Geography & History: March 2005 Archives
Last week when I was in Manhattan, I went to the Today Show with one of my co-workers.
It was kind of an odd experience for me. I don't really watch the Today Show, so didn't think it would be that exciting to see the set. I was happy to get up early and take a walk; the Today Show was just a pleasant bonus.
Then, as we were standing outside the cordoned off area, Willard Scott came out and started doing the weather and interacting with the crowd. I was completely energized to be so near to someone I had seen on TV my whole life. I didn't feel that excited when I saw Ben Stiller when last in Manhattan.
It was peculiar that so many people in the crowd were from Minnesota. I estimate that 1/3 of the crowd was from Minnesota. I wish I would have had the foresight to make a sign to wave around.
P.S. Sometimes who you go with is almost as important as where you go. Having an super enthusiastic fan of the Today Show with me made the whole thing way more fun.
It was kind of an odd experience for me. I don't really watch the Today Show, so didn't think it would be that exciting to see the set. I was happy to get up early and take a walk; the Today Show was just a pleasant bonus.
Then, as we were standing outside the cordoned off area, Willard Scott came out and started doing the weather and interacting with the crowd. I was completely energized to be so near to someone I had seen on TV my whole life. I didn't feel that excited when I saw Ben Stiller when last in Manhattan.
It was peculiar that so many people in the crowd were from Minnesota. I estimate that 1/3 of the crowd was from Minnesota. I wish I would have had the foresight to make a sign to wave around.
P.S. Sometimes who you go with is almost as important as where you go. Having an super enthusiastic fan of the Today Show with me made the whole thing way more fun.
I stayed at an older hotel in Manhattan this past week.
The room at the Roosevelt was much smaller that what I am used to staying in when I travel for business. Although the size threw me a little initially, I found that I really liked it. The scale of the room was very human and it had everything I needed close at hand. By the third day I found myself wishing my house were smaller.
The hotel was pretty nice. I love being within walking distance of my destination and it fit that requirement neatly. The only complaint I had about the hotel was the speed of the elevator. It might take 15 minutes to get to the lobby if you picked the wrong time of day. The first day I would pass on elevators that seemed crowded. By the last day I would cram myself in, no matter how many people were already in the elevator, since I didn't know when the next one might make an appearance.
The room at the Roosevelt was much smaller that what I am used to staying in when I travel for business. Although the size threw me a little initially, I found that I really liked it. The scale of the room was very human and it had everything I needed close at hand. By the third day I found myself wishing my house were smaller.
The hotel was pretty nice. I love being within walking distance of my destination and it fit that requirement neatly. The only complaint I had about the hotel was the speed of the elevator. It might take 15 minutes to get to the lobby if you picked the wrong time of day. The first day I would pass on elevators that seemed crowded. By the last day I would cram myself in, no matter how many people were already in the elevator, since I didn't know when the next one might make an appearance.
Today I skipped the usual taxi ride in favor of an unlicensed town car operator, who promised me a quick hassle free ride to my destination in mid-town Manhattan.
I have never in my life driven through city streets so fast. This includes previous taxi rides in New York and Mexico. The driver was amazing. He didn't even slow down when a bicycle riding guy was headed straight for us looking the other way. Somehow the bicycler managed to swerve just in time.
No one was hurt and I got a good fast ride. No complaints. I would try it again, but it's not for the faint of heart.
I'm writing from the airport, getting ready to fly out to NYC again.
I love getting to the airport in the dark knowing I'll be in some exciting new place by noon.
I got this on my first cab ride in NYC from JFK to Brooklyn.
Do I really have to keep it with me at all times?
Do I really have to keep it with me at all times?
When I went to NYC to see The Gates, I stayed with a friend in Brooklyn. Eric, our host, was kind enough to be our tour guide and show us around Manhattan. When I called Eric to talk about my trip he made it clear that he really wanted me to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. After our long day of walking around Manhattan we took the days last train ride from Grand Central to the base of the Brooklyn Bridge.
It was nearly dusk on that overcast gray day. We walked up from the subway and turned onto the bridge, walking across the East River towards Brooklyn.
The view of the city was muted thanks to the low hanging clouds. Once we had walked for a while Eric soberly pointed out the gap in the tall buildings where the World Trade Center had once stood. As we continued walking, the cables of the suspension bridge created this amazing perspective-warping grid that changed every few feet. It was a beautiful walk that had the smell of history about it. The fact that people had been walking and looking at these same iconic views since the 1880's gave the walk a strange kind of gravity.
A little further out, Eric gestured out towards the harbor and pointed out the Statue of Liberty. After a day of being overwhelmed by the largesse and seemingly infinite size of Manhattan, seeing that statue so small and tiny out in the harbor was thought provoking and a little breath taking.
Some days you see something in the distance that means more than you ever expect, stealing your breath away for a moment. Seeing Liberty so small and seemingly vulnerable was one of those moments for me. Liberty, the goal of all mankind, so far off and so fragile, that is the symbol of this age to me.
