New Years In New York

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Well, I didn't know if I could convince anyone to do New Years Eve in Times Square with me, but at the last minute it all came together. We dressed warmly and prepared for some cold weather, but in the end it wasn't that bad at all. It ended up being in the mid-30s and with all of the people, it actually was somewhat warm.

We arrived around 2:45 and many blocks were already full. We were walking farther down and just happened to be in the right place at the right time. As we were walking by, the police just closed the streets and moved the front barricades out in the middle of the street. That freed up a lot of room, so we hopped the back barricade while the cops were moving the front ones. We ended up being right in front of MTV between 44 and 45. That is only two blocks from where the ball drops. We couldn't have asked for a better spot.

Once we staked out our spot, we laid out a tarp. About 20 minutes later the police came by and said everyone had to stand. We were really disappointed and thus began the 9 hours of standing. In the end, it wasn't too bad. We had really good company. Then every hour on the hour, we would count down the new year in another part of the world. At six, they raised the ball to the top of the pole. And for the rest of the night they had all kinds of bands and singers performing (either rehearsing or actually recording for live TV), interspersed with fun music that we just danced to. Since we were near the front, they were passing out all kinds of free stuff to wear (i.e. free advertising since we were going to be on TV).

Then at a minute before midnight, it all happened. The ball began to drop and the countdown began. At midnight, tons (literally) of confetti fell in Times Square. That ten minutes made the whole night worth it. It took us about an hour or so to walk home, but the night was definitely worth it. I just feel bad for the sanitation workers who had to spend the rest of the night cleaning up all of the trash left in Times Square.

Downside to Christmas in New York

Monday, December 10, 2007

So, in the last post I made I shared how amazing New York was during Christmas time. I still have those sentiments, but I realized things can't always be picture perfect. The downside to Christmas in New York is that there are people everywhere! I have never seen this many people in the city. After awhile, it starts to get a little annoying. A friend and I went into Macy's on Saturday and this the flood of people we had to wander through.It is a sacrifice you have to make, but well worth it.

The rest of the pictures are just pictures relating to prior posts. I have posted a picture of the new years eve ball in Macy's, a picture of the Rockefeller center tree, now that it is lit up. I also took a picture of some Christmas Carolers that were singing outside the public library. It seems like a picture right out of Charles Dickens "The Christmas Carol." Finally, you might be thinking that I like to take pictures of Christmas trees, but there are big Christmas trees everywhere, so I thought someday I might make a collage of all of them.

Christmas in New York

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Christmas time is the best time to be in New York. Even though you miss out on all the neighborhood lights, there are holiday decorations throughout the city. The other day, I went to Macy’s to do a little shopping and found myself in a Christmas wonderland. The whole department store was decorated with Garland and large Christmas trees. They also have the Waterford Crystal New Year’s Eve Ball on display. It was actually fun to see. Then I went up to Rockefeller Center and saw the scaffolding around the giant tree as they were stringing it with lights.

In my own neighborhood, they have strung the trees lining Columbus Ave. with white Christmas lights. It is so much fun. Then as I come to work each day, I am greeted by holiday wreaths and a giant Christmas tree in my office lobby. It really makes it feel like Christmas.
Then on top of all the Christmas decorations, there are all of the fun holiday activities. One weekend, we decided to go ice skating in Bryant Park. It was a whole different experience to ice skate out in the open air. (I must add that New Yorkers have no idea what real ice skating is like because this place was so crowded you could barely move at times. There was no room for speed.)

Then last night for family home evening, the singles ward served hot chocolate and sung Christmas Carols during the lighting of the Lincoln Center Christmas Tree right across the street. It was actually quite fun and we grew crowds at times. Alan Alda (one of the characters from MASH for those who don’t know him) even stopped and listened to one of our tunes. Hopefully we did some good missionary work.
Then to top it off, I will be attending “How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Musical” and the “Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectactular.” I will keep you updated on how those are in the weeks to come. What a great time to be in the City!

Thanksgiving!

With my family being in California, I figured it was too far to travel for a just a few days, so I decided to mooch off of my aunt and uncle in Virginia. I had a blast there. I was able to help cook (I was in charge of a French chocolate silk pie and the turkey) and just enjoy time with my cousins. We played lots of games and just relaxed. On Friday, we actually went to Harpers Ferry. It is a historical site in West Virginia that has civil war history. They have several little museums and have restored several of the old buildings in the little town. It is a very beautiful place, and it is always fun to experience history. Then to top of the weekend, I was able to watch BYU beat the University of Utah. It was a great finish to a great weekend.

The Met

So I have been a little behind on my blog posts. I have had intentions for writing the last couple of weeks, but I just never seemed to find time, until now. That is why there are three posts all at once.

I had the opportunity to go the Metropolitan Museum of Art a couple of weekends ago, so I thought I would share my experience there. It is a massive museum. I have wanted to go since I moved here, but I wasn’t sure how keen I would be on seeing art for hours on end. Boy, was I surprised. They actually have a lot of cool things there. One wing contains a lot of Egyptian “art” including sarcophaguses and even a real stone Egyptian temple that they moved over here. Another wing of the museum has armor from the dark ages and even Samurai armor. Other wings have Greek and Roman art and sculptures. Then one of the most famous paintings of the museum is “Washington Crossing the Delaware.” This painting is huge. It is probably 30 feet by 15 feet. I was just in awe when I saw it. It was a fun adventure to one of the greatest museums in the country.

My "Work" Social Life

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Everyone at work just does not understand how I know so many people and have so many friends here in New York after just living here for a few months. (Of course I tell them it is one of the many benefits of the Church.) All my other coworkers spend a lot of time together, especially on the weekend. They always invite me, but I usually decline because I don't like the bar scene very much. Lately, though, we have done quite a few things together besides bars. Last week we all got together for a pot luck dinner at one of my coworkers houses. We played some games and had a fun time together outside of work. (I must say they were quite impressed with my Cranium skills as well.) Then we met up for the Halloween parade on Halloween night. Apparently, we are arranging a monthly activity together, whether that is dinner or another event.


I really enjoy my coworkers. I couldn't ask for more fun people. Their energy adds excitement to our long days. It is still awhile away, but I am really going to miss them when I leave the group.

Please notice that I do not have a wine glass in my hand. I don't want anyone getting the wrong idea.

Harvest in Connecticut

Sunday, November 4, 2007

That was the name of the singles activity in Connecticut this weekend. It was at Rod Hawes’ barn. (He is mentioned in the Mormon Way of Doing Business.) Needless to say his place was massive. We took the train up to New Canaan, Connecticut and then were shuttled over to his house. It is beautiful up there because all of the leaves are changing in New England. It made the trip worth it even if there wasn’t a singles activity. When we got there we figured out it was a joint activity with the young singles and the older singles. That made things a little interesting because some of the older singles resented that we were there. I will have to tell more stories about that later. Anyway, we ended up playing some billiards, foosball hockey, and indoor bowling at his indoor bowling alley. We also went on a fun scavenger hunt through the property. All-in-all it was a really fun day. I met a few new people and had a good time with friends. Then they had a special guest speaker Glenn Beck come and share his conversion story. (He has a radio talk show and a talk show on CNN.) It was a really neat experience and made for a very spiritual meeting. He shared how the Lord had directed his life to always come across members of the church. He went on to say how the Lord had led him out of a miserable life of drugs and alcohol to become who he is today. His career has taken off since he decided to serve the Lord. Then after dinner, we decided to take off before the dance started. The young singles were definitely outnumbered, and I had already been flirted with by a 45 year lady. Thus, we thought it would be in our best interest if we left. It was definitely a fun trip. The partner in charge of our department is hosting our Christmas party at his house in New Canaan, so it will be fun to return to the old quaint town.