A great book experience!!

It is not often that you come across a book that educates, entertains, and pulls or shall I say yanks your heart strings. This book "What is the What" by Dave Eggers, accomplished all of this, at least for me.

The book follows Valentino Achak Deng, who was a young Sudanese refugee throughout the 80's and 90's. It would do no justice to try to explain all that he witnessed and lived through, but I can say that it will have you close your eyes and put perspective into your life.

I knew very little about what happened in Sudan. I learned through this book about the two civil wars in the country and then a little more about what is happening in Darfur. The author magically moves you through past and present and takes what could be a morbid and depressing tale and delivers it with such beauty and grace.

There is an underlying curiosity and search that Valentino is for which is based on a story his dad told in his village before the raids and bombings. Here is the excerpt:

"After God created men and women, according to local legend, he gave them cattle, the source of “milk and meat and prosperity of every kind.” But God offered mankind a choice: “You can either have these cattle, as my gift to you, or you can have the What. The pacific Dinka wisely chose the cow. But others picked, and continue to seek, the mysterious, unnameable, destructive and possibly unattainable What. Soon the consequences of that mythic decision come crashing down on the unfortunate Dinka. Rebel soldiers arrive at the village and, while stealing sugar from the shop, severely beat our young hero’s father. Marial Bal becomes a battleground, fought over by government and rebel armies; the village is strafed by army helicopters, invaded, burned, occupied.

Deng refers to this search for "what is the What?" The book concludes beautifully. Deng at the end of his story with all the dramatic and heart breaking content but pours forth this vision for his future:

"Whatever I do,” Valentino assures us, “however I find a way to live, I will tell these stories. ... I speak to you because I cannot help it. It gives me strength, almost unbelievable strength, to know that you are there. ... I am alive and you are alive so we must fill the air with our words. I will fill today, tomorrow, every day until I am taken back to God. I will tell stories to people who will listen and to people who don’t want to listen, to people who seek me out and to those who run. All the while I will know that you are there. How can I pretend that you do not exist? It would be almost as impossible as you pretending that I do not exist.”

If the what even resembles the conclusion of Deng's story, then I hope he finds it. I just wanted to share something with you. My adventure this summer has obviously been in literature.

A shall I say...Walky Blog!!

The weather was perfect yesterday in NYC. We just had 8-9 days of stifling heat. I am still really adjusting to the 93 degree heat with 80% humidity, but I digress. On Wednesday night, it just poured. The lighting and thunder are pretty wicked here, and when it rains, it RAINS!

This all lead to perfect 70 degree weather yesterday with a cool breeze. My new favorite thing...a cool breeze. We decided to walk up to Central Park, and I decided to share one of my favorite NY walks with you ;)

We entered through the Time Warner gate on 6th Ave. This is were 6th Ave. begins, and when you look down the canyon of skyscrapers you can see the gigantic cranes working at Ground Zero. It made me think of how cool it would have been to look down and see the two NY symbols, and it made me sad. Living here only magnifies my disappointment that I never got to see the twin towers in person. But on we went, down the path to "The Pond" on the southern tip of the park.

The pond is vast and had many ducks quacking away. The path meanders around the pond. There are hills and benches creating many different places to sit and relax. It is surreal to walk off the hustle and bustle of one of the busiest cities in the world and find someplace so peaceful only yards away. This is why I love Central Park. After a rest, we continued our walk.

We walked past Sheep Meadow to the promenade. This is famous and has been in many movies, most notable Cramer Vs. Cramer. This is were Dustin Hoffman taught his little boy to ride his bike. It leads right to my favorite spot, the Bethesda Fountain. The most spectacular walk I had hear was in the Spring. It was in the late evening and we were walking. It was very foggy so the promenade's rows of lights were masked by the fog creating a very cool and spooky setting. I will always remember that.

Bethesda is my favorite spot. It becomes very tourist-y in the summer and I look past that and seize the opportunity to people watch. In the summer, the fountain is running and is spotted with water lily's in the pool below. A lake is right behind the fountain where you can row boats around under bridges and through parts of the park. I have not done so yet, but this summer will not pass without we rowing. There is a lot going on around her during the summer but Bethesda's beauty is never compromised.

Up some paths, past the Boat House Restaurant we embark on an uphill trek to the famous Belvedere Castle. There has been a lot of work to restore the castle. It looks great. The castle provided great views of the Great Lawn and surrounding sights.

When we left the castle, we ended up on the Great Lawn. This is the sight of many historic concerts in the park such as- Diana Ross, Simon and Garfunkel, Paul Simon, and Garth Brooks. It has gorgeous views of the surrounding skyline and really brings home the fact that you are in an urban park. It has great grass too, nice and soft!! :)

We walk out of the park down 71st street and then to the Downtown 6 train home. Stopping at 23rd street and enjoying the perfect weather for as long as we can!!

Hope you enjoy. NY is so wonderful and I feel like every day is an adventure. I was a little sad that I wasn't going to have some big abroad trip this summer, but NY has filled the void. There are worse things then being stuck in NY for the summer! :) More to come!!

Quote...

An Anonymous Poem:

"The jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be. . . . because of all I may become I will close my eyes and leap."

Mom sent me this poem a while back
It speaks!!

So much change
things can get blurry
fear can overcome
but as long as "self" rings true
no jump could end in tragedy
the jump will lead to the person I have always been.

Thanks and have a great weekend!!!

(Photos: From a trip to West Hampton Beach, Long Island this week)

Another reason to love NYC....

THEY HAVE SHOWS FOR FREE IN ALL THE PARKS!!! We have been going to this the past couple weeks. Broadway in Bryant Park is very cool. It is on Thursday's from 12:30-1:30. They bill about 4 musicals each time, and each musical performs 3 songs. It is so cool. Almost every musical currently on Broadway will perform before the summer is over. This past week they featured-Avenue Q, Phantom of the Opera, In the Heights, Mama Mia, and some new musical called Pure Country. I have seen Avenue Q and Phantom. In the Heights and Mama Mia are on the top of my list. It is alot of fun. It is just another reason that NYC is pretty groovy.

Keeping Tabs...

Well I have had quite a bit of time on my hands, so I decided to make a list of what I am reading and listening to. You can check in with me, and then share what you are listening to and reading. It could be very cool. My lists are found in the column on the right of this blog. I love finding new music and books, so come on over and share share share!!

Something Cool....

Public Art....

This is a tower, a replica of 30 Rock, made completely out of erector sets. Pretty Cool huh? The view is even better when you can see this tower lined up with the actual building. I couldn't really get a good shot though.

Just wanted to share something cool...

A New York Walk...

I have really gotten use to living in this great city. My surroundings are more and more normal now. I am starting this blog ,and more here after, so I can share and also continue my appreciation for the exhilarating experience of becoming a transplant New Yorker. I hope you enjoy.

This particular walk is one I make all the time. It is from our apartment on the outskirts of the Gramercy region of NYC down to the very happening and well-known Union Square. Here are some glimpses of one of my daily, yet favorite walks.

This is the highlight. The only private part in all of NYC, Gramercy Park. It is a beautiful and spectacular park, although I have only seen it from behind the iron fence. Even behind the barrier, the park is a worth a stare.

The only people permitted in this park are the residents of the luxurious homes that surround it, leaving the every day person mystified by what goes on inside. The most notable celebrities in the area are Ann Curry and Uma Thurman. I have seen John Legizamo a handful of times. He has a giant black poodle.

Past the park, I like to walk down my favorite street on the east side, Irving Place. It has many great restaurants and the ivy covered buildings and great landscaping make it quite a pleasure to trot down. In this picture if you look in this distance, you will see Pete's Taverns. This is were Miranda proposed to Steve over 8 dollar beers on "Sex and the City". I love that scene!!!

This stoic building is a classic New York school building. Why is this one special? Because the ultimate Diva, Bette Midler, attended high school right here at Washington Irving High right at the end of Irving Place before 14th St. Being a diva in training myself, I pay homage frequently. :)


I did not get a great picture of Union Square. It is pretty big and the only good picture would be from above. I will add a picture the next time I eat at the Whole Foods on the square, which gives a great view. The square is full of young artists, protests, demonstrations, and all kinds of nifty riff raff. It has a Trader Joe's, the above mentioned Whole Foods and all kinds of shopping. It also has the famous Union Square Green Market. I have blogged about this before. My gym "Crunch" is right off the square which might explain why I walk this way daily.

Home now!! Back up Irving Place, you get a great view of the beautiful Chrysler building. it is one of my favorites. Funny now, it is owned by the nation of Abu Dabi. What a hoot!! One of America's most recognizable buildings isn't even owned by Americans.

Well instead of walking by Gramercy Park and drooling like a dork, I like to turn down 17th and head toward a park that everyone can enjoy, Stuyvesant Square. It is split by second avenue, and mom and dad will be happy that a historical Episcopal church takes up most of the west side. It has many benches and lots of different people hanging out. It makes for great people watching. Well thats it, up second avenue and home, until I make the walk again.

Thanks for reading. You know, this blog is filled with many things. I am trying new things you can say. My family has some many new things to blog about. My brothers have gorgeous children and all the stories that go with that wonderful experience, and well, I guess I have NY. So I will share. I will share stories from the big apple. Keep blogging everyone, it is very connecting.