Fleur de Aleta

Our second Broadway performance was "Godspell" at the Circle in the Square theater.  The theater stage is a circle and we had front row seats :) We sat down and noticed that there was a plank missing on the stage and water dripping down.  During the performance, the actors opened up three more planks and did baptisms... very active baptisms with water going everywhere.  I was baptized in my seat!  :) The actors were crazy active, jumping, bouncing, running, energetic from beginning to end.  The performance played out various parts of the Bible, but set it to modern day times.  They did an excellent job.  It was totally different from Book of Mormons, but just as well acted. We saw these people sitting on pillows by the stage.  They are students, allowed to buy the seats at very cheap prices.  Some of the students participate in the performance. At one point, the actors carried long sticks, "You can't light a candle without a wick."

I'm interrupting our NYC vacation journal to wish my Dad a very Happy Birthday.  I am so fortunate to have Dad as my Dad :)  He's loving, kind, thoughtful and generous.  He has a poetic nature, but he doesn't often like to show it.... it does appear and not only with the poems he writes for my Mom, but in other ways as well. Such as when my cousin's son sent out a graduation card.  My uncle Billy passed away when I was a little girl.  My cousin, "Bill" is the 2nd, named after his Dad.  And his son is Billy, the 3rd. My parents sent a card to Billy III and Dad created the card... on the outside was a picture of III and on the inside, Dad found a picture of uncle Billy, put it in the inside with the words, "Wishing I was there."  It brought tears to my eyes..  See, to me, that's poetic.  It's thoughtful and beautiful and it comes from Dad's generous heart. Thank you, Dad, for being so wonderful, not just to your immediate family but t

We went to the Discovery Times Square for the Terracotta Warriors Exhibit. I'm adding in this next picture, because if you ever want to know where to find Sardis, it's next to Discovery Times Square: Ok, back to the exhibit.... The first Emperor of China created an army of terracotta sculptures.   The army was part of the Emperors funeral art, as he believed he needed such in the afterlife for protection.  The collection was buried in 210-209 BC. I smile when I think of a local farmer finding part of the collection.  Can you imagine what that experience must have been like? It was interesting to read how the figures who are the tallest are the ones highest in rank (generals).  The army is estimated to be 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with horses and 150 cavalry horses, as well as other figures such as clergy and musicians. Going to the exhibit was a last minute decision before we left for NYC and I'm really glad we were able to see i

Meet my friend, Lauren, from NYC. When I mentioned that my family wanted authentic NYC pizza, Lauren recommended Lombardi's.  Now, some people might think it's unAmerican of me, but I don't eat pizza. Until Lombardi's.  Oh My Gosh.  It was delicious.  Everything was fresh and the tomato sauce wasn't that thick, ultra acidic stuff you find on typical pizzas.  This was fresh tomato sauce that was extremely tasty but without upsetting my stomach. We ordered two pizzas, one was for meat lovers - and it included meatballs (which were yummy) and the veggie pizza, which was great too.  I honestly couldn't tell you which I liked more!  And woah - we need portion control, because the slices were HUGE!  Get ready for your mouth to water..... Just looking at the pizzas.... making me wish we had something like this in New Orleans.  We have good food here, but NYC has us beat with the pizza! We were going to order something sweet from Lomb

This was my first time on Ellis Island, even though I've traveled to NYC before. Once the immigrants arrived to the States, they were detained at Ellis Island, in order to gather information and conduct testing, before being permitted into the States. The immigrants, tired, hungry, some very ill, confused by the area and language barrier... were brought to a large room.  Herded in like cattle.  Information was logged, such as names, children, etc. Each immigrant was evaluated for physical and mental handicaps or health issues.  Below is a picture of the procedures.  It looks simple on the diagram, but if you walk through the rooms... each one having test lined up to see if a person has good vision, can pass certain intelligence tests, health screening...  it must have been a daunting and scary experience. Greg commented about the "small white tiles"in the rooms... I think it gave him an eerie feeling, something that belonged in a mental ward with a