NEW YORK DAY 2-- OH MY GOSH

Slept great last night-- it cooled off. In 10 years I have never lost my MetroCard for the Subway.........until yesterday. I think it fell out of my pocket when I pulled my camera out last night. Hope someone finds it and uses it. Anyway bought a new one this morning and keep it in a different pocket.

One of the things I love about New York is how it let's you think you have

control of your life and then it slips in and changes it .....
Today we were just going to spend the day in the Park and take it easy. And then New York said "I have a little something additional planned for you"

Coming up the escalator at Columbus Circle I remembered an article I had read a year or so ago about the Huntington Building. It was being turned into some kind of a museum which was what Huntington Hartford always wanted it to be for his art collection. It was referred to as "The Lollipop Building" because of the stick/circle design that circled the bottom of the building.

Huntington Hartford managed to spend/lose/squander an entire fortune.
So instead of taking a left we took a right and there it was---right in front of us.
Decided we'd fork out the $12.00 admission because how bad could it be----really.

IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!!

Not particularly their permanent collection but the current exhibit called "Dead or Alive". I know this is the title because it's on the $39.00 book I bought.

I tried to enlarge photo's for this post but couldn't-- so just go to the link and see for yourself. It's amazing.
"Dead or Alive" exhibit.

I did manage to get this one photo of a silk cocoon hanging lamp
before the guard jumped down my neck for taking pictures.

In the lobby to the museum is a framed statement ....

"Kipple" is a word that was coined by writer Phillip K. Dick to describe useless, discarded objects that seem to accumulate around us as if they were self-replicating."
Dad called me over to read it and proudly announced that he had just
discovered that he was a "kippler" not a picker.

After about 2 hours we crossed over to the entrance to the Park. Ate the traditional hot dog and Dad had hot peanuts and we sat at the Merry-go-round and watched people for awhile. On to the Dairy to see if they had anything new in stock that I didn't have. Ended up buying a new map because I left the one I brought at the apartment.
Headed down the mall and a man was making huge bubbles with 2 sticks
with short strings attached

My favorite Central Park performers are "The Blue Vipers from Brooklyn"
but a very close second is "The Afro-bats". We've seen them about 6 times over the years and they just get better.

There was music coming from behind the bandstand so
we walked around to see what was going on. Came to a gate but the
nice man told us it was the VIP entrance. I told him I was a friend of
Jon Stewart's and he told me to show him my name on the list. I smiled and said "I'm not getting any younger and you want me to walk 500 more steps
to go in another entrance". He motioned Dad over and let us in.
We had lucked into the final Summer Stage production.
"Black Sea Roma Festival" A Celebration of Gypsy Music from Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and Bulgaria.
Is America a great place or what. France is exporting all of their Gypsy's back to Eastern Europe and we're giving them a party. And it was a good one.

This young girl was teaching gypsy dancing and she had a huge crowd participating with her.

This cute man was really getting into the music.

This girl could do magic with her hands and feet.

The man in the middle with his back to us arrives in an Armani suit
with his friend who is carrying a little shopping bag with "The Harvard
Club of New York" printed on the side. They looked like they were
at the wroooong party.

I watched the "man with the blond ponytail" come down out of the bleachers by me. He worried me. He walked like he had been breaking wild horses all his life. Kinda bent over and not sure if his knee's were going to bend. 10 minutes later I noticed a large circle of people had spontaneously formed down the "turf" a piece so I walked down to take a picture of them dancing. You guessed it,
there is my stoved up cowboy having a great time and he was dancing just fine thank you.

A lady came over and sat on the bleachers next to me. She had Fries. They smelled so good. She said they were. I ask her if I could take a picture
of them. When I ask if I could take a "little" smell of them she got up
and went to sit with a friend. It's amazing how low you can sink on 500 calories a day.

This little boy wanted his teenage sister to dance with him and she wouldn't.
He was into the music with all his heart.

Stopped at the boathouse-- I got some fruit and Dad got a bagel. I choose
a nice table under the trees where it was quiet. That was when the 2 young 20 something girls started talking very loudly about "living and drinking in the city". While they were lighting up our lunch one got a phone call from her Daddy and proceed to tell him how drunk she was last night and that's why she couldn't call home and let them know she was alright. Before she took the phone call she and the friend were belaboring the fact that they don't understand why Mummy and Daddy keep checking up on them. Don't they know they'll be just fine on their own.

George Stephanopoulos reading the Sunday Times. He had his dog with him and looked like he cared if we noticed him, so we didn't make a fuss. I'm doing so much better with celebrities since my first trip when I accosted Steve Forbes and made him take a picture with me.

Thought this was a fun photo. They did take the ride.

It's not really crashing the wedding if you don't go in a get a plate of food.

Three adorable girls from Russia in the Ramble.

It must be great to be a small child and live in NYC.

The Gill
And now for a bit of new trivia. Identification plates on many Park lampposts serve as orientation tools. The first two numbers indicate nearest cross streets (outside the park) and the last two numbers, if even, indicate that the area is closer toward the east side (Fifth Avenue) and, if the numbers are odd, the area is closer toward the west side (Central Park West).

What do you know. We came out at 81st Street on Central Park West.
It works.

NEW YORK DAY 1

Will I never learn. More is not necessarily better. We took the red eye Jet Blue flight last night and arrived in New York at 5:30 N.Y time and 3:30 a.m. our time. I tried to tough it out without a sleeping pill so I didn't get much sleep. But Dad said he was ready to go after we got to the apartment. So we rested for about 45 minutes and headed out. We almost had to take a taxi home because we were both so exhausted at the end of our day. I've got to remember to take my I.D. with me at all times so when they find me face down in the gutter they can call someone to come get me.
The apartment is interesting as all New York older apartments are. I particularly like the real cow skin rug (big cow) in the living room. It was so hot today and the owner had taken the air conditioners out last week because they had a cold spell. But it's suppose to get much cooler tomorrow for 3 or 4 days so we'll just hope it happens.,

This is not our apartment but this is 20th St. on the way to the "Highline".
I don't think these people rent out rooms. Too bad.

I finally get to walk My "Highline". It's mine because I

have paid $25.00 a year to be a member since
it's inception 6 years ago
and now it's finished--- so it's part mine. Not like the lady
that stood up at a benefit dinner and

donated $10 Million dollars. Diane Von Furstenberg and her husband Barry Diller
have donated $10 million "twice". She also moved her business
warehouse from 12th Street to an old warehouse under the Highline.

The "Highline" is the old elevated railroad tracks
that used to bring meat to the slaughter houses on the
west side of Manhattan. The city wanted to take it down
until two young men formed a non-profit corporation to try to save it.




Oh, the Standard Hotel---known best for it's unsavory behavior at times.





Today alone we saw two models being photographed
on the Highline and two others elsewhere in our travels
Arrived at the end of the Line near 12th Street. They have
left the old rails in many places on the walk. Benches, and
redwood lounge chairs- people sunbathing, reading, taking
family photo's. Every one loves it.


I think this might be the only meat packing business left in this area.

A telephone booth-- We saw 3 today and it always catches me off guard
because their so rare in the city now.

Farmers Market at Abington Park. Bought some great cucumbers
and Honey Crisp apples and I carried them in my bag all day.

This brownstone has something to do with books but it was locked
and I couldn't find anything when I Googled it. I might have to go back
after the weekend. It's on Waverly. It could be a private library.

Street fair just before the Christopher Subway stop.
Several people were as interesting as the things they were selling.

Seems like every subway line is fouled up this weekend. There is
a lot of construction on the downtown subways. Just heard on the
news that 17 of the 19 subway lines are affected. To get to the
Governor's Island Ferry we had to get off at Chambers (a long way away)
and take a shuttle bus to the ferry. One lady had to take a shuttle to a shuttle and missed a funeral.

This is one of the old
ferry terminals but it has been restored and it's beautiful.

Beautiful shot of Battery Park City. Next to the West Village
I like this part of Manhattan the best.

Governor's Island is an old military instillation that has been in use

over 200 years. In 2001 the city made a deal with the government
and now it's open on weekends. The ferry is free and you can rent
or take your bikes over and ride around all the old buildings. It's

pretty cool but please believe me when I say a man in a little shuttlebus saved our life. We got a nice tour of the whole island instead of the

50 feet after we got off the ferry. We were beginning to wear out.
Entrance to Fort Jay and the ammunitation storage rooms

The Governor's House

Just outside the terminal a Softee Ice Cream truck and

Dad agree's with Glenna-- It's really good.

This is a beautiful park called "The Elevated Acre". It's surrounded
on three sides with tall skyscrapers and the fourth side overlooks the

East River. It has an escalator that goes from the sidewalk on Water Street

up to the Park. Except the escalator wasn't working today. It was a steep climb. Half-way up another model was having her photograph taken by a photographer that didn't look old enough to babysit.

This young man wasn't a model but he was having his picture taken.

To tell the truth I was more worried about the battery in his
laptop exploding from the heat. Today set a record for the high
for this day. Figures.

Now this is the strangest thing I've heard in a long time. At the A.T.& T building on Water Street we noticed this "crunched" sculpture. There was a guard there so I ask him if it was something from the Twin Towers. He said "No, it was a Helicopter that had crashed. I said "you have to be kidding". "No" he said, he had been told that the man that owned the building-- this doesn't mean he has anything to do with AT&T, he just owned the building and was very rich-- anyway, it was his helicopter and he was killed when it crashed. They crushed and cubed it and now it's a ?? on Water Street in front of a building he owned.
Don't you love Google. I actually found what I think is the situation and the guard had it "slightly wrong".

Our final objective of the Day. Bowne and Co. Stationary.
They still print upscale stationary on antique machines. Fun Store.

So exhausted we were tempted to take a $20.+ taxi ride home. "Cowboy'd Up" and found the subway on Wall Street. So tired when we got home. We'll take it easier tomorrow.

I LOVE NEW YORK

YOU GO ABBY

Abby shaved 1 minute off her last 5 K time. You go Abby.