Time is running out, and the question on everybody’s mind (OK, maybe it’s just us, but play along) is will the views on Wendi’s Weekend Trips & Whatnot in 2017 eclipse the numbers from 2016? Well, we are hoping the solar eclipse we observed this August in New York City will aid in those endeavors, but it will take this blog having its best month of the year. Will we succeed? Only time will tell, and you have a role.
As regular readers know, Wendi, the founder of this blog, and I traveled to New York City this past August with her sister and brother-in-law, Randi and Shaun Vahl. We spent five days in Times Square, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Flushing and many parts in between. We did so much in those five days that it has been hard to write about everything we did. One of those things we did was to observe the 2017 solar eclipse atop the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
For this endeavor, Randi was our tour guide. As for why she wanted to view the solar eclipse from the top of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she wrote:
Well I wanted to feel like I was a part of it by participating in an event where other people were excited about it instead of just having it happen while I was touring NYC. I looked online and it said at the top of the Metropolitan Museum of Art there would be no obstructions blocking the view and it was free to go to the top of the building. I was willing to take a look at it with the naked eye, but thankfully that guy we met, let us have an extra pair of his glasses. It was nice to be part of the excitement and I’m glad you, Wendi and Shaun didn’t mind taking a break from our sightseeing to participate.
Before we went to the Big Apple, the four of us sat down and talked about the things that we had to do. We wanted to have some idea of what we where we were going to visit/tour while in New York. My (Wendi) must do was to go to Radio City Music Hall.
Shaun’s was to go to a Mets game.
Bobby said he had to try Katz Deli (which we didn’t actually do) and Junior’s for its cheesecake (which we did do).
Randi said she wanted to see the eclipse. So it really worked out that on Monday we took the tour bus on the Upper Manhattan route and got off at 5th Avenue to go to the Met.
Our purpose for being there was for the eclipse, but since I was there, I wanted to at least see some of the art. Randi, Shaun, Bobby and I got separated. (Well, Bobby and I got separated from Randi and Shaun.) While I was looking for paintings done by Monet, I received a text from Randi indicating that she and Shaun were in line for the elevator to got to the third floor patio to watch the eclipse.
Bobby and I made our way to the line, which must have grown a lot since Randi and Shaun had gotten there. We had to snake our way through the Cedar Point-style queue. The elevator could only hold so many people, so we just had to wait. When we finally go up to the top, it was packed. In fact, I wasn’t sure how everyone behind us in line would be able to fit. I wondered if anyone in New York actually was working at their jobs. There was so many people there. But I was glad we were there for Randi.
There was a guy who had set up a camera over a piece of cardboard that showed the reflection of the sun, so you could see how it progressed.
Another guy, who Randi already mentioned, had a handful of the special glasses to view the eclipse. He gave us a pair. I talked with him a little. He wasn’t so interested in the eclipse as he was in photographing the crowd. I asked him if that was is job/business. He said, “I wish. More of a hobby, but I hope to do it for a living some day.” Randi enjoyed being part of the crowd experience, me not so much. I mean, I don’t like people getting into my personal space.
So, I found a spot where I could sit in the shade. Sure it was on the floor, but that didn’t matter, no one was getting too close. Don’t worry, I didn’t miss the eclipse. I got up in time to see it a little bit, using the special glasses. Since they were given to us, we let other people use them, too. We were blessed and we wanted to bless others. I guess in retrospect, I’m glad we actually did join the crowd. We’ll always remember where we were during the 2017 eclipse.
As for her decision, Randi said, “It made the event unforgettable being in New York on top of The Met. Had we just been in Ohio, I would have been working and probably missed it altogether.”
So, we all had fun waiting for the eclipse atop The Met in New York on Aug. 21, 2017, and now Wendi and I will sit back and wait for Jan. 1, 2018, to see if the number of page views will eclipse those in 2016. You reading this post just helped us get one view closer. Thanks for a wonderful year. And if you don’t mind, please share this with your friends!
