tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83590962024-03-18T22:49:30.660-04:00Once Upon A Time In The (mid) WestJeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.comBlogger1000125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-91663379381551523672022-01-02T23:27:00.000-05:002022-01-02T23:27:33.852-05:00NEW YORK CITY<div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Prologue: </span></div><div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">There were several reasons for a Family Christmas Vacation in New York City: </span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">1.) We had credit for flights from a planned Disney World vacation scheduled for June 2020 which, obviously, got canceled; </span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">2.) Hannah, in particular, is an "experiences instead of things" type of person and has seen several Off-Broadway shows in Chicago/Indianapolis and expressed interest in seeing more shows; </span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">3.) In September, when we were making these decisions, Broadway shows were planning re-openings for October and Omicron had not yet emerged; </span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">4.) FAMILY CHRISTMAS VACATION IN NEW YORK CITY!! </span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> We collaborated and negotiated about how many and which shows to see and finally decided on three:
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Christmas Spectacular (feat. Rockettes) at Radio City Music Hall </span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre </span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Blue Man Group at the Astor Place Theatre </span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> We knew several days before we left Indiana that "Christmas Spectacular" had decided to end their season a full week early due to COVID cases and protocols. [Strike one.]
</span></div></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">****</span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Monday:</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /></span><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Monday was travel day. Our flight out of Indianapolis was to depart at 5:45 am and we allowed plenty of time for checking luggage and TSA security checkpoints. While waiting for a connection flight in Baltimore, we decided to replace "Christmas Spectacular" with another show that was available and fit our schedule. We decided on "Aladdin." In the couple of hours we were waiting at the gate in Baltimore, I booked and paid for these tickets, received confirmations -- and then -- received notification of cancellation and refunds. [Strike two.] Ever the optimists, we made one last effort to replace our canceled "Christmas Spectacular" (and now, "Aladdin") shows and we booked tickets for "Waitress." We arrived at LaGuardia Airport, collected our luggage and got a taxi to our hotel near Times Square. I believe it was during this taxi ride that Hannah affirmed her desire to NEVER be a taxi driver (NYC traffic is no joke)! At this point we were tired and hungry. We found a pizza place close to our hotel and *briefly* visited Times Square and went to Junior's for cheesecake before returning to the hotel to settle in there. We had been in NYC for just a few hours and already checked boxes for NY pizza and NY cheesecake. #priorities<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe-pq1JzLlbYWNuWhAHMqFB3xnPSB46W71ikAgqBs7S7SiGulLJB661lrI0M0IbLVeNu0v-ShulsdaniIgsv_-1gRdt4HyPw8ry38-7ac-v_zgRnCgbsdoh9BTJy2U4FRx34nNGE-rW8wcgORJbrnk9a4PPZdnJdurNyz84K0EOjHWkl15CFc=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Times Square" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe-pq1JzLlbYWNuWhAHMqFB3xnPSB46W71ikAgqBs7S7SiGulLJB661lrI0M0IbLVeNu0v-ShulsdaniIgsv_-1gRdt4HyPw8ry38-7ac-v_zgRnCgbsdoh9BTJy2U4FRx34nNGE-rW8wcgORJbrnk9a4PPZdnJdurNyz84K0EOjHWkl15CFc=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Times Square</td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaRX7CXdPXzxHmE1kz2coLi-3vUQKYXu_Ch-689iN2Jq9gHsosAsCNdtPlz9uFYXEot5X-cBYoyAS_J6RfgF8BM55mbIUrRC6EWI-X0XEJ5MMvXxPg3GyXh5LhKYNDZ_AHJ3IFj7yZLWc175qyDLNP5Lyb4LmwsYd62QZByzLZEvHVUqv2i1M=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaRX7CXdPXzxHmE1kz2coLi-3vUQKYXu_Ch-689iN2Jq9gHsosAsCNdtPlz9uFYXEot5X-cBYoyAS_J6RfgF8BM55mbIUrRC6EWI-X0XEJ5MMvXxPg3GyXh5LhKYNDZ_AHJ3IFj7yZLWc175qyDLNP5Lyb4LmwsYd62QZByzLZEvHVUqv2i1M=w640-h480" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAmKxt7ZMCYa7SF17RH7pc8Yv3P6SLRfnLunBPDm8vdzVg_D5ttf_la00TI4_1e_J50G9xpqiXwrSYvavdlqYudJUyVeziuXR0VETFRzP2jcVQcYKwFsKfKmS1Os8O7ilh_Ge959LANBSo8r_EI2CbbPW7kgIrBAVBWoOkWu8zlmbssyEd5O0=s3658" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img alt="The view from our hotel room_alt" border="0" data-original-height="1660" data-original-width="3658" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAmKxt7ZMCYa7SF17RH7pc8Yv3P6SLRfnLunBPDm8vdzVg_D5ttf_la00TI4_1e_J50G9xpqiXwrSYvavdlqYudJUyVeziuXR0VETFRzP2jcVQcYKwFsKfKmS1Os8O7ilh_Ge959LANBSo8r_EI2CbbPW7kgIrBAVBWoOkWu8zlmbssyEd5O0=w640-h290" title="The view from our hotel room." width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">The view from our hotel room.</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">****</span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuesday:</span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuesday was Harrison's 15th birthday and show day. Most of the plans of the day were fixed around arriving at the theater at the correct time. The show starts at 7pm and we're supposed to arrive at 6:20, so we need to start walking by 6:05....and so on.</span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Earlier in the day, we walked to a place in Hell's Kitchen for burritos and visited the exterior of the Majestic Theatre (the NYC home of "The Phantom of the Opera" since 1988, and one of my favorite shows) for a selfie. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJS4FxVGLPqYWdsbnSp-0L_fSydV_IBxCkHZw3ZI9O8LVXDMpwpw5BfXNuZzBPxUHKxUnbLfdRYkDvabiKjxfAEn-afwtT3ZJvFhi0BN4b_aCz2hUdIEkBflwpDGrcCaXxeO4PeJ5DHVMfS50hT0yBO7lxa8opN95bnyeVj6DTspC2HyN-SU8=s3264" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJS4FxVGLPqYWdsbnSp-0L_fSydV_IBxCkHZw3ZI9O8LVXDMpwpw5BfXNuZzBPxUHKxUnbLfdRYkDvabiKjxfAEn-afwtT3ZJvFhi0BN4b_aCz2hUdIEkBflwpDGrcCaXxeO4PeJ5DHVMfS50hT0yBO7lxa8opN95bnyeVj6DTspC2HyN-SU8=w480-h640" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">During another walk through Times Square, we learned (the hard way) the business model of the assortment of "Times Square Characters" (Elmo, Mickey/Minnie, etc.) which was as close as we came to getting "mugged" in NYC!</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCrwSIlX7sTSd9p3fvQNVqAIzSB8ftRagsQXSbWLehTK5VC0XNwXpbk-kPG2VMzwNWZg1crMKzDGysHeSMpcD9wAMBn1B7q3LNeAQBwj979IzDjQgUDome-TtTeISitAVKsU1fur27O6XB8EAjH3TgaWBa3QMcrI9szhDsBRlpw8ivjxtve24=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCrwSIlX7sTSd9p3fvQNVqAIzSB8ftRagsQXSbWLehTK5VC0XNwXpbk-kPG2VMzwNWZg1crMKzDGysHeSMpcD9wAMBn1B7q3LNeAQBwj979IzDjQgUDome-TtTeISitAVKsU1fur27O6XB8EAjH3TgaWBa3QMcrI9szhDsBRlpw8ivjxtve24=w640-h480" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was on Tuesday that we found out that our "Waitress" show had also been canceled. [Strike three]. We looked at a few other shows (Lion King; Six; Hadestown; Music Man; even Phantom, but at this point, the seats that remained available were prohibitively expensive). </span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">But --- "Wicked" one of our original choices, was not canceled, and it was fantastic! We all enjoyed the show and the performances and the energy in the building. We all knew some of the songs but were not well-versed on the entire plot so the twists and turn and surprises hit as they should. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2llVwM68l-c4UDTzKDS7P1jZsry4PQYCOIwF2cPC1ZXC65f3Zm9H5YqToOCqv9ZyW84GOLCtPE5N-uQz_H7FxiORFz936PZ4g7_Q9SelQUlGn_e4ypMZXIqq5MjSnz4ZV6SejBJmrT1712C6Qf6Lp4AZsRmllt_d6tuWYKZZWj-9Ofsx4puw=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2llVwM68l-c4UDTzKDS7P1jZsry4PQYCOIwF2cPC1ZXC65f3Zm9H5YqToOCqv9ZyW84GOLCtPE5N-uQz_H7FxiORFz936PZ4g7_Q9SelQUlGn_e4ypMZXIqq5MjSnz4ZV6SejBJmrT1712C6Qf6Lp4AZsRmllt_d6tuWYKZZWj-9Ofsx4puw=w480-h640" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFOIKZkBi4P2mVBPY7Ir6E2YTYUQD_vI6IJJ1TOBUB3nbpROxkCXozJp5LxPZ-vrUEEuCGd225gCCRK01kSgdaOmP09FhcyR1sFsBK1gFWJERt9d6xsbqhIpNaIPprlGB55Wp8zDuzlyKkz-v0N7UL_rEVmIYTNIPE6zkGPAi5zK3ynxaTbv0=s3264" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFOIKZkBi4P2mVBPY7Ir6E2YTYUQD_vI6IJJ1TOBUB3nbpROxkCXozJp5LxPZ-vrUEEuCGd225gCCRK01kSgdaOmP09FhcyR1sFsBK1gFWJERt9d6xsbqhIpNaIPprlGB55Wp8zDuzlyKkz-v0N7UL_rEVmIYTNIPE6zkGPAi5zK3ynxaTbv0=w640-h480" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_UTK_O_eTM1uL0ym34Xw_wgqy9vdN1QerUgIukYKO2--SWHJ-qkO5VKWMm3cu3bKURF9hkpnLLRbLj3KLyUj5JnISAqnm6BJpZo8V_qdTygjfOLwni0eOyEliz3NZDv22XNry1blPsex2gxptFjXxOP_JaOcb_YIV12ABSm0wYtAGAYKkXfQ=s3264" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_UTK_O_eTM1uL0ym34Xw_wgqy9vdN1QerUgIukYKO2--SWHJ-qkO5VKWMm3cu3bKURF9hkpnLLRbLj3KLyUj5JnISAqnm6BJpZo8V_qdTygjfOLwni0eOyEliz3NZDv22XNry1blPsex2gxptFjXxOP_JaOcb_YIV12ABSm0wYtAGAYKkXfQ=w640-h480" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Krispy Kreme on the way back to the hotel served nicely as a confection in lieu of cake for Harrison's Birthday!</span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_Of5oecCnP6ucV1LyV55eKeG9aWXqiHILcxPg5eLMgWD3231OQTpBtOfBETFv-Mc1zqZJzOA87brFr2d4GLt5objZIgzuH8FLhMeAHdt1oq9lwgZlmuT_p9Ic51KR4IxNOxvxdgyDr5U4OnPWUatsj-Hezpz0_5XKVwEEdinsfHI-ZuGrDd8=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_Of5oecCnP6ucV1LyV55eKeG9aWXqiHILcxPg5eLMgWD3231OQTpBtOfBETFv-Mc1zqZJzOA87brFr2d4GLt5objZIgzuH8FLhMeAHdt1oq9lwgZlmuT_p9Ic51KR4IxNOxvxdgyDr5U4OnPWUatsj-Hezpz0_5XKVwEEdinsfHI-ZuGrDd8=w640-h480" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">****</span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wednesday:</span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was on Wednesday that we purchased tickets to the TopView Sightseeing Tour bus. We had seen these vehicles on the roads and encountered several of their (aggressive) salespeople on corners. We had mixed experiences using these tour vehicles. More to come on this topic. </span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wednesday morning, we found our tour bus near our hotel and rode it to the stop for Rockefeller Center. Here we saw Radio City Music Hall, the giant Christmas tree and ice skating rink at 30 Rock and the Atlas statue. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_T18NiJ6kK2ETrhszmHnKxGGoqJEhK806PJPRoL5iHAJYc7ZNF7IFTcwrqR2DOl80oAn0VxU1IV0WlIuIrY5o5rracfq0TPfNrt8PCXD10hTUe0tiL1gnBRV1LAVyEOks66x4GcJaYCV4NuXRdiFmFPJNsFoeOoOjKoFVpkK8U2iVHqYIGnI=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_T18NiJ6kK2ETrhszmHnKxGGoqJEhK806PJPRoL5iHAJYc7ZNF7IFTcwrqR2DOl80oAn0VxU1IV0WlIuIrY5o5rracfq0TPfNrt8PCXD10hTUe0tiL1gnBRV1LAVyEOks66x4GcJaYCV4NuXRdiFmFPJNsFoeOoOjKoFVpkK8U2iVHqYIGnI=w480-h640" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTG-qqMyQA0mnleY-IL2ABhQzkN0V66Zv7Ye4fn3F_xKuhCcxwzanp0my0c_4EnFyDYjggQeo3eo5aL0AV9LjLrLq62Mw49taDIK5C19F8H8E3rTb-75PiMQIIPLffyh4t6inUD4Uvd7lKfMJjx0dpnmSWUUmj3an_NbpFTsurrZdlQXTCp80=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTG-qqMyQA0mnleY-IL2ABhQzkN0V66Zv7Ye4fn3F_xKuhCcxwzanp0my0c_4EnFyDYjggQeo3eo5aL0AV9LjLrLq62Mw49taDIK5C19F8H8E3rTb-75PiMQIIPLffyh4t6inUD4Uvd7lKfMJjx0dpnmSWUUmj3an_NbpFTsurrZdlQXTCp80=w480-h640" width="480" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKqUizeiKMiB2-i2orGGf7lwZXgcY8m_pObLdkNsyeP4NHFiLpJpofBwIzQlOIyS6zZS_vznqczIb-KHFbl_GU3m6fLcz-Reb66bAHuGITz0rNyf605VnOeUOdJxOWRQnSk_p0LZqXsVmV8VkIOnDV8FlOSgPY0mGKtublAD-7D-yPfmcPJAA=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKqUizeiKMiB2-i2orGGf7lwZXgcY8m_pObLdkNsyeP4NHFiLpJpofBwIzQlOIyS6zZS_vznqczIb-KHFbl_GU3m6fLcz-Reb66bAHuGITz0rNyf605VnOeUOdJxOWRQnSk_p0LZqXsVmV8VkIOnDV8FlOSgPY0mGKtublAD-7D-yPfmcPJAA=w640-h426" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidfNd-BaGF98PP7N7-YC_lchJ1KFzT55nrSipsRdCe8G2tlYRMzPu25rWWeA7r29HXoEzI9PGHDzms4wnF4nwMG3haKOE5bJCZsItXG_g4GmAHOqNT3W0PbLa59BwpQIPKv7bgnLyYERhKh-t0H8H-BrDfJ5fhNCOj-xyt8nCpCSsC7ZZgEBI=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="727" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidfNd-BaGF98PP7N7-YC_lchJ1KFzT55nrSipsRdCe8G2tlYRMzPu25rWWeA7r29HXoEzI9PGHDzms4wnF4nwMG3haKOE5bJCZsItXG_g4GmAHOqNT3W0PbLa59BwpQIPKv7bgnLyYERhKh-t0H8H-BrDfJ5fhNCOj-xyt8nCpCSsC7ZZgEBI=w387-h640" width="387" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjvkzcTFXiLQs-HRGR6QMEVZRqKw7sYizVHElZfRIUjxucxVDu-C6_n5rra13kIXmpHiTdcns2DTurkys0yuzRHTcrqMf67xwIlXmwu1Hgys0n-yVENYZFIG69Y4VV9KghhgiQv8XRrNXI2VHCzAwqF6sQRe3vQDibkXwO3IIrcs8poFRHZgQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjvkzcTFXiLQs-HRGR6QMEVZRqKw7sYizVHElZfRIUjxucxVDu-C6_n5rra13kIXmpHiTdcns2DTurkys0yuzRHTcrqMf67xwIlXmwu1Hgys0n-yVENYZFIG69Y4VV9KghhgiQv8XRrNXI2VHCzAwqF6sQRe3vQDibkXwO3IIrcs8poFRHZgQ=w480-h640" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Across the street are St. Patrick's Cathedral and Saks Fifth Avenue.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYIkZgfQc2bxkPKspUFMmmSKpf7BWjLLYfE9pa5yspFR9mooPNGmHHakhv_62-uGVu3xC-PGHevEMS2f04rQsCuz81Yn88nyU48stNDEZ7kvrd2xOQa1xj-ge2l4vzvmDNkMiVLw60zXax-3clpjpWxIt-q9jUG98JYJ0FWCYPnTyDXjjjIDE=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYIkZgfQc2bxkPKspUFMmmSKpf7BWjLLYfE9pa5yspFR9mooPNGmHHakhv_62-uGVu3xC-PGHevEMS2f04rQsCuz81Yn88nyU48stNDEZ7kvrd2xOQa1xj-ge2l4vzvmDNkMiVLw60zXax-3clpjpWxIt-q9jUG98JYJ0FWCYPnTyDXjjjIDE=w480-h640" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTHv--BUdUIclNPxbvUIUx5Fy5zMo-P9lSUDfncwcluU7963blynpMxhhE5hRrIVu_U0QP4XUmViKmKsmOvME7bj2hwARGNl2NWoaDstyjYYT3Qkx7F2qSZlcFumYtn-MxpiTzl405ndQsic7OxEkHj7qK8GqBqVkiX4_8UFdsPCrQi0uMeRs=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTHv--BUdUIclNPxbvUIUx5Fy5zMo-P9lSUDfncwcluU7963blynpMxhhE5hRrIVu_U0QP4XUmViKmKsmOvME7bj2hwARGNl2NWoaDstyjYYT3Qkx7F2qSZlcFumYtn-MxpiTzl405ndQsic7OxEkHj7qK8GqBqVkiX4_8UFdsPCrQi0uMeRs=w640-h480" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> After looking at window displays at Saks, we went inside to look around a bit as well. I didn't recognize very many of the brand names I saw, but I did recognize the distinct feeling of "sticker shock" the few times I noticed a price on an item that otherwise looked perfectly normal. We had good food from a street vendor (Hallal Guys), but struggled to find a comfortable place to eat it. We had decent weather during our stay (very little rain/snow), but learned that weather forecasts and air temperatures are virtually meaningless in these urban canyons, especially during these shortest days of the year, where the Sun, if shining, just doesn't get high enough in the sky to eliminate the shadows. In addition, those long rows of tall buildings can either scatter or focus any wind that is blowing, depending on the direction of said wind. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlmN14uhGpxHlPOm6EXEzPDBIM4TXEUNkn-WfRxBh2PtSRJ0kCjXsP8m_BFq1Mcw9NqZy3HthwPxki_CCTGBy7dMIM19xD7O8DzlwgtRb3NQyGMumOlSfbR22ZXYeDGa8f7yriQZyebsSmwOyslTW_SKzCk_88KeA-XLvpIegS5Xjcqtpr5xs=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlmN14uhGpxHlPOm6EXEzPDBIM4TXEUNkn-WfRxBh2PtSRJ0kCjXsP8m_BFq1Mcw9NqZy3HthwPxki_CCTGBy7dMIM19xD7O8DzlwgtRb3NQyGMumOlSfbR22ZXYeDGa8f7yriQZyebsSmwOyslTW_SKzCk_88KeA-XLvpIegS5Xjcqtpr5xs=w300-h400" width="300" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEirLuMMZzxil2MlyhQfNtti3_5tokfOMWZ93RmlZjUvoHicbChH3A9BiQgjemQ5L7Q9nlu4tXInM1phk1B46LWcA0iIyiKl5CmdmHUvtj9WXOaZJBGKdeKqErgZukjL9vhu6JmiImi_G5-JxBRkzed7GM4kwAyqyZLphMYcPR3rtvwbeQRq6s0=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEirLuMMZzxil2MlyhQfNtti3_5tokfOMWZ93RmlZjUvoHicbChH3A9BiQgjemQ5L7Q9nlu4tXInM1phk1B46LWcA0iIyiKl5CmdmHUvtj9WXOaZJBGKdeKqErgZukjL9vhu6JmiImi_G5-JxBRkzed7GM4kwAyqyZLphMYcPR3rtvwbeQRq6s0=w300-h400" width="300" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzVF6QhPo6EEfVeKyFu8EJV8Y-l0_nh2WBfZIIgWOh3G-yOsTK6RgxAHW2hFd2VM4urXVqYXUNdWlyoO8F9FFsJhjEZd3vEEHWbF6d3_ZvH5xBQdl-oMfFjVHmEEyIJ53N1XAlg5gq2DtSQw4MDLEvd4y80lJnH0sf8HKwesyL2LlIy1yL8to=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzVF6QhPo6EEfVeKyFu8EJV8Y-l0_nh2WBfZIIgWOh3G-yOsTK6RgxAHW2hFd2VM4urXVqYXUNdWlyoO8F9FFsJhjEZd3vEEHWbF6d3_ZvH5xBQdl-oMfFjVHmEEyIJ53N1XAlg5gq2DtSQw4MDLEvd4y80lJnH0sf8HKwesyL2LlIy1yL8to=w300-h400" width="300" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> Having said that, it didn't take us long to understand the huge value of Central Park and other green spaces in city centers. We explored a small part of Central Park on foot before seeing a larger part via horse-drawn carriage! </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNvpxuOdlwRLx7FMgnINhFQI9w7uX6AsnPYD4QHQhinA7CglUzzmbGLjoMH0XED90Ir-PVrxLlX49Oa7ya_ARQlDXKFjPRARRA-7GnjAb9MZPdqjzehPfYB9cGV8brY3CQf2WS_jTixCmuszEwFJelUIea3u8IcYo3XsRtarg7HBQKdTyoqmc=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNvpxuOdlwRLx7FMgnINhFQI9w7uX6AsnPYD4QHQhinA7CglUzzmbGLjoMH0XED90Ir-PVrxLlX49Oa7ya_ARQlDXKFjPRARRA-7GnjAb9MZPdqjzehPfYB9cGV8brY3CQf2WS_jTixCmuszEwFJelUIea3u8IcYo3XsRtarg7HBQKdTyoqmc=s320" width="240" /></span></a><span style="background-color: black; 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font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4rsY1AHOhDmDuJl9TQE5EMQWpFPnEOg1wC3dXQO_4oEgjf8LoDldO22kP0rJFZqkQuyONcEFNT3Gesy-lBRvMJV9SRS5f8gFZJgxqt3A_iE4gyJaxRxZc8085hk3Gn98G1XRimLeQyyQcvkFZCp61Rqxjo_X1xY9wdKW2jbKdXgR7yhx6puQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4rsY1AHOhDmDuJl9TQE5EMQWpFPnEOg1wC3dXQO_4oEgjf8LoDldO22kP0rJFZqkQuyONcEFNT3Gesy-lBRvMJV9SRS5f8gFZJgxqt3A_iE4gyJaxRxZc8085hk3Gn98G1XRimLeQyyQcvkFZCp61Rqxjo_X1xY9wdKW2jbKdXgR7yhx6puQ=s320" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbDcDrtkNs067IW7FwXUXO5sRFA_fd5wJ7MNA1YNm11qwD4cYKTg9YDkuBRxGBjsGYrLAyMv802Kr3P8GH6rDk-8W23LIml8zcdXEP7wPkWmSy1B_9HWYN4cOiwQuYFxw6fG5xyJXaJJU_okDyE_JvnJ3cwU7UqQYd_W27B7a6zv2z1NSGN5I=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbDcDrtkNs067IW7FwXUXO5sRFA_fd5wJ7MNA1YNm11qwD4cYKTg9YDkuBRxGBjsGYrLAyMv802Kr3P8GH6rDk-8W23LIml8zcdXEP7wPkWmSy1B_9HWYN4cOiwQuYFxw6fG5xyJXaJJU_okDyE_JvnJ3cwU7UqQYd_W27B7a6zv2z1NSGN5I=w640-h480" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">We were hoping to find a tour bus to take us back to the hotel from Central Park, but we ended up walking. Fortunately, we discovered one of our favorite restaurants of the entire trip on the way: Empanada Mama Hell's Kitchen. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">****</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thursday:</span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2HTgzOGKz8Mfi89pS_6cyIaWsSmQLl-6BB0TPuWG8F2zagC0vN40tqqU_r7idOgV3zANcg3p1CoABxO06lcTXd2GsTjiccnl8hUNlXonb3HOV_wjZ7rcqVfzB-eWAMO7r8P-FbODGv1yUoN-dpA_sR9gkQr5R7B87fCG8zfMWZGtqFaTKt8U=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2HTgzOGKz8Mfi89pS_6cyIaWsSmQLl-6BB0TPuWG8F2zagC0vN40tqqU_r7idOgV3zANcg3p1CoABxO06lcTXd2GsTjiccnl8hUNlXonb3HOV_wjZ7rcqVfzB-eWAMO7r8P-FbODGv1yUoN-dpA_sR9gkQr5R7B87fCG8zfMWZGtqFaTKt8U=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgI5k_eVKEj3EXBuqdNxW9aUU57rnGKaZzlghT7pWB3maEcfgtjFuBsWeLAuS_duX8MjBigUX-iGH08nSYlrOHU0km07NtmfrFQbYeYphwpx3XxfTtDfVT8cZJS4PwmVFrB9IS0We9dZh3YeYtdohhFXctrkDfbJB7Oph3XanJDSQY8a8AJpUg=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="797" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgI5k_eVKEj3EXBuqdNxW9aUU57rnGKaZzlghT7pWB3maEcfgtjFuBsWeLAuS_duX8MjBigUX-iGH08nSYlrOHU0km07NtmfrFQbYeYphwpx3XxfTtDfVT8cZJS4PwmVFrB9IS0We9dZh3YeYtdohhFXctrkDfbJB7Oph3XanJDSQY8a8AJpUg=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div>First thing Thursday was a trip to the One World Trade Center Observatory. While this skyscraper is currently the seventh tallest building in the world, it is the tallest in the United States and in the Western Hemisphere. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJR_4ritS5F_viaHzsz6X49t1SjRmyhOHGgGNpWlo6V5isaaqHYw8no_Ls6KAou8l414LZVhv5TEybedIwOHBk0aH6-ppUiGmF3iXAVNfAai5KWh4dWjr8WgV7MrsN_GW7D9AWLBipvkAHMgHcyOoFnvb9PSRX3pnpfZiXptH3ZdhchrI2BEc=s3264" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJR_4ritS5F_viaHzsz6X49t1SjRmyhOHGgGNpWlo6V5isaaqHYw8no_Ls6KAou8l414LZVhv5TEybedIwOHBk0aH6-ppUiGmF3iXAVNfAai5KWh4dWjr8WgV7MrsN_GW7D9AWLBipvkAHMgHcyOoFnvb9PSRX3pnpfZiXptH3ZdhchrI2BEc=w640-h480" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYkIhkoghP5iEZHFXhi7xL5tEq3TKZRbUGg98O1Do9TLIjzw7YD_j2N0FhWc96mDnc2a4rQ10vbdjRl00V8pljQQHfYBVGmopgKSdFTY7Z0AdzJT17ZBp6q_uS9r9KeHrx8Ud-i5vBovUVyCCrQgZl_i1BZl6QMdezYoO23UuMyJa1oG5g_RM=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYkIhkoghP5iEZHFXhi7xL5tEq3TKZRbUGg98O1Do9TLIjzw7YD_j2N0FhWc96mDnc2a4rQ10vbdjRl00V8pljQQHfYBVGmopgKSdFTY7Z0AdzJT17ZBp6q_uS9r9KeHrx8Ud-i5vBovUVyCCrQgZl_i1BZl6QMdezYoO23UuMyJa1oG5g_RM=w640-h426" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="797" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGXOWyxD9mxzxqyO-zy_6_0qhLAXuQn5B5hR_SnF_z17qK5CqHZKpCK2w59JbUZBw0QD32rch_5pxOoh_iuoobqvtoifCpFNRZ1kdI-dsdoXfUxZPcX8wBWFQNstsurYSe3ZGpNVZxFrE9sWpmrSUdOrDH4m8X9VryQMHz_D70weaUTTa7gos=w426-h640" width="426" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj85CNcMZ0v5Qu2pq3yrRoJsNeBUAd5fex9KLxB0N77vmsDGmO7vgqsy88kwf8QcY7z6kX_yCDLEpuUo2vv_17ypH3YAPKNHr2PtYyFhqMqN6yYi3nQ8fxeUr2ZllpKndb1V35xFmLZPiMLFgDjCqRYe34O_EZNZnySVnfmLhBxecs87qBW_64=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7YQGM1WzPlKkRp6YWnMDTYHf1FDihaOJvZAyEJ0ZJg-VAFgZEY84dBBeFJW9Vybo22znLuIWy4vXOvKQUysnYwvobX7QRRdHU5fQIOMhxU0iQFTzBLe5OsVi8DsBNYQ7jvfIeZmdAUscswhLSwpUW-LAz6lwG3j-nvL8cGeUjJQ7cvH-gvL8=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="797" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7YQGM1WzPlKkRp6YWnMDTYHf1FDihaOJvZAyEJ0ZJg-VAFgZEY84dBBeFJW9Vybo22znLuIWy4vXOvKQUysnYwvobX7QRRdHU5fQIOMhxU0iQFTzBLe5OsVi8DsBNYQ7jvfIeZmdAUscswhLSwpUW-LAz6lwG3j-nvL8cGeUjJQ7cvH-gvL8=w426-h640" width="426" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzxKgI-TGobQ4itABQylUUZxtXIqkBPrtac9Wt2YNuh25QzkYSJXMVXrx2PnYK0AkqpAsVFjCPZlOpD_pDBqhh3rzIoiykg6dCeu2S5l-VuRekpbtDcV2c4CQsIS_u9XGQa_romsPsu89-yTCKLf0-2JAjKop9_jxLKRB35ewEUayUoEV8wLQ=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="797" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzxKgI-TGobQ4itABQylUUZxtXIqkBPrtac9Wt2YNuh25QzkYSJXMVXrx2PnYK0AkqpAsVFjCPZlOpD_pDBqhh3rzIoiykg6dCeu2S5l-VuRekpbtDcV2c4CQsIS_u9XGQa_romsPsu89-yTCKLf0-2JAjKop9_jxLKRB35ewEUayUoEV8wLQ=w426-h640" width="426" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_VggLooDJ3L5iQXwesjRyvJIYC-xeVk6Pkh9LAT96OJSfC35uMIsAaIzPdqH67eMp1_74gHnpUyCinb9ZYt6vzhhOb-p2UNCbMLXxOtpo-H4WRxpW_kZER-hFOBd7NfXUUdbJNiUjGX5Xf19vdOQItTRwiUtJ0uCSPAYeoxLR9VC4gJETEMs=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_VggLooDJ3L5iQXwesjRyvJIYC-xeVk6Pkh9LAT96OJSfC35uMIsAaIzPdqH67eMp1_74gHnpUyCinb9ZYt6vzhhOb-p2UNCbMLXxOtpo-H4WRxpW_kZER-hFOBd7NfXUUdbJNiUjGX5Xf19vdOQItTRwiUtJ0uCSPAYeoxLR9VC4gJETEMs=w480-h640" width="480" /></span></a></div></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMrCcLvMriktY2eatdudQLjvEqPly0H7RiqBL0toTiWCLrN9Ht5rIvl6HIv7WAafoQzipleBSzEszSppr7okmbVnQvvtxofK0ggQNkrx74WXAhVkXJehxveC0UxvQvbaMKkJPb4YNv7hz6Z_skO3DeFgAlwb4jwukrm9if1o_Okg2tAYJG2gY=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="797" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMrCcLvMriktY2eatdudQLjvEqPly0H7RiqBL0toTiWCLrN9Ht5rIvl6HIv7WAafoQzipleBSzEszSppr7okmbVnQvvtxofK0ggQNkrx74WXAhVkXJehxveC0UxvQvbaMKkJPb4YNv7hz6Z_skO3DeFgAlwb4jwukrm9if1o_Okg2tAYJG2gY=w426-h640" width="426" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">We did not visit the museum on the site, but spent some meaningful time around the reflecting pools memorializing the loss of life on September 11, 2001. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We walked to the Chinatown neighborhood and had some amazing hand-ripped noodles for a late lunch. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggxpF8YOsvmkQIv_8FiLgYhkYXS0H6NAWQZl6UctKJIQLLvDjiLwSv8D4zX53KfrvWFhbNJKJJRuW2LybhUENFkiVupJC4NQFndHIvPS_3Gs7puyH4bGcWT19k8463A8HFjLbtDQOAczf4M-qJ0Kmsa0y4ZJaKUy-8ujGfOIL7bCM0EfaBNWk=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggxpF8YOsvmkQIv_8FiLgYhkYXS0H6NAWQZl6UctKJIQLLvDjiLwSv8D4zX53KfrvWFhbNJKJJRuW2LybhUENFkiVupJC4NQFndHIvPS_3Gs7puyH4bGcWT19k8463A8HFjLbtDQOAczf4M-qJ0Kmsa0y4ZJaKUy-8ujGfOIL7bCM0EfaBNWk=w480-h640" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeQBWh1S2clcy6EfBjyY2a-3Duacs1HZOM17t1OsgLY6MI3f_PNWx9EEjLhp81rA7BYGL0WeFC2TxNZV6_kpqsT6tfcRRb9lop04vduR_GxctVCNrDz_2PLpojEKxJgANvXDdnGAf1MIRpc9q4pT_XNKLgtPJuSmSpzmRhkiATnWX0s7rGAbE=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeQBWh1S2clcy6EfBjyY2a-3Duacs1HZOM17t1OsgLY6MI3f_PNWx9EEjLhp81rA7BYGL0WeFC2TxNZV6_kpqsT6tfcRRb9lop04vduR_GxctVCNrDz_2PLpojEKxJgANvXDdnGAf1MIRpc9q4pT_XNKLgtPJuSmSpzmRhkiATnWX0s7rGAbE=w480-h640" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We walked back to Broadway and managed to catch our Tour Bus. We were actually within walking distance of the theater for Blue Man Group, but we would have arrived much too early and we hadn't yet completed the tour loop, so we got on the bus with almost two hours to spare on the supposed "one-hour loop." We should *still* have time to spare. For a variety of reasons, the bus we were on was moving slower than expected. At one stop, after waiting for a while, we were instructed to disembark and then board a different bus, where we waited even longer. Finally, after a driver change and safety checks and arguments between other fed-up passengers and Tour employees, we started moving again. At this point, Midtown traffic was as bad as we ever saw it and it was slow-going even after we started moving. We had about 15 minutes before the show was scheduled to begin (5pm) and there was no way we were going to make it on time riding the tour bus. We probably would have made it faster walking, but still would have been late for the show. </span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We got off the tour bus.</span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, I may have small town roots, but I've seen enough movies and television and cartoons to know that what one does in the big city when facing this problem: one hails a cab. So, I stepped off the sidewalk and put my arm out toward the street and -- Holy Smoke, it worked! -- I'll be darned if a Yellow Cab didn't stop almost immediately, right there on Sixth Avenue! We had taken a very similar vehicle from the airport and, on that ride, I rode in the passenger seat in the front and Christy, Hannah, and Harrison sat on the bench seat in the back. This time, the same three piled into the bench seat in the back and I opened the passenger side door, but was told, in no uncertain terms, that EVERYBODY needed to be in the back. OK. So, I climbed into the space between the front seat and the legs of my family members and the cab started moving. I shouted the name and address of the destination and received no audible acknowledgment. I had to get on my phone to make sure we were even headed in the right direction! Credit where credit is due: we arrived directly in front of the theater only a few moments after the show was scheduled to begin. Fortunately, the show started a few minutes late and we found our seats and Christy and Hannah even had time to use the bathroom and get back to our seats before the show started.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGRxK73nLGyiNYtIhure8xhn6tCck3vTHNy64WYqaRiEtROnVJ5TcWS1MyJcbiOBGqfPUlH557U0X-hpfYQ9DuhngMJiw_D8ybFWJReRnZifAG28TQ1my9ugpNlYzlliO1_XRIInipyf93maPsz5RQVCfQySSc3I8fymuCRsp6DWl0N5iKU3E=s3264" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGRxK73nLGyiNYtIhure8xhn6tCck3vTHNy64WYqaRiEtROnVJ5TcWS1MyJcbiOBGqfPUlH557U0X-hpfYQ9DuhngMJiw_D8ybFWJReRnZifAG28TQ1my9ugpNlYzlliO1_XRIInipyf93maPsz5RQVCfQySSc3I8fymuCRsp6DWl0N5iKU3E=w640-h480" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have always wanted to see Blue Man Group. Just from CDs and DVDs and YouTube videos and performances on late-night television, I enjoy their particular brand of humor and style of music. They did not disappoint. Their classic bits were fun to see in person and their entire show is innovative and immersive, both visually and aurally. </span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">One thing we DID know about our tour bus, was that the "hop-on; hop-off" feature did not extend into the evening hours. The Yellow Cab had worked beautifully earlier in the moment of panic, but the NYC subway system is definitely the most efficient way to get around the city. Besides, if you go to NYC and *don't* ride the subway, did you even go -- really?? So the subway worked nicely to get us back to Times Square and even though we have a few now in the Indianapolis area, we hadn't yet been, so we ate at a Shake Shack for the first time.</span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">One positive about our tour bus was that they were double-decker and the top, um -- decker -- was mostly open air. Cold in December? Well, yes, at times, but ALSO good for unobstructed photos. Another nice thing was that the Night Tour's only pick-up/drop-off spot was right across from our hotel. So, after Shake Shack, we did take the Night Tour Bus.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hEUtqHgQrBA" width="320" youtube-src-id="hEUtqHgQrBA"></iframe></span></span></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4Xpdwf4q8xNFXvC9223HzxXbMX5zqol4VbmEPy_jsIVnm6E9-jBUYAIrxTgU-XubL3mlq0SAzssEta72vPwKC5knkb3CzZwg42hd6XDHFLbMLxTlS8W8nzIo1wisztANZItwJb0k8XItvTV_3se8FbAlfwGPDgFqGkHK-Qni1h9uvrEFdetc=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="796" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4Xpdwf4q8xNFXvC9223HzxXbMX5zqol4VbmEPy_jsIVnm6E9-jBUYAIrxTgU-XubL3mlq0SAzssEta72vPwKC5knkb3CzZwg42hd6XDHFLbMLxTlS8W8nzIo1wisztANZItwJb0k8XItvTV_3se8FbAlfwGPDgFqGkHK-Qni1h9uvrEFdetc=w424-h640" width="424" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiO2nUMISyywurAlDYEo5-J18AjK6Yt09ApRnWoI7y16HGEnkUyyBnnzOvpCnJAwuNefb_3gZUKltd6JivHKDzIDO6xUvTEP_p_NqGL9m2QCE0SQ9g387sgd4oznrgFUEYc1OB0W3lfTD4UclTsJ703oCibJhLfFQFhQ9kedQRGEdBBkZoOmVA=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiO2nUMISyywurAlDYEo5-J18AjK6Yt09ApRnWoI7y16HGEnkUyyBnnzOvpCnJAwuNefb_3gZUKltd6JivHKDzIDO6xUvTEP_p_NqGL9m2QCE0SQ9g387sgd4oznrgFUEYc1OB0W3lfTD4UclTsJ703oCibJhLfFQFhQ9kedQRGEdBBkZoOmVA=w640-h426" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhd2BG0j1HogGlWYFguq2qRUvypD2gk4TNL8xMUFeyq6P8MoYvOBci2HWvqI4r9beb4laDm6gqx68H6UbD4KBt1W5qjtPVfBcioTPPgyE2-LSK8vBbJT9mJx8yf3NCoCJgwpciUum0YF7j2IPhtZzDo98ffmld2pMkYTd1qxxW1Z1f2kbCalA=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="797" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhd2BG0j1HogGlWYFguq2qRUvypD2gk4TNL8xMUFeyq6P8MoYvOBci2HWvqI4r9beb4laDm6gqx68H6UbD4KBt1W5qjtPVfBcioTPPgyE2-LSK8vBbJT9mJx8yf3NCoCJgwpciUum0YF7j2IPhtZzDo98ffmld2pMkYTd1qxxW1Z1f2kbCalA=w426-h640" width="426" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEic2pc6s16Umh8VplceRUyqqt1GtNxck997G6ackc485sLWdlbMf5HoZzU6cYQdiYUHo0rwyI718yfwHxKnv_ZjP3EYE6TrQmWgmZySdr5AId8mo9Gce6qtJ_1YL-qkBjbFpsTtBwWhJjMC94oTEVdhTIgnFBS9RLyxCSftQ6cDUMw7rZ3_CUg=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="797" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEic2pc6s16Umh8VplceRUyqqt1GtNxck997G6ackc485sLWdlbMf5HoZzU6cYQdiYUHo0rwyI718yfwHxKnv_ZjP3EYE6TrQmWgmZySdr5AId8mo9Gce6qtJ_1YL-qkBjbFpsTtBwWhJjMC94oTEVdhTIgnFBS9RLyxCSftQ6cDUMw7rZ3_CUg=w426-h640" width="426" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that was Thursday.</span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">****</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Friday:</span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks to social media, we became aware that our friends from Anderson, Indiana, Michael and Kayla, were also in New York City the same time as us, so we agreed to meet up on Friday. Seeing the Statue of Liberty was definitely on my "list" for NYC, but since we had seen it from the One World Trade Center Observatory, I mostly had that item checked off my list. Michael and Kayla's plans for Friday included taking the Staten Island Ferry as a free way to get a good view of the Statue of Liberty. We decided to join them in the afternoon and I'm glad we did. They are great and we don't make efforts to see them, even though we live in the same town. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Also, I was pleased not only with the views we had of the statue but also of the southern tip of Manhattan from the ferry. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVE0OwHoFhkPeHs565PD7SfnwFxnSDHUpspwR2FE87dygpcsimjFxfTseTcdoatRGfFZWMPZYb3bDxW7G14QN_xPNivFPDd1tIkDU1UKlD3LNy-PEU-TJZlOSkb_iB-z4l4M1ofBgDiqn_RgonX8CWTv4A4kKNgj4AOEB5vJ3qSm8zaBxunyc=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVE0OwHoFhkPeHs565PD7SfnwFxnSDHUpspwR2FE87dygpcsimjFxfTseTcdoatRGfFZWMPZYb3bDxW7G14QN_xPNivFPDd1tIkDU1UKlD3LNy-PEU-TJZlOSkb_iB-z4l4M1ofBgDiqn_RgonX8CWTv4A4kKNgj4AOEB5vJ3qSm8zaBxunyc=w640-h426" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMvFl8HqsAOECrudHIYYH2CgmY046uBwR6AHRm65TJR15Y81Lwpl4b5tmGlx7q0Ib8RG1RUgiUWhTWo60OQAQGEz5gLlkiwHZHEjjhuFFu-lnSZHgy5VqaYdYfCkZ2MEqlmxxj6Q6FWLbokthyOpHXnrmZsG4iuxJnh9UZE-OCR8fXLfiiRTw=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="797" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMvFl8HqsAOECrudHIYYH2CgmY046uBwR6AHRm65TJR15Y81Lwpl4b5tmGlx7q0Ib8RG1RUgiUWhTWo60OQAQGEz5gLlkiwHZHEjjhuFFu-lnSZHgy5VqaYdYfCkZ2MEqlmxxj6Q6FWLbokthyOpHXnrmZsG4iuxJnh9UZE-OCR8fXLfiiRTw=w426-h640" width="426" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvHvSGUfYM6xEiIdkoDlptjA-lmAr40IG5syKrxoT_1b0hj9g1SOAjhvupbPoft-guK-2t2nvsX4k5t-wqmhOranQYUACCPFARbDs5ND-Q22QXgJhslMpNXHiODWdmWEitKHHOmegVJViB0kDfJxx2RRIeZ1tutD9yVbVqOGdQ0gMvfUj2auo=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvHvSGUfYM6xEiIdkoDlptjA-lmAr40IG5syKrxoT_1b0hj9g1SOAjhvupbPoft-guK-2t2nvsX4k5t-wqmhOranQYUACCPFARbDs5ND-Q22QXgJhslMpNXHiODWdmWEitKHHOmegVJViB0kDfJxx2RRIeZ1tutD9yVbVqOGdQ0gMvfUj2auo=w640-h426" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRmxd1K7fFO-anh2ZX8xjl0cGeOiruG7o2waPz_1_4tgadNuNqyZewNS73Dn2uUfszGS8pYcQb_gGikY1BBJn7U8KRRk7lMYloN8LB7weR3b4G14iNbXg7r-NWDaqIyybXToptUZW2g4ueDjHA1xLohbuWyB4EYJoEEjdWE72rdFAztA8iYZI=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="797" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRmxd1K7fFO-anh2ZX8xjl0cGeOiruG7o2waPz_1_4tgadNuNqyZewNS73Dn2uUfszGS8pYcQb_gGikY1BBJn7U8KRRk7lMYloN8LB7weR3b4G14iNbXg7r-NWDaqIyybXToptUZW2g4ueDjHA1xLohbuWyB4EYJoEEjdWE72rdFAztA8iYZI=w426-h640" width="426" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpSA9szwjRzBmqSlli9rlGJNTs-SEMnr3lXCkfQPKm9pwt2cUTNkFRFI9tm2i3_x2cwLM4iE7MW4XUsS9sOMe4-i5q_epSOaIVOdFjUUs7hCM6wLC_LAdkQDiT6-ghE1e86KJ1bNoQbpRoRnE7NsQw07GaoPCA-Kv0PGUx6MYGKlIWJNsBV-s=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpSA9szwjRzBmqSlli9rlGJNTs-SEMnr3lXCkfQPKm9pwt2cUTNkFRFI9tm2i3_x2cwLM4iE7MW4XUsS9sOMe4-i5q_epSOaIVOdFjUUs7hCM6wLC_LAdkQDiT6-ghE1e86KJ1bNoQbpRoRnE7NsQw07GaoPCA-Kv0PGUx6MYGKlIWJNsBV-s=w640-h426" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">One thing that none of us had taken into consideration was that many restaurants in the financial district were closed because it was Christmas Eve and the markets were closed for the observed Christmas holiday. We ended up finding a grocery/market that had a deli and some other decent food options so we enjoyed catching up with Michael and Kayla over a meal, too! We used our last subway fares to ride from Wall Street back to Times Square. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAjAsh_J7U6iY-E0-iwhktHxoAgCxOoUKkZCZJmHf_X1ynHP1pYxX3HFEPNXImE86Y9Ks4eg_Ocm4jamG8Yy4JxAiU5ZVgSh4CpSKHjU123Q-zCv3LNP7xj9OhFgOi6nAK1Gvqab40cJDvVuOm2-3rntsDEb0ajMvQnBJIHhCMN132JWu-bso=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAjAsh_J7U6iY-E0-iwhktHxoAgCxOoUKkZCZJmHf_X1ynHP1pYxX3HFEPNXImE86Y9Ks4eg_Ocm4jamG8Yy4JxAiU5ZVgSh4CpSKHjU123Q-zCv3LNP7xj9OhFgOi6nAK1Gvqab40cJDvVuOm2-3rntsDEb0ajMvQnBJIHhCMN132JWu-bso=w640-h426" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">****</span></span></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saturday:</span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We became aware on Friday that many airlines were delaying and/or canceling flights approaching the holiday. I was anxious that it would affect us, but we were very fortunate that we did not have any issues and even landed back in Indianapolis a few minutes earlier than expected. Our luggage came through and we even found our car in the airport parking lot without issue. We were happy to have our "Christmas in NYC" adventures, but very grateful to be back home, too!</span><br style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-36972786732888850062014-09-02T23:25:00.000-04:002014-09-02T23:26:14.995-04:00SPC - August - 'Back'#1<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14696664947" title="Back by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5586/14696664947_c4dcf77cc3_z.jpg" width="426" height="640" alt="Back"></a>
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#2<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14931951726" title="Back of the book by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5570/14931951726_39fa37fd7f_z.jpg" width="640" height="640" alt="Back of the book"></a>
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#3<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/15024673221" title="Fixing my Back Bike Brake by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5579/15024673221_2c939fca69_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="Fixing my Back Bike Brake"></a>
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#4<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14902273468" title="Back at the mountain bike trails... by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3911/14902273468_3ac22810ef_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="Back at the mountain bike trails..."></a>
<br>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-80070356259143053682014-09-02T23:19:00.000-04:002014-09-02T23:26:15.010-04:00SPC - July - 'Enclosed Spaces'#1 - "Cave"<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14593195415" title="Man - Cave by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5475/14593195415_eca1acba1e_z.jpg" width="640" height="470" alt="Man - Cave"></a>
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#2 - "Vehicle Trunk"<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14463653490" title="Trapped by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3839/14463653490_4e8eca439d_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="Trapped"></a>
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#3 - "Van"<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14519463227" title="If enclosed one must be... by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5564/14519463227_d4668673e5_z.jpg" width="640" height="513" alt="If enclosed one must be..."></a>
<br>
#4 - "Book"<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14764243252" title="Stuck in a book by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2896/14764243252_9f0ab717f8_z.jpg" width="640" height="640" alt="Stuck in a book"></a>
<br>
#5 - "Playground Turtle"<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14637748130" title="Playing "Turtle-Turtle" in our T-shirts by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3905/14637748130_1c565c721a_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="Playing "Turtle-Turtle" in our T-shirts"></a>
<br>
This specific playground turtle, to be exact:<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14824085622" title="Turtle by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5566/14824085622_c404752dcc_n.jpg" width="320" height="213" alt="Turtle"></a><br>
...and an accidental bonus - 'enclosed' in a marketing campaign by Coca-Cola:<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14822085274" title="coke by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3860/14822085274_b2217d9a90.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="coke"></a>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-64464611534037978392014-09-02T23:12:00.000-04:002014-09-02T23:26:15.006-04:00SPC - June - 'Rainbow'#1<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14193386949" title="Cardstock by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5237/14193386949_a08c2a709c_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="Cardstock"></a><br>
#2<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14432316054" title="ROYGBIV by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3884/14432316054_02d4811a5d_z.jpg" width="425" height="640" alt="ROYGBIV"></a><br>
#3<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14299939119" title="Rainbow Ride by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5529/14299939119_c59c63147f_z.jpg" width="425" height="640" alt="Rainbow Ride"></a><br>
#4<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14540009915" title="Rainbow CDs by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5471/14540009915_7fec3618c8_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="Rainbow CDs"></a><br>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-47108903446523898842014-09-02T23:05:00.000-04:002014-09-02T23:26:15.002-04:00SPC - May - 'Barely There'#1<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14145972211" title="Footloose by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7459/14145972211_978a77a709_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="Footloose"></a><br>
#2<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14195163956" title="Creeper by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2905/14195163956_5717c12735_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="Creeper"></a><br>
#3<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14280826905" title="Barely Reflected by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3759/14280826905_9cd85d2123_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="Barely Reflected"></a><br>
#4<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14108648969" title="FORTY by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3684/14108648969_e9a1aca8c2_z.jpg" width="640" height="640" alt="FORTY"></a><br>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-3869223613673307072014-09-02T23:00:00.000-04:002014-09-02T23:26:14.998-04:00Catching up...SPC - April - 'Album Covers'I've still been shooting themed self portraits for Self Portrait Challenge. I've been posting regularly over on Flickr, but have gotten behind here on this blog space.<br />
<br />
The challenge theme for May was "Album Covers"<br />
<br />
#1<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/13686105723" title="Fast Forward by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img alt="Fast Forward" height="592" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2877/13686105723_f05ee70c3c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Referencing:<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/13686417034" title="Moby - Play - Front by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img alt="Moby - Play - Front" height="320" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7188/13686417034_c5f5283e78_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<br />
#2 & #3<br />
<br />
These two were inspired by a Flickr group called <a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/sleeveface/">Sleeveface</a> and also by a couple of vinyl records found at Goodwill on a 50% Saturday.<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/13839325404" title="The Importance of Being Franco by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7393/13839325404_6fa801bb8a_z.jpg" width="439" height="640" alt="The Importance of Being Franco"></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/13977238243" title="Tilt your head by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/13977238243_319ba743c0_z.jpg" width="640" height="640" alt="Tilt your head"></a><br>
<br>
Finally, the last two (#4 & #5) were originals:<br>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/14023109326" title="Do Not Adjust by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2928/14023109326_e83d7850b3_z.jpg" width="640" height="640" alt="Do Not Adjust"></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/13926170568" title="Open The Blast Doors by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5442/13926170568_80b617a793_z.jpg" width="640" height="640" alt="Open The Blast Doors"></a>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-69105519556484605522014-04-05T01:26:00.000-04:002014-04-05T01:26:49.718-04:00SPC - 'Instruments' - #3 & #4#3<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/13371162003" title="Class of '92 by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img alt="Class of '92" height="800" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3731/13371162003_0e5e0270b5_c.jpg" width="531" /></a>
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<br />
<b>Class of '92
</b><br />
<br />
The instrument I'm holding in the photo is a tenor saxophone. This was the horn I played throughout high school - marching band, etc. The horn belonged to my Uncle before it was handed down to me. When it came time to choose an instrument (5th/6th grade), my Dad made some calls and discovered that two saxophones that belonged to my Uncle were stored in an attic at my Granddaddy's farm. These were retrieved so that I would have a choice <i>other</i> than my Dad's trumpet/coronet. There was an alto sax case and a tenor sax case. When I opened the tenor sax case and saw that it was <i>silver</i>, the choice was made.
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<br />
The "smokin' sax" poster belonged to me. I carted it to this photo studio <i>twice</i> (long story) to get this shot.
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<br />
If you have a dictionary from around 1992 and you look up "cool" in it, you might just find this photo. :-)
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<br />
*************************************<br />
<br />
#4<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/13526965093" title="Photographic Instruments by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img alt="Photographic Instruments" height="800" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2935/13526965093_5f858b420e_c.jpg" width="531" /></a><br />
<b>Photographic Instruments</b><br />
<br />
Hard to believe that in a photographic group such as this, that no one (else) interpreted the "Instruments" theme to include the optical instrument with the ability to record images that we all use week in -- week out - the camera.
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<br />
The kids and I visited our very local State Park three times last week (their Spring Break) for various activities. On Sunday, the activity was a photo scavenger hunt. We succeeded in capturing most of the ten items (or our interpretations of them, at least). Most of the time, I had each kid with one camera body and spent my time watching them explore a bit. One objective was for them to build a shelter. We found this fallen limb and I threw my coat over it and they got in. I took both cameras and they thought it would be funny for me to take a picture of myself taking a picture of them in their 'shelter.'
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<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/13527189534" title="Shelter by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2822/13527189534_7da46cb183.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Shelter"></a>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-3271093931531412652014-03-22T18:51:00.000-04:002014-03-22T18:51:38.582-04:00SPC - 'Instruments' - #2<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/13211146064/" title="Un poco piano... by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2846/13211146064_86aa1a5407_c.jpg" width="700" height="465" alt="Un poco piano..."></a>
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<br>
I play piano like I speak Spanish. I've received instruction to do so and passed classes that require a certain level of proficiency; I hear it better than I speak it; some passages are quite familiar while more elaborate passages elude me; I understand much of the vocabulary, yet the intricacies of the grammar are beyond my abilities; I know that with practice and study, my skills would improve, even today, but I don't spend the time. In both cases, I have a level of <i>literacy</i> but lack <i>fluency</i>.
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<br>
Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-33208318073742738862014-03-10T00:23:00.000-04:002014-03-10T00:23:13.287-04:00SPC - 'Instruments' - #1<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/13050316303/" title="Red Pen by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3426/13050316303_7d8cbe5136_c.jpg" width="700" height="465" alt="Red Pen"></a>
<br>
<br>
So, I'm teaching a class at my alma mater, <a href="http://anderson.edu/" rel="nofollow">Anderson University</a>. The course is called -- wait for it -- "Legal Aspects of the Music Business."
<br>
<br>
We look at contracts that get used in the business and learn major (and subtle) points of negotiation; how to avoid pitfalls (even when the language appears benign) -- all the while, learning plenty about the sometimes tricky language and structure of contracts.
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<br>
OK, I know you all want to...take it easy, now -- no shoving -- form a single-file line!!
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<br>
Yeah, it's a class that *I* took when I was there. <i>Pretty</i> exciting. :-)
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<br>
Despite my background and experience dealing with much of the course material, it takes me longer than I would care to admit to feel prepared to stand in the front of a classroom (something I've <i>never</i> done before) and give what most would describe as a -- ahem -- lecture.
<br>
<br>
I *do* believe that the course was valuable in my education and I hope that my students do (or, at least, someday will) believe the same.
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<br>
Minus the anxiety that I feel as time each week dwindles and my feelings of unpreparedness grow, I have enjoyed teaching the class. The very little feedback I've received from my students, so far, has been mostly positive. I'll have to wait until the end of the semester for mandatory anonymous student evaluations.
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<br>
I believe that if I have the opportunity to teach the class again, that I'll be able to refine and focus the material and approach. I am learning lots. I am certain that this will be a good example of the so-cliché-it-sounds-like-an-Onion-headline, "Teacher learns more than students." :-)
<br>
<br>
It's a two-credit-hour class, but only meets one time each week in the evenings. To my knowledge, it's always been taught by an adjunct professor. Until <i>very</i> recently, it's always been taught by an instructor with a full-time job! :-)
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<br>
The photo is me grading papers. I apologized to my class for using red pen all over their papers, but I figured this might be my one and only chance to participate in yet another teacher cliché!
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<br>
For Self Portrait Challenge - The challenge theme for March is 'Instruments.'<br>
<br>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-79505325779955878192014-03-10T00:05:00.000-04:002014-03-10T00:06:31.023-04:00SPC - 'Favorite Songs' - #4<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/12897283564/" title="Head Over Heels by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2810/12897283564_7d172728f6_c.jpg" width="700" height="465" alt="Head Over Heels"></a>
<br>
<br>
Using Tears For Fears' 80s <a href="http://youtu.be/NYx8IHJ9dWE" rel="nofollow">classic</a> for my final entry this month because - even after seventeen years - I'm still 'Head Over Heels' in love with this girl.
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<br>
#funnyhowtimeflies
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<br>
For Self Portrait Challenge - 'Favorite Songs'
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<br>
Here's an alternate:<br>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/12897281434/" title="head-over-heels-alternate by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7423/12897281434_b4b426df81.jpg" width="345" height="500" alt="head-over-heels-alternate" /></a><br>
<br>
I've always been amused at the counterintuitiveness of this idiom. "Head Over Heels," usually is the normal state of affairs, but its meaning is precisely the opposite. A quick glance at my ever-ready American Heritage <i>Dictionary of Idioms</i> says, "This expression originated in the 1300s as <i>heels over head</i> and meant literally being upside down. It took its present form in the 1700s and its present meaning in the 1800s."
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<br>
This is my...<br>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/12897365274/" title="four-leaf-clover by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3781/12897365274_49edf1296b_n.jpg" width="320" height="320" alt="four-leaf-clover" /></a><br>
Four Leaf CloverJeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-86307297415517012602014-02-25T23:49:00.000-05:002014-02-25T23:49:21.601-05:00SPC - 'Favorite Songs' - #3<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/12736525985/" title="Walk by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7458/12736525985_952be5b592_c.jpg" width="700" height="465" alt="Walk"></a>
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<br>
Every once in a while, I have to load <a href="http://youtu.be/Xnmzins2Uow" rel="nofollow">this video</a> on Youtube and listen to Foo Fighters play their entire album "Wasting Light" in an even more "raw" form than it comes across in all of its analog glory in the studio recording. Love to see Grohl's emotion come through so viscerally and to see Taylor Hawkins absolutely *wailing* on the drums. I don't tolerate much "scream" in vocals on the music I listen to, but I could listen to Dave Grohl scream/sing just about all day and not get tired of it.
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<br>
I wouldn't go so far as to say that "Walk" is my favorite song on the album, but it was the one that occurred to me that I could easily portray visually for the SPC contributions.
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<br>
If you don't have the 49 minutes to watch the entire thing, <a href="http://youtu.be/Xnmzins2Uow?t=44m20s" rel="nofollow">here's</a> the start point for "Walk" on that video and <a href="http://youtu.be/4PkcfQtibmU" rel="nofollow">here's</a> the goofy music video.
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<br>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-56539411332904181072014-02-20T22:54:00.000-05:002014-02-20T22:54:35.391-05:00SPC - 'Favorite Songs' - #2<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/12555725733/" title="Drive by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7421/12555725733_2abf85137d_c.jpg" width="700" height="465" alt="Drive"></a>
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<a href="http://youtu.be/xuZA6qiJVfU" rel="nofollow">"Drive"</a> by The Cars (1984).<br>
<br>
Something about the groove on this song has always appealed to me. A bit of research (Wikipedia - *cough*) merited some interesting facts I did not know about this song. The song was *written* by Cars' frontman, Ric Ocasek, but the lead vocals on the record were sung by the group's bassist, Benjamin Orr. Apparently, Orr also did lead vocals on "Let's Go" and "Just What I Needed."<br>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-4690554366036872382014-02-09T16:11:00.000-05:002014-02-09T16:11:45.113-05:00SPC - 'Favorite Songs' - #1<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/12401146315/" title="Cruel Summer by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7378/12401146315_a4563ac8db_c.jpg" width="700" height="465" alt="Cruel Summer"></a>
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<br>
Sometimes, when I have a bunch of snow shoveling to do, I'll take the time to get my iPod and earbuds and listen to music to pass the time. I almost always have my iPod set for full shuffle and with 3000+ songs, I just never know what I'm going to get next. I have found that certain songs take on unintended meaning while shoveling snow:<br>
Vivaldi's "Spring" <br>
Adele's Bond theme, "Skyfall"<br>
Just about anything by The Beach Boys....<br>
<br>
One time, Bananarama's "Cruel Summer" came on and I was amused by the irony.<br>
<br>
When I decided to do "Favorite Songs" as a SPC theme for the month of February, it occurred to me that I might employ that irony with this song and a shot of one dressed inappropriately for the elements in this "cruel summer."<br>
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I can't hear this song without thinking of the <a href="http://youtu.be/ebIhzVlmGls" rel="nofollow">montage</a> from <i>Karate Kid</i> when Daniel is arriving at school on his bike, attending soccer practice and chatting with Ali (with an "i").<br>
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:-)<br>
Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-32339377374630198012014-02-03T09:04:00.000-05:002014-02-03T09:04:38.835-05:00SPC - 'Flashback 2013' - #4<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="267" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=140315" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=086aea6fe9&photo_id=12282119505"></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=140315"></param> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=140315" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=086aea6fe9&photo_id=12282119505" height="267" width="400"></embed></object>
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<br>
So, I think I've covered all eleven themes from 2013 here is this last of the SPC 'Flashback' contributions:
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<br>
*Video (obviously)<br>
*Widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio)<br>
*blur<br>
*tiny words<br>
*many/mini<br>
*white space<br>
*orange<br>
*blue<br>
*symmetry<br>
*superpowers (origami!)<br>
* Um -- oh crap, I forgot 'internet memes' -- what an.....<br>
(wait for it)<br>
....EPIC FAIL!!<br>
<br>
<br>
:-)
Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-18644753076976069672014-01-27T00:18:00.000-05:002014-01-27T00:18:39.176-05:00SPC - 'Flashback 2013' - #3<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/12166601844/" title="School Projects by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5494/12166601844_3599a6efd0_c.jpg" width="700" height="700" alt="School Projects"></a>
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<br>
At school, Harrison is getting ready to celebrate the 100th day of school with a collection of 100 things. His collection is of 100 propeller beads in four groups of 25 beads (The clear beads are a little difficult to see). He was excited to get to use the hot glue gun for his project.
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<br>
Hannah's science class is studying the solar system and her project (besides a written report) is a model of her chosen planet, Neptune. We got the traditional Styrofoam sphere from Hobby Lobby, but instead of painting it, we decided to use watered-down school glue on colored tissue paper. It gives the planet model interesting coloration and texture. We're letting it dry to see if any touch-up work is necessary and we need to work on the cross-section showing the inner make-up of the planet, but it is coming along nicely.
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<br>
Flashback themes:<br>
Blue<br>
White space<br>
tiny words<br>
Many - propeller beads<br>
Mini - Model Neptune<br>
Orange - (incidental)<br>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-74657494204743185222014-01-19T23:28:00.000-05:002014-01-19T23:28:06.124-05:00SPC - 'Flashback 2013' - #2<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/12025396265/" title="EXIT by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3749/12025396265_c64e63d6d5_c.jpg" width="700" height="394" alt="EXIT"></a>
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<br>
This was taken mere seconds before I walked out of this building as an employee for the final time.
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<br>
In October, the company who had employed me for over 17 years informed me that the department for which I had worked that entire time would be outsourced to a company in Nashville, Tennessee effective January 1, 2014.
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<br>
The months of October, November and December were spent alongside my long-time colleagues and friends assisting in the transition to the new company.
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<br>
This day, I was the last one out of the building of only a very few who came in on a day that was officially a holiday.
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<br>
I gathered the last few personal items from my area, put my key on my boss's desk, turned out the lights, locked the door and walked through the dark and cold of the lonely parking lot to the only car remaining in the lot.
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<br>
Darn near poetic.
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<br>
I am not quite sure what's next for me. I know I'll be OK, but I don't adjust well to change. I tend to be content and loyal. Risk-averse, some would say.
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<br>
Still, there is a part of me that is looking forward to the adventure of something new.
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<br>
I'll just feel better when I know what that "something new" is going to be.
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<br>
Themes:
Widescreen
tiny words
White Space (compare to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/9894344356/">this shot</a>).Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-16734703071981652242014-01-19T02:07:00.000-05:002014-01-19T02:07:43.767-05:00SPC - 'Flashback 2013' - #1During the month of January, Self Portrait Challenge will be looking back fondly on the themes from 2013 and combining two or more themes into a new self portrait.
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Here's my first:
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/11923820974/" title="Snowed In by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7440/11923820974_15d354d0eb_c.jpg" width="700" height="465" alt="Snowed In"></a>
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Combining themes: Blue and Many
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What to do when your family is effectively snowed in? Make hot drinks and start a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. You can see Harrison in the background. He likes puzzles and made his fair share of contributions to the joint effort, but he was taking an exercise break when this photo was taken, apparently.
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Progress shot:<br>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/11924178933/" title="DSC_6529 by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5471/11924178933_6b4d300cc2.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="DSC_6529"></a>
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and completion:<br>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/11942305585/" title="Boom by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5520/11942305585_6552a10a8b.jpg" width="500" height="346" alt="Boom"></a>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-31906272245513562392014-01-19T02:00:00.000-05:002014-01-19T02:01:16.060-05:00SPC - 'White Space' - 2/3/4/5So, like clockwork, December got crazy.
I kept current with the weekly challenges, but I fell behind in posting here.
Just catching up by posting my last four entries from December.
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If you're interested in any background, click through to the image on Flickr and there should be a bit more detail about these shots:
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/11396773833/" title="A Christmas Carol by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5520/11396773833_52c89136ba_c.jpg" width="700" height="465" alt="A Christmas Carol"></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/11508555775/" title="White Space by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5521/11508555775_acc71af112_c.jpg" width="465" height="700" alt="White Space"></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/11632315316/" title="Living Nativity by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7386/11632315316_59bd8bb66b_c.jpg" width="700" height="465" alt="Living Nativity"></a>
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This one (above) was taken as the kids and I attended a Living Nativity at a nearby Church before Christmas. Here's a bonus shot of the Nativity:
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/11631781773/" title="The Light Shines in the Darkness... by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2849/11631781773_1a286374c3.jpg" width="332" height="500" alt="The Light Shines in the Darkness..."></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/11792884946/" title="Indiana Snowstorm by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3781/11792884946_0330f3121e_c.jpg" width="700" height="465" alt="Indiana Snowstorm"></a>
Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-91368126017755265822013-12-16T00:12:00.002-05:002013-12-16T00:12:44.627-05:00SPC - 'White Space' - #1<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/11283905563/" title="Sticky Snow by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3707/11283905563_03bdea42dc_c.jpg" width="700" height="465" alt="Sticky Snow"></a>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-21241268681754142032013-12-04T07:05:00.003-05:002013-12-04T07:05:48.641-05:00SPC - 'tiny words' - #4<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/11166034155/" title="FLANNEL by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3776/11166034155_4da8754a06_z.jpg" width="426" height="640" alt="FLANNEL"></a>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-67183050199838984802013-11-30T20:58:00.001-05:002013-11-30T20:58:49.850-05:00SPC - 'tiny words' - #3<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/11043810394" title="gullible by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img alt="gullible" height="465" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2870/11043810394_b504deabba_c.jpg" width="700" /></a><br />
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Somebody once told me that "gullible" is not in the dictionary. <br />
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Ha! Shows what <i>they</i> know! <br />
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:-)Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-63332524367267478932013-11-19T13:21:00.000-05:002013-11-19T13:21:34.735-05:00SPC - 'tiny words' - #2<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/10921023245/" title="Confluence by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/10921023245_6339205f56_c.jpg" width="700" height="282" alt="Confluence"></a>Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-18596127787626775102013-11-11T11:44:00.000-05:002013-11-11T11:44:52.881-05:00SPC - 'tiny words' - #1Revisiting the 'tiny words' theme for November at Self Portrait Challenge
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/10793337264/" title="#NoShaveNovember by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3684/10793337264_0618c8eeb1_c.jpg" width="532" height="800" alt="#NoShaveNovember"></a>
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So I didn't start out to do the trendy "No Shave November" thing, but I did make a conscious choice to let my beard grow for a little while (I sometimes refer to it as "change I can control"). I got a bit of a head start beginning in late October. Still, some other guys at my church are playing along. We'll see how it goes.
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Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-82846221850579149182013-11-04T15:23:00.000-05:002013-11-04T15:23:53.301-05:00SPC - 'Orange' - #5You know you're getting older when...
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/10662127966/" title="You know you're getting older when... by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7302/10662127966_fb3bbc0dd3_c.jpg" width="700" height="461" alt="You know you're getting older when..."></a><br>
...you want to make a "senior portrait" joke but you hesitate because you wonder whether it will be understood as a senior portrait joke or a "senior" portrait joke.
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:-)Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359096.post-18785007977462058142013-10-31T07:25:00.000-04:002013-10-31T07:25:29.102-04:00Halloween 2013<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/10586339935/" title="Father/Daughter by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3809/10586339935_af444c85c8_c.jpg" width="531" height="800" alt="Father/Daughter"></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/10586391124/" title="Leia by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3725/10586391124_ef166d0f2e_c.jpg" width="531" height="800" alt="Leia"></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/10586607663/" title="Vader by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5503/10586607663_26ff9574db_c.jpg" width="531" height="800" alt="Vader"></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/10586392374/" title="Leia Minifig by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3716/10586392374_284598ede6_c.jpg" width="531" height="800" alt="Leia Minifig"></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/10586392684/" title="Vader Minifig by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3731/10586392684_e298e3cabe_c.jpg" width="531" height="800" alt="Vader Minifig"></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/10586335035/" title="Harrison Scooping by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7432/10586335035_41372404ac_c.jpg" width="700" height="465" alt="Harrison Scooping"></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/10586601783/" title="Hannah Scooping by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2886/10586601783_85f082447d_c.jpg" width="532" height="800" alt="Hannah Scooping"></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremystockwell/10586385374/" title="Jack O Lanterns by Jeremy Stockwell, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5475/10586385374_1c21f0a188_c.jpg" width="700" height="465" alt="Jack O Lanterns"></a>
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Jeremy Stockwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588877690446354814noreply@blogger.com1