A fine day for hunting big game. I'm headed out for a museum double-header: The Met and MoMA. Visiting whenever I want is one of the great decadent luxuries of living here. Last Christmas, in an uncharacteristic act of foresight, I asked for museum memberships instead of presents, so it doesn't cost me a thing to go. I've got the time (one of the perks of being only occasionally employed) and right now the weather is perfect for museuming - nice and crisp, so I can walk and avoid the train. A long walk outside before and after is a key component of any good trip to the museum - it gives my brain time to breathe and process.
On these little expeditions, I generally don't have an agenda. I just wander in and see what I see. I try not to stay longer than an hour, because that's about all the input I can handle. And I always think of The Wire. When Kima starts working homicides, Bunk tells her to look at every crime scene with 'soft eyes' if she wants to see the telling details. It's pretty good advice for getting the most out of museums, too - especially a museum like The Met, packed to the gills with such a surfeit of riches that many are embarrassingly easy to miss.
