Few pieces of architecture provoke the kind of reaction produced by Grand Central Terminal, with its God's-eye astronomical ceiling, the crowds, the history. We changed subway trains here on the way back to the hotel. It's as awesome as the stories say.
Now serving only Metro North trains, it still carries itself as if all tracks in the country lead here.
Only members of the exchange and their invited guests may enter into the exchange, but surely, the street outside is a great place for a photo.
Especially for someone with an MBA. Capitalism lives! It's worth noting, that the Paris stock exchange was called La Bourse de Paris before it changed its name to the Euronext Paris in 2000. La Bourse en français translates literally to "the purse."
Did someone say "purse?" Oh my! A street vendor in front of Trinity Church! It's heaven on the streets of New York!
Of course, it's a designer knockoff, but Kissy Missy says it's beautiful. And it's big. I suspect there's more room in there than in the trunk of my Ford Escort.
We headed for Wall Street - and we found Pastor Benny.
Nearly eight years after the attacks on New York and Washington, Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center, remains sacred ground, a blank spot in the New York skyline surrounded on the ground by other buildings that survived.
No one needs to explain what 9/11 means. As we walked by, a TV crew from Japan was shooting some sort of story. The story, clearly, is not done.
Flowers still decorate the fence outside the site. We gladly bought a magazine that carried the most iconic images of the day.
The Village has its own character, but 50 years of Bohemian chic has left it gentrified and expensive.
But there's no doubt about the politics. We wandered around, absorbing the sense of the place, then found the Washington Square-NYU station and headed for the financial district.
The National Youth Choir's director, Eph Ehly, is exuberant, outgoing, over-the-top, but he is "one of the most sought-after choral conductors/clinicians," according to the American Choral Directors Journal. He taught at the University of New Mexico, the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Oklahoma, and more than 90 students have earned their doctorates under his supervision.
The 2009 National Youth Choir comprises seven of the best prep choirs in the country, from California, Michigan, North Carolina, Maryland and Florida. Michigan boasts two of these choirs: the Fraser Singers from Fraser High School in Shelby Township, and the Mt. Pleasant High School Concert Choir.
After Times Square, it was back on the subway to 116th Street. Columbia University has been sending regular recruiting material to Robert, and he thought he might like to see what the neighborhood was like at Morningside Heights.
As do I. Is this where I finally get my doctorate? Is the J-school founded by Joseph Pulitzer, with the statute of Thomas Jefferson out front, my destiny?
But there's that other school in New York that heavily recruited Andrew, and now is sending its beautiful, enticing brochures to Robert: NYU. It's in Greenwich Village, and its Washington Square campus centers around that public space. It was about lunchtime when we arrived, so at Kissy Missy's urging, we at what turns out to be a campus hangout: the Washington Square Diner on Fourth Street at Sixth Avenue. Sitting at the counter was another New York Experience - the Village experience.
The buildings marked are NYU buildings. The neighborhood is upscale bohemian, as might be expected. Robert said he frankly preferred uptown. I couldn't help but think, however, that Andrew would feel right at home in the Village. But at about $40,000 a year for grad tuition, well, let's hope for a fellowship.
There was no way that Katherine would sing at Carnegie Hall without our being there. This, of course, involves a trip to New York. The plan: Catch a red-eye from Detroit, fly into Laguardia, and do some quick and dirty sightseeing in the hours before - and after - the concert. Part 1, red-eye: Not a bad way to fly on a Sunday morning. We arrived on time, and decided to take public transit into Midtown.
The New York Metropolitan Transit Authority has a great system for paying for bus and subway rides: The Metropass. A one-day pass costs $7.50, and gives you unlimited rides. We caught the M-60 bus from LaGuardia, which took us to the closest subway station in Astoria, Queens. The view is urban, busy, but the train came in a few minutes.
Sightseeing: First stop, Times Square. Even on a Sunday morning, it's busy, crazy ...
Katherine is part of the Mt. Pleasant Independent color guard.
Practices, costumes, sometimes tears, always intense.
Contests at Lowell, Lakeland, Novi ....
The first year of the intense competititon of Independent A ...
... and a sixth-place finish at the finals.
Doesn't she look like Cinderella? The scullery maiden? Actually, Katherine volunteered to work at the annual Mt. Pleasant Rotary Club's beef dinner. The club is supporting winter guard - where Katherine is a member - and the Mt. Pleasant High School Choir, where Katherine is a member. The Rotarians are helping to send the choir to New York next month, where they will be performing at Carnegie Hall.
The dinner - roast beef, stuffing, green beans, creamy mashed potatoes and gravy - was fabulous. And doesn't Katherine look lovely in her plastic apron, doing honest work? It is, after all, all for the arts.
I had the opportunity to attend Central Michigan University's 20th annual Powwow today. It's gotten big enough that it's moved into Rose Arena from Finch Fieldhouse.
As always, the grand entrance is spectacular. It attracts dancers from all over the United States and Canada.
It's a different sense from the Saginaw Chippewas' summer powwow. That's more like a fair and a family reunion. At this one, I get a sense of competition from some very serious dancers, as well as a sense of the importance of keeping the traditions alive.
The title means "The cats of winter," and Minden and München have fluffed out, cuddled up and used their instincts to keep warm against the bitter Michigan winter.
Not that they're outside cats, of course. Minden once did stray into the garage - a fascinating place. But staying warm, even when it's 70 degrees inside, is an art form. It requires two talented cats to form a single heart-shaped pussycat.
München has a special hideaway in the back of the closet, atop a fuzzy blanket and beneath Dad's sweaters.
Minden, when he's not cuddled with München, will cuddle with Kissy Missy on her recliner.
I clicked onto Central Michigan University's front page today - and got a really nice surprise.
