Well, what can I say? I had been looking forward to this event for months, and it well exceeded my already high expectations. Taylor has a beautiful voice, plays piano like an angel, and her lyrics say something to me, and I would guess to anyone listening. The highlights for me were 'Steel Up', which she dedicated to me and reduced me to tears; and of course 'Nearer than Closeness', for John. It was magical. Please do visit http://www.taylorgiacoma.com/ - and see what I'm talking about... (Apologies for the poor quality of my photo - you'll see much better on the website.)
I love New York! This is my third visit, apart from one night in 1982 when I was lucky enough to ascend to the top of one of the Twin Towers. Taylor and John live in a fabulous location overlooking the river. If you stroll out of the apartment you can immediately see the Statue of Liberty; you can easily walk to Battery Park and watch the queues of people waiting patiently for ferries to the statue and to Ellis Island, where the immigrants landed and were accepted or rejected. As I've visited most of the obvious tourist attractions before, I feel free to wander in a more casual fashion, and people-watch, which is always fascinating. Taylor can distinguish easily between New Yorkers and tourists from other states; I still think of 'tourists' as people from overseas; I guess the only tourists we get in Stockport tend to be non-Brits.
Yesterday I travelled under the river to Brooklyn and took in the Botanical Gardens - I must have seen a dozen or so on my travels; considering I can't tell one flower or tree from another, some people might find this a strange thing to do, but I just love wandering down grassy paths, beside streams, smelling the roses and watching pond-dipping children. This particular place has allotments for children - they all come one day in spring and plant or sow, and maintain their plot throughout the year. I think this is such a lovely idea... maybe if I'd had such an opportunity I would know a daisy from a daffodil?
Yesterday Taylor and I visited the Jewish Heritage Museum. As you will understand, this was a learning experience and a saddening one. The museum has three floors showing the history, the events of World War 2, and the present day. I need to return one day to complete the visit, as it was too much for me to take in at one go. One should really complete the tour, to end on an uplifting note.
We decided to lift ourselves with a cocktail and settled for a chinwag, cheesy chips and vodka at a table overlooking the river. This is the life! I could live here... We then collected John and headed off to a restaurant high in a skyscraper, where we topped up (considerably!) our alcohol levels - vodka, chocolate and Baileys all in one glass seems to work well... We were then treated to the most amazing storm I've ever witnessed - the sky was lit up almost continuously by brilliant flashes of lightning; just when you thought it was moving on, it flashed again, and again. Eventually the thunder arrived and with it torrential rain. Sitting so high up, watching this stunning display lighting up the misty New York skyline was truly humbling. We watched in awe and delight.
For some strange reason, I was late getting up this morning, and feeling not quite my usual sparky self. I had planned to backtrack today to Philadelphia, only seen thus far from the train. I may still make it; or I may go tomorrow. The joy of unbooked travelling at whim! I'll let you know what happens...
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