It's been over a year since I've been to New York, an unprecedented absence, as a result of Bev's and my accidents. The day started with two unpleasant surprises. First, Bev and I went to the Met Breuer and discovered it was closed on Mondays. I had assumed incorrectly that since the main museum is now open seven days a week that the Breuer would be also. Second, I discovered that the Met no longer provides its full audio guide over smart phones. Several years ago they started offering this delightful amenity, which enabled visitors to avoid the cost and hassle of renting separate audio guides. They now provide free access only for selected special exhibits and self-guided tours – and I found that even these didn't work anywhere near as well as the old system. I kept hoping that the MFA in Boston would follow the Met's example and provide free smart phone access, but unfortunately it looks like the trend is going the other way.
After visiting a number of special exhibits, I completed the Arms and Armor galleries, which display not only the European armor I had previously seen, but also a variety of medieval weapons and many centuries of firearms, the oldest of which were just as elaborately decorated as the armor. Displays came not only from Europe, but also Turkey, Iran, India, China, plus a huge collection from Japan.
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| Japanese Edo-period armor |
