On Sunday, I went on a day field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Met, in New York City! This was for my Islamic art history class and so much fun.
My day began VERY early at 5:00 am. We took a school bus to the city (not the yellow school bus you’re thinking of), so we had to leave at 6:30 am. It is about a four hour drive from Boston to New York City. My art history class was joined by professors, a few other classes, and art students.
Arriving at the Met to this crazy line
We arrived at the Met and actually ran into a Wellesley alum at the entrance! Then, our professor and class headed straight to the Islamic art exhibit in the Met, and we each gave short presentations on certain pieces there. I presented on “Standing Figure with Jeweled Headdress”, a 12th-century Seljuq sculpture from Iran. Afterwards, we went around the exhibit and admired pieces like Islamic pottery and carpets. This was my first time at the Met, and I was overwhelmed by the amount of beautiful art on display.
People channeling their inner Blair Waldorf on the Met steps
The sculpture I presented on, Standing Figure with Jeweled Headdress.
In the afternoon, our professor let us free to do whatever we wanted until the evening! One of my classmates and I went to explore other exhibits in the Met. We saw Van Gogh paintings, Monet paintings, contemporary American art, Greco-Roman sculptures, and medieval art.
The beautiful Damascus Room in the Met
Greek and Roman sculpture hall at the Met
Then, my classmate and I decided to leave the museum to eat lunch and explore some of the city. We got lunch from a gyro cart outside the museum steps and went to nearby Central Park to eat and people watch. We were so blessed to have great weather on Sunday, it was sunny and not that cold. I love people watching, and it was so fun to eat together and just observe New Yorkers. Real New Yorkers could definitely tell we were from out of town because of how slowly we walked and ooh-ed and ahh-ed at everything we saw.
So delicious
Central Park!
Then, we walked around Central Park and the Upper West Side. We stopped by Trader Joe’s, a thrift store, and a bookstore. I have never been really crazy about New York City, but after spending just a couple hours in these tourist spots, I was FULLY romanticizing the city and had fallen for its charm.
Sunset in the Upper West Side
My classmate and I got early dinner at Shake Shack before slowly heading back to the Met to meet our class. We cut through Central Park, and I honestly forgot how large it is; we passed through patches of woods that made me feel like I was back on Wellesley’s campus. Before I knew it, we were back at the Met steps and on the bus back to campus.
Nighttime Met after closing
20,000 steps logged on my Fitbit and a bus ride later, we were back on campus at 11 pm. Overall, this day trip was a well-needed change in scenery. I am flying back home for Thanksgiving break and look forward to resting and seeing my family and friends. Thank you for reading!