City Mouse

Before heading back to the Fantastic Farm from a more urban holiday, I spent a few days in The City. Though we missed the lighting of the ice menorah in favor of the Baltic wedding band (which was suprememly enjoyable despite The Annoying Girls), we had a splendid New Year's Eve. My allegiance to the more rural environs presented itself in the highlight of the weekend, a trip to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. On the way there, we passed this tree. Can anyone read it?

Encouraged by the rainy weather, we spent most of our afternoon at the Gardens exploring the greenhouses and I relized, not for the first time, that in almost every city I visit, I find myself in the botanical gardens. This thought is always followed by some contemplation about returning to school to study horticulture, followed by a mental committment to be a better seed saver this year and water my houseplants when I get home. Back in the greenhouses, though, I was particularly impressed by the bonsai room. I liked that their little trees were just that--little trees. They didn't have the overly manipulated, blown off a mountain look that bonsai often do but insead looked just like minature trees. I took a couple of photos for my dad.

New Year's Day was spent in search of cheese. I'd been hoping to peek into Murray's, a sort of cheese Mecca, alas, they were closed for the holiday, which I was actually pleased to see, despite my disappointment. Having become accustomed to an entire state that takes snow days despite the studded tires on nearly every vehicle, and closes up shop for the littlest excuse of a holiday, it unnerves me to be a place that continues with commerce right through Christmas Day. We did finally acquire wedges of cranberry something or other, aged honey chevre and something blue, but not before a ferry ride to visit Lady Liberty in the harbour.

Not being a native Easterner, I'd gotten this far in life without ever actually having visited Liberty Enlightening the World, as we were informed is her more proper title, and it seemed un-American to pass 4 days in new York and not pay her a visit. The hour long narrated ferry trip turned out to be more interesteing than expected. Those sort of icons of culture surprise you sometimes. They come to seem so commonplace that you don't expect much and then, lo and behold, up close they turn out to offer something meaningful after all. I was particularly taken with the symbolism of the crown. It seems a little corny to say it now, but standing there on the boat looking at her, the meaning seemed so sincere. Here's a bit more about our national mascot:

There are 25 windows in the crown which symbolize gemstones found on the earth and the heaven's rays shining over the world. The seven rays of the Statue's crown represent the seven seas and continents of the world. (From the National Park Service website)

And another interesting bit:

In 1886 the Statue of Liberty was erected as a symbol of American generosity towards a hungry and unfree world. Lady Liberty initially was inspired by French abolitionists with the intention of saluting Lincoln and the emancipation of the slaves. Its original intent, celebrating the end of slavery, was redirected by the politics of "race" towards the White "huddled masses" of Europe.