One of the benefits of being a Hearst employee is having unlimited free entry to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. So on the gorgeous fall Saturday that we had this weekend, I convinced Mark to head up to the Upper East Side to check it out. So we mozied our way up there, stopping to buy some running shoes and grabbing bagels along the way. When we got to the Met, the usual crowd was gathered on the steps in front of the building. As we got closer, we noticed that they were all watching these two guys do a breakdancing/gymastics/overall craziness act. We decided to watch for a bit, and just as we sat down, I feel a hand on my arm. One of the guys in the act was looking for a "diva" to take part in the grand finale. I don't know what kind of diva vibe I was giving off, but of all of the hundreds of people in the crowd, they picked me. I was reluctant (and embarrassed) to go with him, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. So next thing I know, I was sandwiched between a British girl and a guy from China in front of a group of people from everywhere in the world BESIDES Manhattan! Ahhh...I was TOTALLY part of a tourist trap! I just prayed no one I knew would see me standing up there...
Oh, why was I standing up there, you ask? One of the guys in the act used me and my two new foreign friends as a barrier over which he did a flying flip! My camera was in my bag (which was with me), so I don't have any pictures. Darn. That'll probably never happen to me again! When I was finally released from my duties, we made it into the Met and saw some amazing exhibits. Pictured are the works of Contemporary Chinese-born artist Cai Guo-Qiang, Transparent Monument, a large sheet of glass at the foot of which lie replicas of dead birds; and Move Along, Nothing to See Here, a pair of life-size replicas of crocodiles cast in resin, pierced with scissors and knives confiscated at airport security checkpoints. They're currently on display on the Met's roof top, which offers amazing panoramic views of the city.
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