All You Need Is

Intrepid

While the girls took in the works at MoMA Peter went to see a work of Military significance the USS Aircraft Carrier, the Intrepid.

As long as the Chrysler building is tall, this carrier first used in the second world war launched fighter pilots to jet pilots depending on the era it was deployed in.

In the mid forties this ship was bombed by kamikazee pilots and survived. A plaque aboard ship lists the names of those injured or killed in this attack.

Retired in 2007, this piece of Military history now rest in the Hudson River as a museum for all to see the glory of it rich military past.

MoMA

As a teen I was introduced to the Museum of Modern Art by way of a friend's book. Before we left for NYC Katrina suggested we go to the MoMA because a friend told her about it.

What a delight! The girls and I took in a Picasso display, many interactive installations and some very thought provoking works including a piece called "Wishes" an acrylic box containing many little white cards each inscribed with a wish from a friend or acquaintence of that artist.

In this photo Katrina is standing in front of a piece for which the artist covered himself in a sticky substance (vaseline) and then in a pigment, finally he pressed himself agained the surface to be printed.

The creativity and imagination in MoMA is inspiring. I think we would agree this is a must for anyone with a flare for the creative.

Promises

Unsold tickets for current Broadway productions are sold at a reduced rate on the day of the performance at at booth called "Tkts" in Times Square. The deal is you have to stand in line outside which for us, was in the blazing sun. As advised, we got there an hour prior to the ticket office opening, before the plays that would go on sale were announce and came away with tickets to "Promises, Promises" starring Sean Hayes. This light romanic comedy musical was entertaining, the music was great and the acting memorable. What a great way to spend a steamy Wednesday afternoon.

The Fashion District

Our three teen age girls found entertainment in NYC in the Fashion District. Located mere blocks from our doorstep, this area offered the girls miles of shopping that left them wanting more.

From shoes, to handbags, skirts, t-shirts, and shorts this area offered a host of up to the minute fashionable items, more than the pocket book could handle.

Modern Saint

In the early days of the AIDS epidemic no one knew how to treat this deadly disease, how it was spread or how to remain disease free. Fear of AIDS stopped many usually caring individuals from ofering the kinds of care the the sick truely needed.

Not so of Mother Clara Hale, a resident of Harlem in NYC. Lovingly she took in AIDS infected children or and treated them like they were one of her own. Her generousity extended to drug addicted babies left on her doorstep.

A monument to her contribution to life in Harlem stands proudly near the doorway to her brownstone, marking the home of this modern saint.

More Famous People, Famous Places

While the 'Downtown' tour gave us a good perspective on the history of this huge city, the 'Uptown' tour brought us to the apartments of the more rich and famous and more recent histories marked mostly by entertainment landmarks.

Our double decker bus took us passed the apartment of Babe Ruth (pictured here) where cows and chickens were housed on the roof to provide fresh milk and eggs for the inhabitants.

Then there was the Dakota Apartments where John Lennon lost his life at the hands of Mark David Chapman.

We passed the empty space where Studio 54 once stood proudly on 54th Street and the school yard where they filmed the fight scene in West side story.

Amateur night at the Apollo "Where stars are born and legends are made" marked the beginnings of many famous carreers including Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder and James Brown.

The Hotel Theresa once housed Fidele Castro who brought his own chickens to eat because he was afraid the CIA might try to poison him.

The homes old money rich families on the Eastside included those of the Vanderbilts and the Rockafellers.

Though we are sure that our current abode will not become immortalized because we stayed here, it is interesting to note the legends whose passings have been noted.

Daring

We thought that the Cirque du Soliel offered acts of daring.

Touring NYC on a Double Decker bus brought the occassional abrupt stop for traffic but more over, our guide warned us over and over again to remain seated until the bus came to a complete halt and to keep all of our limbs within the confines of the bus.

Our guide kindly demonstrated the height of the bus to the height of street signs/street lights ratio.

No one was injured in these demonstrations, but they did as a measure of unanticipated danger on the streets of NYC.

The Rich and The Famous

Our tour include an oppotunity to view some of the more upscale developments in New York City.

NYC is on an island and land is at a premium. When there is little room to grow the only development is upwards.

Donald Trump built the largest residencial tower standing 71 stories high situated near the United Nations as world leaders do not want to traverse the halting New York traffic to get to work.

The most expensive apartment in NYC remains empty not because of it staggering $70, 000,000 price tag, but because the tennants association is very particular about who will be staying in this pricey real estate.

Along our tour route we viewed the buildings were such celebrities as Beyonce, Rachel Welch and Hugh Heffer live. Sorry, no celebrity sitings today!

Survival

In Battery Park stands a survivor.

Once perched between the now-missing Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre this sypherical monument has been moved to a temporary home in Battery Park with the intent that it will return to near its original site when the 9/11 WTC memorial is complete.

As the towers imploded and debris fell all around, this monument remained standing on its anchoring post and did not fall with the Twin Towers.

One can imagine the destruction in the area around the Towers and even more so, the surprise of resquers to see this survivor beaten, but still standing.

Lady Liberty

We began our day w ith a tour on a double decker bus. An unanticipated stop due to the mechanical break down of our bus left us at Battery Park with a good view of the Statue of LIberty.

While waiting patiently to purchase tickets on a ferry to the Ellis Island, we learned that the wait to get on a ferry would be 1.5 hours and that would be after waiting an hour to purchase those tickets. Many New Yorkers were given Monday July 5 off from work, as July 4 fell on a Sunday and it seems many of those chose to spend there day with Lady Liberty.

We decided instead to use of limited time in New York more wisely, walking the south end of the island and then picking up a tour bus to return to our hotel on Times Square.

City That Never Sleeps

What do you do in NYC on July 4th?

You do what every New Yorker is doing. Join the throngs outside on this very hot July night, wandering the streets for the best view of the 20 minute long fireworks display illuminating the night sky to celebrate "Independance Day".

The multi coloured light show featured pyrotechniques of smiling faces, colourful replicas of from our solar system and the final visual and sound display in American Red, White and Blue.

What a show!

Start Spreading the News

We arrived in New York City, New York.

Amid fears of traffic and border issues, fueled by an appropriate Homily delivered by Fr. Jim at St. Francis of Assisi (who spoke of hopes to visit family on this American holiday but his experience spoke to travel delays), we arrive safely and with relatively calm traffic, until we traversed the Lincoln Tunnel to reach NYC.

Cars and people flowed around the multi storied buildings. The famous yellow taxis busily ferried people about. Thongs of locals and the curious darted in and about.

The hustle of New York City. Would you expect anything less?

Strength, Daring and Creativity

We began our most recent journey with a brief stop inToronto to take in "Alegria" the most recent Cirque de Soliel production to alight on the big city.
Two hours of acrobatics, feats of pure muscle power and death defying acts mingled with comedic interludes and the live band, told the story of emotions. "Alegria", translated from Spanish means jubulation, this production certainly left us jubulant and in awe of the magnificent performers and the depth of imagination of the creators.