Scenes from Bryant Park

I am on a roll typing an essay about my life story.... feets don't fail me now! The ideas in my head flow in undulating waves of cerebral energy transferring from neuron to neuron down my arms into my fingers, ending up as words and sentences of such eloquent composition on my laptop screen.... out of nowhere comes some loud mouthed girl on her cell phone... she stands within earshot of me bragging to her friend about her awesome office and how they need to meet up for lunch or whatever... I wish you would SHUT UP!... my roll is halted and here I am instead on my blog....

thanks a lot loud mouthed girl (who at this point walks away)....

Yes, I'm blogging to you from a park.... okay, it's not just any park, it's Bryant Park.... right behind the New York Public Library main branch.... what did we ever do without free WiFi and wireless laptops? I don't remember those dark ages anymore, so don't ask.... when the library closes I come here to continue what I'm doing.... what kind of nerd f*@kery am I doing in the New York Public Library you ask?.... that's another blog....

back in the day Bryant Park was a mecca for drug deals and probably wasn't the safest place to be... today there's little kids on the carousel, people playing chess, pétanque, and ping pong, people on laptops, or people just lounging around on the lawn furniture....you can even have your lunch here while a famous pianist plays for you.... oh and yes, there's an occasional person doing drugs....

on this particular night, there seems to be a bevy of hot girls in short skirts walking around... following one of them (don't worry, I'm not a stalker type or anything), I'm led to a big white tent that has consumed the entire lawn of the park.... it's some kind of fashion show.... which explains the bevy of hot girls I guess....

there are a lot of couples making out around me.... I read this on one of the lawn chairs....

stop encouraging them.... someone needs to engrave a lawn chair with "Get a room".... geez why so cynical Angelo?....

a couple approach the couple who were just making out, the asian girl's kinda cute.... I think they're trying to evangelize the fornicators... I have a quick and easy excuse in case they come to me... "I already love Jesus and I'm on a roll with my essay, so I'm sorry, but I don't have time".... luckily when they approach me, they see me typing furiously... from the corner of my eye, I watch them as they hesitate and walk away... phew! I dodged that evangelical bullet....

I buy a falafel and sit down to eat by the fountain.... the big white tent is gone by now.... in the distance there's a stage and the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players sing from the score of the H.M.S. Pinafore.... rock on muther effers! man, I love New York....

I should not have been surprised to see a lot of smokers in a park.... but wait a second, that's not cigarette smoke I smell.... someone has to keep the druggie legacy of Bryant Park alive I guess.... gimme some o' dat you sons of bitches!.... I have to apologize, New York has turned me into a bit of a potty mouth.... which explains the uncontrollable urge to chew on a bar of soap whenever I'm in the shower....

here is the Bargemusic Chamber Ensemble playing Vivaldi's "La Primavera" (Spring), first movement "Allegro"....

they're called Bargemusic because they actually play on a floating barge at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge.... check them out if you're looking for chamber music played on water with the Manhattan skyline as the backdrop...

I think I'm pretty much done with my nerd-fest at the New York Public Library for now.... so for my last night in Bryant Park here is the Brooklyn Philharmonic playing a contemporary piece by Daniel Bernard Roumain titled String Quartet No. 5 Rosa Parks "I Made Up My Mind Not To Move"....

one last falafel in Bryant Park under a clear New York autumn night sky, with the Brooklyn Philharmonic playing in the background.... EFF, I love New York....

TECHNORATI TAGS: bryant park, bryant park fall festival, bargemusic chamber ensemble, brooklyn philharmonic, new york city
WHERE IS THIS?: check the map

On the Road Again

Hi folks! Guess where in the world Wald... errr Angelo is now....

here's a clue.... EXCELSIOR! sure is purdy down here....
oooooooo.....
aaahhhhhh.....
oooohhhhhh..... oh crap!....thank Zoom-Zoom for ABS... another one.... Okay, after driving by a total of 7 ditched cars, the last of which was an SUV turned over on its roof, I decided to stop taking pictures and focus on the road hehe... safety first!

okay, one more....

Whew, DO NOT take Route 17 in the winter.... my 8 hour drive turned into a 10 hour drive because of icy roads, white out conditions, and down-right treacherous driving.... I need a massage this morning....

TECHNORATI TAGS: winter driving

Back to the Falls

After driving by Niagara Falls on my way home from West Virginia last week, I realized that I still had not taken my friend Chuck to see them.... she had moved to Toronto from the Philippines over the summer and I had promised to take her.... unfortunately, I've been a bit toxic with my life in general that my promise remained unfulfilled, until today.....

Let's start our tour with the Rainbow Bridge to the United States....

here's the American Falls.....
the Canadian Horseshoe Falls from a distance.....getting closer to the Canadian Falls....even closer....Whoaw, too close....
close-up....

rainbow....

now isn't this better than some drive-by shot?....

this is why they call it the Rainbow Bridge....Whew, after all that walking, we deserved a big lunch with a great view at the Fallsview Casino....
after lunch, Chuck hit it big at the slot machines.... no cameras allowed.... oh well... that's all for now folks, good night from Niagara Falls Canada....
the Falls lit up at night....
y'all let me know if you're coming to the Greater Toronto Area, I can take you on a less virtual tour of the Falls.... Cheers for now!
TECHNORATI TAGS: Niagara Falls
WHERE IS THIS?: check on my map

Country Roads Take Me Home To The Place I Belong....

Hey Mountain Mommas! Sorry, I know I keep doing this.... up and disappearing for weeks or months at a time.... but I had to go on a last minute road trip to West Virginia....
I didn't really get a chance to take too many pics.... there was a pretty bad snow storm on my way down, so I had to keep both hands on the wheel for most of the 7 hour drive.... oh yeah, and my camera died too.... fortunately, I fixed my camera, but I never really had time to take pics.... towards the end of my stay the weather cleared up and on my way home I snapped a few more shots for your viewing pleasure.... I think that's a cemetery in the foreground......

a river.....
purdy....
so long West Virginia, hello Pennsylvania.....getting closer to Canada.... hello New York State....
The US-Canada Border on the Peace Bridge.....
We's in Canada!Where the heck am I? Why is it so foggy?...
Sure is purdy though.....
Is that what I think it is?....
I think it is.... It's Niagara Falls....
Okay, I didn't really get lost in all the fog, I just thought I'd drive by the Falls before I headed home since I haven't seen them in quite some time.... of course I didn't stop to take better pics.... too cheap to pay for $10 parking just to take a couple of shots I've taken a zillion times.... I hope you can appreciate my drive by shots nonetheless....

Well, I'm glad to be back home, but I'm hoping I'll be able to go back to West Virginia again.... life is old there, older than the trees, younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze....

TECHNORATI TAGS: West Virginia, driving by Niagara Falls