Guggenheim Museum

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, along Fifth Avenue by Central Park, is one of the most popular museums in New York. The museum features a large collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern and contemporary art. But it is also housed in a stunning building designed byFrank Lloyd Wright, which in itself is worth a visit to the museum.



The current building opened in 1959 and was conceived as a "temple of the spirit." The building has a cylindrical ramp that spirals up from the ground floor and ends just beneath a broad skylight. The idea was for people to take the elevator up to the top and then slowly make their way down the spiral and enjoy the art along the way (the elevator was actually broken on our trip, so we had to start at the bottom).



Here's a shot of people checking out the art exhibit that was strung out along the ramp.



And then the view from the top, looking down at the lobby.



After leaving the museum, I hurried across the street into Central Park and got this shot of the exterior of the Guggenheim through some trees.



We went to grab some food at a place a few blocks away, and along the way we passed by this small church. The steeple was completely dwarfed by the tall buildings around it.



And one last shot, from later on that night when we headed back to our hotel which was located right by the Chrysler Building. Construction on the Chrysler Building was completed in 1930, and it was the tallest building in the world at the time. But it was only able to hold onto that title for eleven months, when the Empire State Building was completed. It's still the sixth tallest building in New York.