Beetlegeuse, beetlegeuse, beetlegeuse

This macabre looking pile of steel is a playground. I spotted it outside of church just north of my house. It looks like it was meant for small children, and meant to be a modern artistic piece. I wonder what the story behind it is...

Birds!

New York has a serious pigeon population. So much so that the logo on top of the MetLife building supports a nest for a pair of peregrine falcons which were introduced to manage the pigeon population.

When you think about it, it could be worse: Austin, TX has a serious deer population which causes a lot of accidents as they run out into the street. The only real risk you run with pigeons is losing your lunch when you spot a pigeon or two happily dancing away in someone's vomit as if it were a bird bath.

Shakespeare in the Park

I was walking along south of Union Square when I ran across the famous line for Shakespeare in the Park. Looking at the website, it looks like they run it in two segments. "MacBeth" from June to early July, and "Mother Courage and her Children" from August 8th to September 3rd. The latter is the one which has Meryl Streep in it, and has everyone saying that the line will form three days ahead of time.

I believe this is something I'll have to wait a year to do. By then, I'll know exactly who would be the most fun to stand in line with.

You get creative living here...

Yes friends, that is a chair strapped to her back. Quite the good idea, really. She was probably off to stand in line for Shakespeare in the Park. The tickets for that are free, so people line up at 6am the day of. This year, Meryl Streep is going to be performing, so people are lining up three days ahead of time. I'm highly tempted to unleash the power of NYC and Craigslist: to hire a college student to sit in the line and get me some tickets. Why not?

Incidentally, the woman in the green shirt in the background is a good specimen of what the majority of women in New York seem to look like. Skinny!

Now where did I park my...

If any place was meant for Segways, it's NYC. I would get one, but I can't get used to the idea of eliminating all the free exercise which comes with walking around.

Too bad the common belief in the 19th century didn't prove to be true. Namely, it was assumed that not using your body would make it last longer. Makes sense, really, as most things get weaker with use. We could all sit behind a computer all day, use elevators, ride segways, and never have to work out. Then, if food that tasted good was also good for you...

So anyway, I've got to go hit the gym.

New Yorkers are flexible!

Apparently, New Yorkers are more flexible than I thought. And I'm still easily amused. Damn you Chris Rock!

A Cello, a Human Beatbox, and a Poet

What do you get when you mix a Cello player, a human beatbox, and a improv poet? One hell of an interesting show.

The best part was when she asked for questions from the audience. I chimed in first with "Why is the sky blue" to get the ball rolling, and she also answered "Why are there so many people in China" and "Why are we here". All at the same time, all to music, all poetic. Very cool. The group is called Transmitting.

Somebody's Horny

New Yorker's like to honk. Forget honking only when you're mad. Here, you honk if the person in front of you is going even slightly slower than you think he could be. The cabbies will even honk as soon as a light turns green, despite being 10 cars back from the light.

Another thing about New York that you learn is that glass has exactly zero soundproofing quality. You can hear people chatting on the street, 10 floors below you, and you can definitely hear drivers honking. I chose a front-facing room because I can tune out honking easily. Apparently, I'm not alone, because you can buy a sleeping sounds machine at Brookstone or Sharper Image, which has ocean sounds, jungle sounds, waterfall sounds... and cars driving by honking. I've got to get one of those for when I travel. If nothing else, just to remind everyone that I'm a New Yorker ;)

So apparently, people have started trying to limit the late-night honking by posting the above-pictured sign. I wonder if it has any effect. At all.

Times Square horse police

I wonder if the cops consider it a cush job or punishment to be assigned Times Square on horseback.

Seen here with backup to ensure proper directions are given.

July 4th in New York City

What an amazing New York Experience. On the suggestion of a housemate, Kathy, I purchased tickets to watch the famous Macy's Fireworks display from the southern tip of Roosevelt Island.


This map shows how great of a spot it was. One red X shows where the seats were, at the very tip of Roosevelt Island. The other X shows roughly where the closest of the three synchronized fireworks displays went off, above the East River.


A view of the Manhattan Midtown skyline as Nathalie and I walked down the waterfront towards the tip of the island. You can see the Chrysler building. Just to the left of it, the tall black building is Trump World Tower, and on the far left of the screen, U.N. Headquarters. The weather was absolutely flawless for the occasion.


Here's a shot as the sun set lower, and the boats started to gather for the view. Much better shot of the U.N. Building, and the Empire State Building peeking up in the background. If you look closely along the waterline, you can make out thousands of people standing against the edge of Manhattan awaiting the spectacle.


After dark; just before the fireworks. Chrysler building and Empire State fully lit.


Aside from finding someone with a boat, I can't think of a better place to watch the fireworks than Roosevelt Island. We had reserved seats, allowing us to bypass the crowds, a live band serenading us before the show began, food and restrooms available, and a chance to walk around the peaceful and fascinating Roosevelt island. To top it all off, Kathy and Emily arrived early and saved Kathy J, Nathalie and I seats close to the front tip of the island.


The fireworks. This photo is from the internet, but gives you a rough idea of what ithe show looked like. The fireworks launched from the East river, the South Street Seaport, and Ellis Island. They were all synchronized together, and coincided with a medley of music as well.

The whole experience was one I won't soon forget.

A typical Sunday...

Here's the view looking north up 3rd avenue, about 30 feet west of my brownstone, on a Sunday. I can't get over how nice it is to walk outside and find yourself right in the middle of something.

Publishing

My new world.