May 18, 2001 (Day 72)

May 18, 2001 (Day 72): Brooklyn, New York – 11.30pm

Morale:  Good

Health:  Recovering; feeling better. It did not impact my ability to do or see anything. I got a fairly good night’s sleep, which helps an incredible amount. Anna was up until around 3am talking with her uncle, so she is a bit sleepy.

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Uncle Mark was our gracious guide for portions of the day. His interest in the architecture and history of the city are infectious. I do not purport to have more than a grain of understanding about the history of the city and the factors that made it what it is today. I am humbled trying to absorb all that I can see. Anna’s uncle is a treasury of information. An odd structural feature will indicate to him the period of time when the building was constructed and what its primary use was. This spurs a discussion about the neighborhood, whether that building was typical for its surroundings.

I hope that he realizes that I am a willing participant in this. This is the sort of stuff I enjoy learning. I know nothing about this area. My silence is not from boredom, it is the result of a frantic mental shuffling of cases of new information into meaningful collections.

We covered a lot of territory on foot today. We went to the recently remodeled Grand Central Terminal with Uncle Mark pointed out the nuances and details. He pointed out the uncleaned patch on the ceiling as a reminder of how much effort the renovation was. Its cavernous main concourse with marble floors and staircases was full of the excitement of people on the move. I had thought that we would arrive here by train, but it was at Penn Station. My second-favorite part was the acoustics of a particular arch where you could whisper into the corner and be heard by someone in the opposite corner. My favorite part was the market, with all of the fresh produce. Anna and I walked through and were almost out the doors when, almost in sync, we spun around for another look, and another breath. It was almost as though you could smell the color green. All road traffic bends around Grand Central.

Next on the tour was the Chrysler Building with its wonderful marble and steel lobby. The interior reminded me, pleasantly, of the Moscow subway especially with the murals and images of workers. The proletarian themes of industry and technology housed in an art deco cradle also had Muscovite hints. I understand why people say it can be easy to walk past it and not know where the entrance was. This is one of Anna’s mother’s most favorite places. I agree heartily.

But our tour of the Chrysler Building ended at the lobby. There we parted company with Anna’s family. We were off on our own.

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Am happy to say that I have now made it to the United Nations. Happier still that, despite their extraterritoriality, they accept American Dollars. Did the tour. We were not expected to get into the Security Council because there was a meeting planned, but we were able to squeeze in for a few minutes before we had to leave to make way for the preparations. Much bigger than I imagined it from years of Model United Nations. Considering the UNESCO World Heritage trend of this trip, we were able to see the headquarters of the place that sponsors this list. They at least deserve honorable mention in this journal.

After a quick peek in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, another function in progress kept us out, we wandered to Rockefeller Center – home of the ice rink and the morning home of the pox of American culture, Katie Couric. Yes, the home of NBC. The NBC store was full of every odd item you could affix a corporate logo to. My favorite was the bottles of NBC branded water. How do you market that? “Much better than Fox?” I am sure somewhere in there was one of those globes made of marginally-precious stones we have encountered at every turn on this trip, this one with an NBC logo on it and perhaps images of the cast of Friends.

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Dinner was pizza in the DUMBO area, as in “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass”. The pizza was good and the ambiance was exactly what I would have expected, down to the wall of fame where every fifth framed picture was of Sinatra.

The penultimate event was a walk, overlooking the river and with a fine view of the Manhattan skyline, lit up against the night sky. Found a convenient bench to rest and best appreciate the sight. Funny how dynamic these static buildings can be. They are not moving (one would hope so) yet still seem full of the energy that was spent constructing them. Perhaps it is their silence which is so compelling.

The final event of the night was packing along with a bit of laundry. Tomorrow morning, we board the QE2. The finish line is in sight.

Excerpts from Anna’s journal included

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This entry was posted in Around the World

• ChasingFogg15
• New York
• Travel
• USA