Bird Art

Penguin Art

 

I love this, but I can't remember where I saw it. Sorry.

Toe Remodeling

 

Did you spend a lot of money on those shoes with the pointy toe and now you just want normal shoes. The problem is you don't want to give them up because they're the most comfortable shoes you've ever owned. No problem. There are places in New York that can transform your shoes from heel to toe! Tired of wearing inserts? No problem. They will build your inserts into your favorite shoes. I had that done on a pair of sandals, and it was great.

Welcoming Doors

 

This is the entrance to The Park Avenue Christian Church on the upper East Side where I've attended services. I love how these big red doors swing out sending a message of extreme welcome.The best part about this church is its diverse congregation. The second best part is the minister of music, a very up-beat and energetic man who's all over the church during the service. First he's up front singing and waving his arms, then he will have scurried to the back of the church to play the pipe organ. For the next song, he'll be back up front playing the piano, and during communion he's knocking out a rhythm on big bongo drums. The minister delivers relevant and inspiring sermons, and the people are very friendly. It's a good place to be.

Laurie and the Bird

In my last post, I mentioned that you are closer to nature than you might imagine in the city because you're walking a lot. But, of course, you can get close to nature easily in the Midwest. You just have to drive to it. Here's a picture of my sister-in-law rescuing a bird that has knocked itself silly trying to get out of a barn. (We were touring Yew Dell Gardens in Louisville.) Catching a bird. Now that's pretty close to nature.

 

The bird revived itself and flew away. My brother thinks, since it's a barn swallow, it probably flew right back in when we left.

Ivy and Brick, Part 2

 

Simply being outdoors more often is a big contrast between Midwestern living and city living. Because you're on foot so much, you're closer to Mother Nature and tend to notice things you would otherwise miss if you were driving your car. Here is a spray of two-toned ivy growing against three different textures and colors. I thought it was just beautiful.

JC Superstar

For about the 11th time, I bought a ticket and sat -- actually, danced in my seat -- through JC Superstar. This time here on Broadway! The last time I saw it, Ted Neeley was still starring as Jesus, and the set was a little disappointing. However, Ted could still belt out a great rock scream . . . "All RIGHT! I'LL DIE!"

This revised version was true to the score, and the set was great. (It's hard for any set to measure up to The Lion King or War Horse, so I'm a little jaded.)

It was an amazing cast, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. To anyone coming to visit me, I WILL GO AGAIN if you're interested!

Shuttle!

I made it! I hustled out of bed yesterday and took the 7 to Times Square then the "red" to just one stop south and walked about 121 blocks. Not really that many, but it seemed like it. Why doesn't the subway cover that part of Manhattan?

Anyway, I came up to the Hudson River and there it was, passing right in front of me. There were lots of people there gazing and taking pictures, but it wasn't swarming like I thought it would be.

I decided to walk along as the shuttle headed north. I got to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum and bought a ticket to watch the rest of the show, even though I could have seen everything just fine from the nearby park.

Even the museum's docents and volunteers had come out to see the spectacle.

 

This view is from the top of the Intrepid. You can see the crane getting ready to lift the shuttle off the barge. This took hours, of course, and I was able to tour the museum without missing any of the action.

Rest

 

Was I ever happy to drop into this restaurant near Columbus Circle last week. After all the walking I had done with my family in town that day, my dogs were barking! Here, I found a place to practically lounge while I ate my veggie burger (which was awful) with my feet elevated! Now that was awesome!

The place is called Otarian, and all the furnishings used to be something else, in other words, everything is from recycled material. It was worth choking down the bad food just to put my feet up.

Kathy Lee and Ann Curry

 

I had visitors recently, and we did the thing where you wave at the cameras outside the NBC studio while they're filming live. An NBC intern asked us if we would like to be in a special segment with Kathy Lee Gifford. Naturally, one in my party wanted to do this. 

I stayed with my guest, and he and 50 or so others were staged together in the NBC Store located across the street from the NBC Studios. I took this picture of Kathy Lee moving from one building to the other complete with police escort, body guard and assistant. Notice the woman in the foreground totally oblivious to the action going on behind her.

 

Shortly after that, Ann Curry came out, hugged a man and slipped into a black limo that had been parked nearby surrounded with orange cones.

Celebrity Alert: Ben Stiller

Here, an "extra" waits with others like him (i.e., folks dressed in business attire, wearing make up) to be in a scene with Ben Stiller's remake of the film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (a 1947 film starring Danny Kaye, which was based on a James Thurber short story).

AND HERE IS BEN STILLER!

Too Technical, Part 2

While waiting for guests to arrive in Long Island City from the airport, my husband and I watched the Reds playing in Colorado, live, from his iPad that was being "slingboxed" from our television in Cincinnati. All this while drinking wine in a sidewalk cafe in Long Island City.

Too Technical!

Isn't it crazy that I can share on a blog a screenshot of a video chat I had with my daughter in Arizona? Just nuts.

Buildings in Contrast

 

The contrast of 19th century brick buildings against concrete and steel skyscrapers near South Street Seaport in downtown Manhattan.

Manhattan View from LIC

 

The view of Manhattan from a park near my apartment in Long Island City.

Police Dog and Man

 

A policeman works with his police dog at a park near my place. Did I already publish this?

 

My husband adjusting the tilt of this big rock in Central Park.

Just a few blocks from my apartment in Long Island City, I came across this sculpture of the iconic photograph "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper". It was parked in front of an old warehouse which I have learned is the home studio of a famous tile painter, Sergio Furnari. This artist is known world-wide for his large scale hand-painted tile art for high end swimming pools.

He has painted and created pool tiles for private homes and upscale hotels in places like Beverly Hills, the Hamptons, and the Caribbean islands. His latest work will be in Dubai, and according to his website, and will be the largest swimming pool in the world.

I learned that he spent one year working on the above sculpture which was completed a week after 9/11. So he drove it to the clean-up site where it sat for several months to encourage the workers.

I'm guessing that many of these old warehouses near me house studios of artists doing amazing things. I'll keep you informed.