Cocktail Munchies at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City
Earlier tonight, my wife and I met up with a friend of hers that she hadn’t seen in about 15 years at the Waldorf=Astoria. While we waited on her friend to get back from her day of sight-seeing, we walked around the hotel looking at the stuff behind glass in and around the main lobby. The hotel is almost like a mini-museum. I was especially interested in the old ledger from 1915 they had on display.
When her friend arrived, we exchanged gifts, she introduced us to her family, and we sat down for cocktails and to trade stories. She’s living in Japan and listening to her stories about working there and living there revived my interest in the country and my desire to travel. She was telling me about how easy it is to get a job teaching English there. The salary isn’t that bad either, compared to what I might make here teaching full time in a college. I’m not opposed to moving again. Japan would be a fascinating place to live and with a master’s degree under a TESL certification under my belt, I could probably get my foot in the door there without too much trouble, according to her.
More than anything, the conversation my wife and I had with her friend reminded me of how un-tied down I am to living in any one place for a long period of time. I suppose that’s a result of growing up in a military family and being in the military myself; I just don’t really feel like I belong to any one place. How do you even say you have a hometown, or say where you’re ‘from’ when you’ve never lived in one place for more than about 5 or 6 years? Or maybe I’m just not used to staying in one place for long, since I’ve never done it.
Either way, New York City is a great place, but I’m open to leaving, given the right circumstances. Whether that move would be to Japan or somewhere else remains to be seen, but after living in NYC, there aren’t many places that would be a step up in terms of excitement and things to do.
Oh, and after a great conversation and some really great cocktails at the Peacock Alley in the Waldorf=Astoria, my wife and I had our first celebrity sighting on our way home. We stepped out of the hotel and turned down the street to go to Grand Central. About a block down from the hotel, I was talking to my wife when I looked up and saw the actor from Terra Nova. Then my mind quickly jumped and I was thinking, ‘Hey, he was in Avatar too.’ Then he passed us and I turned to look back. He looked over his shoulder, as if he were wondering if we were going to stop him and hit him up for photos, etc., but we kept going and so did he. Then I said to my wife, “That guy is an actor.” Who, she wondered. I actually didn’t know his real name. I just remember him as Commander Taylor from Terra Nova, which, for some stupid reason, was canceled. His name is Stephen Lang. From the way he strutted down the sidewalk, I bet he’s a pretty cool dude.
The last place I expected to see a hawk for the first time was at Washington Square Park, in the middle of New York City, but that’s what happened. My wife and I were passing through and saw a crowd of people gathered with their phones and/or cameras out.
Part of Washington Square Park is fenced off because it’s still being renovated. Because of that, it’s free of people, which is probably why the hawk chose that area to hang out in, though it might also have had something to do with the squirrel that was on a nearby tree.
I asked a guy near us if the hawk showed up in the park often and he said that it, along with three siblings, lived in the area and had grown up in a nest on a window ledge on a nearby NYU building. He said that when the hawks were young, there was a 24/7 webcam set up above the nest. He took a moment to show me a video he had on his phone that he’d saved. I guess people were allowed to go into the building and look at the hawks from inside.
It’s nice to see that people are supportive of wildlife returning to the area. There are places in the world where birds like this would have been poached, or hunted just for kicks. Some people are sick. I hope these hawks stay cool and don’t make a nuisance of themselves, or you know someone will cry about it right away and want them removed.
For more info about the hawks, you can visit their ‘homepage’: WP Hawks.
Years ago, the fireworks show on July 4th used to be held on the East River. I remember going there and standing on the elevated highway. The view was amazing! It was also real close to where my mother’s apartment is. If we wanted to, we could have just gone to the roof, but going to the river and watching it with the crowd was a lot more exciting.
This was my wife’s first 4th of July and I wanted to make sure we got a chance to see some fireworks. I was excited too. The websites and news reports I’d seen said that 40,000 fireworks were going to be shot off, total. I imagine that includes the ones that don’t really go up and pop, but look like they’re spraying upwards from the boat. Anyway, it sounded like it was going to be awesome, so we planned to spend the day out in the city and end the day with fireworks.
The Pond at Central Park (Yes, “The Pond”)
We did a little shopping and then bought some water before walking through the lower portion of Central Park and heading over to the river. We were in high spirits until we saw the way the crowds were being managed for fireworks viewing. To be blunt, it was done in an obscenely stupid way that left me with the impression that the city didn’t care if the average resident or tourist could see what was going on; it was set up to make everything as convenient as possible for VIPs who paid upwards of 200 dollars for private parties on the piers and in the park that runs along the riverfront. You know, that area where people normally jog.
The ‘view’ at 59th Street. The viewing area was placed behind the row of trees that divides the highway, instead of on the side closer to the river, and behind the pier structure which blocks the skyline.
We started out at 59th street. To get down to the river, you have to go through a checkpoint on the previous block where your bags are searched. Then you can go down to highway. The problem with the 59th street area is that the pier is built up into a huge two story structure and there is absolutely no view. While we stood there, dumbfounded by the fact that it seemed like people were intentionally being herded into the worst viewing areas, I could hear a DJ saying, “Ya! Put your hands together! VIPs!” coming from somewhere beyond the trees and high building in front of us, likely from one of the piers.
Somewhere around 56th Street. Shortly after this, we had to go back to 11th Avenue and reenter the viewing area through another checkpoint. Roads were blocked off for VIP access to the piers.
Also, the cops had different viewing areas sectioned off with barricades. Instead of being able to walk down the highway, we had to go back up to 11th Avenue and walk down that way, then go through another checkpoint to get back down to the river to see if the viewing was any better. At the second point, we wound up being behind the USS Intrepid and the row of trees. There was practically no clear line of sight.
The Intrepid, blocking our view.
When we tried to leave, the police tried to stop us. One cop told us that going to the fireworks “is not just about seeing the fireworks; it’s the experience.” I told him there’s no experience if we can’t see the fireworks. What’s the point of spending the afternoon and evening in a crowd, looking at the butt end of an aircraft carrier? When I argued with the guy, another cop told me that if we left, “That’s it, you won’t be able to come back in.” Uhh? What? As we walked away, I heard him telling another woman that the fireworks are free, but the view might not be free if she wanted a good one. The whole time, we could hear the thumping music of a VIP party coming from the riverfront.
We walked down a bit further but still couldn’t see. Our view was blocked by trees.
Crowds at 34th Street
We walked down to 34th street and saw the massive crowds. We decided the whole thing wasn’t worth the trouble anymore, had something to eat, got some sundaes at the McDonald’s there and then stood in the street and waited for the fireworks to start. We figured we’d just see what we could see and the rest we’d catch on YouTube later. We weren’t the only ones with that idea. As many people as we saw walking down to the river all day, until just before the fireworks started, just as many were walking back into Manhattan, annoyed and complaining about how the barricades were set up and how there wasn’t a good view anywhere. Also, there were NO PORTABLE TOILETS. There were thousands of people heading to the fireworks event, but we didn’t see a single portable toilet set up to accommodate people. That seems like a gross oversight by the city government.
I think it was the better choice. We’d have been annoyed if we’d stayed behind the Intrepid, or behind a line of trees that blocked our view. As it was, I had to wonder what the city government was thinking saying the view would be good from 59th street down to 14th street. From where we were standing on 34th and 10th Avenue, which is admittedly a narrow field of vision in terms of seeing the waterfront, it looked like we were seeing the north-most fireworks, because we didn’t see any flashes of light from further up the river. I couldn’t help but wonder if the people at 59th street were able to see anything at all. At least we saw some fireworks head on.
If you’re reading this and thinking that it sounds like I’m doing nothing but whining, or that I’m hating on “VIPs” that are willing to shell out large sums of cash to stand on a pier, maybe I am. There’s a reason for it though. I remember being able to stand on an elevated highway with a clear, free, perfect view of the fireworks. I heard the excuse for moving the fireworks to the Hudson River was because of concerns about the bridges that go over the East River, but I call bullshit. It seems more likely to me that it was done to give preference to people with money and create new opportunities for monetization of what’s supposed to be a national holiday. The 4th of July is supposed to be about patriotism, pride and unity as Americans, but it has been warped into a business opportunity that emphasizes class struggle, not to mention the fact that it pisses off tourists that come here and are not be able to see anything. That’s embarrassing. Or at least it should be.
I’m not saying people should be able to stand on private piers for free; I’m saying the show was better done on the East River and should be moved back. At the least, the people should be put on the side of the highway that’s closer to the river, rather than right behind a row of trees. As it is now, the view of the fireworks from the ground is disappointing. Very disappointing. Unless you pay for a VIP ticket to stand on a pier or maybe go to New Jersey and view it from their shore, then it’s not even worth it. You’d be more comfortable sitting at home and watching it on TV.
Last Saturday wound up being one of those days that just turned out right. We got a late start because we both slept in, but once we got out the door we were rolling. We started our day off with a visit to Udon West, a great Japanese noodle shop on St. Mark’s Place (8th St) by Astor Place. If you haven’t been there, it’s worth the trip. Seriously.
Gallery 700 – The Charles Engelhard Court – The New American Wing
Just before leaving the house, I’d decided on a whim that we should drop by the Met. We hadn’t been in months and we’d kept talking about going back to see more of the galleries. I kept it a secret from my wife. I just told her we were going out to have a little fun. She didn’t realize where we were going until we turned the corner at 86th street and the museum was in front of us.
Portraits from The American Wing
She was a little hesitant to go in because she wanted to enjoy the sun, but once we were through the door she said she wanted to see “The New American Wing” of the museum. At first I was thinking, “meh…”, because really, how many Americans do you know that want to spend a few hours looking at American art? I tend to get excited about seeing art from other parts of the world, but for her, America is another part of the world and I was a little curious, so off we went.
George Washington crossing the Delaware River.I took a panorama of this panorama so you can pan around the panorama. Seriously, it’s a panorama painting of Versaille. The room it’s in is pretty big.
We detoured a bit through some European galleries because the American galleries are in the back right corner, but once we got there, I was pleasantly surprised. Some of the paintings looked oddly disproportionate considering the relative skill of European painters at the time, but a couple of the paintings and sculptures really caught my attention.
Man sketching a sculpture.Woman contemplating a cross. My wife said the cross could just as easily be a cell phone. Once she said that, I couldn’t un-see it.The Ameya, by Robert Blum (1893)A Tiffany Studios work desk from the early 1900sNot sure, but incredibly disturbing.This entire roof structure was transplanted from its original location to the museum. Many rooms or portions of houses and buildings have been relocated to the museum.
We wore ourselves out walking around in the museum but before heading back downtown I wanted to take my wife up to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park, just north of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The view was great and we resolved to make trips there to jog in the near future.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park
When we got back to the East Village, we capped our night off with dinner at Thai Terminal, which also has great food.
We meant to spend the day shopping and doing chores, but I’m glad we decided to kick that all to the curb and just have a good time for a change.
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