Random-Fall 08

These are more random happenings during the Fall of 08.

Bronx Zoo & Trying to get into a show

Sarah and I decided to go to the zoo one day. She was staying with her sister up in the Bronx so I just picked her up on my way and then we drove to the zoo. We got to most of the animals, we were kind of on a time crunch because we had Rachel Ray tickets for later that day and had to be back in Manhattan on time. These are some pictures from the zoo...

The tiger was sooo close. The zookeeper was feeding the tiger meat on a stick and would push the stick through the fence.

The zookeeper was able to make the tiger do tricks. He rolled over. I don't think I have ever seen that.

These were white leopards or something like that. There were three of them and two of them came so close to the fence. The zookeeper said they never do that. It was a little creepy they would just pace back in forth in front of the fence.

I just love this picture. You can barely see the monkeys but I like the waterfall and the look of the mist.

After the zoo we drove back to the city to go see the Rachel Ray show. We had our tickets and thought that we were guaranteed admission. We were there at the time stated on the ticket to be there and we were in line with everyone else. We were in the back of the line, I think there were like 4 people behind us or something. One of the women in charge came back and informed us that there were too many people and there wasn't enough seats for us. I was a little bummed. So, we went and got my car and then dropped it off at my garage. We decided to try and get stand by tickets to Conan O'Brien. We were numbers 70 and 71. We got in line and a little later they announced they for sure have 60 tickets but they might have more once everyone was seated. We decided to wait it out and see if they would have more seats. At this time I think we were the 9 and 10 person in line. They came back out and announced that they have 4 more seats and possibly more but probably no more than 4. We were 5th and 6th so we were pretty sure we wouldn't get a seat but we decided to stick around anyway, what's five more minutes. The 4 in front of us were all together so we were hoping that if they come out with only 2 tickets, they would pass them on to us because they wanted to stay together. Well, our wish came true, they only came back with 2 tickets...dun dun dun, but the group in front split up and the first two of them went in. :( Two shows in one day and missed both of them by like 4 people. It was a little disheartening. Sarah and I tried again for Conan tickets but we have yet to get in.

Parades

In New York City there are parades all the time for any occasion. This is mainly due to the fact that here in the city almost every country is represented in some way so we have parades for different holidays or just whenever people feel like it. We had two different Columbus parades. The Italian and oh I can't remember but I got to see the Italian Columbus Parade. Both the Columbus and Veterans Day Parades weren't all the exciting but it is always fun to be a part of something like that here in the city. The biggest parade here in the city is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade which I was able to go to this year. Very fun, extremely busy, one time thing unless you can watch from a building.

Columbus Day Parade

We went to the Hamptons for the long weekend and as soon as we got home, Henry was having us leave right away so we could go see the parade. It was going down Fifth Avenue so it was just minutes away. We had a fun time seeing all the floats and listening to the Italian music. There weren't a lot of spectators but it was fun to watch it all.

Veteran's Day Parade

This was on a Tuesday (my day off) and I was meeting a friend in Midtown and we decided to take a look at the parade. It was a lot of bands and some random groups for veterans. We didn't stay too long but at least I watched part of it.

I also went to the Macy's Day Parade but you can find those pictures in the Thanksgiving post.

FAO Schwartz

If you have seen the movie Big starring Tom Hanks you have always wanted to play on the big piano at the large toy store. Well, I have and it is a blast. I have only played on it once but I have seen it a couple times. I just found out that they have professional piano players on the weekend. I hope to take Will there soon to watch them play.

Sarah was a little excited for this.

Sarah knew some songs and tried to play, I just hit a few notes and made some really bad music.

Sarah and me with the Harry Potter gang. They are all made out of Legos. It is really neat. They also have the Star Wars characters made out of Legos and some other buildings.

ING NYC Marathon

If you are unfamiliar with the NYC Marathon, here is the rundown. It is just over 26 miles and travels through all 5 boroughs of New York City. It starts in Staten Island and ends in Manhattan. It goes over 4 or 5 different bridges and something like 100,000 runners. I am really not into marathon running at all. I used to think people who do it are crazy and just like to feel really bad pain. I never really understood it until I watched the NYC Marathon. I was able to see the marathon at two different places. At mile 17 and the last mile. When I first saw them at mile 17 I was almost brought to tears. The determination on their faces was just amazing. I witness this older man cheering for his wife. When she recognized his voice he ran over to him and gave him a huge hug. They talked for a little bit and then she was off. The greatest thing from the conversation was the look on the husbands face as his wife ran off. You could see the love in his face and just how proud he was of her. He didn't have that look for anyone to see, he probably didn't even know I was watching him, but it was there and it was amazing to witness. A picture of the couple is below.

My previous thoughts about marathon runners were completely false. These people running are amazing and have so much ambition and endurance. All of the runners had a goal and that was to finish. They worked so hard for months preparing for this moment and it was there. At mile 17 I saw people who were doing okay and still going strong, at the last mile people were definitely tired but as soon as they saw the sign saying 1 mile to go they all got a little burst of energy. There were even some spectators that ran with their friends or families that last mile.

I would hate to be these runners with these people running next to them and video taping the last mile of the race. They were also talking to him and asking them questions. Who would want to talk on a video after running 25 miles. That is just rude, give them a break.

There were some very odd outfits and I have no idea how they were able to run in those silly costumes. I don't know if I will ever watch a marathon again but it was definitely a great experience and something I will never soon forget. I have so much more respect for runners now.

Mile 17

Now that's inspiring!

The following pictures are of some of the marathon runners in crazy outfits. These people are crazy on so many levels.

Who would want to wear a dress while running a marathon?

You can barely see it but he is also carrying a large plastic knife. All I have to say is CREEPY!!

It's a runaway bride.

Who you gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS.

Like I said this costumes are crazy but then again it is in New York and you can almost get away with anything.

2008 Election

Everybody who was old enough to vote this last election was probably weighing their decisions on who to vote for, while everyone throughout the world was waiting to find out who the next US President was going to be. This election was such a huge part of our lives for so many reasons and it was exciting and scary to find out who is going to take over the country. There are so many problems and hurdles that this country is faced with and I am anxiously waiting to see what Obama is going to do. Election night a friend and I went to a Broadway show. We knew it was election night but we really didn't think much about being down in Times Square. When we left the theater we immediately realized the Times Square was completely crowded. We could barely get by, there were so many people there. We lost each other and I ended up calling her and telling her to go on without me. I decided to stick around and watch the final results come in about the election. The majority of the people there were Obama supporters and they were more than happy to express their views about McCain. They started some very rude and derogatory chants about McCain. I didn't agree with them but they are free to state their opinions. When the results came in declaring Obama the clear winner, everyone was cheering. Yes, I was a McCain supporter so I was a little bummed but it was exciting to be there in Times Square. I was witnessing something that was going to be in the history books. It was very excited to be there and definitely something to tell my kids one day. They will probably read about the election in their history books and say mom you are so old. I know that's what I would have told my parents.

The huge crowd of people watching the huge TV's in Times Square. It was almost as crowded as New Year's Eve but less organized.

Clearly showing Obama in the lead. They had just announced that Obama is the new president elect.

Obama was everywhere once they announced who won.

After I left Times Square I decided to walk home and as I was walking home I went by Rockefeller Center. They were also having a huge celebration. They had giant ribbons (one red for McCain and one blue for Obama) and they would move up according to the number of electoral votes. They had a huge number 270 and as you can see in the pictures below this was after Obama and gone above and beyond 270. I thought this was such a neat idea.

In Conclusion

There are so many exciting things that happen in this huge city and I love being a part of them. It is so excited but I wish I could share it with others. It is like the gospel (okay it may sound weird relating New York City to the Gospel but hear me out) so as I was saying it is like the Gospel. I love the Gospel and it has brought me such joy in my life and this experience and being in New York has done that to me. New York has opened my eyes to so many new and exciting experiences I would have never had anywhere else. Okay so my analogy is really bad but I couldn't think of anything else. This city doesn't work for everyone but my wish to everyone is that they can have experiences like mine, experiences that make them a better person and open their mind to a new and different adventure, wherever that may take you. I wouldn't trade anything in the world for everything I have learned and done here. It has been such a rewarding and exciting part of my life and I hope there are more great experiences to come.

I have no idea how many people read this, for all I know it is like 2 people and nobody else cares what the heck I am doing here but if you read this, I hope you enjoy it. I probably write too much and say things that nobody cares about and have a ton of misspelled words and sentences the don't make any sense but I am enjoying life and living it to the fullest and I am finally starting to enjoy writing it down. Before I hated this part and tried to avoid it, as you have probably come to realize, but it is fun reliving these moments and I hope you enjoy it as well. Anyways, thanks for reading!

Later,
Jeni Rudd