Day 8: Music (and death?) in the Park

Week Two of work has begun, this time accompanied by much more bearable temperatures! My two box fans are whirring (I have moved them into the bedroom), my overhead light is off, and I am actually content sitting on my bed and typing this update.

For lunch today I walked to a sushi bar nearby my office building and got a Diet Coke and two rolls to go: spicy tuna and California. I then strolled along Sixth Avenue to Bryant Park, where I sat at a little table next to the carousel. It was a nice break from work; kids were riding on the carousel, carnival music sung in French was playing, and I ate sushi and read The Girl Who Played With Fire - the second in the popular Steig Larsson series.

After work, I had my first subway mishap as I was on my way to meet Alix, my college roommate, and her boyfriend in Central Park for the Metropolitan Opera's free outdoor recital. I realized when we stopped in Queens that I was on the wrong train! At least now I understand that although the C and E trains run on the same track down where I live in Manhattan, they separate in midtown. Unfortunately, I was on the E - and I needed the C!

At last I made it to the park and found Alix and her boyfriend sitting on a sheet on the left side of the stage, eating cheese and crackers and listening to selections from operas by Verdi, Mozart, Bizet, and more. It was fun to actually recognize one of the songs - Verdi's "La donna e mobile"! I bet that if you look it up, you'll recognize it too.

So now you understand why my day featured music in the park. But death in the park? Unfortunately, yes - the mass slaughter of 400 helpless geese in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. Apparently the geese were gassed to death to prevent them from flying into jet engines and causing plane crashes. However, I think there must be a better way! Alex sent me a New York Times article about the poor geese.

So to summarize: some events in the parks of New York are fun (and free!). Others are a little more grisly. But either way, I enjoy the parks, and will probably be back eating lunch again under the shady trees in Bryant Park sometime this week!