Hello world! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I wish health, happiness and success to everyone! I apologize for not having posted anything in my shoeBox for a while, but surprisingly, the Holidays season can keep one as busy as normal times if not even busier!
I left on the morning of December 30, 2007 for New York city and just got back last night near midnight. It was the first time I went to the States during winter. It was sure warmer and snowless compared to the Quebec climate. On the first evening, I got to discover the New York subway system. Since then, I will never complain about our Montrealer subways ever again! Ours don’t creak, go much faster, have larger platforms and are organized in a simple way. Theirs have crazy lines that superpose onto each other and shake so much while it’s moving!
On the second day, we took a tour of the city in the bus and went to the Metropolitain Museum of Arts. I may not appear to be so, but I absolutely love museums. Seeing exhibitions of ancient Egyptian art, ancient Greek and Roman art, fashion throughout history, ancient weapons and much more was a thrill!
A side note about Ground Zero: construction has begun not long ago and this time, Americans are aiming to build a tower as tall as the Empire State Building with two smaller towers each side of the main tower. The tour guide said that because of these contructions, families that have lost loved ones during the 911 event have been forbid to hold ceremonies at the site. Are we forgetting that tragic event already?
Me with Ground Zero constructions in the background.
New year’s eve was obviously spent at Time Square. Andy, Jeannie, Saeho and I starting waiting outside at 6:00 PM for the famous Time Square Ball Drop. I have never seen SO MANY people gathered together in my 18 years of life. Agoraphobes should definitely stay home! People were squeezed like sardines in cans. It literally brought people close together. I took this opportunity to talk with strangers from different parts of the world. It was a wonderful experience, although perhaps only worth living once in a lifetime. :P I also once again lived the frustration of being tiny. If you waited 6 hours out in the cold amongst a huge crowd and ended up not seeing the oh-so-famous Ball Drop because of your tiny height, you would be frustrated too…
Me at Time Square with newly-met Julie (Chicago) and Steve (England).
The rest of the trip included visits in Central Park, at the National Museum of Natural History (no, it is not like in the movie Night in the Museum) and Time Square.
Me at the National Museum of Natural History with the fossilized skeleton of an ancient bear.
Wow, scary… and the bear skeleton too. :-P