New York is a city best experienced by walking. You become familiar with the lay of the land & can watch your surroundings change with every step. This weekend was one spent practicing this theory! Yesterday morning I left my house early to meet friends near NYU for lunch. I walked all the way up Smith/Jay & over the Manhattan Bridge to Chinatown. I walked west through Chinatown, Little Italy, & Soho, with a stop into Pearl River Market for gifts & neat things to take home (how I wish I needed a kimono!). The fall made it a perfect day to be outside, with the sun shining & the sky blue. I took even more pictures of the view of the Brooklyn Bridge, the park in Brooklyn, & the Manhattan skyline.
After lunch, Jean & I walked over the Merchant's House Museum on 4th St. & Lafayette. It was definitely worth the visit. Merchant's House is the oldest house in the city still in its original form with mostly original furnishings. The city is lucky to have people who recognize the value of creating these time capsules that allow us to envision urban life when it wasn't so urban. Seabury Tredwell lived in the house beginning in 1835, when Manhattan in that area was more suburban & a close-knit community of the middle class lived near each other. Especially after visiting the Tenement Museum, it is an astonishing comparison of class dichotomy during the same time period, less than a mile away!
When we had finished our visit, Jean & I walked to 23rd St. for some delicious bread. This was the last leg of my walk (except the walk home from Park Slope after visiting Ruth, Stacey, & Tracy). We went through Greenwich & the West Village on our way up, & found a neat triangle building as well as streets we always forget exist!
Last night I watched Temple Grandin, a movie about an autistic woman who has taught us much of what we know about autism. It was excellent!
After church today, I headed up to 110th St. & Central Park West. I walked through the park to 59th St. & 5th Ave., stopping at Belvedere Castle (my first time there!) & enjoying the scenery as well as the people-watching! Since I'd never been to Roosevelt Island, I went there afterward. It affords beautiful views of the city & would be a great place to spend a day with friends! Then I went to dinner, & saw one of the best sunsets yet on my subway stop.
After lunch, Jean & I walked over the Merchant's House Museum on 4th St. & Lafayette. It was definitely worth the visit. Merchant's House is the oldest house in the city still in its original form with mostly original furnishings. The city is lucky to have people who recognize the value of creating these time capsules that allow us to envision urban life when it wasn't so urban. Seabury Tredwell lived in the house beginning in 1835, when Manhattan in that area was more suburban & a close-knit community of the middle class lived near each other. Especially after visiting the Tenement Museum, it is an astonishing comparison of class dichotomy during the same time period, less than a mile away!
When we had finished our visit, Jean & I walked to 23rd St. for some delicious bread. This was the last leg of my walk (except the walk home from Park Slope after visiting Ruth, Stacey, & Tracy). We went through Greenwich & the West Village on our way up, & found a neat triangle building as well as streets we always forget exist!
Last night I watched Temple Grandin, a movie about an autistic woman who has taught us much of what we know about autism. It was excellent!
After church today, I headed up to 110th St. & Central Park West. I walked through the park to 59th St. & 5th Ave., stopping at Belvedere Castle (my first time there!) & enjoying the scenery as well as the people-watching! Since I'd never been to Roosevelt Island, I went there afterward. It affords beautiful views of the city & would be a great place to spend a day with friends! Then I went to dinner, & saw one of the best sunsets yet on my subway stop.
It's been marvelous to explore the city (as it always is!), & I'm already missing it before I've left! There is nowhere else like New York, & I will miss my church, my friends, & the history here. The cultural diversity & openness is unmatched, & I am thankful for the experiences I've had here! Wednesday I receive my official answer, so that's exciting. I still have a great sense of peace & safety about this next step, & am excited to move to a new place while sad about leaving one that truly has captured my heart!
The High Holy Days are over, & I've finished the Torah (plus a little), which has served to make me even more aware of how God uses people, & how He is planning to use me! I can't wait to study His word in a seminary setting & prepare to serve Him through ministry. It will be an adventure to see where He takes me next!
Over the next few weeks, I'll see many more things in New York & spend time with friends before I leave. Last weekend & this one have been very fun & I can't wait to learn more about New York's history & landscape!
The High Holy Days are over, & I've finished the Torah (plus a little), which has served to make me even more aware of how God uses people, & how He is planning to use me! I can't wait to study His word in a seminary setting & prepare to serve Him through ministry. It will be an adventure to see where He takes me next!
Over the next few weeks, I'll see many more things in New York & spend time with friends before I leave. Last weekend & this one have been very fun & I can't wait to learn more about New York's history & landscape!
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