Women’s History Month

This week’s post begins with me sitting on a bench next to Blue Eyes Restaurant on Frank Sinatra Drive in Hoboken, sipping on a cup of hot tea while observing my surroundings.

 

After sitting there for a while, I got up and headed towards the entrance leading into a tiny park nestled alongside the Hudson River. On the way, I started to hear the wind howl, and the next thing I knew, an arctic blast came crashing into my body! This sudden gust of cold air made me shiver and motivated me to begin jogging to warm up.

 

As I approached the gate to enter the park, I noticed three ladies huddled up at the entrance staring at one of their phones. At the time, I did not think much of it and kept moving.

 

Then, out of the blue, the woman in the middle yelled out, “Would you mind taking a picture of us?” She proceeded to pull out disinfecting wipes to sanitize her phone, which meant she wasn’t taking no for an answer! Thus, I gladly took a few pics.

 

Afterward, we all laughed because until she pulled out the sanitizing wipes, I stood there like a deer in the highlights, not knowing what to do.

 

With Women’s History Month top of mind, this friendly encounter was apropos, and I want to acknowledge the amazing females in my LinkedIn network. You inspire me!

 

Enjoy your weekend!

 

#nyc

 

The Twilight Zone

Just before walking down the steps to enter the Train Hall en route to The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards, I took a minute to look around and noticed that I was the only person in this section of the terminal. Are you kidding me?

 

Living in a city with nearly 9-million people, this seemed a bit odd; and for a split second, it felt like I was a character in an episode of the Twilight Zone!

 

As I stood at the top of the stairway, mystified for a brief moment, finally, I spotted signs of life, which was a guy wearing a hoodie, rolling his luggage, and sipping on a cup of coffee. Relieved to see him, I waved to his surprise while laughing at myself on the inside.

 

Now ready to go, I hopped on the escalator instead of taking the steps downstairs. Upon landing on the bottom floor, I immediately walked over to the giant TV monitor and watched a short video about the terminal's design and construction.

 

After satisfying my insatiable curiosity, I dashed over to the shopping mall and wrote this post along the way. 😊

 

Indeed, beauty is all around us, and I love learning something new and noteworthy by happenstance. Have a lovely weekend!

 

#nyc

 

Grand Central Library

While strolling down 5th Ave this morning, I came upon the Grand Central Library, and the sudden sight of its Lion statue wearing a blue mask stopped me dead in my tracks! By far, this is the largest mask I've seen during this pandemic!

 

Now captivated by this impressive-looking structure and the Patience & Fortitude banner perfectly placed on the left side of the main entrance, I decided to walk over to the Lion statue to get a closer look.

 

As I stood there directly behind the black steel barricade, admiring the three porticos and the allegorical figures on the attic frieze, memories of spending time in this magical place as a teenager started to flash in my mind.

 

I began to recall sitting in the Rose Main Reading Room, studying and writing with my favorite fountain pen, recording my thoughts into my vintage leather-bound journal. If you haven't been inside this enormous reading room, it is worth a visit when it reopens. It's literally about the size of a football field and has ceilings decorated with a cycle of murals and beautiful paintings that are sure to take your breath away!

 

After taking this trip down memory lane, I felt like writing and sharing a portion of my latest reflection with you by way of this post.

 

Share your thoughts, and enjoy the weekend!

 

#nyc

 

Union Square NYC

After getting bagels from a café near Grand Central Terminal yesterday morning, I drove over to the famous Union Square Greenmarket to pick up some fresh produce. Since this farmers market is full of small businesses and only open Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sat, I figured this was an excellent time to patronize a few street vendors, especially during this crazy pandemic.

 

As I made my way down 5th Ave to Union Square, I began to feel and embrace the electric atmosphere associated with this area the closer I got to this iconic park. Keep in mind, on a usual Saturday, over 60,000 people shop at this market, so I didn’t know what to expect.

 

Once I arrived, as luck would have it, street parking was available, saving me 40 bucks! Now out of the car and walking towards the market shopping area, I spot the giant Metronome clock and the cool-looking rippling brick wall called The Vortex, which stands 100 feet tall and 60 feet wide.

 

Suddenly, I felt the urge to take a pic and capture my thoughts right at this moment. I decided to share this snippet of my journal entry for your reading and viewing pleasure in a rare Sunday post. 😊

 

Share your thoughts, and enjoy your day!

 

#nyc

 

Grand Central Terminal & The Met Life Building

I was out and about this morning hustling to get my errands done before the freezing rain hit the city when I bumped into a lady with a takeout bag from one of my favorite bagel joints. Since the bagel café was only two blocks away near Grand Central Terminal, I decided to head that way to buy a few to nibble on over the weekend.

 

Also, I figured this would be a nice place to draw some inspiration from for my Saturday morning reflection post. Even though I didn't have anything in particular that I wanted to contemplate, I always know that a worthwhile message will pop into my mind to share with you respectfully.

 

As soon as I arrived at the station entrance on the corner of East 42nd St, a conversation I had yesterday with a mentor on the value of writing a thoughtful note on a Valentine's Day card became the focus of my thoughts.

 

A bouquet of roses and Godiva chocolate are fabulous, and yes, it shows you care; however, expressing how you feel about that special someone in the written word from the depths of your soul can be everlasting. Long after the roses are gone, it's the words that will stay behind. They can be reread and touch your loved one's heart repeatedly, especially when you are not present.

 

Stay warm and have a romantic weekend! 💕

 

#nyc

Bow Bridge - Central Park

After being cooped up in the house for most of the week due to the recent snowstorm in NYC, I was ready to venture out from my neighborhood to see some different scenery. While getting dressed, the idea of going to Central Park popped in my head, and since I haven't been to my favorite park this year, I figured now would be a good time to visit.

 

A few minutes later, I was in my car driving to the park! The closer I got to the park's Columbus Circle entrance, my excitement level started to increase in anticipation of seeing Bow Bridge. This bridge is famously known as one of Central Park's most romantic spots for those of you not familiar. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, going here today seemed fitting, as thoughts of love and happiness were top of mind.

 

Now standing by Bow Bridge, absorbing the sights, sounds, and allure of this remarkable place, my creative writing juices began to flow, and the outline of a romantic poem appeared in my mind. I quickly turned on my voice recorder, closed my eyes, and spoke the words into the phone from my imagination.

 

The second I uttered the last word, I opened my eyes, pressed play to listen to the recording, and took a pic of a couple walking by while cherishing the moment.

Share your thoughts, and enjoy your weekend! 😊

 

Moynihan Train Hall

I was jogging up 8th Ave by Madison Square Garden early this morning when I came upon Moynihan Train Hall, Amtrak's newest concourse that opened on Jan 1, 2021. Since this was my first time near NYC's latest architectural gem, I had to go inside and check it out!

 

Once I entered the station, I saw a TV monitor airing cool facts about the building and its design. After watching that for a few minutes, I walked about 150 yards to get to the main terminal. When I arrived, I took a moment to look around and was blown away by the vaulted glass structure and the sky-lit atrium.

Seeing this room for the first time took my breath away! I know...that's a bit dramatic. LOL!

 

After catching my breath, I was back on the move and soon bumped into a security guard with whom I struck up a socially distant conversation. She was from the Bronx and provided some great insight about the hall.

 

Jenny from the block directed me upstairs to the Metropolitan Lounge, where I grabbed a cup of coffee, sat down, and observed everything in sight.

 

I sat there embracing that kid-like feeling of seeing something so gorgeous for the very first time and then began capturing my thoughts, snapped a few pics for my journal, finished my coffee, and got on with my day.

 

How did you start your Saturday?

 

#nyc

 

Watching the Sunrise

Overflowing with optimistic thoughts about the future on the way to catch the ferry, I stopped for a moment to watch the sunrise over New York City. As I was looking around for a nice place to sit, I suddenly noticed the white light shining brightly from the boat taxi (right side of the pic) as it was cruising towards the heliport on the way to the terminal.

Recognizing that I had about six minutes to jot down what I was thinking at this moment before I needed to hurry to the dock, I calmly walked over to the bench behind the lamp post, sat down, and then proceeded to enjoy the spectacular view of the city.

As I sat there in the frigid temperature breathing out misty clouds of air, I watched in awe as the beautiful sky transitioned from darkness to daylight.

With only a minute to go before I had to get moving, I typed in my final thoughts for this post and then hustled over to the terminal!

I laughed all the way there, thinking about how much fun I had in those six minutes, and boarded the ferry with a big smile on my face. 😊

Indeed, life is precious, so embrace the present moment and all that it has to offer!

Until next time, have a relaxing Sunday.

#nyc #mindfulness

 

Relaxing by the Colgate Clock

While sleeping peacefully in the early morning hours, an unexpected loud noise of wind whistling from the bedroom window awakened me. The next thing I knew, a stream of cold air came flowing underneath the covers, causing me to jump out of bed and rush over to the window to shut it tight!

As you might imagine, all of this excitement at 5 am left me wide awake! Instead of lying in bed for another hour, I got up, walked over to the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of sparkling water, got comfortable on my easy chair, and began reading the last two chapters of this month's book club selection.

I finished reading around 6 am, then went outside to walk and crystallize my thoughts for tomorrow's virtual book club discussion.

After summarizing the key points into my journal app, I stopped near the Colgate Clock to relax. I stood there for 12 minutes listening to the soothing sounds of the foamy waves splashing against the rocks and admiring the bright lights reflecting from the skyscraper behind me, producing a pretty yellow tint floating on top of the river.

When I looked up at the clock, it was 6:54 am, and I took a final moment to appreciate the beauty of nature and then hustled over to a Yoga class a few blocks away. 😊

Share your thoughts, and have a fun weekend!

#nyc

 

The New Jersey Side of the Hudson River

Picking up where we left off yesterday, I remained seated on the pier with my eyes closed for about 20 minutes, reflecting on the past week, eventually getting lost in thought. When I came out of this relaxed state, I opened my eyes, stood up, and stretched my arms as one would do after waking up from a power nap.

Now with a clear head and feeling refreshed, my next move was to turn around, face the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, and intentionally observe and appreciate everything in sight.

The Goldman Sachs Tower and the famous Colgate Clock were two landmarks I spotted; yet, the bright light beaming from the red and yellow flag looking object was the first thing that caught my attention.

Captivated by the beauty of the moment, my creative writing juices began to flow like the river underneath my feet, and I stood on the walkway, pouring my thoughts into my iPhone in vivid detail for my latest journal entry.

Once I finished typing, I gently placed the phone in my coat pocket, put on my gloves, and then went home. LOL!

That concludes our time together on the pier. I hope it was as much fun for you as it was for me. 😊

Have a relaxing Sunday!

#nyc #inspire