NYC finale // Science on Saturday

The entirety of Earth's biospheres from the present day to 700 million years ago.  A Darwinian dream.  Need I say more?

The American Museum of Natural History is, 'ehem, really freakin' cool.  You can walk through giant Red Wood forests and explore African savanas, see polar bears in the Arctic, and penguins in the Antarctic (or is it the other way around?).  Go hunting with Neanderthals, wave-riding with whales, and even explore the K-T boundary.  No need to mourn any dinos, though, there's piles of bones for weeks worth of viewing.  Forget those ill-evolved reptiles when Earth's most ancient animals are still very much living.  Some might call them simple, but you try fending off invaders at 30 meters below sea level. without. any. arms.  

A beautiful display case with romantic, warm lighting showed off some sponges in all of their glory.  The Cambrian explosion looked like a pretty rad time.

>>>> Thanks NYC for being kind to us!<<<<

lost in central park

We walked the entire Upper West Side and then hit the wall of green.  Central Park that is.  A respite among the chaos.  Living, breathing, photosynthesizing matter, surrounded by the dead and dying.  Concrete Jungle.  

We took off our shoes, let our toes gasp some fresh air, and then we went for a stroll.  We are park kind of people.  It seems like no matter what worldly city we find ourselves in, we always end up in some green space or another (1, 2, 3, 4).  I guess it should be expected for two biologists.  But we wandered around and so much did we see in that tiny little spot of green nestled on that island of Manhattan.  We found a very bright lake, and stylish men sleeping on benches, couples cycling and rollerblading, and some very big trees.  Its a lively place that park that is so central, I think every city should consider getting one.

When we had explored enough, we found ourselves hungry, so we picked up a hot dog and Pablo asked for some cheese.  The Hot Dog Salesman and I were very confused, "Cheese on your dog?"  "Of course" he said "and do you have crushed chips and quail eggs as well?"  Its always a surprise, these little trans-cultural moments.  They appear when they're least expected, like little jewels of lost-in-translation.  Innocent and unaware that its just not done like that here.

As befuddled dear hot dog man looks on, knowingly, I smile and turn to mi amor, "Perhaps ketchup and mustard will do?"

Brooklyn Bridge

under NYC

Have I told you about my love for public transportation?

While parts of me are truly horrified by seats-where-have-sat-one-million-bottoms, handrails sticky with human scum, benches and corners where someone has most certainly urinated, and the general coagulation of so many people, but, the reigning part of me overrides these dislikes and revels in the awe that is the efficient movement of a populace.  Now, efficient I most certainly am not when I first look at the map of the underground.  I would be lost and helpless, forever wandering the swiss cheese layers of the subterranean realm, without my much more street-smart love by my side, guiding me along.  But, I must say, that after a few rides downtown and then back uptown, traversing various letters of the alphabet in tracks, I started to get the hang of it and oh-my how far you can travel so quickly and all the while getting to people-watch along the way.

Thank you New York City subway.  You might be a bit gritter than the Métro de Paris, and a whole lot  less taken care of than the MTR in Hong Kong, and not as sky-high as the Metro Cable, but you got us where we needed to go.  And we had fun along the way!

Times Square, unedited

Just a whole lot of crazy, isn't it?

Lights as bright as day, naked cowboys, NAS, Beyonce, ladies posing, men with minuscule dogs, painted booties and so so soooo many people taking photos.  One of the craziest places I have ever been.

Wicked

And then Pablo surprised me with tickets to Wicked!  When we missed the show this past winter (thanks blizzard of 2012), both of us were really upset.  I had gotten us tickets (that were unfortunately non-refundable) for Christmas and instead of having a winter adventure in the big city and a night out to see our first Broadway musical, we spent 24 hours stuck in the Cincinnati airport.  Sooo, I was totally stoked when we popped out of the metro station right in front of Gershwin Theater.  Needless to say, the show was spectacular- the flying monkeys, the ever-changing sets, Glinda/Galinda, and of course Defying Gravity- anagogic responses all around.

I think deep down inside me, buried under layers of stage-fright and tone-defness, introversion and nerd-dome, lives a diva.  A diva yearning to break free, dance wildly in perfect syncopation and belt out truly magnificent reverberations of melodic clarity.  For now, though, that beast will have to be soothed into submission with unhealthy quantities of sing-a-longs, Glee, and hopefully much more frequent Broadway adventures.

i heart the west village

Perhaps I like this neighborhood so much because it is the least like the rest of crazy New York City?

Quiet sidewalks with ivy-covered buildings and people with non-shoebox-sized apartments walking their dogs down to the Hudson.  Delicious eateries and bikes galore.  This place has all of the swagger and coolness that is New York, just without the pile of stinking garbage lining the street and a symphony of honking car horns.  Those of you with boku-bucks and a penthouse overlooking the river, kudos, you are living the good life.  

We left our rented apartment in Hell's Kitchen early in the evening and took the metro (or is it the tube, or the subway?) to the Village.  We had a short walk down to the river where I got my first glimpse of Lady Liberty.  She looks quite diminutive from such a distance, though still, she reigns regal in her green gown, hand held high.  We then made our way over to Wallse for dinner (thanks for the advice Joanna!) and enjoyed some really nice wine, creative Austrian fair, and a cozy romantic evening.

We did not stay long, though, because Pablo told me that had a surprise event planned...