Written by Dulcey, amended by me...
"Okay, another wonderful, full day, to which Carol, Robbie, and I owe deep gratitude to Marya and Bruno. Marya, Carol and I started the day at a diner, then came back to the apartment to wait a tiny bit for Robbie. The first thing we did was admire the beautiful wire work that Robbie brought. I wish you could see all of her amazing wire work, it is so inspiring.
After that, Bruno again went above and beyond to guide us around (mostly) lower Manhattan. We stopped at the World Trade Center site, walked down along the Hudson to Battery Park, took the ferry over to Staten Island so we could see the Statue of Liberty. We went to Trinity Church, and a lovely little church next to it that's a dichotomy to the modern buildings next to it. The cemetary at Trinity has gravestones from the 1700's, very different art than those today. The docent/guard at Trinity asked me where I was from, and then immediately told me, "You should move here." :)
The Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian is in the old Customs Building -- so great things to look at, and a very cool setting (designed by the same architect as the MN State Capitol, Cass Gilbert). Then to Grand Central Station, where Carol and I had Cuban sandwiches and Dos Equis, which we love, and Bruno had steak sandwich and Robbie, chicken. We had coffee at the the Juan Valdez cafe, and I made Bruno spill probably half of a mocha. They regularly have coffee there, sheesh.
After Marya got off work, Bruno got a break from us, and we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and wandered happily there for 2-3 hours. It is a place that is an excess of riches, and if you can go, spend as much time as you can. Carol gnomed Marya and Bruno, and it was very amusing that we tried to get Marya to see the gnome, and she looked right past it [several times! I accused her of house blindness]; Carol then pointed out the gnome with a Lumiere citrine hat right by the piece of art she had asked Marya about. Then, at 9pm, we went to the Ethiopian restaurant. Three of us finished 2 bottles of Ethiopian honey wine [also known as mead, too sweet for me], Carol had Ethiopian beer. I am less than sober.
We are all sitting here happily chatting -- and Marya is threatening to teach us all lampworking RIGHT NOW. I know *I* shouldn't be playing with fire! lol"
This was such a great day and walking around Manhatten was a blast. Bruno kept us at a steady clip and I didn't hurt at all the next day. The jay walking was fun, albeit dangerous and I never did get to use the line "I'm walking HERE!"