Your Moment is Now

I went to the hotel today.  I was in New York, and even though it was morning, I was already tired, and I wanted to take a nap.  I went up to my room and did take a nap, and it was much longer than I had planned, and it was not until the next day that I woke up and realized that I needed to have breakfast.  Perhaps I would need to eat two breakfasts, one for yesterday, and it’s possible that I should work lunch and dinner in between these things.  But I don’t want this to become too much of an endless circle, because there are things I want to do besides eat.  New York has five star hotels that are sometimes exotic, and always rather pleasing in a way that apparently agrees with me.

I went downstairs and met the concierge.  She was an attractive woman, and when she spoke to me, she had a habit of brushing her hair away from her ear.  It was charming, and I recognized the gesture as one I had seen before, on other women who did not look like her.  I wanted to get her advice on the best way to walk the length of the city, and where one could go to spend some time looking into the water.  Instead, I forgot everything and tried to ask her to join me for supper.  I would insist!  If I had remembered, but I did not, and so I walked out of the hotel and looked for someone stranger than me, someone I could scorn openly.

There was no one and there were too many.  This was a rare day without clouds, and there was a feeling of purpose in my steps.  In the end, they would just be steps, but I was walking more quickly than usual.  Not twice as fast, and not even one and a half times as fast, but perhaps 20% faster.  This was a good pace.  It was enough.  Later on, I would be meeting with my friend, Camus, and we might talk about the city, or about the wars, or about the thousand things we always found in common to speak of, and sometime toward the end of the day, I might even consider something fried for my dinner.

The setting of the Oklahoma Territory inspired a grand slam musical written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. OK! It was the setting and the earlier Lynn Riggs play called Green Grow the Lilacs. This was the first musical for the future great duo and they really gave a lot of flash and awe over an old story with a different ending. The first play written with the Oklahoma theme was not a hit but Rodgers and Hammerstein made some great changes and it is still a top rated musical performed all over the world today.

Rodgers originally worked with Lorenz Hart and together they wrote some amazing songs like Blue Moon, The Lady is a Tramp, Falling in Love with Love and My Funny Valentine. When approached to do a project from the old Riggs play Hart didn’t want to have anything to do with it so Rodgers looked to Hammerstein to make it happen. Hammerstein’s original partner also refused to work on the project so that made a perfect fit for Rodgers and Hammerstein to take it on. They wrote the play and then cast singers who could act which was unusual for those days. They performed it in a small venue and then made some changes like adding the show stopper hit number Oklahoma and changing the name to Oklahoma and then opened it on Broadway in March 1943.

If you like show tunes maybe it would be fun to get the soundtrack to take with you while you drive around Oklahoma staying at luxurious hotels www.hotelsoklahoma.net singing classic songs like Oh What a Beautiful Mornin, Kansas City, It’s a Scandal! Its and Outrage!, People Will Say We’re in Love and Oklahoma song by all. If you know the musical you  can appreciate the references made about the show in other shows and industry fields like the popular South Park episode Bigger, Longer and Uncut. Meg Ryan and Billy Chrystal sing a karaoke version of Surrey With the Fringe on Top in the hit film When Harry met Sally.

In two films about a post-apocalyptic New York City, Twelve Monkeys (1995), in which most of the world has been destroyed by a deadly virus, and I am Legend (2007), in which most of the world, again, has been destroyed by a deadly virus that turns people into vampire-like beings — in these movies, you will see wild animals, tigers and lions, roaming the streets of Manhattan.  It’s a strange sight, the wild natural world against the man-made skyscraping towers of one of the world’s great cities.  But, of course, there are lions and tigers in Manhattan.  There are elephants, too, and gorillas, all in the center of town, but safely contained inside the Central Park Zoo.

While it may be odd to think of wild creatures in the center of a city, it’s less odd to think of a zoo in one.  Especially a zoo as interesting and as educational as the one in Central Park.  The zoo continuously puts together events for the public; two upcoming events include the “Naked” Polar Bear Cruise, which will raise funds for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) for each minute a person manages to spend on the ride.  It’s noted, though, that even thought it’s called the “Naked” Polar Bear Cruise, the “naked” part is in quotes and they actually require you to be in a bathing suit, and not naked at all.  The event is scheduled for February 27th.  Later, still, you’ll find a Run for the Wild on April 24th, where the WCS benefit will allow walkers and runners to run along a five kilometer course at the Bronx Zoo.

However, if you’ve found a hotel by checking here, then you might want to look for activities you can do at the Central Park Zoo today.  For that, try out the penguin feeding and presentation, which is held at ten thirty in the morning and again at two thirty in the afternoon.  You’ll see king penguins and chinstraps and gentoos (also penguin types), feasting away; you may join the harbor seals for a meal, as well at eleven forty-five, two fifteen, and four fifteen.  Watching animals live, safely at the Central Park Zoo, seems to me much better than watching them on the big screen.

The sounds of the night are always more pronounced than the sounds of the day.  Here, where the volume of people and machines makes the volume of the world much larger, we melt from the day into the night effortlessly, and don’t notice the difference in degrees until much later.  This is true for light, sound, and thought.  There are many days when it is very difficult to see the sun, and there are evenings when seeing a star is the most miraculous thing in the world.  It is always this way.

The bark of New York is equal to its bite, and its bitterness is matched by the sweetness, and the echoes of a thousand angels in the night sky.  Coming into the city, coming to feel that it’s time to check in and start again, once more, to perhaps fail, and perhaps not fail.  This is the way the endless songs that we hear on the radios everywhere sound when they are played all at once.  In our solitude, the overwhelming waves drive into our private moments and ask us to pay attention.  Seven stations playing at one time, and there are words in between the music that only come out when they mix together, and the words are sometimes your name.

That’s the beginning of a moment, and moments here have to be recognized while they pass, and you don’t always have time to decide to follow them.  Instinct plays a part in all of this, and it’s a way of surviving the evenings.  The nights are ruled by instinct, and the days by reason, and they have to be sharp, and sharpening is exhausting.  This is the edge of the tooth that we once searched for.  This is the place where the teeth begin to intersect.  This is the place where New York begins to call you by your name.

Whether they are antique tires, or new model car tires, racing tires or truck tires, when they are taken care of they last longer. This is true with everything. One of the first things you can check yourself is your driving speed, and whether you tend to take off with quick starts, turn corners at a high speed, or come to a screeching stop. All three of these habits will cause the tread on your tires to wear out extremely quickly. Another element of driving that will damage your tires, is not keeping your eyes out for potholes, or consistently hitting the curbs when parallel parking or pulling into parking spaces.

If you know that you will be regularly carrying heavy loads in vehicles such as work trucks, make sure that you adjust for that with either the kind of tires you buy or by the air pressure you keep your tires set at. All of the extensions and the valves on tires should be kept sealed, as this will ensure that moisture and/or dirt will not find its way into your tire. Check your tires often for debris such as small pieces of glass, metal or rocks that may become wedged into the tire’s tread. Even the heavy duty all purpose tires such as Nitto tires, will become easily damaged by hitting a bump when one of those bits of debris is already there, the bump could cause them to puncture the tire.

One thing that many people do when they find that they are stuck in mud, or sand, or even on ice, is that they spin their tires. Stepping on the gas is a first response, but it is actually a very dangerous response, as spinning the tires like that can actually cause them to explode. In colder weather, the tire will still create quite a bit of heat causing the temperature of the tire to elevate and pressure to build. In vehicles with extremely powerful engines, this can happen in about two to three seconds. Itdoesn ‘t take very long at all. Proper care of and proper attention paid to your tires will keep you safe and will ensure that your tires have a long life of optimum performance.

There are plenty of amazing NY hotels around Central Park were you can see and do many things while you are staying in the big apple. The park has so much to offer. There are more than twenty five  million people who visit the park every year. It was first opened in 1859 and completed in 1873. In 1963 the park became an official National Historic Landmark. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. It is landscaped well in that you would think it was all natural and the buildings around it were the only things that were built. The many lakes and ponds were completely planned. There are many walking trails and open air grass areas. There is a swimming pool that turns into one of two ice rinks in the winter.

Over the years many things are added to the park. The Central Park Zoo and the Central Park Conservatory Garden came along when there were some exotic birds and animals given to the park in the first years of the parks opening. It was a good idea to create a sanctuary for the plants and animals that came along. Some other things added to the park was the Delacorte Theater which is were they put on the Shakespeare plays in the summer. It is maintained by the Central Park Conservancy which is a private organization that works with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

Some of the most romantic and fun ways of getting around the park is by taking a Horse and Carriage ride. This all started in 1935 and they still hold the nostalgia of the good old days. They have appeared in many films that have been shot in Central Park. Major Giuliani went to the stables and asked the drivers to bring out their horse and carriages to help lift the spirits of the city when they were dealing with such lost of the September 11. They do give a sense one a sense of joy as they pass by.

As with many of the southern as well as eastern states, Missouri has an interesting history and its name as well as the names of some of its prominent cities is based on various figures from the country’s early development. One of the most common historic associations to Missouri’s name itself is the Missouri Compromise. The basic properties of this compromise dealt with an agreement between the anti and pro-slavery factions that were part of the US Congress. The agreement, or compromise, defined boundaries of legal slave ownership regions and established that slavery was prohibited the act north of the 36th parallel. This included the region that was formerly the Louisiana Territory. After continued debate and much disagreement and argument in the government this compromise was passed in 1820. Many of the tourists who visit the state learned about the Missouri Compromise in school though this may be the last or one of the last things on their mind as they enjoy a comfortable stay and visit the contemporary attractions. Perhaps it will come to mind when visiting landmarks and historic icons.

The city of Jackson, Missouri is another instance of name significance in relationship to history. Although, with the Missouri Compromise it was the congressional act that was named after the state and with the city of Jackson, it is was named after President Andrew Jackson. Jackson was one of the country’s more colorful president’s and today his legacy is defined by a contrast of interests and perspectives. On the controversial and unpopular side was both pro slavery and also supported Indian removal policies. His major individual liberty and pro democracy stances are often emphasized in association to his politics, though it is important to remember that these views and positions only applied to white male citizens and this was clearly defined in his views. He was known as a tough character and this earned him the nic-name of Old Hickory. He was also the country’s first frontier president and this remains a strong part of his legacy.

My wife has been saying that we don’t travel anywhere. Because of this I thought I would take her out on a super early Valentines day gift and we went on a Hawaii cruise. It was really cool. We saw all the islands, and stopped at all the major ones. I even received a lot of information about each island including histories and things to do in Hawaii. They gave us all this information in the hopes we’d go out and see all the attractions I’m sure, but it really did work. We started out in Honalulu, the capital of Hawaii. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I don’t know why I was thinking that there would be more Hawaiian shirts and beaches and wouldn’t really have a big city, just a village on each island. It wasn’t like that at all and I loved the museums and art exhibits we went to see.

Next we went to Hilo which is home of one of the largest macadamia nut producers. It was kind of cool. We looked at all of the tourist attractions including the Naha stone in front of the library, but we didn’t get nearly enough time on the island. The other islands were just as fun. Each with their own special attractions and never enough time to see them all. My wife was most disappointed that we didn’t get to see Maui. She had recently read an article about the things to do Maui and was hoping we would get to see some of them. At least we did get to go to a few Luaus and over all I think it was the most romantic Valentines day date we’ve ever had.

Our last stop on the cruise was Fanning Island. Out of all the places I felt the most at home here. The people were really nice and the beaches felt like they stretched forever. I know the two of us and a bunch of other tourists enjoyed just walking along the beach in pairs and small groups, getting our feet wet and muddy in the beautiful white sands. I hope we come back here sometime.

Don’t leave me, she said, this wasn’t easy, she said, and the end justifies the means.  Sometimes it’s necessary to bend things in your direction in order to make sure you’ll get something done, and it doesn’t matter how, if it’s done, and it’s done.  This isn’t the worst way to wake up, wondering where your hands are, wondering how your arm got so far above your head, when there is only the sound of the pebbles falling by your ear to remind you of the passage of time, to remind you where you are.  The things that were disassembled the night before are still pretending to be held together, so your morning will not go as badly as you think.  There is a gentleness to this, despite the ashes that still lie at your feet, telling a different story.

Don’t fight me, she said, you’ll never do right by me, she said, and this was only one way of getting you from there to here.  When you’ve seen the one you’re looking for circling the globe over and over and over, you have to stand in the way, and use all the charms at your disposal to make them wake up and notice you.  Don’t blame me for finding the five things that you happened to find charming and using them against you, because at the end of this you’ll see that it was always in your direction.

Don’t startle me, she said, you’ll only unravel me, she said, and that won’t work out for any of us, because I am exactly like you, I come to pull myself back together without any effort, but if I find someone to blame on the way, it will be a long night in the desert.  My seventeen faces were made for dancing and not for understanding, and if I catch you staring at the ripples and trying to find patterns that speak to you, the places where they match the lines on your fingers, I won’t hesitate to push you into the water.  You think you see hidden things when you look too close, but all you’re seeing is the blueprint for allowing you to see at a distance, and you have none of that tonight.

If Florida’s beaches weren’t enough of an incentive to come to Miami, then perhaps the South Beach Art Deco Historic District will do the trick.  This district is the core of the area — in fact, it’s the biggest area in the United States listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  From around 18th Street down to Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, the area has been protected since 1979, for the last thirty-one years.

If you visited in the district in the 1980s, you’d have seen a much different sight, a place of crime and of buildings falling apart; today, it’s a different story and well worth a visit.  Stop in at the Art Deco Welcome Center, over on 1001 Ocean Drive, where you can find out about this area in detail, learning about the history of the area, and find a number of walking tours; there’s even available self-guided audio tours), including a gift shop that sells art deco jewelry and post cards.

If you’re interested in staying the night in Florida, find one of the Miami hotels along the beach and explore everything the city has to offer, including Art Deco Historic District and the Venetian Pools,  over in Coral Gables, where a limestone quarry in 1923 was transformed into an incredible 820,000 gallon pool.  This, too, is on the National Register of Historic Places; you’ll find an incredible place, suitable for the entire family, that contains coral rock caves and waterfalls, an island surrounded by palm trees.  Esther Williams and Johnny Weismuller swam here (and if you’re too young to know who these people are, and chances are, you may be too young, perform a search on these two great talents; they’re worth checking out).  Whether you end up swimming or not, it’s a great place to spend the day.