Isaacson Family Connection: New York City 2010

Glenda and I have been married for 25 years. She is a patient woman, for sure. We decided to celebrate the occasion by making a kind of pilgrimage to New York City. Glenda's mother grew up here, and Glenda has always wanted to come. Since I've been here several times, I've long wanted to bring her. It seemed a good fit!

So:

We flew from Boise to Chicago;

Over Lake Michigan (Glenda had already located the "Floating Device" under her seat);

Took the obligatory "We're-on-a-flight-from-Haines-to-New-York" headshot;

We found ourselves alone on the shuttle-train to catch the main train into The City. Glenda is telling me "NO!" for the 1,000th time. I'll let you decide what the request was;

Some New Jersey blight and decay that Carly would make look chic were she to bring a client here for a shoot. This taken as we made our way in to Penn Station in the heart of New York City via train;

Punctuated by a view of the New York skyline (in the distance) where we saw waterfowl aplenty;

This is a typical expression as Glenda descends into a tunnel of any size. It may be an expression of terror. This route travels under the Hudson River;

Arriving Penn Station New York;

I've seen this phenomenon before and have tried to deduce how it happens: We hadn't been in Times Square for 30 seconds before Glenda knew that there was chocolate - and lots of it! - very near. Having found said cache she, with the Authority I've come to respond quickly to after 25 years, designated our next stop: the Hershey's Chocolate Store.

Glenda wasn't too sure about the subway. By the end of our trip, she was a seasoned veteran, correcting my errant choices for which train, which track, arriving where. What a trooper!

Our first night in The City, we went to The Lion King. It was wonderful. The puppetry alone made the show memorable. "Rafiki" had an exceptional 2nd Act, and the "Young Nala" and "Young Simba" were great! The best of all, however, was surely "Scar." He didn't revive the Jeremy Irons character from the movie, but made "Scar" an even more evil despot than Irons'. A great show.

Yup. It's the ball that descends to welcome in the New Year in Times Square.

Well, we gotta eat! Why not an Official Times Square Hot Dog for Glenda, and an Official Times Square Chicken-kabob for me! Mmmm. I gain weight just looking at them.

Although we don't typically look for occasion to be in the company of cartoon characters, we thought Stella would appreciate seeing Papa with Spongebob Squarepants.

Glenda's mother arrived in New York City 15 March 1948. According to the Borinquen ship manifest, she and her mother, Josie, went to 38 Riverside Drive to live. To get near there, we took the 79th Street & Broadway exit from the subway.

We couldn't find a 38 Riverside Drive address - the 30's ended with 37. So we took pictures of everything that may have been the 38 in the late 1940's.

This is W. 76th Street. A typical neighborhood view of the Upper West Side.

A lovely statue where W. 76th Street intersects Riverside Drive at Riverside Park.

Perhaps the building where Mom lived.

Or this. . .

. . .or this!

This we know: Mom went to school here at Public School 165, on W. 109th Street, just three blocks from Central Park's northwest corner.

They just don't make them like this anymore.

A sculpture dedicated to Peace in the square next to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.

In St. John's.

Hahahaha! Oh! Man!! Glenda wanted to imitate George Harrison's pose on a Beatles album cover. She looks more distressed than anything else. This makes me think of Harrison's That's the Way it Goes:

"There's an actor who hopes to fit the bill

Sees a shining city of a hill.

Step up close and see he's blind, Wined and Dined,

All he has is pose. And that's the way it goes."

She's a poser!! Haahahaha (but pretty cute!!!)