The Frick
88. Go to the Frick
Yesterday was going to be a two-part 101 day; my friend Kate and I were going to try and get tickets for Shakespeare in the Park and then go to the Frick in the afternoon. The Shakespeare tickets were a no-go, though. We had a string of things delay us that morning (Kate’s car wouldn’t start, we missed the bus by a minute, got on the wrong subway – which I *NEVER* do!! – chose the wrong path in Central Park – the list goes on an on), but none of it mattered in the end because when we got to the end of the verrrrrry long line for the tickets, we were told that there was no way we’d get any because the last people to get any are the folks who got in line at 6:45am. Ooookay, that was just when we were both getting up, so it would have never worked. Next year we have to do the whole “get up at 3am” plan if we want to see the show. It’s craziness.
However, we had a lovely day in the city, none-the-less, and had a great time chatting. It’s not often that I get to sit and just talk with a longtime friend – you know, that friend who really knows you, knows all your references, who you don’t have to explain anything to, knows your family, and so on. It was really great. We spent the whole day together, from about 8:30am to 4:30pm and I don’t think we stopped talking the whole time.
After failing to get tickets, we stuck with our plan to get lunch and go to the Frick. The Frick Collection is housed in the former residence of Henry Clay Frick, on 5th Avenue and 70th Street in NYC. The residence was built in 1913-1914 (Frick only lived until 1919 so he didn’t live there long). After Frick died, he bequeathed the residence and his art collection to a Board of Trustees, who opened the residence to the public in 1935 (after some alterations and extensions were made to the building). Some additional areas were completed in 1977.
The building is amazing. Walking through it, Kate and I just kept talking (well, whispering) about what it would be like to live there. It is really just such a beautiful building and it allows for such an intimate experience with the art because very little is behind ropes or glass or protected in any way (which is probably why the museum does not allow children under 10 years old). You can get up close to the chairs and vases and paintings – so much so that it’s really hard not to touch them sometimes, but there are guards everywhere.
It’s a beautiful place. Museums in NYC have gotten more expensive than they used to be (at $15 this is a cheaper one) so plan ahead, but it’s a great place to visit; all in all, it would take you about two hours to go through in its entirety.
one view from the Central Park reservoir
another reservoir view
the best running path in NYC
garden outside the Frick
the main entrance
frog fountain
Note: You are not allowed to take pictures anywhere in the Frick. However, in this water garden area, we saw people taking pictures together in front of the fountain so we figured it must be okay just in that one room. Yeah, no. The guard came over and told us it wasn’t allowed. So those people could take pictures of each other but we can’t photograph this frog? Hrmph. I understand no photos in museums, though – it’s fine by me. I just really wanted the frog.
