New York City, Thursday, March 31st, and the weather is terrible. The night before, we decided to visit some of the museums included in the New York Pass. Beforehand, I went to the Apple Store in SoHo, hoping to finally get an iPad 2. I arrived just before it opened at 9 a.m., and there were already about 10 people queuing. Unfortunately, they only had models that work with Verizon. No luck! An employee said you should get in line between 6 and 7 a.m. to get an iPad with Wi-Fi. Although there's not a 100% chance of getting one. But it's not worth it to me on vacation in the drizzle with temperatures hovering around 0 degrees.
Bodies
We started our museum day with the "Bodies" exhibition. Here, near Pier 17, the human body was explained using real models, similar to Body Worlds. The detailed look at the skeleton, muscles, and individual organs was truly fascinating. Also horrifying were the exhibits, such as a lung riddled with tumors and cancer. I can definitely recommend this exhibition. Aside from the embryo section, there's nothing gross about it. You should plan on about an hour for a visit.
American National History Museum
After burritos and tacos for lunch, we took the subway to the Upper West Side to the American National History Museum. This massive natural history museum is spread over five floors and is located right next to the Rose Center for Earth and Space. It took us about three hours to explore the entire museum. Exhibits include animals from every continent and ocean, diverse world cultures, and dinosaur skeletons. Among other exhibits, the largest dinosaur ever discovered, the "Sauropods Astound," is on display here.
Madame Tussauds
Late in the afternoon, we went back to Times Square to visit Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. To be honest, I was very disappointed. Some of the figures were really poorly rendered, and we had trouble even recognizing who they were. On top of that, the museum is very small. I think we were done in about 30 minutes. Luckily, admission was included in the New York Pass, otherwise it would have been a real waste of money.
