Tour of the United Nations and more!

Erica with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (cutout)

Well Professor Clémençon's class has paid off... I toured the UN headquarters and was able to answer a few of the questions the tour guide asked about the functions of the UN, the Millennium Development Goals, the nations with veto powers, etc. Also, President Clinton's personal assistant came in to talk yesterday and I was able to appreciate her remarks about the snails pace the UN works at. But really, the tour was great and I saw many interesting things and some very beautiful artwork.

Street fair with Kathy

After the UN tour Kathy and I stumbled upon a delicious Mediterranean place, called Crisp, for lunch - if you are ever near the UN headquarters or the Empire State Building I recommend eating there, it's on the corner of 43rd & 3rd. In front of Crisp there was a little street fair going on. I wish I would have had more time to look around because there was some really beautiful jewelry, but I had a meeting at work that I needed to get to (which actually ended up getting canceled, ah well). The fair was in front of the Empire State Building, though, which was my first up close view of the building. Eventually I would like to make it up to the top to check out the view, although I hear the line to the top can get mighty long.

Grand Central Terminal

To get back to work in Harlem I caught the subway from the Grand Central Terminal, and to be honest I imagined it would be a little bit more grand. Still, it is very lovely inside and there were soo many people coming and going - pretty astounding. But my favorite part of Grand Central, by far, was the ceiling. The ceiling of Grand Central is baby blue with the constellations of the night sky strewn across it. The artist, Paul Helleu, painted the zodiac backwards when he was inspired by a medieval manuscript that showed the heavens as they would have been seen from outside the celestial sphere, although some say it was just the painters mistake. I didn't notice many people stop to look up and admire the ceiling, but it is beautiful nonetheless. I'd like to go back when Russell arrives to test out the Whispering Gallery.

After another wonderful day at work, while walking to the subway, I came across a Michael Jackson celebration - one year anniversary of his death. Thriller was playing and there was a children's dance troupe dancing in the middle of a large crowd. I was in the back and couldn't see a damn thing, but one fellow started to bust a move and he ended up being pretty awesome! Too bad I only was able to record the end of his routine (see the video here). Regardless, I love hearing Michael Jackson music whenever I can, and when there are people dancing and singing to it on the streets it's even better!

On the subway ride home I finally got the courage to record some subway bongo drummers (video). I've noticed that drummers are the most common sight to see riding the trains here, although I have also seen dancers, singers, and guitar and accordion players. The bongo players are my favorite, though, because they always say, "This is to make everyone's ride a little bit better and to put a smile on your face." And you know what? They always do put a smile on my face. I'd like to start recording more of the talented people I see on the train, but it is always just a little bit awkward pulling out my camera because you never know when someone might get offended - not everyone wants a video of themselves up on youtube!

Tomorrow, err today by now, is the weekend and I plan to get more NYC exploring in while I can. Maybe a museum visit finally?