Remembrance Day: November 11th

Bob and I both had the opportunity to commemorate Remembrance Day when we each saw different Veterans' Day parades.

Isn't this a great sculpture? I'm not sure of its official name, but I affectionately referred to it as "Brenda & Bob after Walking Too Much"!

We went out to Coney Island this morning. There aren't too many people there this time of year and all the crappy shops on the boardwalk are closed. I'm so happy that I got to walk along the Atlantic and to check out the fishermen's catches on the pier.

After Coney Island we split up and I headed to the only quilt store in Manhattan. I love that the store is locked and that you have to be buzzed in. It's not on a scary street so I'm not sure what that's all about.

Later in the day I went to the other location of the American Museum of Folk Art. It's right by MOMA but not nearly as busy. The building is tall and narrow but two floors were filled with quilts; I loved them. Yes, I even loved them more than the folk art made of CHICKEN BONES which was featured on another floor. Picture a little rocking chair made of chicken bones. Picture a tower made of chicken bones. Aren't artists imaginative???

I went over one street to the 56th Street market. There was lots to see and lots of wonderful smells from the food booths. I had really gone over there to find Momofuku to try their crack pie or their compost cookies. That location must have closed as it was nowhere to be found. I'll have to hunt down the other location later on our trip.

If you hunt the internet, you'll find suggestions of foods you MUST try while in NYC.

Canolli: check

Hot dog from street vendor: check

NY-style pizza: check

Bagel: check

NY-style cheesecake: not likely as I dislike cheesecake

NY-style pretzel: still looking forward to this

Bob and I realized we have been grazing on food since we got here rather than eating real meals. Tonight we went out for our first "real" meal.

Ladies, do any of you need me to pick up shoes for you? These are in the window of Saks Fifth Avenue. They have a floor of shoes! Quit drooling ... please!

I hadn't planned to go inside St Patrick's Cathedral. However, everyone was using it as a pathway since the sidewalk in front was inaccessible because of the Veteran's Day Parade. I'm so glad I had to take the shortcut as the interior is magnificent. Some people were clumping from one side door to the other, but most of us could not resist a moment or two of reverence in such a wonderful, worship-full place.

Tonight we are seeing Billy Elliot. Last night we saw Driving Miss Daisy with James Earl Jones. Vanessa Redgrave was supposed to be the other lead, but the understudy took the role. Elizabeth has told me that understudies often are better to watch because they bring richer enthusiasm to the roles. I don't know how Vanessa would have been, but the understudy was fabulous.

So far the shows we have seen have been in very old theaters. Bob just wanted me to know that if a fire started, we would be dead. There's no way anyone would get out. As well, washroom requirements in the olden days must have been quite different than they are now. Last night's show had one washroom in the basement (no wheelchair accessibility) and after looking at the lineup of 35 women, I decided I could live without a bathroom break.