Kenjiman's sister Robbie was in town over the weekend.
I'd not met her before, so it was nice to finally make her acquaintance.
Ken, his sister, and I had planned to meet for brunch at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, but I got a call from him at the appointed hour telling me that they'd gotten in late the night before and had only just then gotten out of bed.
Since I was standing in front of the little restaurant where we were to meet, I decided it was high time I did some walking around lower Manhattan.
Some of the architecture of the old buildings in lower Manhattan -- particularly in the financial district -- is really quite striking. It's impossible, for me at least, not to wander the streets of that area with my head tilted back and my neck craning to see the tops of the towers. 
These grand old stone and iron edifices with their cornices and gargoyles and scrolled ironwork are like behemoths out of a forgotten age. Every time I wander the area, I'm stunned by how massive they are, and how delicate they look.
They look, to me, like nothing so much as ancient castles on steroids. In a good way, not in a Barry Bonds way.
One thing's obvious about the builders of these monuments to the gilded age: Their builders took themselves very seriously, and had absolutely no sense of irony. Witness the huge plaque above the entrance to Ninety-Nine Church Street. The text, from a speech by Daniel Webster before Congress, reads "Commercial credit is the creation of modern times and belongs -- in its highest perfection -- only to the most enlightened and best-governed nations. Credit is the vital air of the system of modern commerce. It has done more -- a thousand times more -- to enrich nations than all the mines of the world."
Lighten up, pal.
And by the way, why are the hot woodsman and the impossibly hot, smoothly-manscaped craftsman (blacksmith?) holding hands like that? Okay, I accept it as a gesture of brotherhood and camraderie, but really? Look at the way they're gazing into each other's eyes.
Apparently modern commerce is also built on homosexual love.
I'm just saying. Regardless, I want that guy's abs.
Anyway, Ken and Robbie eventually made it downtown, and we had a nice brunch at The Soda Shop on Chambers Street. I highly recommend it for those of you in the area.
The nice thing about having friends and family visit you in town is that you get to do touristy things you mightn't otherwise do.
To wit: I've lived in NYC five years (my fifth anniversary is in eight days, friends), and I've never been to the top of the Empire State Building. Since Robbie wanted to go, we made our way.
Surprisingly, the lines were relatively short, and the day gloriously beautiful. It was well worth the Gauntlet of Crass Commerce we had to run to get to the observation deck.
Below are some cool pictures.
Ken and Robbie:
The view looking north/northwest:
My beloved Chrysler Building:
"Remember me to Herald Square:"
Looking south. That skyline still looks wrong to me, even 4 years later:
The Flatiron Building, another of my favorites:
I'd not met her before, so it was nice to finally make her acquaintance.
Ken, his sister, and I had planned to meet for brunch at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, but I got a call from him at the appointed hour telling me that they'd gotten in late the night before and had only just then gotten out of bed.
Since I was standing in front of the little restaurant where we were to meet, I decided it was high time I did some walking around lower Manhattan.
Some of the architecture of the old buildings in lower Manhattan -- particularly in the financial district -- is really quite striking. It's impossible, for me at least, not to wander the streets of that area with my head tilted back and my neck craning to see the tops of the towers. These grand old stone and iron edifices with their cornices and gargoyles and scrolled ironwork are like behemoths out of a forgotten age. Every time I wander the area, I'm stunned by how massive they are, and how delicate they look.They look, to me, like nothing so much as ancient castles on steroids. In a good way, not in a Barry Bonds way.
One thing's obvious about the builders of these monuments to the gilded age: Their builders took themselves very seriously, and had absolutely no sense of irony. Witness the huge plaque above the entrance to Ninety-Nine Church Street. The text, from a speech by Daniel Webster before Congress, reads "Commercial credit is the creation of modern times and belongs -- in its highest perfection -- only to the most enlightened and best-governed nations. Credit is the vital air of the system of modern commerce. It has done more -- a thousand times more -- to enrich nations than all the mines of the world."Lighten up, pal.
And by the way, why are the hot woodsman and the impossibly hot, smoothly-manscaped craftsman (blacksmith?) holding hands like that? Okay, I accept it as a gesture of brotherhood and camraderie, but really? Look at the way they're gazing into each other's eyes.
Apparently modern commerce is also built on homosexual love.
I'm just saying. Regardless, I want that guy's abs.
Anyway, Ken and Robbie eventually made it downtown, and we had a nice brunch at The Soda Shop on Chambers Street. I highly recommend it for those of you in the area.
The nice thing about having friends and family visit you in town is that you get to do touristy things you mightn't otherwise do.
To wit: I've lived in NYC five years (my fifth anniversary is in eight days, friends), and I've never been to the top of the Empire State Building. Since Robbie wanted to go, we made our way.
Surprisingly, the lines were relatively short, and the day gloriously beautiful. It was well worth the Gauntlet of Crass Commerce we had to run to get to the observation deck.
Below are some cool pictures.
Ken and Robbie:
The view looking north/northwest:
My beloved Chrysler Building:
"Remember me to Herald Square:"
Looking south. That skyline still looks wrong to me, even 4 years later:
The Flatiron Building, another of my favorites:
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