WASHINGTON, DC

Carolyn and I went to Washington to participate in a concert in the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.  The plan was to ride Amtrak from Penn Station in New York to Union Station in Washington, D.C. and back.  The people we knew are friends from our church in San Antonio, Texas.

It was a great choir of 200+ singers with an orchestra.

We were able to be with lifelong friends from church.  It was wonderful.

The concert was in the National Catherdral in Washington, DC.







We also had the opportunity to tour Washington.

TOUR

Classic Harbor Line
Architectural Tour

We took a three hour tour in a "retro" ship with an AIA lecturer.  The purpose was to learn about the buildings and history of the city and the harbor of New York City.

Seeing the Hudson River, the East River, and the Harbor is always interesting, but seeing the Harlem River was new to us.  It's really quite pretty up there.

http://www.zerve.com/SailNYC/ArchTour

THEATER

59E59
Harbor

This is one of those small theaters found around New York City.  This one is near the Southeast corner of Central Park at the southern boundary of the Upper East Side.

We are asked if we're seeing a lot of Broadway Shows.  We've seen a fair number, but we really enjoy the smaller theaters that are throughout New York.

Tonight was a purely dramatic production with four actors carrying the evening.  It was fun.

LINCOLN CENTER

Avery Fisher Hall
Mostly Mozart

Mozart: Symphony No. 36 (Linz)
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Pre-Concert Piano Recital

Louis Langree, conductor
Joshua Bell, violin
Francesco Piemontesi, piano

This is the last of the Summer Series before the Arts Season begins again in September.

Tonight was a "moment."  Avery Fisher Hall was packed.  We had tickets on the front row on the artist's side of the stage.  That meant that we were about 25 feet from Joshua Bell and the conductor.  They were never more than two yards away from each other and often were within one yard of each other.  That also means that we were able to watch the eyes of the conductor as he focused on Mr. Bell.  Watching them communicate was a thrill.

Then there was Joshua Bell.  He was wonderful.  We agreed that this evening was the reason we moved to New York.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/23/arts/music/joshua-bell-teams-up-with-the-mostly-mozart-orchestra.html?_r=0

CALIFORNIA

San Diego

The view from our hotel balcony.





Playing "Go Fish" at the hotel.



Exhausted!

Corona del Mar

Coming home to New York City.

FIRE ISLAND

We're off to 4 days on the beach at Fire Island.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Island

The best news we heard as we prepared to leave our apartment was, "Bring sweaters.  It's cold in the evening and the early morning!"

We rode the Long Island Railroad from Penn Station, one block from our aprtment, to Bay Shore, Long Island.  It was a 1 hour and 20 minute train ride that cost us $17.00 total.  Then we rode a ferry to Fair Harbor, Fire Island for $14.00 total.  It was a short walk from the dock to Kate and Tom's house.

Having seen one day on Fire Island, simply repeat day for 4 more days.