NYC, Music, Irish Pub and a Son Named Chris - February 26, 2018

Wednesday, February 14, 2018, my son Christopher drives me to New York City. What an honor and privilege to be with this man. We are heading to Carnegie Hall to hear one of our favorite Jazz Singers, Gregory Porter. This is our second time to hear him, the first on Valentine's Day a year before. Our time in a nearby Irish Pub before the concert sets the stage for the flavorful evening as we sit in window seats peering out onto the busy town. Enchanted, what an understatement.

The older I become the more I enjoy the city "feels." I am trying to figure it out, what is it that makes me enjoy a crowd now more than ever? What is it that draws me to the structures? I am not sure and that is part of the charm; the mystery.

Lynn, the man who sets me up for success, purchases me a camera for Christmas. As Chris drives us into NYC, I am shooting away, swapping out the zoom lenses every once and a while and playing around with settings I pretend to understand. Please something of a technical nature stay in my brain longer than five seconds! 

I love people. And the men and women in the Turnpike turnstiles all over the country intrigue me. Who are their parents? Do they have another job? What books are they currently reading? Are they married? Are THEY travelers? Do they have children? Are they good story tellers? WHO ARE THEY?

This man about to take our money has the most pleasant face and even from this view you see the angle hints at a kind smile. The zoom lens is fun, he has no idea.

This man, my son, is someone I can travel with anytime, anywhere. Chris, what a guy. We both love people and enjoy interacting with strangers. He teaches me so much about music, life, ministry, and faith. He is my son and yet equally and more so He is my brother in Christ. He loves city driving just as much as I do and though he accelerates at a pace that races my heart I do enjoy the ride! Listening to Gregory Porter with him is pure pleasure as both he and I sit in our seats, eyes closed, swaying to the music. We are the minority at this concert and this, for us, is an honor!

David Bowie makes the side of a tall building ensconced by two beautifully rusted water towers. C'MON...as Mary Faus would say. Gorgeous, brilliant! Murals on buildings are evidence of the lengths to which humans will go to express. This fills me with pride. I LOVE humanity. How in the world do they do this?

I capture with the zoom lens not an amazing picture but one which Chris and I enjoy. This is a sports car and if I was up on my models I would rattle off to you the make but I am not. All I know is that it is loud, real loud, and this officer stops this young man because of it. I hear him say, "Buddy, I hear you all the way from back there. You need not be so loud." The driver's face tells you his thoughts "Oh yeah, I'll be more considerate.....NOT!" Spot on! The Holland Tunnel reverberates with the insane noise of this sporty make. I swear the dude is straight out of Gossip Girl!

Yes, that is him on the left. His little cop talk...whatevs! We see him all of 1 second and I catch it on the Canon. I ain't called "Quick Click" for nothing.

The Holland Tunnel, what can I say? Every time I descend into one I pray a little harder as the mental videos begin to load and quickly fast forward. It's the The Poseidon Adventure from the 1970's that reels through.  It's roller coaster terrifying. All the "What if's" play loud until the light emerges at the end and the internal countdown begins. You're hoping you're not tomorrow's fatal photo on the paper's front page. And then there's the exit... such relief.

Structures, I am in love. This one straight out of Dr. Seuss' collection, thrills my senses. And I love the branches introducing it. The geometric ways in which we build are highlighted by nature's growth of curves and twists. Nature excels in more than squares, rectangles, straight lines. While we are entrenched in polygons upon polygons and more polygons with straight lines finding curves to be a challenge. There's something there.

A street full of lights, stacked with buildings on both sides, sidewalks at the base, it is a feast. The sky is only allowed a small amount to be showcased and this feels so beautiful.

I wonder if blurry is how most people see life. It moves fast and though there is great detail to enjoy we are often moving too quick to focus in. What's it like for you?

If I could have stepped out of the car and placed myself head-on in the middle of this crowd I would have. The energy walking past me and the stories, the collection of destinies, was a feast. What did each one of their homes look like? What were they making for dinner? It is Valentine's Day, what are their plans for the dreamy night. One thing I do know, they all got the memo - dress black.

The night is magical. The crowded walkways, the movement of the day into the night, it is rich. I want to walk into the light of Times Square after the concert but Chris thinks it not wise and then adds, "You sound like a little girl and I like an old man." Maybe so, maybe so....New York, New York!