Battery Park Saturday.

This week was crazy. It felt like the first full blast of "summer" at the workplace. All systems a go, all hands on deck, and me working with the center director with us furiously looking for new housing options. With a staff happy hour on Thursday, and a draining Friday, my Saturday was spent sleeping, reading, lounging, and not leaving the building until about 5:45pm!

When I made it to the "land of the living" (thanks mom), I decided to visit Battery Park. This place is one of my all-time favorite places in New York City. I love the fusion of the park, ocean, skyline, and that beautiful view of the Statue of Liberty. Many scenes of the Royal Tenenbaums (arguably my favorite movie) take place here, but are strategically filmed to leave out anything that points to New York specifically. So it was a mysterious but great place.



I made it down and it was still a warm and bright, late afternoon picture. I kept my headphones on after the subway so I could ignore all the vendors trying to get me to buy all those I <3 NY tshirts and Statue of Liberty collectibles, pictures of NYC and other cheap "designer" items like watches or sunglasses. (Ironically a "Gucci" watch I bought here back in 2005 lasted me straight through til early 2007, when it refused to work after my stint in the French Atlantic with it on. Not bad for like, $10!)



I found myself a spacious and warm wood seat, marble-backed bench in front of flower beds and lightposts and facing the Statue of Liberty across the Atlantic, with the great skyline of the financial district curving around my right just beyond the park. I was approached by one person asking a question. He had a thick French accent and was having problems with his English so I offered up a French conversation with him. He was really nice, and ended up sitting on the bench and talking to me for awhile. He was so pleasant! And me not having many friends made me very open to talking to strangers! He was from Paris but his parents were from the French Caribbean isle of Martinique. We exchanged emails at the end.



After that I sprawled out on the bench, completely horizontally laying on the bench with my headphones on, and just listened to music and enjoyed the sun and breeze. I love music. I just love love love music. I love all songs and all styles, they are all so beautiful and encouraging and put me in great spirits. I must have laid on the bench and listen to my music for about an hour before I got up and walked around the park, admiring the Statue of Liberty, the Castle Clinton and the statues nearby.

Now today I am going to go look at a studio!! It's on the Upper West Side inbetween Central Park and Broadway. The fact that it's in the UWS and in my price range makes me nervous. Expect the worst and hope for the best!