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USA: NYC: Manhattan Bridge

Posted on August 28th, 2007 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, NYC, USA.

Living in New York brings back those college moments…like when you feel rich because you’re riding in a car one of your friends owns or has access to.  Yeah, that’s what happened in the above pic as Rebekah and I drove over the Manhattan Bridge.

[A view of the Manhattan Bridge from DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) - great name for a neighborhood.]

Actually, I take the Manhattan Bridge almost every day, but I’m on the lower level, on a train, while the rich people driver their cars over my head.  Such is life.

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Jedi: Fun with Photoshop

Posted on August 27th, 2007 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Star Wars.

No reason.  I was just playing with photoshop and decided to post them…cause they’re neat.

All three pictures are of me, in Jedi gear…with my lightsaber, of course.

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Jedi: Youngling Training in Kentucky

Posted on August 26th, 2007 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Star Wars.

Ichiban Karate School, a martial arts school in northern Kentucky, USA, is offering “Jedi Training” classes to get kids excited about martial arts.

The Karate-ka in me says “Bah!  Karate is the art of the open (kara) hand (te).  This isn’t Karate!” but the Star Wars-obsessed Jedi in me says “Yes!  Get ‘em while they’re young!  Yay lightsaber proliferation!”

I also had to wonder if there was any relation to NY Jedi’s branch group, KY Jedi…  Yay lightsaber enthusiast collectives.

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USA: NYC: Brooklyn Bridge

Posted on August 26th, 2007 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, NYC, USA.

Little did I know, you can actually walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.  Had it not been 95*F and sunny that day, I think I would have found the trek highly enjoyable. 

I made the walk with my summer ESL class.  From Brooklyn, we took the M to the Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall stop.  You’ll be able to see the bridge from around the corner; then just follow the sidewalk on up.  The traffic will drop below you on either side, so you’ll have a better view, removed from major traffic.

I really enjoyed the above view, which was taken from the park below the bridge on the Brooklyn side, where there’s a smattering of modern art and a cluster of benches for picnickers.  They’re apparently in the process of developing that area, so it will be worth visiting again in the future.

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USA: NYC: My First Mets Game

Posted on August 10th, 2007 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, NYC, USA.

Disclaimer: I have not chosen sides yet.  I am neither a Mets fan nor a Yankees fan.  (In fact, I care very little about sports…a games is more of a social event for me.) 

[No more traffic jams…this photo of Shea Stadium was taken from the entrance to the subway station…and they run extra trains so everybody can get out quickly.]

My classmates and I decided to join 52,000 of our neighbors and take in a Mets game - it was my first time in a open air stadium.  In Minnesota, they’re always talking about getting a stadium with a retractable roof, but really, I think I prefer being shielded from the sun in a temperature-controlled environment.

[This is the Mets’ team mascot, Mr. Met, on the left…and who is this on the right?  Mr. Shoe, perhaps?]

Some teams really have a challenge coming up with a mascot.  Much like the Minnesota Twins…what is their Mascot???  For the New York Mets, it’s Mr. Met: a baseball with arms and legs.  Or is he a man with a giant baseball for a head?  The world may never know…

Anyway, half the audience walked out after the Mets’ horrible performance in the 8th inning, as you can see by the empty seats above.  Then in the 9th inning we scored 3 points, and narrowly missed the point that would have tied us with the Braves (an amazing catch on the part of our opponents, I admit…)  So, we still lost, but at least with some dignity.

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USA: NYC: Governor’s Island

Posted on August 9th, 2007 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, NYC, USA.

[An ariel view of Governor’s Island, with Manhattan behind it.]

We had excellent weather the day my ESL summer class made a trip out to Governor’s Island, a former military base turned national park just off the coast of Manhattan.  Pity that I didn’t have an extra $50 on me - I could have taken a helicopter (instead of the free ferry) and gotten the above shot myself.

[Peering over the brim of Castle Williams.]

Castle Williams: the fort turned Confederdate war prison - now they’re talking about turning it into a convention center (Anna imagines running around the brick fort with a lightsaber) or a Bed and Breakfast (…huh?) or something…  Construction commenced in 1807 and was completed in 1811.  Castle Williams is coming up on his 200th birthday here.

The island was dotted with large, old-style Southern households, which our Park Ranger (cause we were in a National Park! - exciting if you’ve never been in one, leave me alone…)  Ahem, our Park Ranger told us that these large and lavish houses were officers’ homes…I somehow doubt officers live this well today.

[Grass moat around Fort Jay.]

Now, everybody knows Anna loves everything having to do with castles, such as moats and city walls and drawbridges and whatnot.  Fort Jay was a bit confusing to me - it had a moat that was never intended to hold water.  Ye old Park Ranger informed us that the geography alone that the structure of a moat created gave a distinct advantage in battle, so that it wasn’t necessary to flood it.  But…if you had a moat…why wouldn’t you flood it?  I mean, you’ve gone that far…why not finish the job?  I dream of one day having a home with a moat and a drawbridge…may as well throw some horses in the garage while I’m dreaming.

[Note the eagle sitting atop Fort Jay.]

The eagle sitting over the entrance to Fort Jay is something of a curiosity.  At various points in history, the eagle has had two wings, a left wing, a right wing, and no wings.  Apparently no one is sure what the artists original intention was.  (But it seems obvious that the artist wasn’t the brightest string on the bulb…s/he made the sculpture out of sandstone.  The wind and rain wear against it so quickly that the wing(s) keep(s) falling off.)

A couple randon points of interest (for me…cause I love transportation.)  Above is the ferry that runs between Manhattan and Governor’s Island.  I’d never before been on a boat that cars could just drive onto.  Fascinating.

[This car advertises itself as an “All Electric Vehical - Zero Pollution”]

Now, I realize it’s little more than a covered golf cart, but you all know I’m a tree hugger…I just love it.  My students thought I was crazy, but c’mon, it’s got a giant electrical plug where should be pumping in that $3 per gallon gas - how cool is that?

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USA: NYC: Sunset Park

Posted on August 2nd, 2007 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, NYC, Travel, USA.

 
[View of downtown Manhattan from Sunset Park in Brooklyn]

Introducing Sunset Park, a mid-sized public park down by Brooklyn’s Chinatown.  The special thing about Sunset Park is that it sits on the side of a hill, facing westward, offering a great view of downtown Manhattan.

I was there on a field trip with my ESL class.  We arrived early to find Chinese people learning and practicing ballroom dance in the park.  Intrigued, some of my students tried to learn the dance, and one was brave enough to ask the instructor for a lesson.

 

Then we sat down on the grass to watch a variety of traditional Chinese dances…a pity there was no Peking Opera…I haven’t seen it since 2001, and I think I would have a much deeper appreciation for it now.  Perhaps NYC will host a touring troupe sometime, eh?  We’ve got everything else (including Dragon Boats in Queens this weekend - yay!!!)

[A sidestreet near Sunset Park…someday when I’m rich, I can live in one of these buildings.]

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