so i sat in New York

i'm in New York with a couple of friends (Deb - with whom I went to Alaska last summer and Kristin - Deb's friend from college who has travelled with her frequently). as it's been hot and very, very sticky, the main activity has been sitting.

In the last couple of days I've sat...

- on a bus (several times) through the Lincoln Tunnel. the view from the bus stop near Laura's house is a great one of New York.
- in quite a number of subway stations and trains (the number has been higher than expected because parts of several lines are closed for the weekend - and we did manage to get on the wrong one). fortunately, the trains are air-conditioned. unfortunately, the stations are not. and there's no air movement so it's just hot and stuffy.
- in the Cloisters (a division of the Metropolitan Museum dedicated to medieval art/ artifacts) and in the gardens surrounding it
- on the Staten Island Ferry
- on a bench in Battery Park watching people take pictures with a very warm-looking, albeit personable, statue of liberty
- in the Metropolitan Museum of Art - although there were many memorable pieces there, probably the most memorable was the one entitled "Two Circles." It was two fairly large black circles spaced a fair distance apart on a white canvas. By the time we'd seen it we'd been in the museum longer than we expected (it had been pouring out when we had expected to leave earlier) - and our appreciation for art that could be reproduced by a basic computer program in five minutes was probably not exactly the kind that the artist was going for. or maybe he was - with a title like that :) sometimes appreciation increases with laughter and sarcasm... and that painting will definitely be remembered!
- in ChinaTown, while taking a break from walking around and wanting a shaded place to sit - we listened to a Chinese woman chanting/singing while watching people playing in the field in Columbus Park
- in the car for hours - just to get to New York (and tomorrow to get back home)
- in the living room of Laura (Deb's friend who has graciously hosted us for the time we are here) watching her cats play - much amusement has been found in her kitten, along with her grown cats - and we have spent the time laughing at them, while also talking and getting to know each other better (or in Deb's and Laura's case catching up.) Laura's cat seems to have taken to sleeping on Kristin's suitcase.
- in Trinity Episcopal Church (downtown), taking a break from the heat and spending a moment or two talking to God
- in a restaurant in Little Italy, enjoying delightful Italian food
- in Soho, taking a break from looking through the stores.
- in St. Paul's Episcopal Church - the church across from Ground Zero, which tells a story of helping out the many volunteers who came and worked after 9/11.
- in Central Park staring at the Bow Bridge after wandering through much of the park.

and i'm sure there'll be more sitting today (church downtown and Morgan's Library and the trip back to Grand Rapids), but it's okay. sitting's kind of a nice way to see New York. okay, so maybe it being a little less warm would be nice, too, as walking would also be a great way to see the city - but for now, sitting is good.