Unconditional Surrender

August 14 was the anniversary of Japan's surrender after World War 2. Hundreds of men and women from the armed services had gathered in Times Square and as the announcement was made, a sailor grabbed a nurse who was standing close to him, bent her over and planted a kiss on her as a way of celebrating this huge event. The kiss was captured by a photographer and made it's way onto the cover of Life Magazine. In commemoration of this kiss, a statue was commissioned a couple of years ago and was temporarily installed in Times Square this past week. Saturday, August 14, the city sponsored a re-enactment of the kiss. Sailor hats were distributed to all in attendance and everyone kissed at 12:00 noon. Paul and I were in Times Square earlier that morning and had our kiss sans the sailor hats.

A room with a "clear" view

I was sitting on the sofa reading one morning and I heard a noise like someone was tapping on the window. Since we live on the 27th floor, it seemed unlikely that someone would be tapping on the window. But to my surprise, not only had I actually heard the noise, but I saw the guy making it. It was a window washer and I hope that by taking his picture, I didn't throw him off balance!

Looking Back

We recently gathered in South Carolina for a family reunion. The entire McKinnon clan gathered in the small beach community called Isle of Palms. It just so happened that the only week we all had open was from June 12-19. I tell you this to say that it was so generous of Meredith and Eric to spend their first wedding anniversary traveling to the family vacation. It then occurred to me that perhaps I never blogged about their New York City wedding on June 12, 2009. It was such a wonderful event and certainly fits my blog requirements of describing what I do in the city. Therefore, here are a few photos from the big day, which actually was about four days of fun with everyone here.
And since I mentioned the family vacation, it would only be fair for me to post a few pictures from that event even though it didn't happen in NYC. We spent most days in the pool or at the beach, but with Fort Sumter just a short ferry boat ride away we definitely needed to go take a look at this historic site. Paul was sure the little ones would love the ferry boat and the adults would be quite thrilled to see the place where the Civil War began. The trip over to the fort was quite pleasant but we soon realized why the phrase "hot as Hell" has been changed to "hot as Fort Sumter." This very small island in the Charleston harbor still has some of the barracks and cannons from the Civil War in tact. Interesting for a brief time under the best of circumstances. But try and find shade or a drinking fountain and you come up empty. The day we went to Fort Sumter I believe the humidity and temperature readings for Charleston were both in the 90's. I think we all came away convinced that had the leaders of the North and South met at Fort Sumter with the direction that they couldn't leave until they had solved their differences, it wouldn't have taken them long to come up with a solution. Perhaps on another day in the middle of winter we would have come away with a more favorable impression of the fort. For now, it is just the great story of how grandpa forced everyone on the "hot as Fort Sumter" boat tour.

So many friends in the neighborhood!

Paul and I were having dinner last night and had chosen to eat at a table outside on the sidewalk. it was about 7:30 and lots of people were hurrying home from work. The sidewalk was crowded, but not too crowded to be able to look at each person walking by. A woman caught my eye because her hair was so blond and full. She was texting on her phone as she was walking so her gait was slow. And then it hit me. I know this girl. She just wants to have fun. Yes, you're right, Cyndy Lauper was just hanging out in the neighborhood. She actually lives on the upper west side, but this is the first time our paths have crossed.

Piano Fun

Megan and Blake came to visit and FAO Schwartz was just the place to hang-out on a rainy morning. Blake had a wonderful time playing with nearly every toy in the store. He also demonstrated his great skills on the "big piano." Had they only stayed a little bit longer, Blake could have played one of the pianos that have recently been installed throughout the city. This is an arts project and pianos have been placed in random places all over the city. Paul and I stopped to listen to a performance at one piano placed in Lincoln Center. Anyone can perform and as we discovered, lots of people are willing if not able. If someone is playing a song you recognize, feel free to stop and sing along.

Cycling in NYC

If you were so inclined, you could bike around the entire island of Manhattan and be on a bike path or dedicated bike lane nearly the entire way. With our recent purchase of bikes, Paul and I plan to take advantage of these beautiful bike paths. Just today we took our maiden ride along the Hudson and completed a 15 mile ride past the GW Bridge and back.
However, owning a bike in NYC isn't totally without responsibility.
Here are the NYC rules for bikers.
1. Cyclists must obey all traffic lights and signs.
2. Cyclists should yield to pedestrians
3. Cyclists may NOT ride on the sidewalk.
4. Cyclists must ride in the direction of traffic.
5. Use lights at night.
6. Wear a helmet--Even if you look totally geeky!

Memorial Day

Fleet week coincides with Memorial Day each year. During the week, there are several ships that cruise up and down the Hudson and numerous fly-bys of helicopters and interesting aircraft. I was able to capture one of the ships that was cruising down past our building. The men and women from all branches of the military descend upon the city for a little R&R. Paul and I decided to take in the sights at Battery Park on Memorial Day. (The Battery is named for the artillery battery that was stationed there at various times by the Dutch and British in order to protect the settlements behind it.)Battery Park is also the place where you can take the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
We visited a few war memorials and then sat and watched all of the people. Most interesting was a gentleman who was fishing off the pier. Paul started up a conversation with the guy and was asking if he had caught any fish. He claimed to have caught three or four 30 pound blue-fin tuna earlier in the day, but while we were watching him, he didn't have any such luck. He said the tide was low and the fish had already eaten for the day so they weren't biting. Guess we will have to get there earlier next time if we want to see him hauling in the big tuna. And if you are wondering, yes he does eat the fish he catches. Think I'll pass.