The first thing I did when I sat out after breakfast yesterday, was to pop by the New York Public Library, just to get that photo of Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends, that I so much wanted. It didn’t take long, so when I was done, I headed for International Center of Photography.

International Center of Photography was a nice surprise: It was a lot better than I had expected it to be. Its content was far more political than I thought it would be, and it was in general very well laid out. As for beauty, I think the pictures by Wangechi Mutu from Nairobi, Keny, were the ones I liked the best. However, what made the strongest impression on me were Gideon Mendel, Thomas Hirchhorn, and Rabih Mroué, all whom had important projects with a strong message. I was surprised not more people visited this centre, as it’s smack in the middle of the city.

A place where there were tons of tourists, on the other hand, was Museum of Modern Art, or MoMA, which is only a short walk from the International Center of Photography. MoMA, on the other hand, was less impressive than I thought it would be. That being said, it wasn’t a bad place in any way, and it did have a some good pieces. Here you find pictures by Frida Kahlo, Monet and Andy Warhol, among others, so it’s definitely worth the pricey ticket.

I’m not sure how much time I spent at MoMA, but it’s huge. And I wasn’t up for walking a long way after that, so I went to have a look at Rockefeller Center. I guess it’s one of those places you really should visit when you’re in New York. I didn’t go up on the deck, though, as I didn’t feel like being all that touristy. It was nice just to walk around as well.

When I had been walking around Rockefeller Center for a while, I was hungry, and I realized it was dinner time. I went to have my meal at Madison & Vine, which is connected to the hotel. Though I love the hotel (I’m staying at the Library Hotel, which I’ve mentioned before), the food and service there was disappointing. I had wild mushroom ravioli, which sounded promising on the menu, but it didn’t make my taste buds dance, so to say.

After dinner, I headed for my room to rest. I was indeed tired. When I had rested for a while, I went down to the Reading Room for complimentary sparkling wine and cheese, and to read.

I went for a walk in the evening, just around the area of the hotel, before going back to my room.

I felt like an early bird when my alarm went off this morning. The breakfast at this lovely hotel is complimentary (as well as a lot of other things), so I hasted to eat before it was over. After breakfast it was time to visit a place I’ve dreamed of visiting for a long while: New York Public Library.

New York Public Library is known to be one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, and that is not without reason. This is a truly beautiful place! Swarming with tourists, but still a beautiful library. And lots to see. Should you ever go there, be sure to have a couple of hours, at least, to spare!

Unfortunately, the battery of my camera ran out while I was there, so I might go back to get some snaps of some things I wasn’t able to photograph while I was there – like the real Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed animals! Yup, there they were: Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, Kanga… It was lovely to see them!

After my trip to the library, I went back to my hotel room, as I needed to charge the camera battery. While waiting, I went to have a cup of complimentary coffee in the Reading Room. It was nice to sit there, reading my book, jazz playing, and having a rest.

My plan was then to visit the south of Manhattan. I wanted to do a couple of bookcrossing releases. From one spot to another, I came across a cookbook shop, and I just had to stop by. Turned out this was an independent bookshop, and I ended up having a lengthy chat with the owner about cookbooks, and independent bookshops in general. She was really sweet, and I found an interesting cookbook I just had to buy. I can hardly wait to use it!

My last bookcrossing release stop was 66 Perry Street. These stairs are known from the TV series Sex in the City, based on the book with the very same name. They are seen in several scenes in the TV series, and famous for being the stairs to Carrie’s flat (she’s the main character). As you might have guessed, the book I wanted to release here was exactly that book.

After releasing the book, I headed to Union square to take the underground back to the station right by my hotel. On my way there, I made several stops. There’s a lot to look at! At Union sq. there were people playing chess and all sorts of things.

When I got back to the hotel, I popped by my room to drop my handbag, before heading back to the Reading Room, where they served complimentary sparkling wine and a selection of cheeses. It was so nice! After eating cheese and drinking wine, I went back to my room, as it was then quite late, and I was tired.