The Oasis that is Central Park

Yes, to answer your question mom - we DID see Central Park!  Central Park in New York is huge... and oasis of nature and the "wild" (or as wild as you can get on an island in a metropolis).

We stand on a bridge in Central Park, with the skyline of Manhattan in the background.

Many paths wound through the park, leading to picturesque little corners.

We even saw some "wildlife"!  People gathered around to see this little guy.  I suppose many of them have never seen an animal in the wild before.

Popular with the paparazzi

Central Park had some really cool bridges too.

One of the pretty birds in the park.

And one of the pretty husbands.

A neat outdoor pavilion.

And the well-known skyline.

This is just across from Central Park.  It reminded me of the Daily Planet.

Interesting fence.

And finally, two Honest Abes.

Only in New York

New York is a very special city.  Within our first 24 hours there, we witnessed some things we have never seen before - or just plain bizarre things, things that make you stop and say: "Only in NYC"

For example, a real life professional dog walker!

Look at all them pooches.

Or a lesbian wedding in the park,

Or a bunch of French kids dancing the Macarena.

But let's face it - there are some things better left forgotten.

We also saw some very talented guys break dancing and jumping over tourists.

Shortly after this, they asked for our money, saying if we tried to run, they would chase us down.

We also saw some pretty iconic monuments, like Radio City Music Hall

Rockefeller Plaza

Still cold enough to don those skates

And Times Square

Too bright!

Look at all those people!

I couldn't take that too long - the bright flashy lights were too much, and we left after being accosted by a Spider Man.

...but, not before we ended up on one of the billboards in Time Square!

And then there were just some unique moments too, like meeting the Easter Bunny.

Remembering a Very Bad Day

Bram and I made a somber visit to the 9/11 Memorial.  It's still under construction, but it gives a touching, beautiful, and sorrowful tribute to those who lost their lives that day.

Where the towers used to stand, two holes now stand in the earth - each with two cascading waterfalls flowing down the footprint of the two towers.  It's impossible to see the bottom of the second waterfall - it seems like the water just falls forever.

Nearby, the new towers stand, taller than the old ones, reflecting the sky.

The names of all those who lost their lives, etched around the two waterfalls.

This is the Survivor Tree, the only tree that survived the collapse of the buildings - quite incredible considering how close it was to the devastation.  I suppose it's a symbol of undying hope and life that continues on. 

Art's a Scream!

The Museum of Modern Art, New York City.  A haven for weird-art-philes.  Whether it's rows of soup...

or a Starry Night....

... the museum is a Scream!

But seriously, the museum did have some pretty fantastic, very famous paintings.  I particularly liked this Monet...

Would look great in the living room.

Next to it was the famous "Water Lilies", which takes up an entire room.

There was even a painting from the surrealist Dali...

As well as the first surrealist sculpture I've ever seen.

That's a leg hanging from the middle.  Your guess is as good as mine.

 Then there was stuff that just defied any interpretation you tried to throw at it.

This looks like a plain American flag...

... but on closer inspection, one sees it's made of little newspaper clippings, even comic strips.  Cool!

Now let's appreciate some art.  A point for the most "creative" interpretation of this painting - Oof.

Can you imagine cleaning this chair?  I fear sitting in it - it might swallow me.

This art is by "intel".  It's a blow-up diagram of computer chips and circuitry... I guess art is different things to different people.

This drawing is pretty cool - from close up, it looks just like lines, but from far away, you can see the outlines of a library.

And a familiar piece of art!  Well, when I saw these last time, they were not in a museum  but on the streets of Paris.

Romanian Vampires and Free Alcohol

Last night, I watched my first Eurovision.  Eurovision is sort of like American Idol meets the Olympics - every year, the countries in an (ever-expanding) Europe send one group of singers to perform in front of an excited, flag waving audience.  Then, at the end of all the performances, people all across Europe call in to vote for their favorite country.  Since you can't vote for your own country, there was a definite tendency to vote for your nearest neighbor (so all of the Balkans voted for one another, while hardly anyone voted for poor Ireland, even though their performance wasn't half bad).  The winner would host the next year's Eurovision.

Unlike American Idol, however, entire groups could perform, complete with dancers and very artful presentation.  Half the fun was just watching how it was all put together.

Countries that did well were like Azerbaijan, combining artful presentation, a romantic pop ballad, and, most importantly, a young heartthrob singer.  (You can watch the video below.)

Then there were entries like Romania.  Ok, actually, nothing was like Romania's entry.  After watching, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor.  It seemed like the singer was an operatic vampire from some mildly dystopian future.  It just kept getting weirder and weirder.

Ok.....

But by far, my favorite was Greece's entry.  I mean, what's not to love about Greek kilts, glow in the dark instruments, and dancing that seems like it's more likely to be found after a night of heavy drinking?  Plus, their title seemed like a good reason for Greece to win and host the Eurovision next year... alcohol is free.

I've been to Greece, and the alcohol is not free.

Unfortunately, Greece didn't win (but they didn't do half bad - coming in 6th place!)  So for a point, who did win the Eurovision?  Caveat:  google is not allowed this time!  Either you have to already know the answer, or you have to guess.  It is a country you have heard of - I can guarantee that.    

There's a Hat for That

At the end of my recent trip to the US, I visited New York City for the first time.  And what a city it was.  Let's be frank.  New York is weird.  Wonderfully weird.  There are a ton of "Only in New York" moments I will share with you over the next few days.

I was in New York City for Easter.  One of the big events is the "Easter Bonnet Parade", which is less of a parade, and more of a gathering of people who wear the most interesting, absurd, or just plain weird hats.

Some people dressed up very nicely, in clothes you would expect if, say, you spent the weekend in the 1920's.

This guy went back even farther, and dressed up in the style of the 1620's.

Other people did Easter themes.  These folks were true "egg-heads".

All sorts of Easter bonnets, replete with tons of flowers.

 

To the point it was hard to hold on their heads anymore...

Some got quite large.

And quite complex.

Even the dogs got in on the action.

This little fella was died blue!

The classic beehive.

He has trolls sprouting from his head!!!

And some people didn't stop at only a hat.  I have no idea what fashion statement this guy is going for.

Not caring at all about the cold weather.

Fashionable fur?

The little known "Easter Robot".

One of my favorite hats - it was animated, with spinning eggs and dancing people.

This lady's hat was so lively it attacked an onlooker.