There was definitely a low point during our vacation. It was Friday after lunch. Nap time.
We were all four of us in desperate need of a nap, no one more so than David. But, not surprisingly, the idea of a nap on the big bed (which is perfect for jumping) in the hotel room (with a view of a working crane) triggered in David defiant silliness. The situation looked grim. It seemed a futile effort, but, like I said, we were desperate for naps, and, if we should give up the fight, we might as well pack the car and drive home--the rest of the trip would be miserable. So we persisted, hit rock bottom, but then I ultimately prevailed (Mom Power!). David slept so long that I got a nap, Greg got a nap, and Mary got two, as well as an outing with her dad to find a drug store. When David finally woke up, life was looking mighty fine. Amazing what the three-year-old's nap can do for the whole family.
Our hotel was just a block from
The Andy Warhol Museum, so we put David in the backpack (his choice) and Mary in the sling and headed out. It was after 5:00, but the museum is open late on Fridays, and half-price in the evening--perfect timing! It was a good art museum for David because (1) it was small--didn't take long to walk through, (2) it wasn't particularly good--so Mom wasn't tempted to linger, and (3) there were some great pieces for kids. Andy Warhol's
Toys was there. It's a fish wall papered room with more than a dozen small paintings of things that would interest children--an airplane, a robot, a car, a train, an apple, and so on. They are displayed low, at a child's eye level. David enjoyed narrating to us as we walked around the room, "A train, a boat, a bear..." (I had bought a book with these pictures in it, to prep David for our visit.)
The highlight was Silver Clouds, which is a room filled with silver helium balloons that drift with air currents (provided by a couple of fans). It was neat! You walk right into the room and touch the balloons (or avoid being touched). So simple, yet powerful. The art literally changes with every viewer. (David was not impressed--I think he was uneasy about it.)
Despite the fact that The Andy Warhol Museum is actually a pretty good art museum for kids, David wasn't a big fan--he didn't even want to get out of the backpack. I think he was intimidated by the place. I guess I had taken for granted that I feel at home in art museums. I had forgotten how foreign a modern art museum can feel, with all its white airiness and unexplainable objects. So I can't blame David for begin wary of the whole thing. (But it was kind of annoying how he kept repeating, "Go home now, go home now" like a broken record. This was an art museum, so it echoed--a lot. Very pleasant for the other visitors, I'm sure.)
David did really like one thing though: Glenn Kaino's "Simple System for Dimensional Transformation," which is, how can I explain? A giant waterwheel made of enormous over-sized gray dentures, sitting in an inflatable plastic swimming pool, being turned by water pouring from an overhead shower head, and all connected to a nearby spinning mound of Astroturf topped by a stuffed jackalope. Oh yeah, and the whole system gently pulls the wings of a tiny origami-bird in the next room. David was fascinated, and stopped wanting to "go home now." But he also wanted an explanation. What is that? What it is doing? Why? This contemporary art fan found herself stammering...finally settling on, "We just look at it." That is the point, right?
Soon enough David's wish came true, and we left the museum. We took a quick walk along the riverfront, where David liked looking at the boats (and wanted to ride in one.) And we also took a peek into the Pirates' stadium, where I learned that "Go Bucs!" actually means "Go Pirates!" Who knew? Not me. So it's a darn good thing we made this trip to Pittsburgh, naps and all.
