And on the Seventh Day...

More free time. My plans had included having lunch with my Uncle, however he was unable to make the date so we rescheduled for Friday; hopefully. So instead Javier and I took a trip down to the Village to do some more shopping. The ultimate goal was Forbidden Planet, a gigantic comic book store. On our way we of course got lost, too many streets going in too many different directions; a veritable Bermuda Triangle of NYC. The story of the day lies within one act of kindness from a stranger. While Javier and I were stopped looking at a map a nice gentleman approached us and offered directions, our obvious inability to navigate the streets must have put a large neon sign above our heads which read “TOURISTS!” After pointing us in the right direction he asked us where we were from. Insanity; among 8 million people, the one who stops to help us find our way, is also from El Paso; Eastwood High School, and a UTEP Alum. How is it we made a connection between three people in a city of strangers. Doug The Neighbor, Douglas Gowland to be more precise, an actor and writer gave us a quick tour of Greenwich Village and The White Horse Tavern before sending us on our way to Forbidden Planet with the promise of drinks or lunch together in the next few days.
The comic book store was great, their prices not so much. I guess with space coming at a premium here, the items which take up that space are also come at a premium. No worries, there is always eBay! Javier and I walked to Union Square and took the subway up to Times Square for some more shopping. It turned out to be more disappointing commercialism. I was really looking forward to the NHL store, but their prices were worse than what can be found online, including shipping. Why?!

After that I went back to the hotel to recharge for a minute with plans to go to Coney Island for the evening. The subway ride was long yet interesting. You could see, as we passed through what seemed like hundreds of subway stops, the culture, society, even color, of the subway change. It was like a mixing and separation taking place in front of me. After about an hour and a half we arrived at Coney Island to severe disappointment. Maybe because of the weather, maybe because of the time of day, or maybe because of the time of year, it was virtually deserted. 99% of the boardwalk was shuttered, there were a few people walking along the beach, but that also seemed like a vacant lot. I was looking forward to some rides, games, and food along the boardwalk but oh well, checkmark for Coney Island and my list. Nathan’s Famous before heading home with long faces and remorse. Some dessert and bed; big day tomorrow.

Group Shots!! (Not the good kind)

Memorial Day: what a time to be in NYC. It is the starting point for so many things. Its Fleet Week in the city, many service men and women enjoying respite from their enormous responsibility. They are walking through what is probably the catalyst for their enlistment, the ember that ignited the passion to want to defend this great country, and walk among those they protect. Enjoy your time off Boys and Girls! And, thank you for all that you do!
Touring the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island; it is another starting point, a beacon that brought so many people so many miles from so many places. The statue is a monument to both problems and profitability for the United States; a two way street of progress and disparity. I believe that while some of the actions of those involved in the immigration process of this establishing country might have been harsh, uncomfortable, and degrading, we would not be the country we are today. We cannot correct the mistakes of the past, hind sight is always 20/20, and no one likes a Monday morning quarterback. Instead we can learn from those mistakes and improve our foresight so that we do not repeat what has happened.
There is no doubt that the Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, and Ellis Island hold a special significance on Memorial Day. To be there, standing at this country’s symbol of freedom, on a day where we remember those who fight and die to protect that freedom, and how important that freedom was to the immigrants of then, and how precious it is to us now.

On a final note of freedom: Liberty Island is probably the most secure place here in New York. The prevention measures they have taken to secure the island are quite remarkable. And even though it is incredibly invasive they are a model of efficiency. I would like to give a big shout-out to Brad and Dr. Cappell for almost getting all of us arrested and sent to Guantanamo Bay; that would have been a good group shot!

Parks, Picassos, and Plays… Oh My!

So many things to see and only two eyes. The day began with a guided tour of Central Park. A sanctuary of nature and serenity among a forest of concrete and metal. Although that is not entirely true. The park, of which every area is part of a purpose and design is no less man made than the Empire State Building or the Brooklyn Bridge. This idea of “perceived nature” is just another part of the New York City element. None the less it is a beautiful place; open spaces with room to enjoy your own little patch of the pastoral. Intended to be a “Democratic” park for the people it is a escape from whatever you need. The size of the park allows for a personal experience among the throngs of populations.

Upward and onward from there to the Met which sits on the west side of the park. A giant museum with a multitude of history, art, and sculptures. No way can it be seen in a day, or even two. One could spend a week there and not take everything in. There is no one thing to comment on in the musuem only because there is so much. It would take as long to write about everything as it would to see it; a thesis on each piece.
After the museum another Broadway play, “In the Heights.” A story of people living in the neighborhood of Washington Heights and their struggles to make it as a community. Not a whole lot to say about this play other than the realistic nature of the experience. The play takes place during the summer, around the 4th of July; its hot! We get a sense of just how hot it can get here in the summer. To bring the audience into the experience of the characters the theatre was also kept very hot. Whether intentional or not, the experience of the heat during the characters troubles in Washington Heights was felt by all.

Tomorrow the Statue of Liberty.

FREEEEEEEEEEEDOM!!!!!!!!!

Free Time! Plans today included the Museum of Sex, the Museum of Modern Art, and maybe a Broadway Play… yeah didn’t happen.

Instead Kirsten and I took a leisurely stroll through Central Park and down 5th Avenue for some shopping. Taking our time and stopping to enjoy the scenery. It was a beautiful day and lots of beautiful people out and about; that does of course include us! Clothing, shoes, and most importantly WATCHES!! Spent an hour at the Omega Watch store where they are currently holding all my watches for me. I let the store hang on to the watches so that I can visit them from time to time. The new Omega 8500 has all in house movement, no second party modifications. They are coming to a paragon of perfect watch making with reasonable prices.
After shopping we took the subway back up town and promptly got lost. “Experience is the name we give to our mistakes.” I now know how to read a subway map. We ended up almost in The Bronx at 125th street, saw our fist subway rats, and promptly went back down to our subway stop.

The dinner that night was at Ocean; oysters on the half shell, sushi, Maine Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp… super delicious. Café Lola for dessert; whatever you wanted turned into cheese cake they had, plus a plethora of other fine pastries and yummyness. Turned in for an early night to get rested up for a big day at the Met and Central Park closing with a Broadway Musical.

King Kong aint got nothing on me…

Yay! More walking! The East Village, like much of everything we have seen a place of constantly changing landscapes. It is a village that has seen both the highs and the lows of what a large city can do to any neighborhood: a big loop, starting with Washington Square Park and ending at The Strand Bookstore. There is history in every window and every face. Each building, ugly or stunning, has its own story. A great collage of architecture that keeps the idea of cosmopolitanism even among the city’s structures.
A quick stop at The Strand Bookstore to see what “real people” are reading. One of the last bastions of literary individualism striving to remain untainted by the Barnes and Nobeling of the world. Here we are not blasted by what corporate headquarters tells us what we should want to read, proof that the world is not all James Patterson and Dan Brown.
Two blocks up to Kalustayan’s Deli. A mix of Indian and Asian cuisine. Majadarra and curried chick peas, completely vegetarian and light though filling. Proof that one does not need Lean Cuisines and frozen burritos to sustain them. Our culinary guide gave us tastes of almost everything he had as well of tales of his 15 wives and children from Bangladesh to South Africa; a breathing example of cosmopolitanism.

Back up to Mid-Town and the New York Public Library. Created, built, and seriously funded by John Astor. A place where education is available to anyone. One of the many cornerstones of society and its progress that can be found through the city.
Finally, Fences starring Denzel Washington at The Cort Theatre. It is the story of a Black family struggling with Civil Rights, life and death, interpersonal relationships, and a father’s responsibility. Drama! To say the least. And while I think the major pull of the play is to see Denzel on stage (he is very good) there is still a bigger connection for all through familial relationships that is always relatable. Tomorrow, FREE TIME!

New York is a difficult city to grasp. I think I understand the few blocks around our hotel, where to eat, how to get to the subway, where I can go to enjoy the parks. But taking the subway you lose your senses. Underground is a lot like in the air, your direction is gone; you know you’re moving, you have a sense of what direction your intended travel is in, but when you emerge it is a whole new world. I know the buildings are different, I know I am several miles from where I started, but the destination all seems vaguely similar to where I began. I have to learn to walk again, there is a flow to the pedestrian traffic, avoiding the real danger of the actual traffic. Getting yelled at by cabbies and traffic cops is a sure way to point out to everyone “Hey! I’m a tourist!”

The first tour today was through the Lower East Side and the ever changing community that ebbs and flows around the different neighborhoods of Manhattan. What was once a low end tenement neighborhood is quickly becoming the upscale high rent “it” place to live. Much like the migration of China Town, the community of only a few blocks is in constant flux. The Tenement Museum: not the best way to have to live. Some of the “rooms” that people lived in are smaller than my closet at home. It makes me grateful for both the space and luxury I am able to afford today. To see the deplorable conditions through which these people to the new world suffered puts much into perspective. But their hard work and determination kept them progressing and creating a successful community.

From the Tenement Museum we were blasting off to the Eldridge Street Synagogue, one of the first eastern European Synagogues in the United States. Built as an essential cornerstone of the community the Synagogue was a place for new world Jews to find solidarity among a strange new world. Even today as China Town expands and envelops the Synagogue, they embrace the changing community and work toward creating a relationship among everyone.

Back underground for a few minutes back at the hotel, change into something nice (it’s been a while since I’ve worn a tie) and back down to Times Square for Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie at the Roundabout Theatre. Not exactly what I had expected from a Broadway Play, but none-the-less a highly honed display of theatre that shows the quality and design of Broadway professionals. Another late night, back to the hotel for some dinner; Sunshine Deli where you can get pretty much anything you’d like any time of the day. I had pancakes and Kirsten had a gyro; the perfect late night NYC combo.

The trip in,

Early morning, little sleep. First flight to Dallas I decided to pay extra for an upgrade to first class. I thought that I would be losing space as I moved east and wanted to savor as much of it as I could before it disappeared all together. No upgrade from Dallas to New York. My space issue suddenly collapsed. Not even Whitman’s 18 inches to comfort me; no inches. When you have very little space to move time begins to flow differently. It slows down, maybe because there is little else to focus on, no space, no comfort, no motivation. It is difficult to find consolation when your arms and legs are bound by a chair back, your seat, the wall, and the person to your left. But you gut it out. Who would have thought you could find relief of your space issues in New York City; I was grateful to have my 18 inches back. Getting oriented is almost impossible at first. In the air you lose your sense of direction; your internal compass becomes confused and misguided. Landing in a new city it is completely destroyed, thanks to gravity up and down is all you are sure of. I could live here in a three block radius, I have everything I need: bagel and coffee for breakfast, deli for lunch, and more places to eat dinner than you could find in 10 square miles back home. I am astounded at how many people here have dogs; just like their humans, they have adapted to live in this setting. In the evening we went to George Keelys, a bar of course. Once again, everything I could need in only a few blocks. Drinks with David Gates; a writer and a drinker. I think Hemmingway once said the terms were synonymous. It’s nice to know that he wants to talk about the weather and other banal nothings. Late night, stop for a Philly cheese steak from an all night vendor. Best 3am sandwich I have ever had. I know, cheese steaks are not vegetarian, but why not? When in NYC…