outside the jewish museum, new york
details outside the jewish museum
Frankly, I enjoy museums the most when I am sans child. It’s an excursion I like to take in without having to entertain, or watch over, a rambunctious (almost) three year old.
When Graycen was away at Camp Grandma my husband and I were able to make it to the Jewish Museum. The building has a lot going on and busy doesn’t even begin to explain the detailing and craftsmanship. Definitely worth soaking in.
It’s a rarity that we get an early start out of the house on a weekend morning but yesterday was an exception. The estimate for this year was that 2 million people would attend the Puerto Rican Day Parade and three of those attendees where me, my husband and my son.
Fred, Graycen, a one dollar whistle, and a two dollar flag = us at the Puerto Rican Day Parade
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Unfortunately, we did not last long enough to see Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez.
Marc and Jenn, 2010 Puerto Rican Day Parade
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However we were there long enough to see Ronald McDonald. Interesting how these things work out. As if to say, My Life on the D List.
image from 2009 Puerto Rican Day Parade
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On Saturday there was the annual, and very enormous, street festival. I’m guessing that about 20 blocks are closed off, but maybe more. I believe there are four stages where artist come to perform and there is of course, food everywhere (!!). Given that I am both Puerto Rican and a resident of the neighborhood where it all takes place I have attended the last several years. Graycen has been attending since he was in the womb but this year was a bit more fun with him having the ability to shout “Boricua, baby.”
Graycen checking out the street festival.
Puerto Rican pride
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This years highlights included watching my son eat 4 coco flavored ices as well as watching him flip out over the man dressed as a green stick of gum. He just kept saying “no like Easter Bunny” which is apparently code word for people who dress up in costumes. Of course, the biggest thrill was attending the parade.
I’ve dabbled in creativity all my life. At my core, it’s who I am. I love gritty things, the imperfect. Like New York City or graffiti or New York City *and* graffiti. Both are heart-pounding-head-spinning beautiful. They solidify my belief that imperfection is perfection at its best.
Today I captured two wonderful photos of my son. Two years prior we had been at that very same street corner, me taking his photo.
May 2010
May 2010
May 2008
fear, May 2008
Tell me, what makes your heart pound and head spin with delirium?
Footnote: When I took that last photo I just remember being really scared that he would lean to side, fall over, and crack his head open. Mommy-hood in that first year is scary.
me and Diet Coke
The other day I was scurrying through the city streets during my lunch hour when I found myself suddenly at a stand still. I was at the corner of Fifth and 57th when I become engrossed in the Diet Coke Pop Up Store. I’m a Coke lover but not a Diet Coke fan but that didn’t really matter since the pop up store was screaming “come in, hang out.” So I did. I ended up being away from the office a bit too long. Opps! Best part about it, I left with goodies like my photo and jazzed up Diet Coke bottles.
To see some really good images of the event you can go here.
source unknown
I have been absent from my blog this week because I am presently knee deep in applications for school admissions. The absurdity in all this is that my son is only 22 months old. BUT this is New York and we like to be a bit over the top about things. Thus it would seem that this is the month I need to submit applications if I want my child to enter a 2’s program in the Fall of 2010. It also means that I have to write essays and parent statements. It means I have to shell out lots of money since every application requires I submit it along with a non-refundable fee. I keep hearing comments like “apply broadly.” I figured I had that covered when I narrowed down our list to 6 schools but apparently that isn’t broad enough.
Did I mention my wrist hurts. And my brain, that hurts too.
Naomi Campbell photographed by Peter Lindberg
I have always considered myself to be a free spirit. I spent my youth imagining up big things and then rushing off to live out all the great thoughts I had dreamt up. I miss that energy. I miss that feeling of the world being mine to take on.
One of the greatest things I did was move to New York. I had always known I would end up here. The details were blurry back then but I knew New York would be my home. One hot summer the ball was finally set into motion during a ten day trip to Puerto Rico. It was a wonderful vacation with my mother and my lovely boyfriend. It was a vacation where I fell out of love and then madly in love. Like that Katy Perry song…
We fight, we break up
We kiss, we make up
I deeply love that song and I deeply love that man I vacationed with. It was on that trip that I begged my lover to make the move with me. It was a hard sell but my free spirit won him over. Shortly after that I found myself on a road trip with the same crew of people, my mother and my lovely boyfriend. It took us eleven hours but at the end of that trip I was finally in the city I loved most. In my small luggage I had forged papers that had been meticulously assembled in hopes of convincing someone that I was worthy of being their tenant. It took one look, at one apartment, in a grimy neighborhood, for me to sign my first lease. In that moment I experienced one of my biggest highs. It had happened, I was home. For $600 a month I had my 200 sq. feet of Manhattan real estate. All that was missing was a job to pay to pay rent.
This month I celebrate my ninth year in New York. And that boyfriend I fell madly in love with while vacationing in Puerto Rico… well, he’s my husband now. I am so fortunate that in just a few days we celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary.
These days I am much more subdued. Yes, my free spirit has been tamed… but this year I have been feeling restless. I have a lot of things in the works and the energy I had as a youth is simmering back up. And with that energy I now have these strong urges to break out in dance. It’s as if I’m body wants to start channeling characters from the Ally McBeal show except, all my dance moves are Michael Jackson inspired.
I think at some point I’m just gonna have to do it. Dance and spin and scream in crazy high pitches. If you’re in the city and you see me – the crazy looking girl with the happiest grin and the most wacked out dance moves… give me a high five and some kind words of encouragement.
Michael Jackons on his Victory Tour. Photo by Lennox McLendon.
I’m exhausted having done way too much this weekend. It’s grey and wet outside. I’d rather be in bed but playing in the rain is a close runner up.
Image by Dave Beckerman
Image by Dave Beckerman
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