Tender Mercies

In many ways, today was ridiculously bad. But I thumbed through my phone pictures at the end of the day and reviewed a few events that gave me peace. I felt like the hand of God was with me today, helping me see some of the beautiful parts of this new planet we live in, also helping me forget some of the inexcusable parts (like litter and Penn Station.) Does the period go inside or outside of the parenthesis--that question will have to wait until I care more.

I had to return to Target this morning to pick up a bag I left yesterday. The view from the parking garage made me smile. Queens is on the left, the East River is in the middle, and Manhattan is on the right. I'm in Manhattan but staying north in Harlem. Neighborhood distinction is a real big deal here. You aren't from Brooklyn, you are from a specific part of Brooklyn.


After the hours of bad day (keys locked in car, clothes left at laundromat, parking ticket, stuck in traffic, Siri got me lost again, etc), Jacob and I decided to take a break and check out Columbia University. Note: It's not like most college campuses that have big green fields to walk across and study on. Columbia is very much like the rest of NY with cram packed buildings stacked high. The difference is that some of the buildings are 250 years old and stand next to a building that was only built 50 years ago. And they are really, really beautiful. 

We weren't able to go inside, but this Cathedral of St John the Divine was somewhere in the realm of mind-blowing. Every inch is intricate and ornate and either tells a story or has symbolism. I can't wait to return. Seriously, this is a real treat in the middle of all the noise, lights and smells.


Jacob tries to wrap his mind around it all. 


We decided to walk around Riverside Park and channel our You've Got Mail. Neither of us knew that there was a memorial for General Grant. We also didn't know that it's commonly called Grant's Tomb and yes, we both feel stupid now. But still a treat for us. Especially since no one was there and that NEVER happens in NYC.


And then the sun decided to set on the Hudson River, so we ate rice and beans (thank you, street vendor!) and watched North Bergen from a park bench. We all know how I feel about sunsets. 



Not pictured: a corgi at the dog run. A corgi!! ~sigh~ Corgis. 
Not pictured: Jacob catches me a firefly, accidentally kills it and launches into a speech about it's coloring mechanisms.


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