Rain brings a whole different type of bustle to New York.
Moisture in the air amplifies sounds, altering everything. A light changes and as fifty cars pass, you hear tires rolling on wet pavement, each sucking a little water up into their treads — tiny, sharp notes magnified a hundred times over. You miss a step, and your foot hits a puddle with a splash. All the while you watch your umbrella, bobbing and dodging, part of the ballet of people going in and around one another, on their way to everywhere.
Last week my daughter and I spent a two night layover in the city on our way to London. New York gave us a rainy spring day, and we decided: perfect time for a little shopping, a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and some great food.
We started at Lord & Taylor’s 1914 flagship store on Fifth Avenue. Lord & Taylor is the grand lady of the great American department stores — and the oldest in the country, with its first iteration on Catherine Street dating to 1826. I worked at L&T when I lived in Manhattan in the early nineties, and I’ve had a soft spot for her ever since.
Afterwards, we paused at the New York Public Library, slick-wet and resplendent in the spring green of fresh-leafed trees. It was one of those perfect moments where everything comes together, the quality of light, the smell of ozone, soil, and grassy things mixed with those of the city — and time with my daughter.
A few blocks further on, and we ducked underground at Rockefeller Center, always a great spot on a rainy day to have coffee and take a rest.
After dropping bags at the hotel, it was time for a cab uptown to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Catherine was on a mission to see the new show: Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. It was a good day to be a member at the museum; this is an extraordinary show, and it’s going to generate big ticket lines for its whole run.
While museum curators seem to dislike the word “blockbuster,” that is what Heavenly Bodies is. I’d add another phrase: game changer. For so long, any displays of fashion in art museums were treated as second-run in importance.
Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination
It’s difficult to find words to do Heavenly Bodies justice. This is simply one of the most beautiful exhibits I have ever seen, and easily the finest display of fashion ever put on by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The integration of the art work of the fashion world with the medieval art and religious objects, accompanied by music is exquisite.
The show centers around fashion designers raised in the Roman Catholic tradition, and explores “how the Catholic imagination has shaped the creativity of designers and how it is conveyed through their narrative impulses” (from the Met exhibition map for Heavenly Bodies).
The exhibit plays out in three locations: 1) the Anna Wintour Costume Center, 2) the Byzantine and medieval art galleries, and the Robert Lehman wing — all at The Met Fifth Avenue, and 3) then continues at The Met Cloisters.
The Anna Wintour Costume Center focuses on a collection of papal vestments from the Vatican. Items on display in this area include many papal copes, many dating from the 17th century, along with over a half-dozen papal tiaras, and other items used and worn by pontiffs over the years. Visitors will find the papal clothing, many pieces richly embroidered in a variety of styles, echoed in many different ways in the modern fashion in the exhibit on the first floor.
It is the first floor of the Met, in the Byzantine and medieval galleries that Heavenly Bodies really shines. I found the interplay of contemporary fashion with religious art, music, and dramatic lighting captivating.
We finished our time with Heavenly Bodies, and cabbed it back to our hotel near Hell’s Kitchen for a little down time. The final part of the show at the Cloisters will have to wait until my next trip to New York.
For dinner, Catherine took me down to Chelsea, and it was time for the subway. One thing about staying in NYC — you have to know which mode of transportation to employ at different times of day. Let’s see . . . rush hour in the rain? Hhmm. You can walk faster than the cabs!
Twenty-five minutes later, we walked into Buddakan, one of her new favorite restaurants. Gorgeous interior and outstanding Asian fusion food — artistically satisfying end to one of the best rainy days in recent memory.
If you are going to be in New York, go see Heavenly Bodies — open now through October 8, 2018.
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Thanks for sharing!!! I love it!
I often save museum visits for rainy days. I have yet to go to MOMA, but would love to see this Heavenly Bodies exhibit!
Yes, museums are the BEST rainy-day things to do. And this is the Met, while I love MOMA as well. But the Met is my fave. There’s a reason we are members, even though we live in Texas!
New York is such a fascinating city! It’s still on my to go list and I’d definitely love to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Those displays are so beautiful. Also I love the chandeliers inside Buddakan. Looks like you had a great time there.
I love NYC, and with Catherine in college in the area, I’m enjoying my regular trips.
I remember in art history class there was a huge distinction between art on canvas and crafts with textiles. Almost invariable, I would enjoy the “crafts” significantly more than the “art”. I could see the fashion display at the Met being a game changer, not only for the attendance at the museum, but also for art interpretation going forward. It validates fashion as a legitimate art from.
I agree, and I hope it’s the beginning of more integrated exhibits. We always enjoy the fashion exhibits, which are down in the Anna Wintour Center at the Met (underneath the Egyptian halls), but they are always all by themselves — held SO separately from the rest of the museum.
I went through 6 umbrellas during a weekend stay in NYC one spring. It wasn’t the best time I have had in the city! Looks like you found something unique to do while keeping dry. I haven’t heard of the Heavenly Bodies Exhibit, it sure looks extravagant
If you get a hard rain, a cheap umbrella, or some wind, a rainy day in the city can definitely take a turn for the worst. We cabbed it up to the Met and back, and while it was a slow ride back to midtown in the traffic, it was dry and a nice time to relax.
Loved this evocative post. We all write posts about exotic places but yes the first rains of the season brings some back to the tired and crowded home towns. Every city I have ever stayed in, have become more pleasant in the rains.
I agree with you about the rain. Some of my very best and strongest memories of my hometown, New Orleans, are from rainy days. The same is true of Paris.
It is good to know that there is something to do on a rainy day. The exhibit looks beautiful! What a lovely find. The Byzantine era has always fascinated me. The details are so gorgeous. And what better way to end the day than good food!
Oh, there’s plenty to do in NYC on a rainy day. — And this exhibit IS amazing!
Heavenly Bodies looks spectacular! I’m really excited you got to walk by the public library too. It’s on our list as a great thing you can check out for free in about 10 minutes but you feel like you got a real inside look at something that’s so important to the city.
Cities look so different when it is raining. New York too seems to don a different avatar when it rains. I have had the experience of Paris in the rains and the downpour seemed to enhance the beauty of the city and make it even more beautiful. Never been to New York, but hope to go there some day, maybe will catch it in the rain. On a different note the Heavenly Bodies show seems to be really fascinating.
I agree with you about Paris in the rain 🙂 .
Rain is a blessing, some say. You got to see that heavenly expo of Heavenly Bodies. What an amazing exhibit.
It really is 🙂 .
Ah NYC – so much to do!! Love to take the bus to New York on a Wednesday for a lunch and a Broadway show (we live about 1.5 from NY. Sounds like you showed your daughter around to some of the typical tourist spots –the Met, Rockefeller Center and the library is not one I have been to. Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination sounds like an interesting show – wow – quite the costumes!
I didn’t know that NYC had a Buddakan; it’s one of my favorite restaurants in Philly.
If you’re that close to the city, then I recommend getting while Heavenly Bodies is at the Met. Such a gorgeous show. And I loved Buddakan — I can see why it’s a favorite of yours in Philly.
Not a lot of people like the rain but its really cool that you did not let it bring you down or spoil the day for you and you made the most of it! The Heavenly Bodies exhibit looks pretty spectacular, especially the Anna Wintour Costume Center. What a great way to spend time when it’s wet outside.
The Heavenly Bodies exhibit is amazing. I hope to get back one more time before it closes in October.
Love your post on a rainy day in New York, since like London NY experiences a lot of rain, I love that this isn’t the typical post of sunshine photos of the big apple! With all the shops, museums / galleries and shows, I can see it’s easy to stay out of the weather!
You’re right — NYC can be a rainy place 🙂 . When you’re traveling, you have to deal with the weather you have, and fortunately there are SO many things to do in New York, it’s not hard to find some indoor alternatives.
It was good to read a blog post about things to do on a rainy day in NYC. When we visited for the Christmas Holidays it was very busy and we really just wanted to look at store windows. But I agree there is lots of shopping to do! Didn’t you find the library so much like a museum inside? The Heavenly Bodies exhibit at the Met looked very interesting.