed my 2 hours in the museum. As I was walking the streets of New York City, I realized how fast the pedestrians are walking! If you hesitate for even a moment, you will be mowed down by the people following immediately behind you. I consider myself a fast walker, but these guys were even faster. That's saying a lot! Manhattan is just so hectic and full of people. I can't get over it. Traffic is crazy. Cars are honking. People run red lights. I did not notice many bicyclists though. Interesting. Seeing how hectic and harried everything was in NYC made me realize why these people are so stressed out all the time. The pace is slightly slower in San Francisco, even if you're in the Financial District. Here's a fun list I found on the Internet - a list of the fastest walkers in the world as of 2007. See where your city ranks.