The Museums of NYC

Those of you who travel, have seen a lot of different things, and can sometimes be bored by museums and stuff…for me, I could go back and spend the entire day at The Met. The Museum of Modern Art was nice and we went to see the three paintings we wanted to see. Because we were on a tight schedule to make sure we got to see the “Must see” items, we were limited by time for each museum.

For MoMA, Museum of Modern Art, the goal was Starry Night by Vincent Van Gough.

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gough, painted 1889

But while there found others close by that we also wanted to see.

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali, 1931

What surprised me about both of these painting was how small they were. Not that that was a distraction but compared to Claude Monets Water-Lilies, which covered an entire wall(a big wall), the size contrast were surprising.

One panel of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, Painted 1914-1926

This is why art is subjective to each individual but amazing to all regardless. When we went to The Met, we each had a must see item. To my daughter it was the Egyptian exhibit and to me it was the armor room with life size horses in their armored shields. I don’t know how they even moved. And the weight, good grief.

Same thought goes with the Knights in shining armor, how in the world did they move. And I can’t imagine how hot they were.

While the armor was confined in a large expansive room, the Egyptian exhibit was several rooms, including a life size replica of a temple.

This sarcophagus was empty but the inside lid was carved.

Museums are not just amazing things to see from an artist’s mind, but the history they tech us is well worth exploring them. We hope to go back and just do a museum run so that we can explore more there.

If you go see the sights of any city, remember to be respectful and kind. I was taken back by the kindness we found in a huge city of New York and having spent most of my young adult life in Atlanta, this was surprising. Maybe the tragedy of 9/11 reminded all of us of the power and purpose of kindness.

In Cometh March

While I am technically not located in Hail Alley (those states in the center of the country from Texas to North Dakota), Iowa can still see some damage from hail. Today is March 3rd and where I come from hail comes from those tall thunderheads during the summer…its not even spring yet. (Sigh) But as the saying goes…and it works pretty good for Iowa…If march comes in like a lamb, it will go out like a lion or if it comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb. I would not call this coming in like a lion but get whiz this stuff hurts when you are running to your house from the car. Hopefully this small pea size hail did not dent my car.

Bouncing on the roof like tiny ping pong balls

Poor plant trying to come back from his winter nap.

Well here’s hoping the rest of March is calm…wouldn’t bet on it but you can always hope. Even though Mother Nature is choosing not to be kind, we can outdo her and always be kind.

9/11 Never Forget

Will We Ever…

Will we ever be able to stand by one another in unity and peace?

It would be like fresh cool water from a spring being poured over our heads to cool the unrelenting heat of anger that we don’t even understand.

Will we ever be able to support one another in unity and peace?

It would be like adding a soothing ointment that softens the wounds of war and heals the ugly scars we cause on one another.

Will we ever be able to love one another in unity and peace?

It would be like the valleys of heaven descended upon us to show us the beauty and kindness of life that we all were supposed to enjoy.

Will we ever be able?

This poem was first published in Reflections & Revelations, The Short of It, Volume 2, 2022.

It was based on Psalm 133 of the Bible, NIV version. So many of the Psalms are prayer songs that tried to understand the meanness of the world while hoping for better days.

We will never understand the meanness, hurt, and desolation of war. Our inner nature is to love…as he first loved, so war makes no sense.

When we visited the 9/11 Memorial in New York City, the immensity of that place was hallowed. No loud sounds could be heard from other onlookers. Even the sounds of the city seemed muted. Soft cries from people were heard as they placed their hands on the memorial wall that surrounded the massive holes in the ground. The walls surrounding the fountain was filled with the names of loved ones who were killed in the towers or rescue workers who were killed trying their best to save at least one person. Memories of that day still fill my mind, as I was in the Atlanta airport getting ready to board a plane when the airport was shut down. Knives and box cutters were later found in the trashcans around the airport proving another plane was scheduled to be used. How could that much hate be filtered into people against other people? In my mind and heart, I know why but I still ask the questions of why. Below are pictures I took while we were at the memorial. While we don’t want to dwell on this particular travesty, we need to pray for the hatred and unrest filling our planet in so many locations. And we lift our arms to God above to come quickly before we fully implode in anger.

The massive holes in the ground from the destruction of these two building were turned into fountains. In the background is the new 1 Tower World Trade Center building.

More than 2,000 lives were taken that day.

This is a bronze memorial for this horrific day and the many rescue workers that tried to make a difference. They did.

The Oculus Transportation Hub of the World Trade center.

Around the Oculus are wonderful statues by Gillie and Marc proving the beauty of wildlife and animals. Their whimsical art statues of animals doing things humans do gives you a light smile for a very sad place because people are not the only creatures on this planet that are purposely attacked.

Rabbit and Elephant share a book and a coffee

The entire gang is out for a ride in the big city leaving an open seat for anyone to join.

We should always remember that if we try, truly try, we can find goodness in each of us and can work together to find and maintain happiness. It starts with being kind.

The Short of It

G.A. Neal

I am honored to be part of “The Short of It” group of writers who share their work with each other. Come follow Susi Bocks as she shares her writing and many others with poetry, microwritings, and fun ways to play with words.

And as always, I remind to to be kind. You never know who may need your kindness.

CWWC: February 29 Which Way

Cee’s Which Way Challenge has given us a wide-open opportunity to share where we have been, how we got there, and where others can go to have fun. Since I have been sharing some fun from my New York trip, let’s add a few of those here.

The ever-changing colors of the stairs in FAO Swartz.

Subway – For getting anywhere you want to go in NYC

Riding in a jet and seeing the many roads and bridges of New York City below.

Remember, regardless of the size of your city, regardless of your broken or not broken circumstances, No Act of Kindness is ever wasted.

Always Be Kind!

More Fun from NYC

Our trip was a fast 4 day adventure taking us from one end of the island to the other. While there, we saw many beautiful, amazing, and a few sad sights. Below are a few of the miscellaneous sights we saw that we enjoyed.

Carnegie Hall. What a beautiful way to dress up an ordinary brick building with painted-on windows.

The front of Carnegie was being worked on so scaffolding hid the front entrance.

Every city has homeless people but I admired the gentle spirit of this one as he shared what he had with the birds and they adored him for it.

“Who you gonna Call?” Ghost Busters! The firehouse used in the iconic movie Ghost Busters is an actual working fire station in New York City and they are good hearted enough to allow crazy fans…like me…to take photos of them and their station.

F A O Swartz…oh, what a store. I could spend hours there, after all, I am just a big kid. Loved the zebra but don’t think he would fit on the plane.

If you are going to go to NYC, you have to try New York cheesecake and New York Style Pizza. One slice of pizza is a meal!

And the reviews were not wrong. It was the best Pizza I have ever had.

The beauty in the mixture of old architecture and new showed the life of a city that is ever growing.

High End apartments on 5th Ave were something to see.

Then you had the opulence of 5th Avenue. A bit too much for my taste.

Then the night scenes around Times Square.

Or daytime…

New York City is so diverse, that everyone can find something they enjoy. I came away with an understanding that I did not expect to find and I mentioned it in one of my other post. As a whole, the residents of NYC are kind proving how easy kindness can be shared. Always remember the beauty of kindness.

New York Public Library

Someone asked us before we left for New York City, what did we plan to do. One of the main things we wanted to see was the Public Library. This person could not understand why a library. Besides there being a copy of the Gutenberg Bible, the library is also a museum of printed works. Plus the building was fabulous. During my early career, I was a drafting designer, before we had computers to do that for us. We drew with pencils while standing up to a huge drawing board. How technology has changed but the beauty of the buildings in NYC from the 1800s is still something to see. So, if you never get a chance to see this library, I hope you enjoy this long post of things that I marveled at in a building of books. I took over 50 pictures in this one building but I promise I won’t post them all.

The Library has been guarded on either side by massive lion statues, named Patience and Fortitude since the library dedication on May 23, 1911.

On either side of the entrance are fountains. It is February so they are not running but still beautiful.

Once we got inside I was amazed at the ceilings of marble, mosaics, and inlayed wood.

And the marble columns with their beautiful patterns were striking, but then again I am a design nerd.

Now for some printed inspiration. Having a quasi interesting in writing myself, these ancient works give you quiet pause.

I tried to figure out where in the bible this was but couldn’t. But regardless, the very first printing of a book as we know it today, in 1455, was a Bible.

There is a book of Shakespeare’s works and a score of Mozart’s Music.

Then coming to a more modern era and closer to home, there are copies of the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and letters of Washington’s Farewell address, and the book showing the beauty of birds by John Audubon.

And on a softer whimsical note, there is a constant audio playing of the reading of Winnie the Pooh.

Winnie is a good place to stop and remind us of the power and beauty of kindness that should always be displayed to man and beast alike. Where in the world would we be without kindness. May we never find out.

A few other pictures taken are below.

Grand Central Station

I think it is fitting that I start my ‘tour’ of New York City for you with Grand Central Station, a huge hub of transportation for the entire area. My pictures do not really do it justice so, for more amazing views with a real camera and wide-angle lens, go to the web to get the panoramic shots. But this will give you a taste.

The original train station was designed by Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1871. There were several reconstruction projects after that due to rapid growth and in 1897 it reached its capacity again serving 11.5 million passengers a year. In 1913 it was redesigned by Stem & Warren and Warren & Westmore to its current view. Today a train stops every 58 seconds with 1,200 people getting on or off and there are over 100 tracks. Then of course you have the subway lines and the bus lines. It’s a very busy place.

But this is not just a transportation station, while we did not go there, there is a dining area that goes from fast food to elegant food. My favorite part was of course the architecture and the famous ceiling with the zodiac star path on an aqua-blue background.

The architecture outside of the world’s largest Tiffany Clock is a true wonder to see.

Below are some of the other shots I took that you may enjoy. Make sure if you visit New York that you visit Grand Central Station.

It is encouraging, and sad at the same time, that we have to have military guys with the big guns to assure everyone is safe…or behaves.

All through the magnificent buildings in New York that were built in the 1800s, their architecture designs are amazing and made with granite and marble. All through this journey of my trip, I will share the intricate designs that the new architecture does not have. The have a different type of beauty that is wonderful to see, just different.

I will say this, as I have lived in a major city and understand how the people can sometimes be. The people in New York, the resident that we encountered, were amazingly kind and considerate. So, it shows that it doesn’t matter how big or small you town may be, you can always be kind.

Go There at Least Once

Two years ago my daughter finally started listening to me, a rarity right, after 40-plus years of me bending her ear. She was living to work instead of living life. So now, she has grabbed me it tow as her travel buddy.

She started planning trips of places she wanted to see and the top of her list was San Francisco, not because it is a cool place to visit, because it is, but because of The Rock. Not really the prison itself but the history around it, as she is a huge history buff. So the traveling bug has hit and off we go.

If you have never been to San Francisco, you should go at least one time. My favorite part was Pier 39 with the shops, a merry-go-round, and the of course the famous seals.

In November, we headed to Las Vegas to see a show and to shop. Yeah, for me that is a city of one-and-done. I am not a gambler so once you see the sights, its done, but I did love the sphere, although we could not get very close. This was the view from our room. It is not just a picture but a video that constantly changed. My favorite while there was an ocean scene with whales. It was amazing. This picture is from the map of the earth.

Between San Francisco and Las Vegas, I took a side trip to go see my youngest child and his family down in Nashville, Tennessee. If you get down that way I highly recommend the Nashville Zoo. Not the zoo itself, which was fun, but you need to visit Dinosaur Land. They have over 25 life-sized dinosaur robots in their supposed vegetation. So, along beautiful paths of actual vegetation are these different dinosaurs peeking out at you and growling – and again they are life-size…

In Early December we went to Michigan to a place where people like me who love Christmas must go at least once, Frankenmuth. And during the Christmas season, it is thrown up with Christmas. The shops, the horse drawn carriages, and the Silent Night Chapel are all a must-see.

Last week my daughter and I finally got to see New York City. For a small-town girl, it was amazing. I was also amazed at the kindness of the people. Because I knew we would be walking a bunch, I took my cane to help stabilize me in crowds. (Still not willing yet to have knee replacement surgery.) Several times people went out of their way to make sure I could get where I was going. It is nice to know that kindness IS even in the big city. Some think New Yorkers can be mean, but we did not see that. What we did see I will share here once I get through the 280 pictures I took. New York City is definitely a place you should visit at least once but we are already planning on a second trip – a trip just to see the amazing churches built from the 1800s and on. For now, I leave you with a teaser, New York from the air at Sunset.

I close with a reminder that it matters not where you are, you can always be kind. It helps all of us smile.

Always Be Kind

Not the Solution I wanted

I have been looking for solutions to the huge problem of sparrow invasion. We know they are tiny take over birds but I thought with the right food, I could eliminate some of the problem.

They can clean out this feeder in a day. But as I watched today I saw what I think the real problem is…which is why I quit using sunflower seeds in the first place.

He is jumping from the fence to the platform feeder and then jumping onto the pole with the peanuts that are supposed to be for the woodpeckers. I have a slinky on the pole down at the bottom so they can’t climb the pole but jumping is different.

Dang yard Rats!! They are incredibly intelligent and resourceful. I need to rearrange the feeders this spring. I really need to get rid of the platform feeder but that one has sentimental value with it. So I will have to think outside the box on that one.

I will definitely go back to safflower seeds. That at least will keep the squirrels at bay. The things you do to enjoy watching the birds. Stay tuned for more spring pics as the weather warms and we get to play outside more. It’s coming…

Remember as the the temps begin to warm, let your heart warm as well and be kind.