Further musings from the taste buds

Although the taste buds didn't much care for the view of Central Park--such a huge park, with ponds, pathways, 4 through streets, and high rises poking above the trees on all sides--the taste buds did enjoy, very much, the breakfast we ate here at the Central Park Boathouse. Again way more food than we could possibly eat, and all of it completely delicious. Stuffed with sausage, bacon, eggs, pastries, fruits, yogurt, juices and more that I can't even remember, the stomach protested yet again, but was ignored. This was an unhurried meal with lots of time for discussion among ourselves as we compared notes on what we were doing with our exchange students, and what they were doing to us!! On the whole, it became more and more clear how much everybody loves these kids, and how strongly we believe that we can, through this program make a positive difference in the world. Afterwards, the 120 or so of us got on three coaches with a tour guide, and toured the city. Each coach went it's own way, but probably covered essentially the same ground. The taste buds were gratified to be provided with some canole at an Italian bakery in Chinatown. We took a quick walk through Chinatown, but had no time to really browse among the interesting fragrances, brilliant colors, and other unusual wares peeking through the windows and spilling onto the street.
The tour guide delighted in showing us special spots that were not necessarily on the beaten track but still typical of the New York that he loved. To the left is a photo through the canyon of the church that stands between us and ground zero. One tree on the church grounds was damaged, but otherwise it was unharmed. On the far size of ground zero is the Winter Garden from inside of which you can get a better view of ground zero than from the ground.
We stopped by the Brooklyn Bridge next, which is on the other side of the wharf building shown to the left in this picture.
Obviously it was an older structure than most of the bridges, and again I marveled at what people were able to accomplish even without modern machinery--it is not only a historical structure, but it is tall and loooong! The sailing ships were museums which we didn't have time to see, but the juxtaposition of the old schooners with the high rises in the background made an interesting picture. We saw other famous places, but this blog is already too long, so I will only mention that we spent an hour in a traffic jam--how could a trip to New York be complete without this experience--and ended up being the last bus to reach our dinner location--the Cotton Club, with enough, though very squeezy seating, where they served us wonderful wonderful soul food, with more deep-south type flavor--again forcing me to eat too much--I had no choice. The music was also "soul" music--kinda modern, jazzed up negro spirituals--the best I can do for a description because it is not music that appeals to me, but they were talented artists and it was fun to feel the energy in the room as they got the group to participate with clapping.
The next morning we were again treated to an extraordinary breakfast at the Athletic Club just across the street from Central Park. I got a ride in the van, but actually, traffic being what it was, walking would have been faster. This day we learned a lot about the scholarship programs that the students I work with receive. We learned more about what the hope of the State Department is in spending thousands of dollars per student to give them a year here, and what will continue to happen when they return to their countries in terms of volunteer work, continuing workshops and leadership opportunities. Four alumni of these programs came and told us how the exchange program had affected their lives--they were all more involved with volunteer work and international relations than they would have been without the program, though perhaps not all alumni make the same kind of decisions. Still, it was very good to know that good and long lasting things came from their experiences in America. Having a bit of time, and wanting to see a bit more of New York and do a tad of shopping, I and two other ladies who didn't think I should be wandering around New York by myself (they were very kind and fun) walked to Carmine's on Times Square, WITHOUT GETTING LOST and on time. I don't think I have any unused descriptive words left for this plentiful and delicious and very Italian meal. The waiter was a blast, and I finally got some hot chocolate (nice in the cold weather when you don't drink tea or coffee), and a full 7 course meal with an enormous variety of flavors and tastes offered at each course. I think I'm going to have to buy looser clothes once again. And thus ended this day, except for the late evening walk to the hotel, making some purchases from street vendors who kept constantly on the move so as to avoid the police that periodically tried to remove them since they were illegal competition for the legitimate shops.

These final two pictures are from my last morning in New York. I ate a solitary breakfast at the Nations Cafe (so named I realized, because it is just down the street from the United Nations buildings which are clearly visible from the corner). Again the food was awesome, I ate some blintzes, and regretfully, had to leave some food on the plate. Then back to the hotel, taking some final pictures of the park outside the United Nations, and some of the row houses along the way. Quite comfortable with the subway system by now, I reached the airport without further incident, and home in the late afternoon (evening in New York). I saw a lot, and realized there is a whole lot more I didn't see. I will never be a city person, but this is an extraordinary place to visit, and there really ARE a lot of parks when you feel enclosed in all the traffic and concrete. Congratulations to all of you that managed to read all of this and thank you that you wanted to! I didn't know I had so much writing in me!! Should you wish to see more photos, check out facebook.