Flyin' Shoes

The only available day to visit the recent historical landmark of the African Memorial Exhibition, happened to be today, on the last day in NY. After missing the entrance a couple of times (it’s in the back of a Federal building), it was finally found and the appropriate security checkpoints navigated through. Envisioning a small plaque and maybe a couple of leaflets, it was really good to see a visual history of Africans in New York and the origins of the burial ground. The bodies have been re-buried now, but there is a wonderful monument outside. If you’re interested in history and the early life of modern America (Specifically New York), this is so worth the time spent. The ranger on hand was informative enough, if not a little campy and I almost expected him to burst into prayer, with the growing emphasis on words (you know-ah, what ah meeeeean-ah). Another assumed minor monument, that’s surpassed expectations. Continue reading

Today finally saw the rains come down, right at the time and place I wish they hadn’t. Standing in a line for a ferry ticket to Liberty island, while an icy wind forced the rain right at me. The ticket booths are in a central area with no covering, which considering it’s New York and you know, cold and wet for portions of the year, you’d think they would have more tourist-friendly access. These days I’m not too perturbed at standing in these conditions, after all those podcasts and readings of Buddha helped me understand; when you resolve yourself to the inevitable, the inevitable ceases to become a burden. Continue reading

What with the money issue and an hour delay from the flight, I’ve made the first sacrifice of the trip – opting out of the (2nd revision) Galveston/Houston Space Center trip and will catch up some time, going direct to Dallas instead.

Currently I’m taking a break in Huntsville, at the statue of Sam Houston. His quote on the statue of ‘Govern wisely, and as little as possible.’ is quite the phrase; a pity not many people in power, follow that approach. The statue itself is 67ft tall and quite striking. While walking up to it, a cat shot through the bushes, scared by my appearance and launched itself into the undergrowth. Later up the road I saw a cat that had been run over so I’m presuming, these people either don’t care about their pets, or don’t keep tabs on their breeding in the wild.

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