My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2025 the theme is a random assemblage of things that are on my mind--or that just pop into my mind. Whatever! Let's just say I'll be "Tossing It Out" for your entertainment or however it is you perceive these things.
Showing posts with label Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2016. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2016. Show all posts
Traveling to see the world is a lot of fun, but this is not my main reason for doing so. My wife and I truly enjoy experiencing different parts of the country and if that were our only reason to travel then I'm sure we'd do that. However our biggest reason for gallivanting about North America is to see people--friends, family, and most of all, grandchildren.
Arlee, Thomas, Lillee, Grace, Betty (my wife), and Celeste
(Marley was at her music class)
In the photo above you see my wife and I on the boardwalk along the beach at Asbury Park, NJ with four of our grandkids. I had donned my A to Z 2016 tee shirt to parade up and down the Asbury Park boardwalk with my family. Unfortunately our plans were sidetracked by a massive thunderstorm that came along and caused us to make an early retreat to the sushi restaurant where one of our daughter's husband works. Since that had been part of the plan then that was okay even though we had to spend more time at the restaurant than we had anticipated.
The oldest of the grandchildren was around the corner from the restaurant at "rock and roll school" which is the prestigious Lakehouse Music Academy. Marley, who will soon be eight, has been taking a regimen of various music classes geared toward learning the skills of singing and playing instruments as well as practical experience in performing. Their recitals take place at the famous concert venue The Stone Pony which is where many famed artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi got their starts and which showcases many well known and lesser known acts throughout the year. Not a bad place for a kid (or anyone for that matter) to hone their chops for a potential future career in music.
My daughters and their spouses along with all five grandchildren.
A number of years ago I would never have expected that I'd be eventually making so many trips to New Jersey, but then one daughter moved there and then the next until three were living there. The other moved to Houston, Texas which makes for a bigger circle of travel when we set out to see everyone. With our girls and their families so far away from us out here in Los Angeles we feel the obligation to make massive road trips just for those few precious days each year when we can spend time with all of them. Maybe after my wife retires the situation can be changed, but for now what have what we have.
Then There's Tennessee
After I moved to Los Angeles from East Tennessee, I made it a point to try to come back at least once a year to visit my mother and my siblings who still lived there. My mother passed away in 2014, but going back to Tennessee still seems like a necessary ritual for me. My brothers and sisters still live in that beautiful part of the country and we have such a darn good time when we all get together. If I'm going back east anyway, then it just seems like the natural thing to pay a visit to East Tennessee. After all, millions of vacationers go to that part of the country every year because there's so much to see and do in that area. When we go, we try to get out and around, but mostly we just hang around and talk and enjoy the wonderful summer evenings in Tennessee.
This year we did take a couple of day trips around nearby counties and into neighboring Georgia and North Carolina. As usual I forgot to take photos most of the time, however I did manage some shots at a Bible based attraction called Fields of the Wood outside of Murphy, North Carolina. We'd already had a full day by the time we'd gotten there and since it was getting late we didn't stay long. Just long enough to take a few photos and then move on down the road.
In the above photo you see my sister-in-law Hallie, my brother Jay, me and my wife, and my sisters Joni and Joy. We are posing in front of what is likely the world's largest depiction of the Ten Commandments which are written on the side of a mountain. There was so much to see at this park that we didn't have time to take it all in. This is one of those places that I want to go back to visit one day.
After driving to the top of the Ten Commandments mountain, my wife and I posed for one more photo. Take note that I once again wore my A to Z shirt to be a walking billboard for the event. Be watching the Blogging from A to Z Challenge Blog for news. We've slacked off on that site during the summer, but activity will be stirring soon. You won't want to miss some important announcements that are to come.
Also, I have what I think is an interesting Battle of the Bands post scheduled for this coming Thursday September 1st. Might be musically educational to you and I hope some fun. It's a song about hair, but it has nothing to do with the musical Hair. In fact on first hearing the song you might never even guess it was about "hair".
Do you travel to visit family? What is your ideal vacation? Any idea about the song I'll be using for my next Battle of the Bands entry?
Of all blog events, #atozchallenge is the best by far! The 2016 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge was for me perhaps the best one yet. After seven years of doing this Challenge, the writing of the posts is much easier. My Manhattan Project theme was my favorite that I've done so far, something which probably made the writing easier and the month more fun. I'm pretty pleased with the way things turned out for me this year.
Oh sure, I could list all of the usual things that I've seen as problems in the past, but if you are really interested in those you can go back in my archives and read my past Reflections posts. A lot of those negatives still remain to be remedied. Likewise, you'll find positives enumerated in those older posts that still held true in this year's Challenge. I don't want this post to be a rerun or a rehashing of stuff I've said before. I'll just leave my view of 2016 as it having been a very good Challenge.
This year I found many exceptional themes presented and met more new bloggers that I've not come across in previous Challenges. As always, the A to Z Challenge is an amazing showcase of creativity and fine writing. So despite those smaller irritants that we find while making our way through the list, in the end I think the good outweighs any bad elements of A to Z. The Reflections posts that I've read already substantiate this positive view of A to Z.
My utmost thanks go to the incredible talent and diligence of the A to Z Team of co-hosts who expend a great deal of time and energy to make the April Challenge the wonderful event that it is. Special kudos are due to Alex J. Cavanaugh, the blogger extraordinaire who has participated in every Challenge so far and who devoted hours in managing the Linky List for us. Also I am deeply grateful to Heather M. Gardner for her very capable leadership of the A to Z Team this year. We all appreciate the artistic talents of Jeremy Hawkins who provided the artwork and graphics used to promote the Challenge and identify participants.
Every Team co-host (names can be found at a-to-zchallenge.com) and the other assistance from each co-host support team (list found here) contributed time, effort, and talent to make the 2016 Challenge a success. I hope you will stop by all of their blogs to say hello and thank them for what they put into A to Z this time around.
And finally, thanks to all who participated as well as those who watched from the sidelines faithfully reading and commenting on our posts, providing that much needed encouragement that we all need to keep us in the blogging game. This blogging community is the best in the world because it involves the whole world. A to Z is a blogging phenomena!
If you have a Reflections post ready or you would like to write one, please visit the A to Z Challenge Blog to sign up. Be sure to read the directions before adding your link to the list! Battle of the Bands Results
For my most recent Battle of the Bands I wound up my A to Z Manhattan inspired theme by using Leon Russell's song "Manhattan Island Serenade". Since I figured Leon's original version was not all that well known, I put it up against a version renamed "Oude Maasweg" by the Dutch band The Amazing Stroopwafels. Their version begins with Russell's English lyrics and ends with additional verses in Dutch. If you missed this Battle and would like a listen to the versions you can find it here.
The Dutch version by the Stroopwafels took an amazing lead from the very start. Though Leon Russell made a valiant effort to catch up, the Stroopwafels retained their lead throughout the contest. This was surprising to me since I had figured that the majority of voters would go with Leon Russell's original version. However, some were not familiar with Russell's version and the Stroopwafels swayed voters with their harmonies, smoother sound, and the guitar solo in the break. This is what won me over as well, putting my vote with the majority who voted for The Amazing Stroopwafels. Another surprising outcome in Battle of the Bands.
Final Vote Tally:
Amazing Stroopwafels 19 Leon Russell 10
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Don't Miss the Next Battle!
My next Battle of the Bands post will appear this coming Sunday May 15th. This Battle might be my most controversial yet. The reactions might encompass a range including derision, appreciation, mirth, and perhaps even anger. The song will be from an album that I have enjoyed listening to over the past month and think is one of the better albums released in recent years. But what can I say other than, again, it all comes down to taste. I like what I like. I'll be offering a clue to the upcoming song with a post on Wednesday which will be part of my series on "Love and Ego". Hope you will join me for these upcoming posts.
Do you agree with my assessment of the 2016 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge? Would you consider yourself to be a Leon Russell fan? What do you think might be a highly controversial artist or music style for me to use in my upcoming Battle of the Bands match up?
Voting is still open on my Battle of the Bands post. If you have not visited yet to vote for your favorite recording please visit this post and let your preference be known. The song that I've used ties in with today's post as well as my Reflections Post yet to come. Insecure Writer's Support Group Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh'sInsecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. Now What? Leon Russell's song "Manhattan Island Serenade" provides a good analogy to how I feel after an A to Z Challenge has ended. The narrator of the song talks about being broke down stuck along the roadside and thinking of recent loss. He reflects on where he's been and where he's going next. It's kind of the same way I feel and what I've read some of the other A to Z participants say they feel about the end of the Challenge. But it's a temporary feeling like we get any time we've had a rush of fullness in life and then it's gone leaving us with only memories. But enough reflecting for now. My official A to Z Reflections Post will appear on Tossing It Out coming on Monday May 9th. For more information about the Reflections Post be sure to visit the A to Z Challenge Blog. Today I want to consider some things ahead on my blog. Love and Ego
Most of you probably recall the story of Narcissus who gazed at his own reflection in the pool of water and fell in love with the image, which unobtainable to him eventually led to his demise. Narcissism is an exhaustive topic that cannot be addressed in a single blog post, however I raise the topic as an introduction to things to come onTossing It Out. During the month of April I began to ponder the concepts of love and ego and all things connected with these concepts. I meandered through many aspects of these things prompted by whatever I was absorbing in the media, on the internet, and all around me in general. It was one of those weird moods perhaps, but it led me to a number of questions. Why do we write? Why do we blog? Why do we do the things we do or find ourselves attracted to certain people? And in the end what does it all mean? Just asking, you know--just asking like most of us probably ask the universe at times. And specifically in regard to our writing and blogging, why do we choose the stories we tell and topics we explore and how do we make these things relevant to others? Sounds whimsical perhaps, and it is. But why not? Why not ask what, how, and why? Besides summer is coming and that's a time that I've always associated with daydreaming and thinking down the rabbit hole. Lazy days and crazy days. Vacations and recreations. Much of my recreation consists of thinking so that's what I plan to do even though thinking seems to be what I do much of the time anyway. After all summer is coming and with summer while I physically wander the country, my mind will be wondering about many things. This is always the case it seems. If we aren't questioning, then we must be lacking in awareness. Not thinking is not being alive. Maybe it's silly to ask the age old question "What is the meaning of life?" But then, why not ask the question? In asking we might find an answer. Or more likely we might give rise to more questions. Sometimes the questions never stop just as much of the time the answers never come. In any case, my theme in every post on Tossing It Out including my Battle of the Bands posts from now until I decide to stop will be "Love and Ego". Call me obsessed if you like. But then maybe Love and Ego is ultimately the only theme any of us ever writes about when it comes right down to the crux of all things. Do you ever ponder the mysteries of love and ego? Do you consider your actions to be mostly driven by ego, love, both, or something else entirely? Does the word "ego" have a negative connotation to you?
Polar Bear catching z's at the Central Park Zoo,
Manhattan, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Manhattan Zoo
The Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kansas is not bad for a smaller sized town. The 26 acre park has over 300 animals representing over 100 different species as well as themed gardens and a number of events scheduled throughout the year. Over 100,000 visitors come to the zoo each year. The zoological park has been a popular attraction in Manhattan since the 1930's. A low admission price encourages visitors to frequent the park.
But the real zoological attraction for this post is the much more well known menagerie that can be found in Central Park in middle-upper Manhattan. The Central Park Zoo which is contained in an area of a mere 6.5 acres is far smaller than the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kansas. Yet though less than a quarter the size of the Midwestern zoo, the East Coast Manhattan zoo receives ten times the yearly visitors. The zoo in Central Park also costs over three times as much to gain entrance. Though the collection of animals is diverse, many of the larger animals found in zoos with more space won't be found at this zoo. Still you can expect to find some bears, wildcats, monkeys, and an array of smaller mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects.
Manhattan's Central Park zoo was the first official zoo in New York City having been founded in the early 1860's. After the Philadelphia zoo, it was the second publicly owned zoo in the United States. Now the Central Park Zoo is part of a system of four New York City area zoos.
Personally, I have never been to any of the New York City Zoos, but I have been to a number of zoos throughout the United States. To read more about the zoos I have visited please visit my "Z" post at Wrote By Rote.
And so we come to the end of my A to Z Manhattan Project series. I hope you've enjoyed reading these posts. Don't forget to come back to this blog tomorrow, May 1st, for a special surprise version of Battle of the Bands. Remember--Manhattan covers a lot of ground though not necessarily in land area.
My A to Z Reflections Post will be on Monday May 9th.
Have you been to the Central Park Zoo or any of the New York City Zoos? Have you been to the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kansas? What are some of your thoughts on zoos?
Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves. -- Henry David Thoreau
Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
You Are Here
If I'm in a big mall you will usually at some point find me in front of one of those maps with the "You Are Here" marker. Thank goodness that they tell me where I am when I am reading one of those things as the reason why I'm there at the map in the first place is that I don't know where I am. That's the case with most big places where I find myself attempting to navigate unfamiliar territory.
When in Manhattan if you are unfamiliar with the city you might want to run across some "You Are Here" markers now and then. A smartphone or some other device with GPS tracking can be of help. Just having a map might not be helpful to anyone challenged by map reading, but a map is certainly a good thing to have if you don't know where you are or where you are going.
This post could have been done for "X" as well--as in "X marks the spot"-- but then again there are rarely any X's to be found on the city streets just as there aren't often the display maps on the street with the "You Are Here" designation. I guess this is where the guides as described in my "W" post might come in handy.
And while we are on the subject of "You Are Here" we might consider where we are in this 7th Annual Blogging from A to Z April Challenge. This is the letter "Y" post which means there is only one more post left in my series about Manhattan. I hope you enjoyed following this series as much as I enjoyed compiling it. And I hope you had a great time if you too blogged through the alphabet with the many others who did the same.
Yes, you are here near the end of the Challenge, but there are still the A to Z events ahead like the Reflections post and the A to Z Road Trip. You can read about all of it by continuing to follow the A to Z Challenge Blog where all the details will be provided.
Tomorrow I will conclude my series with my post for Z. Wanna guess what it will be? Something famous in Manhattan perhaps? And then on Sunday May 1st I will have another post for the Battle of the Bands. This one will be a bit of a surprise with a bit of a twist. I'll include my entry for Question of the Month in this post as well. Hope you'll join me for both upcoming posts!
Do you ever refer to "You Are Here" maps? How are you about finding your way when you get lost? What is the first thing you do when you feel lost?
I have always fancied that the end of the world will be when some enormous boiler, heated to three thousand millions of atmospheric pressure, shall explode and blow up the globe. ... They [the Americans] are great boilermakers.
Official seal of Oak Ridge, Tennessee (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
X-10 Nuclear Reactor
In my post for the letter N I referred in passing to Oak Ridge, Tennessee which played a big role in the developing of the first atomic bombs during World War 2. This project, known as The Manhattan Project because it was planned out in an office in Manhattan, expanded to a number of research and development centers throughout the United States. This effort, which was one of America's most intensive projects ever, resulted in developing and producing atomic bombs within a time frame of less than three years.
In order to accommodate the R & D facilities and its employees and their families, the city of Oak Ridge was rapidly planned and built. By the end of the war in 1945, the city had grown to become the fifth largest city in Tennessee. After the war the city continued to serve as an important scientific center for the study and manufacture of nuclear materials.
A key facility at the Oak Ridge Laboratories was referred to as the X-10 Pile, the first nuclear reactor designed for continuous production. The X-10 Graphite Reactor produced the plutonium necessary for the atomic bomb. This reactor is no longer in operation after being shut down in 1963 and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1966.
The three key nuclear facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington are now the three sites of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Visitors to the park can visit museums and see the original reactors and other components of the laboratories. For security reasons the X-10 reactor and other buildings at the Tennessee site can only be visited as part of a bus tour provided by Oak Ridge National Laboratories.
Visiting all three sites would be an epic history vacation for anyone with a strong interest in atomic bomb development, but if you are near any one of these areas a visit to the one to which you are closest is highly recommended. Oak Ridge is the most accessible to the greatest population area as it sits just a short drive from the most visited National Park in the United States--The Great Smokey Mountains. The Laboratories are also a two hour drive from Nashville.
A vacation to the Great Smokies with all of the tourist activities nearby will provide memorable adventure and entertainment for adults and as well as families with children. There is literally something to please everyone.
The history of the area ranges from the time when the indigenous peoples such as the Creeks and Cherokees inhabited the land, to the time of the early European settlers, to the Civil War Era and beyond. The X-10 Reactor is just one more piece of the history that brought the United States into the Atomic Age.
Have you visited any of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park sites? Have you ever visited any nuclear power plant or other similar facility? Do you see a positive future for nuclear energy?
Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. ~Steven Wright
"View in Wall Street from Corner of Broadway", New York. http://oldstreets.com/index.asp?letter=B (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Walking to Wall Street
In the previous post we discussed visiting Manhattan. So how to get around to see the sights in the city? If you're going a distance across town you must try the subway of course. For those who prefer not to deal with those crowds, taking a taxi can certainly be a viable method of travel, but it can also get expensive if you use them too much. These are decent ways to get where you are going and they are big city transportation modes that you probably would want to try at least once just for the experience of doing it. However, you won't see the city like you should--on the street, up close and personal.
If you want to immerse yourself among the population and have that tangible encounter with the city itself, then you need to take to the streets on foot. Yes, get the exercise and trod that pavement. You can walk on your own meandering and exploring the sights or you can join up with a walking tour guided by someone in the know. Some walking tours are free while others with a more personal touch might cost you a few bucks.
The tours might provide a more expedient way of seeing sights since the guides have the experience and know the best places to go, but if you've got the time why not hoof it on your own? Don a comfortable pair of sturdy shoes and dress suitably for the weather (as well as for the places you are going) and have fun exploring. A good city map or guidebook will be helpful to avoid wasting time, but the thrill of discovery by surprise isn't a bad way to go either. Essentially it all comes down to your time, your stamina, what exactly you hope to accomplish while in the city, and your own sense of adventure.
My last visit a few years ago was on a very hot day. We took it slow, went inside air conditioned places now and then, and stayed hydrated. The heat didn't affect me too adversely, but it did wear my wife down a bit. Still things turned out well for us. We didn't push too hard and took breaks when they were needed.
Walking is not a seasonal activity either. Inclement weather might be a deterrence, but that's what coats and umbrellas are for. Any time of year the streets will be filled with pedestrians and there are many folks who are more than happy to get you back on track if you happen to get temporarily lost.
When the question "What Does Manhattan Say to You?" was presented on this blog back in January, my cousin Tom Jackson from Tracy, California was quick to respond on Facebook with, "Capital of Finance". This as most of you probably know refers to Wall Street.
One of the places any Manhattan walking tour should include is a visit to Wall Street. Centrally located with many other sights worth seeing nearby, Manhattan is the iconic financial hub of not just the United States, but the world. There are several interesting walking tours that include visits to the New York Stock Exchange, Ground Zero, and many other fascinating sites that are educational, interesting, and fun.
Going to visit Manhattan? Bring your walking shoes and be prepared to get some exercise as you get an intimate look at Manhattan while mingling with those who live and work in the city. There are bus tours and horse-drawn carriage rides as well that will provide a good look at the Manhattan tourist sights, but there's nothing quite like walking those bustling streets.
Do you enjoy walking tours? Would you rather tour on your own or with a knowledgeable guide? Are there any walking tours in Manhattan or elsewhere that you have taken that you would recommend to readers here?
I did have an opportunity to visit Manhattan a few years ago, had no idea what to expect, will never forget the wonderful experience!--Gail M Baugniet - Author
The Empire State Building. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Visiting Manhattan
After reading some of my Manhattan themed A to Z posts some of you might be a bit more interested in visiting the island city of the New York Metropolitan Area. Many of you indicated your desire to do so in comments made in my original post that asked "What Does Manhattan Say to You?". In this current post I'll be presenting some of what a few of you said on the topic of "visiting Manhattan".
When I hear "Manhattan," I think of NYC in the fall of 1984 when I was there for computer software training. I had never been to NYC before, and I had a little time off from work, so I went to the top of one of the World Trade Center towers. I will never forget that day, and I will probably never go up in a building that tall again.
I never made it to the top of the World Trade Center myself, but sure wish I could have had that experience. Patricia, you experienced a bit of history so at least you have that memory.
I have never been there. I do remember my dad talking about going through there when he was in the army. He was going to West Germany and in the 60's they took a truck to New York and got on a boat to go over there. He said it was dirty and smelled. Garbage laying all over.
Ruth, my dad never talked about going to Manhattan although a few years ago--over 20 years after his death--I found an old photo of him and some buddies on a night out in NYC, a story to which I referred in my post Drinking and Manhattan. Maybe your dad had the unfortunate circumstance of being in Manhattan during one of their infamous garbage strikes. Then again maybe it was just the times and the places they were in.
A frequent visitor to my blog who does not have a blog himself but comments under the blog handle of Sheboyganboy VI told his own interesting Manhattan story: What comes to mind first is the borough of New York City. Not the drink, since I don't drink! I've been to Manhattan twice, once earlier this year for a touristy visit that included restaurants, jazz clubs down in Greenwich Village, Central Park, and the Metropolitan opera. The music was great... the glitz and crowds, not so much. But I'd say what comes to my memories first is my 1st trip there in 1974 when I was 19 years old. Four girls, my room mate and I made a cross-country trip from San Diego to Boston and back, which included a one-day jaunt into Manhattan. By the time we got to NYC we had picked up another girl, also. We had two vehicles: a 1968 VW Beetle, and my dad's propane powered pickup truck. As we were heading for the Holland Tunnel we saw a sign that said propane bottles were not allowed in the tunnel. Since I was carrying 200 gallons (!!!) of propane, we had to park the truck on a side street and ALL SEVEN of us piled into the VW and made the trip thru the tunnel for an afternoon of visiting Manhattan. The only person without a girl on their lap was the driver! It was a "trip," man! That sounds like a "hippie excursion". What a memory! Those were the days my friend.
Bish Denhamprovided her own story from back in the day: When I think of Manhattan I almost immediately remember the time I spent there in the summer of 1967. For a teenager from a tiny island, it was awesome. Went to the Empire State Building, the Cloisters, Lincoln Center, took the ferry to Staten Island, drank "virgin" drinks at Cafe Wha? and listened to a band - who knows who? Friends and I stood on a street corner, stared up and pointed until we had a crowd around. Ate at my first Greek restaurant. Saw an off Broadway show about Jelly Roll Morton. It was noisy and dirty and the smog was so thick that from the top of Empire State Building the streets below were almost invisible. I have pictures. It was the time of my life. Except for one brief overnight on my way to somewhere else, I've never been back. Though if I had the opportunity/money, I just might. What a fantastic memory, Bish. I can imagine how exciting it must have been for you to have spent a summer there as a teen. Manhattan has a lure, but it can be an expensive destination. I hope you can return one day. One More Before We Go... Finally, from the blog Forty, c'est Fantastique !with the author's permission I'm reprinting here the blog post she wrote in response to my Manhattan question. It's too good not to include here.
One glimpse of this skyline, photo taken from Central Park, and anyone will know where you are. Hundreds of songs have been written about this city, hundreds of movies made there, millions of people have walked its streets, and been captured by its sense of adventure. It is the original “melting pot” where so many cultures can be found in one place.
It is the city that represents the US to the people of most other countries…tell anyone in a different country that you are from the US and they’ll say, “Oh! You know New York!” Up until a few weeks ago I’d have said, “No. I’ve never been there.” But now, I can say I have been there. There there, and not just “Airport” there. My husband and I visited Manhattan. One and a half days there, and he is wondering if we could move there. Who knows? Tout est possible! But no, I’m not packing up just yet
I mentioned already in a previous post that we saw a Broadway Musical that weekend, with the aid of the beloved “Two-fer” tickets. This post is kind of a “Two-fer” too, in fact it is almost a “Three-fer” because it fits in with both the Thursday and Friday versions of The Bee’s “Love is in da Blog.” For “Traveling Thursday” it is a place I think I am falling in love with. For Friday, it is a “Blog Love.” I really have a hard time choosing a “favorite blog!” So I’m not going to say this is my favorite, just that it isa favorite, and the one that is on my mind tonight. So, because I am sort of writing this in response to a question that Arlee Bird asked on his blog “Tossing It Out” — namely, “What Does Manhattan Say to You?” my “Blog love” is going out to Arlee this week. For those of you who don’t know, he is the mastermind behind the “A to Z April Challenge” which really got Forty, C’est Fantastique off the ground. I’m gearing up for my 3rd time doing this challenge in 2016! Arlee “Tosses Out” all kinds of interesting topics on his blog! I don’t always get involved, but I do read silently from my email box, and when a topic strikes a chord with me I just jump in! I love that Arlee really engages in conversation with his readers who comment. He’s thoughtful. He loves music and hosts a “BoTB” post on his site. I really don’t know how he does all of it. In any case, I highly recommend making a trip to his site to see what he “tosses out.”
So to answer his question (and I hope it isn’t too late!)
What does Manhattan say to me?
After a long flight, we walked, wide-eyed, out of the airport, searching for the metro, or a bus, some way to reach Manhattan. After a short search, we found ourselves on a bus, where we were able to figure out, with the help of a native New Yorker, the system by which one buys a Metro card and uses it to get a little ticket for the bus, which no longer accepts cash. You have to get a metro card and then use that at a kiosk to get a ticket. The lady in question did not have enough money on her Metro card for the ticket, and since the bus driver didn’t take cash, she gave us cash and we ran to a kiosk at the next stop and used our brand new metro card to get her a ticket. Then she told us some cool things to do and see in the city, and I have stashed that advice away for next time we go, because with just a day and a half we really had to choose one or two things. We rode the bus until the end of its line and then switched to the train. I’m not sure that was the most efficient, but we did end up at Times Square, which was just a couple blocks from our hotel.
We got off the train and said, “Hello, Manhattan.” Manhattan said “Hello! You’re going to have a fabulous time.” The lady at the hotel desk sang the word, “fabulous.” She said, I can find you a fabulous restaurant, and she did! We had a very nice seafood dinner, not too far away from the hotel, and we walked around Times Square and gawked at the lights. Funny thing, but Manhattan does say to me that it is somehow okay to be a “tourist” there. It’s okay to stop and gawk at the skyscrapers whilst the real New Yorkers walk around you like water flows around pebbles in a stream. It’s a much different feeling than say, San Francisco or Paris or Dublin. In those cities, I felt a desire to “blend in” and hide my tourist status. In Manhattan, I didn’t find that to be necessary, even when we encroached upon a somewhat more “local” bagel shop. There was a pleasant mix there of locals and tourists. And the bagel was fantastic. They say it’s the water. You think?
New York is elegant and refined, but at the same time it is loud and gaudy. It is Prada and Louis Vuitton, and it is also tourist shops. It is classic high-heeled pumps, but yet it is also brightly colored Converse. And “puffy down jackets.” Lots of puffy down jackets. I’m glad that at least our jackets fit in a little bit I’m not really sure why this is a trend all of a sudden. Marty McFly would be proud.
We went walking around Times Square on a Friday night, and a couple asked us to take their picture. Then, they offered to take one of us. Why not? They asked where we were from, and we told them, then asked them the same question. They told us they were locals, just out for a date night while their kids were with family. Isn’t that great? To go to one of the most touristy places in your own city just for fun? They looked really happy, too.
So what did we ask Manhattan? We asked it to show us some of its glamour and some of its traditions. It happily complied, and we came home happy, having seen the “Home Alone 2” Christmas tree, the skaters at Central Park, horse-drawn carriages, beautiful homes that we could never even dream of living in, Times Square, and a Broadway Musical. We ate NY bagels, NY pizza, and NY cheesecake. My husband even had one of those hotdogs from a street vendor. We rode a bus and a subway, and we rode in a NY cab. We looked in the windows of some designer stores that we didn’t dare set a foot into. We truly began to understand the French expression lèche-vitrines, which literally translates as “licking the windows” but really just means “window shopping.” Somehow the French expression is more descriptive! We walked (according to FitBit) eleven miles. It was glorious. So in the end, what did Manhattan say to me? It said, “Come back soon!” I can hardly wait!
Do you have a story to tell about your own Manhattan visit? Are you planning a Manhattan visit anytime soon? What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about visiting Manhattan?
