Pope Francis Arrival to St. Patrick’s Cathedral

I work a block from St. Patrick’s Cathedral so this was one of the most historic days in the city and St. Patrick’s history. Pope Francis has brought energy to a religion many feel is out of touch with society. Humble, Caring, true Servant of the Servant of God, he eschews the pomp of the position and instead of mixing with the powerful whose voices are heard, he seeks out those who are underrepresented and disadvantaged. A truly good man.

From one of my office windows, I was able to snap a few pictures of his arrival to St. Patrick’s Cathedral for mass on Thursday evening. I felt so lucky to have witnessed it from afar. I hope these pictures bring happiness to those who see them as they do for me.

Urban Exploring: Roosevelt Island

I have been meaning to visit this island which is just a few stops on the F train but kept procrastinating. Not today. Today I put on my NYC adventurer hat and took on Roosevelt Island and the FDR Four Freedoms Park. Located within Southpoint Park, the For Freedoms Park celebrates FDR and the four freedoms he invoked in July 1941. I also saw the landmarked ruins of the Smallpox Hospital as well as the views of Manhattan and Queens from the Island. Without further delay, let the pictures speak for themselves.

Save Church of Our Lady of the Scapular – St. Stephen interior

Yesterday evening after mass I had the wonderful opportunity to tour Church of Our Lady of the Scapular – St. Stephen located on 28th street between 3rd and Lexington Avenues in Manhattan. The church was built in 1854 by the architect James Renwick Jr., famously known for his work, including but not limited to, the Smithsonian Institution Building, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Grace Church, Renwick Gallery and the elegantly crumbling Charity and Smallpox Hospital on Roosevelt Island.

Recently the archdiocese decided to merge the parish from this church with another parish, ten blocks away. This would leave the church without a flock. In that state, while the exterior is landmarked, the interior is in danger of being destroyed.

The interior was designed by Constantine Brumidi, whose work, widely appreciated and acknowledged for his artistry, can only be seen at a few places. Such as the U.S. Capitol and Church of Our Lady of the Scapular – St. Stephen.

Time has not been kind to the interior. Water damage, dirt, grime, crudely painted over has covered much of Brumidi’s work. Painstakingly, some of his work has reemerge from the various projects to preserve his work. Sadly that work has stopped as funding has ceased to be provided to continue such efforts.

With the merging of parishes and lack of funding, the interior is exposed to potentially being lost to history. Awareness of the issue is important but also organizations who can find a way to save the interior. Below are pictures I took last night. Let’s save this jewel for generations to come.

Scenes from the New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show

Happy New Year! Holiday crowds were very present. Here are scenes from the show.

Opening Day 2013 Padres v. Mets

Mets win 11-2 over Padres! Magic number is 161.

Minetta Tavern

Finally ate at the famed Minetta Tavern. When I was at NYU, this historic restaurant had fallen on hard times. Mostly neglect. Still, I always wanted to eat there and take a stroll through old New York. So, almost 20 years later I finally stepped foot in the restaurant. I have changed quite a bit since those teenage years and the restaurant also went through a metamorphism. Renovations to bring back the feel of a historic New York tavern and a new menu with award winning dishes re established this restaurant to its former glory. So, to celebrate a dear friend’s big birthday, we did brunch at Minetta Tavern. While I reviewed this on Yelp: Minetta Tavern Let the pictures speak for themselves.

I’ve Been Assassinated (Metaphorically)

Recently I found the pitfalls that are associated with being a chairman of a committee. You become the face of the group you lead, which means that you do not only get the good, but you get the bad and ugly. I have enjoyed the positive responses that the committee has received since my ascent to chairman and the hard work that the committee and I put into making decisions that affect the lives of those within our community is greatly appreciated. I’m a firm believer that people would understand the effort and hard work that goes into running a group handling such critical issues and how the greater good is what triumphs over the issues of a select few.

Boy, was I wrong.

Two weeks after our committee meeting, I was subjected to allegations of purposely denying the community the ability to input on the proposed matter affecting their neighborhood. I had closed the door and held secret negotiations and came up with a resolution well before the matter was discussed was some of the other allegation. One person, who must have watched the movie Lincoln, stated that I used underhanded tactics that were used to push the 13th amendment. When I received these emails and then calls from the board office and local politicians on this matter, I was naturally surprised. I’m not gullible enough to think everyone in the world would like me. I learned long ago that there are many who in fact dislike my personality. Still, to have my character, morals and ethics being questioned was something I had never heard before. It brought on a hurt and angry feeling that goes when doing a thankless job. While the critics were small in number, they were vocal and vicious in their words. It was enough to make me think about why I was putting myself in the position to help a community that doesn’t appreciate or want to help all of society but only care about their needs. That type of selfishness I can’t stand in my personal life so why would I want to deal with it in this professional, yet voluntary, role? I found myself defending myself, retelling how everything the past few weeks occurred and how I did not cross the line but in fact stayed within protocol. I had the support of the board and local politicians that my actions were unquestionable yet I felt the sting of being treated like a punching bag. When the dust settled, I still wondered why am I volunteering for this responsibility and the resulting hatred that goes with the position.

Well, it is cause I believe as a community we can be representative of what people can do together for the greater good of people who not only reside in our community but for those in all of NYC. We cannot exclude people because we do not want certain social services in our neighborhood. While we want our fair share, at the end of the day, we are here to ensure that everyone is well taken care of by the various services in place. When people ask me why should we have this type of service in our community, I ask them why not? Should we punish those who need it by sending them to the outer boroughs? We would not be good New Yorkers if we did that. We would only feed into the myth that New Yorkers only care about New Yorkers.