"Start Spreading the News" - New York

The city seen for the first time,

in its first wild promise of all the 

mystery and beauty in the world.

- F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby)

Hello fellow Caesurians!

HAPPY CANADA DAY TODAY!! Today we're going to be talking about Canada's neighbour, south of the border. 

Back in November, when I celebrated my own birthday for the first time on the blog, I mentioned that I will try to bring a bit more of myself into the blog. Well, I'be been a bit remiss to date, so let's mix things up!

A few weeks ago I travelled from Ireland to New York for my uncle's wedding. It was my first time visiting New York, my first time travelling since the pandemic started, and my first time seeing my parents since Freya was born. So an important and exciting trip to be sure!

A couple hours after I landed at JFK, I found myself on the 23rd floor of a skyscraper in Brooklyn at a mingle time to meet and get to know some of the other friends and family who would be at the wedding the next day. For reference, in the county in which I live in Ireland (County Kerry) the tallest building has maybe 9 storeys. I'm not a totally "country mouse" though, having grown-up near Vancouver - but still, New York was a totally different scale. 

These were my first views of Manhattan! The other attendees (especially those who live in New York) were pretty tickled by the idea that this was my first time in New York and they kept emphasizing to me that even for people who live here, I was seeing a whole different side of the city.

Suffice to say, everyone was awesome at the meet-n-greet.

The next day my parents and I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan. 

Me an' me da.

The Statue of Liberty

Me an' me ma.

We were aiming for the World Trade Centre memorial pools, and on the way came across this crazy building: the Oculus. 

It's basically an underground shopping centre, but felt like the bridge of an alien spaceship. I really admired the attitude of "anything's possible" that went into some of the New York architecture.

The two memorial pools on the sites of the twin towers created an atmosphere of quite reflection. A little oasis in the heart of Manhattan. They promoted contemplation, including the inevitable memories of where we were when we heard the tragic news of September Eleventh. 

From here we headed down Wall St...

...to Battery Park where we got a good view of Lady Liberty.

A short ferry-ride back to Brooklyn concluded our day of sight-seeing and left us loads of time to get ready for the wedding that evening. 

And what an evening it was!

The venue, Jane's Carousel, was totally unique - a 100-year-old refurbished carousel nestled right on the East River. 

Like us, they had a Humanist ceremony. They also incorporated some Jewish traditions - including the breaking of the glass. This was all followed by us joining them for a first ride on the carousel!

The after party was in their friend's penthouse in near-by Dumbo. 

I spent too much time ripping up the dance floor to be taking pictures, so this stunning photo of their wedding cake is the only one I got. 

What a fun night!

The next day we awoke, fresh as daisies, to embark on a very exciting adventure. The day before, my uncle had arranged, via a friend, for us to get tickets to the Broadway sensation, Hamilton!

We arrived early, checked out Time Square (straight out of a cyber-punk movie) and then - through many secret handshakes and passwords, made our way into the Richard Rogers theatre! 

We were elated to have amazing seats from which to gaze in wonder at this phenomenal production. I won't go into all the details of the show, because that could fill a whole post by itself, but it really was incredible. It was so high-energy, funny, poignant and powerful. 

After Hamilton, we walked into Central Park, which (like everything in New York), is absolutely massive. After an hour of sauntering, we hadn't even seen a quarter of it!

It was so massive that you could almost forget that you are nestled in one of the world's biggest cities. 

As a huge Beatles fan, I wanted to see John Lennon's "Imagine" memorial, which, like that at the World Trade Centre, offered a surprising retreat for quiet reflection. 

That night we had a superb meal at a restaurant called Cage & Tollner (where apparently Matt Damon had eaten only a week before). 

I had to leave the next day, so we spent the morning walking around our area of Brooklyn, seeing the first Haagen-Dazs...

...and Arthur Miller's former residence (The Crucible is one of my favourite plays). 

And here we all are with my parents and uncle and aunt (not the bride and groom!) in Brooklyn Heights with the Manhattan skyline behind us. 

What a trip!

Thanks for indulging me on reminiscing about this adventure. 

As I write this almost my whole family (except my dad and maybe Freya), we're all sick with COVID. It finally got us. After not having caught it while my wife an I were working in primary care for the past two and a half years through the pandemic, the virus finally got us. 

Anyway, I'll see you next week - at which point I'll hopefully be feeling a lot better - right here on The Art of Caesura!

Watching: Big Deno paint Oathsworn

Reading: The Swarm - Frank Schatzing

Next Week:

Playing the game...