Adventures in New York

I love exploring New York. Here are some photos I took of the city in summer 2005:

Candles inside St. John the Divine

View looking back toward the beach from a pier at Coney Island. (And no, Coney Island is not an island.)

The Cyclone, a wooden rollercoaster, which I rode, at Coney Island. Wooden rollercoasters are the best.

Jellyfish at the Brooklyn Aquarium, in Coney Island. I love jellyfish, even if I can’t hug them.

A view from Inwood, at the northern tip of Manhattan

A street performer in Washington Square Park spins his twin brother on his head!

Fried clams from Johnny’s, at the end of the bus line on City Island. (And yes, City Island is an island–in the Bronx!) From Brooklyn, it took me two and a half hours to reach City Island by public transportation. If you make the trip, take some reading material.

I still need to check out Roosevelt Island, Governors Island, and Long Island City, among other places in New York City. Hopefully more photos to follow.

Memorial

What appeared to be a single beam of light from Brooklyn resolved into two as seen from Lower Manhattan. With clouds directly overhead, the two spotlights at Ground Zero shone beams that looked like pneumatic tubes to the sky, express routes for the saintly. When the clouds would pass, the two towers of light would go up up up then bend, following the curve of the Earth. The Brooklyn Bridge was crowded with good-intentioned gawkers. One had to dodge the aim of their cameras as one might dodge a laser security system, trying to avoid stepping into the frame of a stranger’s shot. Tourists posing in front of Lower Manhattan’s absence.

Odds and Ends Pt. 6

“Real Life” by GameSpot–Just in case you need to get an idea of what real life is like before you participate.

“What’s Lost Is Found, Very Cheaply”–If you’re ever in Scottsboro, Alabama, be sure to stop by the Unclaimed Baggage Center. I’m not sure how people lose some of the stuff that ends up in the store. One shopper, called Allan, is quoted as saying, “When Jesse Jackson was running for president his suits came in here. And one year when M.C. Hammer was touring, his backdrop came in here from his concert stage.” Jewelry, skis, works of art. Nothing’s too priceless to lose. (Check out the interesting stuff section of the store’s Web site for more gems. I won’t spoil it for you.)

Driving Under the Influence–I’ve only ever seen a few minutes of Reno 911! And I will look back on those minutes fondly.

Ask MetaFilter–Have I ever mentioned that I love this site? All the discussions I’ve ever read on there have been surprisingly good (and spam- and flame-free). Get or share your answers to such timeless questions as “What exactly do people, especially young people (18-22) DO at the lake or beach all day?” I’m still trying to decide whether or not I want to pay the $5 one-time registration fee to be able to post comments.

Metropolitan Opera–This New York institution (see Moonstruck) is having its first-ever open house Sept. 22. For those with no obligations that Friday, you can attend the final dress rehearsal for Madama Butterfly, which will kick off the Met’s 2006-07 season. Tickets to the rehearsal are free and will be distributed Wednesday, Sept. 20 on a first-come, first-served basis.

Survivor–The next season of this reality adventure show will premiere Sept. 14, with four teams of five members each based on race. Which means that the show will boost the total number of Asians on TV to 5. (OK, that might be a little harsh. More like, 6.)

Pluto’s demotion–Did anyone stop to think about the astrologers??

The Simple Life

I went to bed late but woke up at 7:30 to the sound of flapping. I thought it might have been a bug trapped between the window screen and curtain, but curiosity overcoming sleepiness, I pulled my curtain aside to see three mourning doves sitting on the railing of my fire escape. I think it might have been a family because at one point, one of the doves held the second dove’s beak in its own beak and then shook it, as if it were regurgitating food. Then again, it was early and I might have imagined seeing that. I went back to sleep, but before I did, I thought how being woken by doves must be one of the more pleasant ways to wake up in the city.

Tonight, I took the train back late with a friend, and we happened to board an empty car. I excitedly said that we could run up and down the car screaming, and no one would care. My friend then pointed out a guy in an adjacent car. This guy was apparently the only one in his car. Through the narrow windows in the car doors, we saw him run toward then grab one of the metal support poles. He threw his weight onto the pole and spun around it with his feet in the air. It made me happy to see him having fun, like a child would have done without fear of embarrassment or self-consciousness.

Really, Really Free Market (Really!)

Got the word from Treehugger that there will be a Really, Really Free Market this weekend in New York City. I didn’t make it to the Free Meet that I blogged about earlier, but I might just drop by this one with some stuff I’d like to get rid off, like my ax collection, which I’ve been warned is not good feng shui for the bedroom.