A Walk in the Park

View of Midtown Manhattan from Central Park

Another seemingly never ending day at work, but really I can't complain - nice office, nice people, nice view. Getting tired of going through stacks of documents, but somebody's got to do it, and it is rather interesting I suppose. On the plus side there are nifty projects that I am starting on the horizon.

Betjhesda Fountain's Angel of the Water, Central Park

Anyways, after watching Paraguay kick Japan out of the World Cup I went down to the Clinton Global Initiative's midtown office for Career Day. Since we were the ones who got to ask all the questions, I decided to take the opportunity to ask a few things that relate to what may become my thesis topic. I went there quite excited, but the answer I got to my question was a bit of a let down. I mean, it was a very politically neutral answer, which is good, but boring. I will have to reword it to be more specific and concise, especially if I want to make this question the one question I ask President Clinton.

There was one woman who was very helpful, though - Judy. I had heard that she is a resumé expert so I handed over my resumé and she pretty much tore it apart and restructured it. I love when people who are smarter than me destroy my work and help me produce something better - it's a real learning experience as long as you don't get offended and are willing to take their advice in stride.

Central Park, New York City

After Career Day Kathy and I headed to Central Park for a afternoon walk. Luckily it wasn't too hot or humid out. It was just perfect for a walk. While we were walking we saw this boy juggling and doing Chinese yo-yo tricks, and he was actually really great! After stopping to watch him for a bit we continued on out way until we go to the Bethesda Fountain with the Angel of the Water sculpture. In front of the fountain there was this guy making giant bubbles and nearby a small choir was singing beautifully. I could have sat there all day it was so relaxing and wonderful. The best part was when a bubble popped over my head, splashing me with bubble ooze. Kathy started busting out laughing at me and the next thing you know she takes an unexpected bubble to the face! Instant karma - ha!! I happened to capture it on video - I think it is pretty hilarious! After spending quite a while watching the bubble man and listening to the choir we moved onto a nicely wooded area and saw a bunch of squirrels and raccoons. If it wasn't for the sounds of the city I could have easily forgotten that I was in New York City. One thing that I found awkwardly stunning was the contrast between the trees and greenery of the park and the towering buildings nearby peeking over the horizon. Beautiful and disgusting at the same time.

Bethesda Fountain, Central Park

Night at the Museum

Erica in the Hall of Rocks and Minerals at the Natural History Museum

Well I didn't really spend the night at the museum, but I did go to the American Museum of Natural History, where the movie Night at the Museum was filmed, and spend a good part of my day there yesterday. I heard a little boy tell his mom, "Mommy, I want to spend four days here!" Kid, I couldn't have said it better myself. Maybe it is because I could totally geek out while I was there, because I absolutely loved it!!! I spent so much time reading every informational placard around, especially within the Biodiversity Hall, the Cullman Hall of the Universe, the Hall of Planet Earth (geology), the Hall of Human Origins, and the Halls of Minerals, Gems, and Meteorites. I literally spent four hours total in those halls alone then had to rush through everything else in only and hour because the museum was closing.

Going through the different animal halls was nothing that spectacular - a bunch of stuffed animals pretty much. I would rather see them in a zoo, or even better, in real life (well only some of them, others are quite dangerous). The different cultural areas were great as well, but I didn't get to spend as much time in them as I would have liked. Going through the Mexico and Central American Hall I noticed that there were miniature models of the ruins I recently explored this past Christmas in the Yucatan. There were a bunch of people taking photos with the mini replicas, and it made me wonder how many of those people will ever have a chance to see them in real life. I felt very privileged at that moment. My favorite cultural area, though, was the Hall of Asian Peoples. I love all of the colors and art, especially out of India as well as the Buddhist culture - it is all just too beautiful. Walking through there brought back all of my desires to travel through and experience Asia.

Easter Island Head, aka "Dum-Dum"

One area that was moving was the Hall of Biodiversity, which really was about how badly we are screwing the planet and ourselves - cultural extinction, mining, over fishing, deforestation, invasive species, groundwater depletion, on and on. Basically it is there to alert the public to the critical role biodiversity plays in sustaining life as we know it, and to the ecological crisis we are now facing. Sad that I was literally the only person that stopped to read a single line, for everyone else it was just a walkthrough to the Hall of Ocean Life and the giant blue whale. Ignorance is bliss. I can't blame people for wanting to speed through to see the blue whale hanging from the ceiling in a massive hall. The blue whale is largest known creature to ever live on planet Earth, even larger than the dinosaurs. Sadly, the blue whale is now an endangered species and their numbers are dwindling below 2,500, whereas before whaling there were over 275,000 of them spread throughout the world's oceans.

Blue Whale at the American Museum of Natural History

Soon the blue whale may be joining the extinct dinosaurs and only its bones will be on display for future generations. Unfortunately for me I did not have much time to study fossils of the dinosaurs on display since I had only 15 minutes left until closing time and I wanted to make it to take a photo with Dum-dum (you remember, "Dum-dum want some gum-gum"). I did end up making it there right before they started kicking stragglers like me out.

Globe in front of the Trump Tower

Trump Tower

After the museum i went for a little walk around the streets of Manhattan in search of some delicious sushi. There were a few places that I saw but the all looked super fancy so I passed and resolved to go grocery shopping once I got closer to home instead. As I was wandering down the street towards who knows where a swarm of hundreds of motorcycles came charging down the street. At first it was total chaos with the drivers swerving in and out of traffic but eventually there were too many close calls that traffic just came to a halt (I have some video here). After that little show I continued my walk and ended up at the Trump International Tower in front of Columbus Circle. From there I headed down into the subway, where there were these fellas playing some odd musical instrument (video). If anybody knows what this instrument is called please let me know, it sounded beautiful. After a short wait I hopped on the train for the ride home.

Lower Manhattan Walking Tour

Yesterday I took myself on a walking tour of lower Manhattan, you can check out the path I took on the map below. Click on the markers for photos and a description.


View Lower Manhattan Walking Tour in a larger map

Tour of the United Nations and more!

Erica with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (cutout)

Well Professor Clémençon's class has paid off... I toured the UN headquarters and was able to answer a few of the questions the tour guide asked about the functions of the UN, the Millennium Development Goals, the nations with veto powers, etc. Also, President Clinton's personal assistant came in to talk yesterday and I was able to appreciate her remarks about the snails pace the UN works at. But really, the tour was great and I saw many interesting things and some very beautiful artwork.

Street fair with Kathy

After the UN tour Kathy and I stumbled upon a delicious Mediterranean place, called Crisp, for lunch - if you are ever near the UN headquarters or the Empire State Building I recommend eating there, it's on the corner of 43rd & 3rd. In front of Crisp there was a little street fair going on. I wish I would have had more time to look around because there was some really beautiful jewelry, but I had a meeting at work that I needed to get to (which actually ended up getting canceled, ah well). The fair was in front of the Empire State Building, though, which was my first up close view of the building. Eventually I would like to make it up to the top to check out the view, although I hear the line to the top can get mighty long.

Grand Central Terminal

To get back to work in Harlem I caught the subway from the Grand Central Terminal, and to be honest I imagined it would be a little bit more grand. Still, it is very lovely inside and there were soo many people coming and going - pretty astounding. But my favorite part of Grand Central, by far, was the ceiling. The ceiling of Grand Central is baby blue with the constellations of the night sky strewn across it. The artist, Paul Helleu, painted the zodiac backwards when he was inspired by a medieval manuscript that showed the heavens as they would have been seen from outside the celestial sphere, although some say it was just the painters mistake. I didn't notice many people stop to look up and admire the ceiling, but it is beautiful nonetheless. I'd like to go back when Russell arrives to test out the Whispering Gallery.

After another wonderful day at work, while walking to the subway, I came across a Michael Jackson celebration - one year anniversary of his death. Thriller was playing and there was a children's dance troupe dancing in the middle of a large crowd. I was in the back and couldn't see a damn thing, but one fellow started to bust a move and he ended up being pretty awesome! Too bad I only was able to record the end of his routine (see the video here). Regardless, I love hearing Michael Jackson music whenever I can, and when there are people dancing and singing to it on the streets it's even better!

On the subway ride home I finally got the courage to record some subway bongo drummers (video). I've noticed that drummers are the most common sight to see riding the trains here, although I have also seen dancers, singers, and guitar and accordion players. The bongo players are my favorite, though, because they always say, "This is to make everyone's ride a little bit better and to put a smile on your face." And you know what? They always do put a smile on my face. I'd like to start recording more of the talented people I see on the train, but it is always just a little bit awkward pulling out my camera because you never know when someone might get offended - not everyone wants a video of themselves up on youtube!

Tomorrow, err today by now, is the weekend and I plan to get more NYC exploring in while I can. Maybe a museum visit finally?

An Earthquake? In NYC?

LOL! Today Kathy and I were sitting in the office meeting with our boss when we both felt the building shake, looked at each other and said, "Dude, was that just an earthquake? I think we just had a little earthquake." Our boss didn't feel anything and when I asked if NYC gets earthquakes he said no... But I guess he was wrong because I read the news tonight and the Ontario, Canada earthquake was felt all the was down here! Us Californians always know an earthquake when we feel one.

Read the article here.

Time for Work, and a Bit of Play

View from the office

Yesterday was my first day working at the Clinton Foundation - and it's pretty cool. I am working on the top floor next to President Clinton's office, although if you keep up with the news you will know that he is currently in Africa. My office overlooks central park, which is really great. I have an office one floor lower as well, but without the view.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to write much about what I am currently doing since it involves confidential matters regarding the President and his work, but I can still write vaguely about my days there.

Once a week we have speakers come in for the "brown bag lunch" series. Yesterday a fella came in to talk about Advance. He pretty much told us about the intense amount of planning and coordination that happens before a president, presidential candidate, celebrity, etc., arrives at an event  -  from where (s)he will land to who will greet them, where the press will be, backdrops, lighting, sound, EVERYTHING - and it seems like there is A LOT of planning that goes on. In addition, they have to conduct walk-throughs to get timing and coordination right. The main point I got out of the talk was that the Advance team is basically trying to set up a scene where the media will be able to encompass the moment in a single photo or camera shot. I thought it was all very interesting.

10,000 people in Central Park practicing yoga

After work Kathy and I met her pal Mika at Central Park (yay! I finally made it to Central Park!) where there was a MASSIVE yoga meet-up. Over 10,000 people were meeting to get a free yoga mat, and some extra goodies followed by a yoga session on the great lawn. The line (well, there were multiple lines, actually) wrapped through the park out onto the surrounding streets. Unfortunately you had to have a print-out ticket to get the free mat. Mika had a ticked, so she waited in line, which ended up being unnecessary because I just stepped into the front of the line and was handed a free mat, water bottle, and bag - even without a ticket! SCORE! So now I have a real yoga mat! And although it started raining (I left went the rain arrived) the event did manage to break the world record for the largest registered yoga class.

On another note, my feet are pretty torn up. I bought really comfy shoes to wear to work, but when you end up walking miles a day it can add up to some major blisters - it's actually not that bad, only two blisters and they are already healing up. On the bright side, my legs are looking mighty fine from all of this walking, plus all of the stairs I take to get to and from the subway. Brazilian bikini here I come!

Turtle Pond in Central park

Also, the food here is really great! There are street vendors selling deliciously ripe and freshly cut fruit on every corner uptown near my work. I plan to have some every day after I leave the office. And fruit here is even cheaper than in California! I bought a giant box of scrumptiously sweet strawberries (how about that alliteration!) for only $1.50, when in CA it would have been at least $4 or more.

Suffice to say that I am having a great time getting to know New York. I really enjoy it here. One of my favorite things to do is watch the demographics change on the subway as I make my way through the city. By the time I get to my stop I am usually the only white person on the subway car! --Don't worry, I feel very safe, and people are extremely nice. I live in a residential area with a lot of families around-- And it is amazing how many people speak Spanish here. I have never seen so many non-Latinos speaking Spanish in my life! I really am loving it here right now, but I don't think I would want to be here for the polar winter. Spending the summer here, I think, will be the perfect amount of time.

Goodbye Chelsea. Hello Bronx!

Today I packed my bags, left Chelsea - an area that I adore, by the way - and headed to The Bronx, where I'll be living until early August. Kathy (friend, classmate, and fellow CGI-er) was nice enough to accompany me on the subway ride there to drop off my stuff. After I officially moved in, we headed to Williamsburg so Kathy could deicide on a space for her, which didn't work out - thankfully, in my opinion.

Afterwards, we headed to a pizza parlor to eat and watch Spain vs. Honduras - how beautifully Spain plays! - then headed to Prospect Park. This time my goal was to make it to the lake, because the last time I was there I was dead tired and could barely lift my feet to make it to the metro stop. After waiting for over a half hour for the bus (we wanted to ride through this highly orthodox Jewish community, rather than go under it), but after two scheduled busses failed to show up, we cut our losses and hopped on the metro instead.

Erica & Kathy in Prospect Park

Once at lovely Prospect Park we took a nice walk to the southern end to find Prospect Park Lake and a gaggle of giant geese! People were relaxing on the grass in the shade, families were barbecuing, others were fishing (catch and release only). I laid out my sarong under some nice shade trees next to the lake so we could enjoy the breeze and cool off a little. Of course, I did a couple of sun salutations and a few minutes of meditation. Again, there is never any silence in New York City, although I am getting rather good at filtering out the sounds of the city and picking up the sounds of water, wind, and birds.

After relaxing for an hour or so it was time for the long ride home. That is the only problem with living in the Bronx - it is a little bit out of the way. Oh well, that just means that I will need to spend some time getting to know what this area has to offer. The map shows that I am surrounded by parks, the New York Botanical Gardens are only 6 blocks away, and I believe there is a zoo somewhere around here as well. Plus, I actually enjoy riding the subway. It is a nice time to observe the people of New York. It is a time for thinking and a time for clearing my mind of all thoughts. The subway is also where I plan to get a lot of reading done. I need to start thinking about my thesis, begin research, and make a dent in my reading list. Right now I am reading Joseph Stiglitz's book, Freefall, which I really enjoy (thanks Aashish!) - three more chapters to go, and I think these three will be the most interesting.

Tomorrow I start work. It should be fun, but if we don't have to stay the whole day I'd like to go to the Museum of Natural History so I can totally geek out! Oh, and tomorrow I'll be rooting for Mexico and Argentina!

Prospect Park Lake

An Impromptu Trip to the Park

Erica walking in Fort Tryon Park

Well I've found a place to live! I was supposed to see another sublet today, but was late by 45 minutes. Parts of the main line were under construction and for a person who just got here yesterday compounded by all of the train redirects, a 40 minute ride turned into an 80 minute ride. By the time I arrived the guy was gone. Obviously events happened that way for a reason, so didn't get upset, I just made the best of it and walked two more blocks to visit Fort Tryon Park, which I had been wanting to see anyways.

And what a beautiful park it is! Fort Tryon Park has paths winding through the forest, with beautiful views of the Hudson and New Jersey. At the top there is Fort Tryon, which houses The Cloisters - a branch of the MET. Unfortunately it closed at 5, too late again. Still, the walk up to the top was very enjoyable and on the way down I actually met a lady who was walking her three dogs, she reminded me of my mom - they were all dogs that she had rescued. Plus, I found a nice grassy area where I was able to lay out my sarong (I can never overstate the value of sarongs), do a few sun salutations, meditate, and pray. Nice and relaxing, even though it is difficult to escape the sounds of the city - I doubt there are any silent spaces in New York City.

Fort Tryon

But back to what I started with. I decided to sublet the first place I saw - the one with the cat in The Bronx. It is a great deal - two bedrooms (yay! visitors will have private space and a bed!), close to the subway, and it is in a house rather than in a building with close quarters. Of course this house has apartment buildings like that surrounding it - sort of like in the movie "Up" - but at least there is a buffer. Tonight, in Chelsea, the air in my room is vibrating due to the heavy beats coming from downstairs, so I'm sure I will appreciate that buffer zone between the buildings and the house. Oh well, city noise is all part of the experience. Besides, I came prepared with earplugs and I have a window fan/aircon unit to drown out the sounds of the city that never sleeps.

And with that, I am off to watch the Daily Show online (I have placed my name on the ticket wait list, btw) then to bed. I really need readjust my sleep schedule.

World Trade Center

Ground Zero construction site

Actually my title is a little bit misleading. When I tried to geo-tag my photos "World Trade Center" did not show up - Ground Zero did. Soon, the Freedom Towers will stand there.

Future palns for Ground Zero

I expected my experience to be a little bit more overwhelming, but being at ground zero really didn't live up the expectations I had. I felt no emotions, at least at first. Maybe because the site was covered by a blue lining and there were cranes and construction material everywhere. The holes are still there, although they are difficult to see with all of the obstructions. They will become a part of the planned memorial, which in my opinion looks like it is going to be a really great memorial, the best I've seen. Water will cascade down into the holes where the towers used to stand and the names of the people who died there will surround them.

After leaving ground zero I walked to the World Financial Center, which gives the best view of ground zero. Then took a walk in Battery Park, along the Hudson River. Here is where the NYPD memorial is (you can see it in my flickr photo stream, if you wish). There was also an air show going on over the water - it was a nice break sitting under the shade trees watching the show.

After leaving the park I went to the 9/11 memorial museum - that is where the emotions came flooding in. Walls covered with missing people flyers. Photos, videos, and quotes. A massive timeline. Twisted metal and debris. Overwhelming.


My favorite part of the museum was the hall of 1000 cranes, modeled after Sadako Sasaki's 1000 cranes of Hiroshima.

Hall of 1,000 Cranes

"Please treasure the life that is given to you.

Please experience all the things that I could not experience in my life. I entrust a small heart of compassion (omoiyari) to all of you.

It is my belief that me small paper crane will enable you to understand other people's feelings as if they are your own."

~Sadako Sasaki, 1955

I hope this quote was included to remind everyone not only to remember those 2,995 people lost on 9/11 but to also the 4,410 US troops killed in Iraq, puls the 316 non-US troops, the 141 journalists, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians killed - not to mention all those lost in the ongoing war in Afghanistan. To understand the Other....

I have arrived!

First NYC taxi ride

After leaving Sacramento on a red eye, I finally arrived at JFK at 6:30am (3:30am CA time) and took a cab to the studio I am staying in for three nights - in the heart of Manhattan - and crashed for an hour until I got phone call reminding me that I was supposed to be looking at a place to sublet. So, like a zombie, I headed to the metro for my first ride of many. I bought a 30 day unlimited ride pass (subway and bus) for $90 - which will save me in the long run considering I will have to make at least 2 trips per day at $2.75 each, plus I plan on knowing all of New York while I'm here. After grabbing a subway map I was off.

The metro here is really fun! There are a lot of interesting people who perform on the train and in the stations. There were two ladies who sang beautifully - next time I'll have to record them.

After seeing The Bronx sublet (very nice, and big for visitors!!), which includes cat-sitting in exchange for cheap rent, I headed back to Chelsea for some sleep - until I got a text reminding me that I was supposed to see another sublet, this time in Park Slope, Brooklyn. What a nice area Park Slope is! Shade trees lining every street and beautiful buildings right out of the movies. Another nice sublet, again reduced rent in exchange for cat-sitting.

Park Slope, Brooklyn

The sublet was only five blocks from Prospect Park, so I decided to talk a walk there since I've heard it is very beautiful (the designers of the park, who also designed Central Park, said that it was their best work ever), and it didn't let down. I found a quiet spot surrounded by trees and bushes to sit down and meditate, but after five minutes I nearly fell over from sleep so I decided to head "home" to sleep in a bed. After nodding off a few times on the subway I finally got home and slept - like a rock - from 5pm until 4am this morning.

Today I am heading to northern Manhattan to see another sublet, this time without a cat. While I'm up there I will probably take a walk through Inwood Hills Park along the Hudson River and maybe head to Central Park as well or the World Trade Center site since it is pretty close to where I am currently staying.

I'll be updating this blog regularly throughout my stay in New York and beyond. If you have gmail, twitter, etc, you can easily follow me to stay up to date.

Tchau, Erica