A Winter Wonderland

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Everyone always told me New York winters were supposed to be the worst. I was preparing to be shocked, but so far it hasn’t been bad at all. It gets cold here, but not much colder than it ever did in Utah. The only thing that kills you here is the wind. With all of the perpendicular and parallel streets and tall buildings, the city is full of wind tunnels that make a cold day even colder.

What I have been waiting for all year is a good snow storm. Before Friday, it had only snowed twice; both times sticking for only a few hours. Then on Friday, the big storm came. I was actually really excited. I like snow as long as I don’t have to drive in it, and seeing that I do not have a car, I love the snow here! The storm only dropped about 6 inches in the city, but it created havoc for the airports. I actually had a friend flying out of JFK that morning and she didn’t leave until about 3 pm. It was crazy.

Now the fun part: There is a photo gallery on my walk to the subway. In the window they have several pictures of central park in the snow. Ever since I saw those pictures, I have wanted to take snow pictures in the park as well. Thus, on Saturday I woke up and went running in the park. On the way back, I just stopped and took pictures. It was so much fun, so I hope you enjoy them.

The park has been one of my favorite places in the city. It is a place to escape from the bustling city life. I usually go running in the park several times a week as a time for reflection. With the added snow, the park seemed so silent and peaceful. As I was taking the pictures, I was in awe of the beauty and the serenity of nature that can even be found in the biggest city in the country.

It was such a play day for the rest of the city too. Since people don’t have yards, they use the park. There were kids everywhere going sledding and building snowmen. It was fun to see. I just wish I had time to put on my snow clothes and play in snow.

My Cultural Post

Monday, February 18, 2008

So it has been awhile since I have posted on here. For all those who have pointed this out to me, I apologize. I just feel like I haven’t done anything noteworthy enough to post on here. So even though it might be unexciting, here is what I have been up to recently. I call it my cultural post. In the last month, I have seen several more Broadway shows, namely Spelling Bee and Mamma Mia. Both were excellent shows that were really fun and upbeat. I would recommend them to anyone. Spelling Bee actually just left Broadway, but it is touring the country now. If you have the opportunity to see it, do it.

Then this last week, I received some corporate tickets to an Andalucian Flamenco Dancing Show. It was really interesting to see the cultural traditions of Spain. I am also amazed at how well those girls can move their feet and legs. To continue in my cultural habits, on Saturday our stake sponsored a Chinese New Year Celebration put on by the Chinese branch. It is so awesome to know that just because you become a member of the Church does not mean that you have to give up your cultural heritage. The members of the branch performed many musical numbers and skits. Then they ended the evening with a lion dance. It is like the long dragons you see in pictures but it is with a lion and fewer people. It was really neat to see and hear the story behind it.

It’s great that the melting pot of America has provided me with so many opportunities to experience so many cultures and so many experiences.

Finally, I went to the Museum of Modern Art back in December, but I never blogged about it because of everything going on with the holidays. It seems fitting to lump it here with all of my other cultural happenings, in addition to the fact I have no pictures from my other events.

I was a little skeptical about going to the MoMA because I wouldn’t say I am a huge fan of modern art. After I went, though, I was quite surprised at how much I liked it. Some types of modern art are my favorite types of art. The museum has many famous paintings from famous artists including Picasso, Van Gogh, and Seurat. To crown the evening, I got a picture with Van Gogh’s famous Starry Night. The MoMA is definitely a must see in New York (although the museum also has some of the stereotypical wacky modern art as well).