Sunday, November 23, 2008

REFLECTIONS BY BETHESDA FOUNTAIN

On a cold day in Central Park, one can almost feel alone. There's a low rumble of the city when planes or helicopters pass overhead, but other than that one mainly hears the soft chirping of birds and the sweet melody of a troop of family singers by Bethesda Fountain. The leaves are almost all gone now and the trees stand still, revealing their intricacies against the blue sky and allowing bits of glorious buildings to peak out in the distance.

I sat beneath one of those trees this morning, slowly breathing in and out, watching my breath float away. Every once in awhile I'd sip my already cold mocha, as I watched blue jays fly in the trees. The cold only really hit me when the wind blew, and I'd pull my hat down further over my ears, cherishing the moment and hoping that my coldness threshold would carry me for at least 45 minutes of solitude under the tree. When my fingers were thoroughly frozen, I stood up and walked through the park, discovering bits and pieces that I hadn't seen before and reveling in the fact that this place is in my neighborhood.

On Saturdays now, I mainly stay in my apartment, taking a break from the city noise to read and enjoy my room. However, on Sundays I am trying to make a new ritual of going to Central Park in the morning. I can already tell that it's going to be one of my favorite times every week, something I look forward to. I want to know Central Park like I knew Vanderbilt last year in Nashville. It's such a beautiful expression of New York and New York culture, and the trees are so old and so beautiful! What a lovely place to live!

Family Singers by Bethesda Fountain:




Bethesda Fountain all dried up for winter:


Trees near the Lake:


Trees lining the Mall:


A knobby tree:


Tree growing out of a rock:


Strange statue:


Happy Thanksgiving!


Model sail boat on the Conservatory Water (near Alice in Wonderland Statue):




Egyptian Obilisque covered in heiroglyphs, erected in 1600 BC and later transported to New York. It sits behind The Met:


Guys playing flag football next to The Met. Right past that glass stands an ancient Egyptian Temple:




Not in Central Park, but everywhere in the City there are heads of lettuce planted instead of flowers... such beautiful purple!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

DANCING IN THE STREETS OF HARLEM

There is still an air of celebration in the City today over Barack Obama’s victory. I can feel it when I walk down the street, when I catch the eyes of strangers as they smile at their newspapers. One can sense the victory that African Americans must feel and the pride we all feel for them. And although the problems on Wall Street aren’t fixed, there was a joyful spirit about the City as we all shuffled to work today.

This morning as I headed to the subway, I saw a white man in his 60s or 70s come out of the gym. He grabbed the hand of a friend of his, and smiling from ear to ear he proclaimed, “Today is a wonderful day to be an American!” I couldn’t have said it better myself. I have felt so much pride in my country today, and in the man that will be my next president.

Last night I took a cab home from my friend’s apartment. As I opened the door to the car, my cabbie greeted me happily. He was driving down from Harlem, and it had taken him a long time to get through because everyone was dancing in the streets of Harlem, he said. The streets were so crowded he couldn’t even drive through. Oh how beautiful! Oh what joy!

Below are photos that I took early on in the evening at Times Square and then at Rockefeller Plaza (MSNBC):

Times Square:




MSNBC: