5th Ave Between 87th St and 89th St

Smack-dab in the middle of Museum Mile, these two blocks house quite a few cultural institutions – the most notable and noticeable being the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Coming up here on the weekend to take pictures, there's no way not to look like a tourist. Practically everyone on the street can be found posing for or taking photos.  And who can blame them?  With the recent restoration (finished last year), the Guggenheim absolutely glows and makes for a great pic to send home.

There's not much I can say about the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building that hasn't already been said- except that I always enjoy how the stark, modern, rounded structure plays off the pure natural beauty of Central Park.  There's such contrast in environments that you can't help but appreciate both.

5th Ave Between 80th St and 84th St

Starting at the southern end of what's known as Museum Mile, classic culture and architecture practically fill the air around you. The inescapable majesty of The Met and surrounding buildings makes for an awe-inspiring section of sidewalk- one that is only interrupted by hot dog vendors, construction, police, buses and everything else that makes New York great.

As far as buildings go, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has to be one of the most impressive structures one can encounter, it's sheer size and complexity remains a monument to what a privately-funded art culture can achieve. Then all one needs to do is realize that every foot of it's interior is filled with priceless art and history and it's at that point that you'll get a true appreciation for this place and what it has to offer. I've been to the museum countless times in my life, and I don't think I've even seen 2/3rds of the building- it's sheer capacity is mind-blowing. For the past year or so, the grand steps at the front have been under construction, first the south side and now the north. This makes for an unpleasant sight, so I'm eager to see the full thing re-open.

Across from the Met are a series of buildings ranging from smaller private galleries to apartment sky scrapers. The variety of architecture exhibited on these blocks is amusing, as one goes from gothic to modern, you can get a true sense of how the street and city evolved.

It's nice to see the counter-culture having it's say in this area: street signs, crosswalks and other empty places and plastered with stickers and tags, most of which seem quite fond of the word 'shit'. Speaking of crosswalks, I came across an old instructional sign which references the old "Walk/Don't Walk" units. Interesting that this relic survived the replacement a few years ago. Most people I talk to seem to miss those old typographic signs, I think I tend to agree.

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