Wednesday, August 11, 2010

NY photos--finally!

Okay, so I am finally getting around to posting pictures from NY. Here are the highlights, but if you want to view all of them, you can find them on http://picasaweb.google.com/106338896800545130178/NewYork#
I was wandering around one day and accidentally found my way to FAO Schwartz. I was by myself which ALMOST stopped me from having a good time, but I decided to let loose, take my shoes off and play the famous keyboard with my feet. It even lit up! Sooo fun, despite the fact that everyone else playing had a child with them.
I love books and I can and do spend hours in the bookstore. This one had both new and used books and I visited it a couple of times just to hang out and read. My favorite find was a book called Secret Postmaster or something like that where blank postcards were passed out and people were to write and illustrate their biggest secret. It was so telling of the human heart. Some were funny, some deeply disturbing, and some that made you think, "Do they know me?". People shared about not feeling loved, about wanting to believe in God, about abuse, etc. I found myself really drawn to this. I also bought a book called the Compassionate Carnivore. Bob and I have been becoming more aware of where our meat comes from and how to make good decisions based on our values. It is amazing how inhumanely animals are treated their entire lives just to give us food. I have no problem with consuming meat, but I do think God has given us animals to treat with integrity while they are living and in the process of dying.

This is Wall Street. Nothing special outside.

NY is known for its bagels, so my friend Sherry and I took the trek to H&H, which is known for it's fresh bagels. The store was nothing to boast of. All they sold were bagels and then they had a fridge where you could buy packets of cream cheese or apple juice. It was nothing like the bagel shops here with varieties of cream cheese, coffee, etc. I guess the goal was just to showcase the bagel. And it did--they were awesome--warm when you bought them and they just sort of melted in your mouth. I think I could live on bread.

Here is a sweet quote that was in the park.

A list of those that died in the 911 attack at the museum that Bob and I went to.

This is a Japanese oragami peace chain hanging in the museum. The great significance of this is that it was donated by a Japanese man whose family had died in the bombing of Hiroshima. He gave it as a gift after 911, which I found very humbling after the pain he had suffered at US hands.

An elementary school nearby had made a quilt for firefighters at one of the first responding stations. These cannot be read without at least getting teary eyed, for the heart of a child is an immeasurable thing. There is so much hope, life, and understanding that exudes from little ones. Each of the squares started with somewhere today... and the one above was one of my favorites.

Rebuilding ground zero. They are turning it into a memorial site including waterfalls into the foundations and they are also building new buildings around.

A wall of pictures of the people who died. Heartbreaking.

Bob and I taking a picture in front of the Statue of Liberty. Oops! I guess we are blocking it :) Too bad the guy taking the picture didn't bother to tell us.

Riding bikes in Central Park.

Me eating the best gyro I have ever had (and the cheapest, nonetheless). It was from a stand on the side of the road. I still crave gyros from NY and have to settle for ones in Atlanta.

We walked the Brooklyn Bridge and ended up at a homemade ice cream shop on the other side. Yum!
There is nothing special about this picture except for the funny story behind it. The fountain was pretty so I wanted to take a picture and Bob started talking about how to choose the right person to take our picture--something like someone you could run faster than if they decided to take our camera. He was laying out all these theories as we were looking around for someone to take our picture. This guy was walking toward us really fast, alone, with his hair a mess and looking kind of frazzled. Don't ask me why because he would be the last person that I asked any question to, but Bob asked him to take our picture. Denied! The guy actually said no, which astonished me, even in NY, because I had never had that happen before. Luckily a girl nearby saw this and felt sorry for us, offering to take our picture. If not for her, we probably would not have a picture by the fountain because it would've taken a while to work up the guts to ask someone again. Not really, but pretty funny.

1 comment:

ayates said...

thanks for posting the picture of the origami. I went there with my mom and sister about 3 years ago and i just loved that. The whole museum was amazing to me. Very moving.