No doubt one of the most beautiful skyscrapers in the city. It’s prime
real estate down town. It’s on of the only buildings with a curved wall
in lower Manhattan. It’s visible in any skyline shot facing North and
easily recognizable because of the rounded wall. 42 floors of mirrored
glass reflect the sky and waves depending on your angle.
This is a shot from within the newly finished park at church and dey
street, next to WTC. It’s really nice, having smooth stone surfaces
everywhere and dozens of young honey locust trees. It almost feels
natural. It’s a nice break from the huge skyscaper scenery. The funny
part is that there still isn’t any grass. Stone is more durable
though.
This is another of the folk dances we saw during filipino culture
night. It is reminiscent of double dutch jump rope. There are two
people who hold two bamboo poles. They hold the poles on the ground
about 2 feet a part. The poles are tapped twice on the ground and then
smashed together. There is another couple who must dance between the
poles and avoid getting their feet smooshed by the crack of the bamboo.
We were instructed by Gary the cast member that this dance is from the
central area of the islands.
There is a massive cemetary just off the parkway near Newark. This
thing is absolutely filled to the brim with stones. I’ve never seen a
site as packed as this one is. The keepers will have to stack the
stones end on end soon enough.
It’s one of the many bits of evidence that this area is bustling with
population. It’s not only the neighborhoods that are getting crammed,
but even the cemetaries. I bet that crematiions are getting cheap and
burials are going through the roof.
Will this cemetary be the site of a quarry one day? Think about it.
These stones are hauled out of the earth, polished, carved, and set back
on the earth in a different location. What will it been like in a 1000
years? A cobblestone valley?
Do you know what I’m talking about when I say turducken? That’s a 3lb
chicken stuffed inside a 5 pound duck stuffed inside a 20 pound turkey!
That’s right! One, two, three birds in one! I know, I know, it
boggles the mind.
I first heard about this from my friends Nick and Jaymie in Syarcuse. I
didn’t know whether to believe them or not. It sounded too fantastical
to be true, but lo and behold, Emma’s of Cranford, New Jersey wil make
them “for any occasion!”
A man of wordly dress. This man has thirty bracelets on each arm. Each
bracelet had several dozen beads of mixed colors. He was looking
colorful. I love seeing people like him. Maybe it shows that I’m new
to the area, but I can’t help it. People looking like that are
intriguing. There’s something about a person that chooses to dress
dramatically different than the crowd.
Is it a conscious choice to stand out? Is it a reaction to the pressure
to conform? Ot is it just an outward expression of an individual mind?
I used to think that I couldn’t be original without defying conventional
style, but I was even more a slave to “judging a book by it’s cover.”
There was a time in my adolescence wheni wanted to dress differently
just to see what people would think. I even went so far as to dye my
hair a range of colors. It was deep blue for a while, which I rwally
liked. It attracted a lot of attention when it was blue, but the extra
attention grew old. There were times when I didn’t want to hear what
other people thought about my hair color. Of course I was looking for a
reaction when I first did it, but it got old.
I’ve now swung to the opposite extreme of embracing the “uniform” of the
financial district. I like the ability to slip into the crowd as just
another face. It’s not so bad to have a camoflage. It provides a
certain anonymity that allows for some precious “alone in the crowd”
time. Of course, the blue shirt is getting a bit old. I see at least
five other people wearing blue shirts when I do. It’s some kind of
unspoken dress code.
Independence, anonymity and self knowledge. It’s all on the inside.
Today was such a beautiful day! It actually felt hot in the sun today.
I was breaking a sweat and catching a tan. I’ll have a serious farmer’s
tan if I can keep this daily walk in the park up for the summer.
Winter was way too cold to go out just for a stroll. Heading out of the
office into the fresh air and warm sun is so refreshing. It’s wonderful
to go out, but painful to drag yourself back into the office.
I was feeling pretty childish today and really wanted a swingset to play
on. Or maybe some monkey bars. There’s nothing like exercise to
relieve stress and keep your energy up!
The air is SO fresh when we get a cool breeze from the bay. When that
happens you can smell the sea salt and it just works wonders for my
state of mind. For this reason I think we’ll have to stop hanging out
in the boat parking lot. There’s too much exhaust flying around there.
Heavy equipment operating at a MTA construction site in New York City.
These guys have been at it foe about 6 months now, maybe even longer.
They make a lot of noise all day long. This is all so that eventually
the 4 & 5 subway lines will extend down to the Staten Island ferry. It
must be a little unsettling for the workers down there when the blasting
is going on. Those blast shake our building 6 times a day!
Kitty and I took a drive with the top down last night. That was
awesome! There’s just no comparing a convertible to another car in
great weather. The rushing wind, fresh air, and great views are really
refreshing.
We drove a little south on 287 and the Parkway to get to Matawan. On
the way we could smell the mud from the salt marsh. That’s a comforting
smell for both of us. It reminds me of vacations and summer trips to
the coast of Maine. For Kitty I think its more about the positive
environmental effect of the salt marsh. She tells me that the salt
marsh is one of the most biodiverse habitats on the planet.
We saw this sunset as we were drivng across a bridge, just before 8
o’clock.
Rusted warehouse, where have your people gone?
Who has spray painted you? Will there be ever be more deliveries to
your door? Did you close for crime? Did you lose in a time of
hardship?
What is your story Rusted Warehouse?
|