The UN and Cathedral of St. John the Divine

The day began with a walk to the United Nations and the afternoon included a trip to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in the Morningside Heights section (around 112th St and Amsterdam) of Manhattan.

We arrived at the UN at around 10:10am and passed through airport-like security.  We waited in line for tickets and learned the next English tour was at 12:30.  To pass the time, we viewed three exhibits - one related to the slave ship Amistad, one about malaria, and the other about land mines.

The malaria exhibit was particularly moving.  This disease has been eliminated in the developed world but still plagues the developing world, particularly Africa and parts of Southeast Asia.  The exhibit mentioned several ways to reduce malaria deaths, a simple way being providing nets for people to sleep in.  I investigated the organization mentioned in the exhibit called Nothing but Nets. This organization has an interesting website; it shows how easy it is for one person to make a difference in this area.

The land mine exhibit was interesting and moving, too.  I've heard of this issue over the years, probably as the media often covered Princess Diana when she advocated for countries to stop using mines.  I learned today, however, that the mines are purposely meant to look like toys (in some cases) because those planting the mines want to maim or kill the next generation of "the enemy."  Children are often the victims, as demonstrated by the pictures in the exhibit.  More information on ways to help can be found at the Mine Action website.  Both this website, and the one mentioned above, are associated with the UN.

We perused the gift shop and bookstore and then thought we might be able to have an early lunch in the Delegates Dining Room.  We learned, however, that jeans and sneakers are not permissible.  We opted for some great - and surprisingly inexpensive (for NYC) - chicken florentine soup in the coffee shop.

Our tour guide, a young woman from Uzbekistan, was excellent.  She showed us the various gifts to the UN from a number of countries.  She also took us in to the UN General Chamber.  (The Security Council Chamber is closed for renovation.)  She taught us the reason why someone from the US has not been a secretary general - because no members of the 5 founding countries (US, France, Great Britain, China, and Russia - the victors in WWII) are able to hold this position.

The UN does so much good work.  I found out specifics about what they do, such as educating young people, providing shelter in refugee camps, etc.  Of course, when I got home I googled jobs for the UN.  There are many, many jobs here in NYC and in Kabul, Afghanistan.  I think Geneva, Switzerland was the other site where there were plenty of opportunities.

In the afternoon I went up to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.  According to my Frommer's Guide, this Episcopal church is the world's largest Gothic cathedral and has been in progress since 1892.  (This "in progress" reference explains why the information desk person at the church told me that "the gift shop has not been built yet.") 

Walking east on 111th St, I first encountered a fabulous whimsical statue (whose name escapes me right now).  I quickly saw that this is part of the church and it is a children's park with mini-statues throughout.

Walking up the steps of the church, I could smell a slightly musty - but not overpowering or offensive - odor. If someone bottled this scent it would be called "Old Church."  It was about 3pm when I entered and the light was streaming in through the stained glass.  It was breathtaking.

The sheer size of the church is amazing. Frommer's states the nave (where people worship) is the length of 2 football fields. I believe it. The church seats 5,000 people.


I was fortunate enough to be there when a girls' choir from Washington State was performing.  What a treat to wander this great church and its approximately 12 chapels (one of which has a triptych from artist Keith Haring) with the girls' voices as the backdrop.  I'll never forget when I left one chapel, the sun made the area I was in look "foggy" and the voices were drifting over the columns to me.  It stopped me in my tracks.  I felt so peaceful.  I trusted at that moment that that is what heaven will be like.

The artwork in the building is surely priceless.  It includes tapestries, statues, and icons.  Some day I hope to return to the church to do the tour.  (It wasn't offered when I was there.)  The tour speaks to the artwork but also allows you to go to otherwise inaccessible parts of the church, including the buttresses.

I wandered out of the cathedral in such a "zone" that I completely forgot to check out the garden, even though I had literally just asked the staff person how to access it.  I stumbled across a charming place just north of the church called Artopolis (1090 Amsterdam).  It had smoothies, crepes, sandwiches, coffees, salads, and baked goods.  I got a smoothie and an oatmeal raisin cookie and sat outside, looking back at the cathedral, and enjoyed the wonderful weather.

I realized I went from the hell of seeing what people do to each other at the UN to the heaven of feeling God's peace at St. John's.  What a day. 

The Cloisters and the Village

In addition to the Easter Parade today, there was a trip to Northern Manhattan to see The Cloisters and then a long subway ride down to almost the other end of the island - Greenwich Village.

The Cloisters, part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a trip on the A train up to 190th Street.  The signage from the subway to The Cloisters leads the way for the 10 minute walk.  This building (devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe) and its location are gems.  This castle-like building sits on top of the natural rock wall  above the Hudson River and looks south to the George Washington Bridge and across the river to the Palisades in NJ. 

The museum has actual medieval cloisters and apses that were brought from Europe and re-built.  There is so much to see it's overwhelming.  For this reason, I recommend the guided tour.  It provides the museum highlights and points out facts that would otherwise be missed.  (There is also an audio tour if the guided tour is not available.)  This tour was especially helpful in understanding the several unicorn tapestries.  These were one of the highlights of the trip to the museum.  Another highlight was understanding how the museum acquired the artwork and specific stories related to the acquistion of certain pieces.

There are also gardens at The Cloisters.  This time of year, heather, forsythia, and daffodils, to name a few, were in bloom.

From The Cloisters, we headed to the Village.  I haven't been there in years and it was interesting to see the changes - many more sex shops and fancier restaurants.  We stopped for a drink at The Monster and then had dinner on Christopher Street at an Indian restaurant.

Both of these journeys deserve more description, but it's time to step away from the computer for the evening.  I plan on recalling today's trips as I rest in bed.

Easter Parade

I really wanted to go to church on this day but I was lured to the Easter Parade.  I've never been physically but I have been many times in song.  In grade school, our music teacher (Mr. Moore with band-aids on his fingers) taught us this song by Irving Berlin.  This occurred at a public school.  I'm guessing this song is no longer taught.  My sister-in-law works at an elementary school; I'll have to ask her. 

The lyrics of the song come back quickly, although I don't remember learning this first verse and I don't ever recall hearing it.

Never saw you look quite so pretty before
Never saw you dressed quite so lovely what's more
I could hardly wait to keep our date this lovely
Easter morning...
And my heart beat fast as I came through the door

For in your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it
You'll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade
I'll be all in clover and when they look you over
I'll be the proudest fellow in the Easter parade

On the Avenue
Fifth Avenue
The photographers will snap us
And you'll find that you're
In the rotogravure

Oh, I could write a sonnet about your Easter bonnet
And of the girl I'm taking to the Easter parade

It was just within the past few years that I learned what rotogravure was.  I can't imagine what I sang for that word as a child but I'm sure it was amusing!  According to the Wikipedia definition for rotogravure,

In the 1930s–1960s, newspapers published relatively few photographs and instead many newspapers published separate rotogravure sections in their Sunday editions. These sections were devoted to photographs and identifying captions, not news stories.

Another interesting tidbit about the lyrics is that there is an "alternative bridge" for Great Britain.  Who knew?

To the Park we'll go
Round Rotten Row
The photographers will snap us
And then you'll be seen
in the Smart magazine

The parade is no longer all about fashion.  In fact, there was less fashion than people (and the occasional dog) having fun with goofy hats.  Here is a sampling of the NYC Easter Parade...on the Avenue, 5th Avenue...2010.  (I do not know any of these people.)

Cruising NYC

Today was a "get to know the island" day.  The destination was the three-hour tour (cue the Gilligan's Island music) on the Circle Line (at 42nd and 12th) for a circumnavigation of the island.

The tour was from 3-6p but I had read, and the ticket seller recommended, getting in line about 1 hour before the boat left.  Great recommendation.  This enabled us to get a seat upstairs and out of the chilly wind.  (Try to sit on the left side of the boat for unimpeded views of Manhattan.)  I enjoyed the tour and learned some new information.  It was challenging, however, in that the tour guide didn't enunciate words and I sometimes had to strain to hear him.  There were quite a few children on the tour and some of them - as well as some adults - obviously got restless...and louder.  I'm so glad I wasn't sitting downstairs by the snack bar.  When I went down there to use the restroom it was so loud I never would have heard the narration.

Dinner was at Cosette on 33rd and 3rd, a charming French bistro with delicious yet reasonably priced food. Found a great bottle of red that I hope to be able to get in the future. (Not always an easy thing with Pennsylvania's archaic liquor laws.) The wine is a Domaine Pere Caboche Cotes du Rhone 2009. I found it online for about $10 - $12 but it looks like the wine store I thought would have it (Total Wines in Delaware) does not carry it. I have to ask a friend of mine in NJ if the great wine store by her carries it.

Back at the apartment, the moon was surprisingly low and red.  By the time we got the camera figured out, it had risen a bit and become less red, but still interesting nonetheless.

The Highline and Broadway's Promises, Promises

Spent some time today in my favorite NYC spot - the Highline Park.  This elevated-train-track-turned-park is best viewed during the week to avoid crowds.  Given that today is Good Friday, people were apparently off from work and many were out enjoying the park in the fine weather.

I like to start from the northern end of the Highline, which today is at 20th (in the future it will be much higher when the park is complete), and head south.  That provides a great view of the Statue of Liberty and deposits the walker into a nice neighborhood with restaurants and interesting sites.

As you walk south, look to the right (West) to see this Frank Gehry buidling.  This is the IAC (InterActiveCorp) headquarters on 11th Ave between 18th and 19th Sts.  IAC is an internet company providing services to the retail sector (as I understand it after a very quick search).  Its building was completed in 2007.  According to the January 13, 2006 Wall Street Journal Online, the lobby (reportedly has)

images of the company's more than 50 brands on a floor-to-ceiling interactive screen running the length of the building. The images (are) visible to pedestrians and to passing cars through a transparent horizontal band.

The Journal also stated that the buidling, on the site of a former truck garage, has a

geometric façade has eight skyward arcs of glass that...mimic wind-whipped sails of boats making their way along the Hudson River, just across the West Side Highway... (It) uses low-iron glass that removes its normal greenish tinge -- and makes the glass clearer. People working inside the building,,,have a clear view of the river and the city. At night, the lights of the building...make the walls seem transparent.

Chelsea Market is close to the southern end of the Highline so we went through it. During a wine tasting there, we most enjoyed the Old River Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 from California's Ponderosa Vineyard. Also loved the wine purses they sold. I thought $29.99 was too much and assumed I could get one cheaper online. That proved to be incorrect. They are that price and more online! Looks like I am heading back to Chelsesa Market for my wine purse (with corkscrew included)!

Dinner was at Patsy's Pizza.  (There are several locations throughout NYC.)  Of all the years I've visited NYC, and the year I lived here, why did I wait so long to get to Patsy's?  Simply great pizza - located diagonally across the block from my building!  Thin crust and crispy.  Great mozarella cheese.  Yummy.

Saw Promises, Promises after dinner.  This revival was entertaining at times and felt painfully long at other times.  The second act was better than the first.

Sean Hayes made his role very "Jack"-like (his role in Will and Grace).  He sang surprisingly well.  Kristin Chenoweth killed the song A House is not a Home.  (I'm sorry, no one will ever be able to sing it and not have it compared to Luther Vandross' amazing rendition.)  I enjoyed Chenoweth's version of I'll Never Fall in Love Again.

At the end of the show, the applause for Kate Finneran, who played Marge MacDougall, was probably just as loud as the applause given to Hayes and Chenoweth.  Finneran performed wonderfully; she was very comical.

Another satisfying day in NYC.

Springtime in New York (Chrysler Buidling)

Ahhhh...Springtime.  Maybe I appreciate it so much because I find winters so difficult.  The sun and fresh air are like medicine to me.

I thought it would be an ideal time to walk up to the Chrysler Building and check out the lobby.  I knew the observation deck had closed years ago, but I heard the lobby was special.  Living only about 8 blocks from the building, I had walked by 135 42nd Street many times but never ducked in.

I read in a Frommer's Guide that,

Working at a furious pace in the last days of construction, the workers assembled in secrecy the elegant pointy top - and then raised it right through what people had assumed was going to be the roof.

Finished in 1930 (wow - a year after the crash), the Chrysler Building was the world's tallest building for a few months but it was surpassed by the Empire State Building.  Walter Chrysler lived in the building at one time and it served as the Chrysler Headquarters.  Chrysler has long moved out but it left the city a fabulous parting gift.

I read at this website that the gargoyles are intended to resemble hood ornaments.  It also said that Chrysler radiator caps were added to the design and there are racing cars on the 31st floor.  (I didn't notice either.)  I read somewhere else that there were items to resemble hubcaps.  I did see these as the photo below shows.  (They look  like winged hubcaps.)

The elevators in the building are made of several varieties of wood.  They are stunning. 

The mural on the ceiling is interesting, too. I loved the colors.  According to the sign in the lobby, this mural by Edward Trumbull was done on canvas and then cemented to the ceiling.  It's reportedly one of the largest paintings in the world.  Named Transport and Human Endeavor, it depicts scenes from Chrysler's assembly line and shows planes and buildings.  Amusingly, one building is the Chrysler building.

  

After spending time visiting this great building, I made my way out and back into the Springtime.

Plan B...and C

Today was another sightseeing day where I had a plan that didn't come to fruition...and that turned out to be really OK.  It also, unexpectedly, turned out to be a very emotional day.

I was up and out by 9:30 and hopped the train down to Battery Park.  The plan was to do the Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty tour.  I stood in line for a ticket and wondered what the absolutely enourmous line, which curled through Battery Park, was.  About 15 minutes or so into my wait to buy a ticket the PA system came on and announced the wait to board the ferry after the ticket purchase was two hours.  Two hours...with no restroom in sight!  No way.  That's what the long line was.

It worked out fine because it forced me to wander around the ticket area and I learned an important tip. You can reserve tickets for a specific time and the line is much shorter and, since it's a timed ticket, you are not waiting with the huddled masses who did what I attempted - buy a ticket on-the-spot.  After I discovered this key piece of information, I wandered around Battery Park. 

Out of nowhere I was overwhelmed with emotion.  I saw a very elderly, short, almost "shriveled" woman in a black abaya waiting in the line to get to Ellis Island.  At the same time, I heard someone playing America the Beautiful on a flute.  I looked and saw an old man - seemingly homeless - with really long white hair and a white beard sitting on the ground playing his instrument.  This was while also being surrounded by a cacophony of languages. Just beyond that, there was a man with a Caribbean accent and a broad smile entertaining the crowd on steel drums.  What a moment in time.  What a country. 

I don't know why these scenes roused such emotion but they did.  It made me think what an amazing country this still is, in spite of all of our flaws.  I don't know if I've been drinking the American Kool-aid too long, but at that moment I felt like I really love what this country represents when it is at its best.  (Even while homeless, someone plays a love song to the country - albeit for money - on his flute.)

With my original plan dashed, I decided to amble over to South Street Seaport, even though I had been there before.  During my walk, I passed the Staten Island Ferry terminal.  I had remembered reading that passage to/from Staten Island was free and it was a great way to view the Statue of Liberty.  "Why not?" I thought.  Apparently a lot of other Ellis Island-dropouts had the same idea but that was OK.  I got on the boat with relative ease.

When I got on the ferry, some American man with his teenage daughter was on a vitriolic tirade about "foreigners" pushing him and "putting a shoe up the man's Nazi ass."  It was horrible.  His daughter was mortified and was asking him to be quiet.  I told him I didn't want to hear him in my ear, either. (He was standing right behind me.)  He proceeded to call me some names that I can't ever imagine any father saying around his daughter.  I wanted to say that "You are teaching your daughter that it is OK for men to talk to women like that" but I refrained.  This was all with the Statue of Liberty as our backdrop.  "This country's flaws," I thought.

The ride over to Staten Island also provides a great view of Ellis Island.  It takes about 20 minutes to cross from island to island.  At first, I thought I'd have lunch on Staten Island but decided just to return to Manhattan.  I soon learned, however, that passengers must disembark.  (I was thinking I'd just stay on the ferry and return but it was going out of service.)  I stepped off the ferry in Staten Island and almost made the immediate return.  I literally missed it by about 15 steps.

I had a cup of coffee and a cookie in the terminal and only had to wait about 20 minutes before the next ferry boarded.  I started off on the east side of the ferry for a different view but decided I wanted to see Lady Liberty again.  Her torch really does seem to glow. (Is it a light?  I'll have to notice next week when I visit.  I made a reservation this time!)

Switching sides of the boat also gave me another good look at Ellis Island.  I felt emotional again as I imagined a long ocean voyage and coming into New York Harbor filled with dreams...and surely apprehension about living in a new land.  (It seems to me that the building on Ellis Island looks a bit like St. Basil's in Moscow.)

After I saw the statue and island again, I switched to the other side of the boat as we were docking in Manhattan.  I got a nice view of the Brooklyn Bridge with the Manhattan Bridge behind it. Notice the heliport on the left.  There were so many helicopters in the sky they were like mosquitoes.

From the ferry terminal I wandered into Lower Manhattan around the Wall Street area.  I stumbled onto Stone Street (a cobble-stoned street) that is closed off to traffic.  Numerous restaurants have tables outside and, since it was such a nice day, they were packed.  One restaurant served great looking pizza on a cookie sheet.  The prices were more than I wanted to spend so I grabbed a soup and sandwich and headed back down to the Seaport. 
It was neat to see the old ships contrasted with the new buildings. 

I saw the water taxis and inquired about getting a taxi to Governor's Island - one of the things on my NYC "bucket list."  This former military base, only 800 yards from Manhattan, has a beach and a 2.2-mile loop around the island.  The water taxi guy told me to head down to the Governor's Island ferry, which I had remembered passing.  Once I got to the ferry terminal, I learned the island is not open to the public until June and then only on Fridays - Sundays.  It wasn't meant to be. 

Hhmmm, what next?  I decided to head back into the Wall Street area.  I took this picture on the right at the end of Wall Street looking uptown.  I thought, "What a canyon of shadows and darkness."  I was thinking that literally but realized that could be metaphorical, too.

I passed 1 Wall Street Court, which once housed the New York Cocoa Exchange and now has condos.  It reminded me of the Flatiron Building.  The picture to the left is from a website.  When I saw the building today it didn't have "Cocoa" on it.

I also saw Trinity Church (again - I worked right next to it for 6 weeks) and the Stock Exchange.  Wow, the Stock Exchange had amazing security.  It is impossible to get too near the building.  Everyone passes through security, which is outside the building.  Police with what appeared to be machine guns stood close by.  It was a little scary.  I can imagine how a terrorist strike on this building could cripple the US economy.

New York Stock Exchange

Trinity Church

The crowds were thick around Wall Street so I headed toward Century 21, the huge store that reportedly has great discounts.  On my way there, I passed the World Trade Center Site.  I had seen this numerous times when I worked those six weeks in lower Manhattan but I had never seen building above the fence.  There has been a great deal of progress since I've been there.  When I read the banner about the 9/11 Memorial Preview Museum I thought I should see it.  I, therefore, passed Century 21 and started walking those few blocks. 

Across from the museum is St. Paul's Chapel.  This wasn't even on my radar previously but it drew me in.  (I knew that one of the large sycamores in its cemetry was destroyed on 9/11 and its root ball is on display at Trinity Church.  Miraculously, none of the 100+ year old tombstones were destroyed when the tree fell.)  Walking inside was my next emotional upheaval of the day.

The church was where many firefighters and rescue workers slept and ate during the 9/11 aftermath.  For weeks, volunteers catered to the rescuers' needs.  Massage therapists, podiatrists, and chiropractors provided care.  People volunteered to cook and cots were provided.  There are numerous exhibits and momentos from this tragic event, including patches from police and rescue forces from all over the world, pictures of those who died, donations from Hiroshima and Nagaski survivors (that really got me), etc.  Many people were taking pictures of these things but I didn't feel as though I should. 

Throughout my visit in the church, my eyes would fill up and I got a lump in my throat that physically hurt.  I felt on the verge of sobbing - the gasping for breath kind of sobbing.  I was surprised by my reaction.  Sure, it's obviously sad and moving, but I didn't think I would react as deeply as I did.  I had to take a moment to stare straight ahead and compose myself before I continued.  This happened three times and then I left.  On the way out I picked up a poem called St. Paul's Chapel by J. Chester Johnson.  It references 9/11 and how George Washington's pew did not go unused.  (George worshipped here before the young nation's capital moved to Philadelphia.  I had to check "capital" vs. "capitol."  As I understand it, "capitol" is the building.)

In spite of myself, I went to the 9/11 Preview Museum.  It's very small and I didn't stay long.  I know that someday I'll go to the completed museum when it opens but I anticipate deep emotion.  I decided to deal with the emotion then.  On the way out I bought a silver (tree) leaf made from the mold of a swamp white oak that is growing in NJ.  This oak will be one of nearly 400 that will be planted at the National September 11th Memorial and Museum when it is done.  The proceeds of my purchase go toward the memorial fund.

At the museum I learned of a T-beam pulled from the Trade Center Site on 9/12.  It inspired the workers as it represented a cross.  This is now located a block a way at St. Peter's.  Eventually this "cross" will be moved to the National Memorial.  (There are two baseballs sitting on the wood block about 1/2 way up the "cross."  Maybe the Yankees have won two World Series since 9/11?)

With a somewhat-clearer head, I headed back to Century 21.  It was so crowded I only lasted for a few minutes.  I just couldn't do it.  I headed to the subway and took the 5 train back uptown.  After walking around 6 hours, I decided to head back to my apartment to rest and plan my evening.  It was a beautiful - and very emotionally trying - day.

None of what I planned today worked out.  But I don't think I could have planned a better day. 

I have a great view from my apartment right now.  Although, it doesn't make me stop thinking about the immigrants coming into Ellis Island or those who perished on and others who tried to help during 9/11.  I pause to remember all of them tonight.