Day 6: Sunday

Day 6: Sunday

We overslept this morning having been exhausted from yesterday. We made our way to a very small oasis, called Greenacre Park, really close to where Caroline Waters lives. It’s about the size of an average house’s floor plan or about the size of all of the ECS commons area. There we visited with Caroline, went to Ess-a-bagel where we bought bagel sandwiches for lunch; possibly the best meal of all in NYC. There was a line out of the door, but surprisingly, it moved quickly. We returned to the park, ate our meals, and visited for a while. Caroline not only was happy to see us, but she said her highlight of the work week was that she received her very first paycheck! Suddenly we realized that we were running late for our Broadway show at the Ambassador theater, so off we flew with no time for pictures with Caroline. We made it to the theater with minutes to spare. We saw Chicago; the singing was great. There really was no set, as the band took up most of the stage on risers. I was shocked at how small the theater was. The Rep is considerably bigger! We also found that we could have just walked up and got the same tickets for $100 LESS EACH! This pretty much is true of all shows except the newest and most popular. We did have great seats, about eight rows from the stage.

Afterwards we walked to Central Park to catch the end of a SummerStage Concert. An up-&-coming band, called Alabama Shakes, was the third act and we got there just before they started to play. It was in a blocked-off area but we could hear just fine sitting on the park benches. It was kind of crazy, because at the same time nearby was a drumming circle using djembe drums. Mr. Saoud would have been at home there! We later walked to Rockefeller Center and bought NYC Passes containing discounted tickets. The Rockefeller Center is nice; it has an underground shopping center! Outside we found a Halal Truck vendor that sold gyro meat and rice. There was a long line, so we thought it must be good food! It was, and we took half back to the hotel.

Day 5:  Saturday June 23, 2012

It is after midnight so my blog will be short. We visited Governor’s Island today. We took a ferry to get there and had to go through security. One thing we learned is that one goes through security at just about every public place. It is annoying but at the same time serves its purpose. This week, there was an arrest made of someone planning to bomb Jewish synagogues in NYC.  The weather was sunny and clear. We could clearly see the Statue of Liberty about a mile away. The whole island is about 1 mile in perimeter so we walked around it. Poor Michelle got sunburned. We saw some interesting sculptures on the island and some practical inventions like the portable bench shown below. It has handles like a wheelbarrow so it can be easily moved around.

There was a Graphics Design exhibit on the island as well which was really neat. It showed that collaboration among many people in different fields is necessary to produce simple graphics like logos, maps, charts, etc. Also while walking around lower Manhattan, we saw one guy just walking along the street normally, except that sitting on top of his head was his pet cat! In a town where nothing seems to attract New Yorker’s attention, this guy had everyone’s heads turning. We later learned via the Internet that he and his cat are icons in downtown NYC. On our way uptown we stumbled upon the New York Stock Exchange with the bull outside.

We visited Grand Central Station. It looks so much bigger in the movies, but it is still pretty big. The funny thing is at one end, up the grand staircase, is an Apple Store which takes up about ½ of the total upper floor. 

We then went to nearby Bryant Park to find someplace to sit and relax. On the way, the pep rally for the Gay Pride parade, which is tomorrow, was being held. Once at the park we found ourselves at Tropfest, which is an outdoor short-film and music festival. We chilled for a while listening to music and watching short films (1-2 minutes long). This was really a cool park with about 20-30 people playing chess, others playing table tennis, bocce ball, and they even had an outdoor reading area complete with carts of books and magazines that you could check out and read in that area. Vendors nearby sold all types of food, jewelry, and accessories. We then went to Times Square and while we were there found ourselves being projected on a 3-4 story tall high definition screen. The giant screen is to the left on the picture below.

 Here we are on the big screen! We are in the middle and slightly to the right. Michelle is in dark pants and a white blouse, and I am in shorts with a white shirt.

We saw the “New Year’s Ball” - it looked so small sitting way up there. Finally, hunger got the best of us so we decided to visit the TGIF at Times Square. We got in, sat down, and when the menu came, one look at the prices told us to leave, so we did. A hamburger was $19 and a salad was $18, and those were the two cheapest items on the menu. We walked away from Times Square for a few blocks and stumbled upon a Japanese Restaurant called MonsterSushi, so we went in and ordered two dinner Bento Boxes. The food was of descent quality and the price was reasonable. A visit to the restroom revealed this interesting sign. I love that Linda personally signed the message.

We then tried to find our way to the train station to take us back to the hotel. At nighttime, in Mid-Manhattan, it is easy to get your directions mixed up. Finally we found our station and made it back to our hotel in Newark, NJ about an hour later.

Day 4: Friday, June 22

There were two tired puppies at the end of today. Day breaks early as the morning light woke me up before 5:00 AM, though we didn't get up until 6:30. After a quick, but light breakfast, we took the train into Manhattan. We had no trouble and even managed a free transfer flawlessly. We were in rush hour so we had to stand for the 30 minute wobbly ride. We had tired arms from holding on to railings so we didn't fall and knock someone over, and the day hadn't even started. Popping out onto the surface, NYC hit us hard. It is really just like in the movies, stinky, busy, lots of construction, and taxis outnumbering all other vehicles! Even the beggar's are quite creative. One made a cardboard sign that said, "I am too ugly for prostitution, so give me money anyway!" There are people walking dogs everywhere, and some were so cute. I was suprised by the number of blind people navigating the streets of New York as if they really could see. It made you just want to sit and people watch. We made our way to Union Square (Greenwich Village area) and stopped at the farmer's market there. It was really nice and the produce was so beautiful. I wanted to buy some just to take home and cook, but they wouldn't last the two more weeks. Below is a picture of the farmer's market which stretched around another corner.

Michelle and I indulged in a chocolate croissant that was comparable to Panera's. We then went to buy our subway passes, but they only took cash, and we were two dollars short. A visit to the nearby Bank of America was like playing slots, the first two machines were out of order, the third had no cash, and the last, well it yielded cash, so we loaded up so as to not have to gamble with trying to get money often. Alas back to the metro to buy subway tickets and off we went to Chinatown. It was pretty warm and humid by this time and we walked about 8 blocks to get some dumplings at a place that was cheap and supposedly good. Well we got 5 pork & chive dumplings, 8 vegetable dumplings, one sesame pork sandwich, and two bottled waters for a total of $6.75 - I did say cheap. While the dumplings were so-so, I loved the sesame beef sandwich. We couldn't eat all that we had! We then walked to Little Italy and the sky open up with a torrential downpour. We hopped into an Italian dessert shop and found out that this was the dessert shop of the Cannoli King. I saw him on Rachel Ray show not too long ago. We didn't buy cannoli's, not our favorites, but we did indulge in some gelato. We both agreed Zaza's gelato was better! It was fun sitting in a dry shop and watching all the different people in the streets scramble for cover! back to the subways to head downtown, but Michelle went into the wrong subway, so she had to come out and wait 18 minutes before reusing her card, so we walked around some more. The fruits and veggies in Chinatown are really exotic and everything is cheap. We saw 3 lbs of Rainer Cherries being sold for $5:00! Alas our 20 minutes was up and we headed downtown. We had tickets for visiting 9/11 memorial at 7 PM so had several hours to kill. We walked around the 9/11 site and financial district. Here is a picture of the new WTC. It has another 40 stories to be added to the top and should be finished next year.

Having more time we to burn, we walked down to the ferry area and watched the ferries fly across the water. The Statue of Liberty could be seen in the distance, but it was hazy. While we were there, we got our daily surprise. A Disney cruise ship passed by and you could see all the people on the top deck. Note the Mickey Mouses on the smoke stacks! The clincher was that when the ship blew its horn, it played the first part of the Disney song, "If you wish upon a star!"

We left the waterfront and headed back toward the WTC. As we approached, the smell of impending rain tickled our noses, and Michelle said "let's dive into another shop and eat while the storm passes," so we did. We went inside a little Sushi-to-go place with sushi boxes like you get at Kroger, but made on site. Here is a picture of some of Michelle's sushi and the rain falling outside.

New York City really is a place to study people. In the middle of this rainstorm, we see an elderly Asian man and woman (maybe in their 60's) with raincoats on, carrying huge trash bags of cans and bottles hanging from a stick draped over their shoulders. They stopped at the public trashcan at the corner to where we were eating our sushi, and pulled out the trashcan bag, They then proceeded to pull out all the cans and bottles, placed them into their bags, then carefully retied the bag and left it for the garbage pickup. Mind you that this was in a thunderstorm with driving rain! We couldn't decide if they were extremely environmentally conscious or that this was how they were supplementing their income or saving for retirement. It was funny and sad all at the same time. Here is a picture Michelle took through the window of them at the sushi place.

  Finally the rain cleared with about 10 minutes for us to reach the memorial entrance, which we did. Security is super tight, airport security is nothing. Not only did I have to empty everything in my pockets, I had to remove my belt as well. Luckily my love handles kept up my pants or who knows what jail or prison I'd be in right now! Getting in to the WTC memorial was a maze, but once you entered the memorial, you immediately knew you were on sacred ground. I wish I could show you pictures that Michelle took, but they are on a camera that I can't access today. Maybe tomorrow. One of the first things that you realize is how small a footprint the South Tower had. The North Tower's footprint is definitely larger, but still relatively small. The memorial waterfalls are beautiful, but what sends the tragedy home is watching the water at the bottom of the pool flow over the edges and into the abyss. Since you cannot see the bottom, you get that feeling of falling and not knowing into what or where it will land. This so much reminded me of the people who without hope jumped from the towers. That made my eyes tear up. A lone flag stuck in a person name on the memorial wall and seeing a couple hug each other in consolation really touched me. There are those who visit today who still are grieving. Seeing all the names, and especially those that said the name of a woman followed by the words "and her unborn child" makes you realize the preciousness of life. Finally we went to the "survivor tree." This tree was the only tree that survived the devastation, but all that was left was a 6 foot tall trunk with some bare branches that has been broken. Since the roots were still viable, they nursed the tree back to health and then replanted it in the memorial. It now is about 20 feet tall with lots of leaves and branches, all of which are new. There was a huge wreath in front of the tree. The guide told us that some Albanians placed the wreath there this morning. It took them all this time to raise enough money to come to the US and pay their respects to two Albanians who were cleaning the windows of the towers when the planes hit. We had plans of taking the metro to Times Square afterwards, but it only seemed right to end the day with this solemn occasion. We returned to the hotel and rested. . . two tired and exhausted puppies, a bionerd with aching feet and an artist with blisters the size of quarters. Tomorrow we are sleeping in - until seven! Goodnight and pray for all those 9/11 heroes and the family and friends they left behind.

Friday:
An update from those who are left home alone.... Not wanting to be left out, Bo and Neptune wanted to send their best wishes to Bionerd and Artist as they travel. They hope that you will see plenty of their kind.  Do not bring any newbie home please!!!   We are having a lovely time.  The woman who stays with us is a no nonsense human.  She demands that we sit before we can come out of the crates, no barking of course (she has delicate ears), but she feeds us well and gives us plenty of loving.  She even talked about going for a walk this week end.  Se seems very busy with her work and is in and out of the house. She even set off the alarm one day which really hurt our ears.  She let us see the pictures you took but since there is no food on them, they do not do anything to excite us.  Today I spotted a small alien creature under the air-conditioning unit outside. I barked mightily and tried to catch it but could not stretch my nose long enough.  The woman came with a water hose and flushed the creature out but it ran off in the rocks before I could catch it.  I really really want it ARRRRG, Bark, Bark, Bark.  It is now between me and the creature.  A duel to death.  I will prevail. Hey what was that bird flying, and that butterfly and that bee and .............   Oh well what was I talking about? See you later travelers. Come back soon so we can bark again and destroy things in the kitchen. The women does not let us do that either and life if boooooooooring without you!

Day 3:  Thursday, June 21

Hot! Hot! Hot! That pretty much sums up today's adventures. The day started off with a huge fire in a giant garbage bin across the interstate from the hotel. Michelle took the picture below from inside our van after the fire department came and doused out most of the fire. At one point the flames were like a bonfire that you could feel burning your face even from across the interstate!

Approaching Newark, we relied on our GPS system which led us down a one-laned part of the Interstate without an exit with signs that promised an express passage to the Holland tunnel leading to Manhattan. This was definitely NOT where we wanted to go. We knew we were in trouble when our GPS said to take the next exit and of course we couldn't. About a mile later, God had mercy on those that blindly follow their GPS and a last exit opened up and we took it. Luckily the GPS led us to our hotel, but we were unable to check in because we were two hours early. We drove around Newark for two hours looking for a restaurant that had parking. After about an hour, we stumbled upon a Wendy's and a Home depot so we pulled over and took a breather. Finally we returned to the hotel and checked in. After resting a few hours, we walked to the train station to get tickets. The temperature was 97-98 degrees, hotter tha Arkansas! Getting the tickets was an adventure in itself. It sounded easy on the Internet, but actually was much more complicated, but we did get train tickets. Hopefully getting subway tickets will be easier tomorrow. We staked out several restaurants on the Internet and walked to them, only to find that every single one of them was closed . . . either permanently or they closed after lunch time. By this time we were hot and sweaty and ready to give up hope of ever eating. Finally we stumbled upon a Subway that was still opened, grabbed two subs, and returned to the hotel to feast upon them. On the way back there was a crowd two doors down from our hotel. There was a Obama party going on with the Obama campaign bus parked across the street. Michelle took the following picture with her cell phone.

We are about 20 miles from Manhattan, but can see the NYC skyline from our hotel room in the distance. Our hotel is a remodeled historic hotel (built 1916) where President Wilson was among the first to stay and where a huge welcoming party for Albert Einstein was held (1033) for his coming to stay in America. Today is a little hazy, but tomorrow has promise of thunderstorms which may clear the sky and cool things down. Tomorrow we visit the Big Apple so that Michelle can attend her collegevisit and have her portfolio reviewed.
Pray for us so that tomorrow will run more smoothly than today. Until tomorrow.

Day 2: Wednesday, June 20

Before I tell you about today's adventures, a little humor from yesterday at the hotel. When we entered the elevator with all our baggage to go to our room, my luggage accidently hit the "call for help" button that was at knee level. All of a sudden, a voice from the elevator god spoke from above asking if everything was okay and if we needed any help. It was a little embarrassing and Michelle has promised to never let me forget it when we enter an elevator!

Today was a really LONG day. It was the first day of summer, and thus the longest day of the year. From now on the days will only get shorter! Our day started early with a great breakfast at the hotel. Michelle stumbled upon a new thing, chocolate waffles! You pour chocolate batter into the waffle iron and you get chocolate waffles. The hostess told us that some people like to pour both chocolate and regular batter into the waffle iron to make swirled waffles. Yum!

We then jumped into the car and off we went on another 500+ mile day taking us from Tennessee, through Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and into Pennsylvannia. The road trip made us feel like we were in a video game playing dodge the 18 wheelers! Speeding down a steep hill with nothing but an 18 wheeler's grill plate filling your rearview mirror really gets the adrenalin flowing. No major turning exercises today, though we did continue another Compton tradition during vacation - that being visiting a local Wal-mart! We ate dinner at a nice diner in Carlise, PA called Middlesex Diner.

Michelle ordered salmon and I ordered fried haddock. For a little more than $10, we got a salad or soup, rolls and two sides plus the entree. I was expecting a nice sized piece of fish, but when it came there were three big pieces of fish. Alas, another doggie bag for a late night snack. We added some dessert to take as well. The waitress pointed us in the direction of Wallyworld, saying it was five miles down the road. That turned into the surprise of the day. On the way down, we saw people playing polo in a field - really cool, and across from that was a school and sports complex that was really unique. The school was built into a hillside and the whole hillside - bigger than a football field, was covered with solar panels. The blue you see in the picture below are solar panels!

This was really cool and also kind of funny, because earlier in the day, while passing through Virginia, we saw a big sign advertizing a solar farm. What was beyond the sign were several "fields of solar panels" creating a true solar farm! Our temperature wasn't much different than Little Rock's with daytime temperatures being around 94-95. It was hot - thank God for air-conditioned cars!
Tomorrow should be a short travel day as we are only 2-3 hours away from our destination of Newark, NJ. Until then!

Day 1 Addendum

Just when I thought there would be no Kodak moment in Kodak, TN, the local semipro baseball game ended and the fireworks began! Here are some pictures that the artist, Michelle, took from our hotel room window. It looked and sounded alot like the fourth of July in Little Rock! Enjoy!