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We have been looking forward to visiting the new Whitney Museum since reading the featured article in New York Magazine. It was well worth it and a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. We started out eating (of course! This is Kornblit Tours!) We tried getting into “Untitled,” the ground-floor restaurant, but the wait time was so long, the restaurant would have been closed by the time our seats were ready. Tip – make a reservation in advance. The next eating option was the Studio Cafe on the 8th floor which was a great lunchtime choice. The portions were decent and the food was fresh and a little different. I had toast with cucumber and guacamole. They also had a variety of soups and salads to choose from.
Being on the 8th floor was just where you want to start your tour of the Whitney. The gallery on this level included artwork from 1910 to 1940 – as you descend the levels, the artwork displayed increases chronologically; so the 7th floor has works from 1925 to 1960 and the 6th floor is 1950 – 1975, and so on.
My favorite floor was the 6th floor. Anyone who was on a Greenwich Village tour with us would recognize the George Segal lifelike sculpture of people set in different situations. In Greenwich Village Segal’s sculpture is across from the famed Stonewall Inn in the park area of Christopher Square. The statues here pay tribute the Stonewall Riots, when police raided the homosexual hang out, the outcome becoming known in history as the first time that homosexuals fought back for their rights. The sculpture at the Whitney is called “Walk, Don’t Walk” which includes his plaster and cement figures at an electronic cross walk light fixture. This one just begs you to be photographed in it. The New York Times said of Walk, Don’t Walk: ” . . . the figures . . . know that life is full of challenges, of hardship, but they are ready to soldier on, to move forward in the world.”
What is most dramatic about the museum, I thought, were the outside spaces. The architect, Renzo Piano, created areas to sit, stand, and dwell on the art outside – NYC! The beauty of the city is all around and some of the views are spectacular. There are comfortable chairs to sit and lounge and gaze at the city sites. Once again, I am convinced, there’s nothing like New York!