Monday, July 26, 2010

1 Corinthians 13:11-12

You know when you were little how you pointed out the things to adults that are everyday, common things but were so new to you? Or if you don't recall those days, how about when you traveled and you took note of something that marked you as a foreigner? I'm not talking about wearing a fanny pack but something that came from your childish innocence. The excitement of discovering something novel, a treasure you've only heard about in stories. I feel like that now, living here in New York City. To those moments where we find our inner child still kicking around in the dirt. Here are some pictures of some moments that have made my heart happy!

Adam and I decided to do a walking tour despite the rainy weather. Sharing one umbrella, we walked up this street in Washington Heights that leads to George Washington's mansion.


Our adopted NY mother, Cora holding a plate of the infamous "Dinosaur BBQ" located in Harlem. Look Russ...collard greens!


Adam and friends eating the best (cheap and tasty) street food in NYC. It's halal lamb and chicken over rice, salad, and warm pita. With one plate serving easily as 2 meals, the $6 can't be beat.


The long line we waited in for the street food. This food cart operation is efficient with one man in charge of the cash and two others dishing out the goods into tin containers. Customers have control over how much spicy sauce and yogurt they want. Beware of line cutters jumping out from cars and distraught neighboring restaurant owners.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

What I love about New York



Of course, the best answer to that is being with my husband Adam. I wake up every morning feeling so blessed, thinking that this is my life now. I get to have Adam every day, forever. It feels like we have a secret that nobody else knows, laughing in unbelief, as we walk hand in hand down Broadway. It's so much fun playing house for real this time as we shop for groceries at "The Met" in Harlem. We both think it without saying it to each other how witty we feel acting like a true "New Yorker" as we go for bagels at "Nussbaum & Wu" where I love the tofu vegetable spread and he gets his coffee fix. I love being married.
We live in Morningside Heights where Columbia sits right between Manhattanville and Harlem. Our small apartment is our haven, full of our keepsakes from Guinea, a perfect collection of what is sold in the African mart just a couple blocks away. It is small, but we are proud of our first home together. Nestled perfectly in a neighborhood meant for newlyweds, surrounded by lots of little shops and restaurants, bordering Riverside Park which overlooks the Hudson River, and situated between two major subway stops...it is the perfect place to take on this concrete jungle with baby steps.
Every neighborhood is full of history and culture, which is evident by the friendly neighbors or store owners always giving a sign that they are free to chat. Just this morning, I toured the largest mausoleum in America, of Ulysses S. Grant. It blew my mind that this monument is just a block away from where I live. My baby steps tend to lead me to bigger treats, always popping out of nowhere, like St. John's Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. But more than the tourist attractions, a simple walk down Washington Heights or Soho is just as stimulating. The city is diverse, something Adam and I both crave in a community. No where else in the whole world is people watching the best. New York City is fascinating. Come see!