Last day roaming around NY

Today, Thursday is my last day but one in NY, the last full day to be able to wander and explore. Had a plan to end up at Filene's, the original 'bargain basement' store at Union Square on 14th Street. On the way I exited the Subway at 77th and finally got to the Whitney. No photos allowed but I did see a wonderful work by Leon Golub which was fresh and imposing. The exhibition ' Real Surreal' was really not my cup of tea but enjoyed the two Hopper works and the early drawing by Philip Guston of the KKK. The David Smith exhibition was good too.
Kept travelling south and decided to 'brave' 42nd Street once more. This is the hub for many travellers as it combines the local subway with Grand Central from which many longer trips depart. I found the main concourse of Grand Central, amazing - a huge expanse of marble and gilt metal and huge lights. The ceiling is wonderful too.

 Inside Grand Central's main concourse

 It's very ornate and spacious and amazing

 It's very well organised and grand

 The ceiling is beautiful

 The light fittings are huge and so ornate

I then walked to 6th Avenue and found the Centre for Contemporary Photography which was set up by Frank Capa's brother and others. It is really great. The show of archival prints by Walker Evans contemporary, Danish Peter Sekaer is fantastic. Images of the south and the poor areas of various towns in the 1930's. He worked with others in FDR's New Deal project. The other show on that level features fashion photography from Vanity Fare. 

Downstairs two shows about 9/11 connect a decade. Eugene Richard's 'Stepping Through the Ashes' captures the mood and shock of the event four days after the attack. The photos taken from September 15 2001 attempt to capture the shock and desolation of that area around the former World Trade Centre, the innumerable funerals and the breakdown of the fragile ephemera of many notices pasted up of the missing. The other exhibition is an installation by Francesc Torres 'Memory Remains : 9/11 Artefacts at Hangar 17' which has four huge screens showing images of various artefacts that have been sorted, catalogued and stored in a disused hangar at JFK Airport. Huge twisted steel girders, twisted remains of the 360' aerial from one of the towers, molten messes of building materials incinerated to a glassy mess and in contrast a soiled rag doll. Finally, encased on a lone plinth is a paper boat made out of a subway map that was found in one of the trains that stopped when the planes flew into the towers.

On the way back to 5th Avenue and a bus to 14th Street I saw the wonderful crown of the Chrysler Building shining in the afternoon sun.

 Then I passed some exceedingly over the top Baroque window displays in a pseudo antique shop

 This is a view of 5th Ave back to 42nd Street just outside the grand New York Public Library

 This is a shot towards the entrance to the New York Public Library

 Some shots going down 5th Avenue on the way to 14th Street

 A very old building dwarfed by the glass boxes

This is the famous 'flat iron'

Some of the loveliest surprises have been the sky-scapes between the tall buildings. Yesterday was grey and wet and today there was a wonderful display of clouds against the blue sky.  This is a city designed for walking - as well as jumping on the Subway and the many buses. All you need is a Metro card and a few dollars to grab a coffee - the rest can be done on the credit card.