Exterior of St. John the Divine
July 26, 2009 | Filed Under Cathedrals/Churches, Harlem/Morningside Heights, The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine | 13 Comments
This is the Western (and main) entrance into the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. There five portals over the entrance.
Two 3-ton bronze doors stand in the middle, below the central portal. The bronze door on the left is decorated with scenes from the Old Testament, while the bronze door on the right is covered with scenes from the New Testament.
These bronze doors are only opened twice a year — for Easter and the Feast of St. Francis (Blessing of the Animals).
One of the portals over one of the entrances into the Cathedral.
Some visitors heading inside the cathedral, while others pause outside.
These two men walked across the street and set up their cameras in the middle of the street to take a photo of the front of the cathedral. As far as I know, no cars ran them over.
On the Tour Bus
July 26, 2009 | Filed Under Shadows, Touristy things | 8 Comments
Passing by the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, these tourists concentrate on taking plenty of exterior photos of the cathedral from their double decker bus (while I concentrate on taking a photo of them).
Paz
Ed. Note: Let’s all join in on the fun of helping Abraham Lincoln make one of his blogs famous in the Wall Street Journal. He needs about 10,000 visitors’ comments posted on his blog. So, when you have some time, stop by Abraham’s Pick a Peck of Pixels blog. 
Stained Glass Window
July 25, 2009 | Filed Under Cathedrals/Churches, Harlem/Morningside Heights, Stained Glass Windows, The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine | 9 Comments
The other day, I went into St. John the Divine. It’s one of my favorite religious structures. From top to bottom, it is massive in size. The cathedral is the length of two football stadiums and can comfortably fit the Statute of Liberty inside. No wonder it’s the largest cathedral in the world.
I’ve mentioned in previous posts that construction of the cathedral started in the 1800s but it is still not completed.
I’ve also mentioned in previous posts that one of my favorite services in the cathedral is the Blessing of the Animals, where all types of animals — from elephants, horses, camels, dogs, cats, birds, fish — are brought into the cathedral to be blessed. I love the sight.
Like many other churches and cathedrals, St. John has beautiful stained glass windows. Here’s one example.
Have a great Saturday, all.
Paz
Ed. Note: Let’s all join in on the fun of helping Abraham Lincoln make one of his blogs famous in the Wall Street Journal. He needs about 10,000 visitors’ comments posted on his blog. So, when you have some time, stop by Abraham’s Pick a Peck of Pixels blog.
Day Camp
July 23, 2009 | Filed Under Children, College Campus, Columbia University, New Yorkers, Summer | 10 Comments
It’s not unusual to see groups of kids on their way to some type of field trip during the summer. These kids are passing through the Columbia University campus.
Paz
Ed. Note: Abe Lincoln is trying to make history through one of his blogs. He’s trying to make it famous in the Wall Street Journal. In order to do so, his blog needs a couple of dozen hits a day. If 10,000 visitors leave comments on his blog, it will instantly become famous. If you leave a comment there, you’ll become a part of history. So, let’s have some fun and be a part of history-in-the-making on Abraham’s Pick a Peck of Pixels blog. Go check it out. 
Restaurant
July 22, 2009 | Filed Under Restaurants | 10 Comments
Anyone ever watch the T.V. show, Seinfeld? I admit that while I never watched this popular sitcom, I, once in a while, catch a few rerun episodes.
In the show, Seinfeld and his friends always hang out in an eating establishment called Monk’s Cafe. The outside of a real New York City diner, shown in the photo above, is used to depict the fictional Monk’s Cafe.
The diner is called "Tom’s Restaurant" and is located on the Upper West Side in Harlem, 112th Street and Broadway. It’s written that in order to avoid paying royalties, the name "Tom" was cropped out of the T.V. shot. So, the T.V. viewer will only see the name "Restaurant, Restaurant".
Many fans of the show come to take photos of the restaurant. Many pose for a photo there.
Paz
Ed. Note: A few more tidbits:
o The inside of Tom’s Restaurant looks nothing like T.V.’s Monk’s Cafe, although Tom’s Restaurant has undergone some remodeling after becoming popular because of Seinfeld.
o Kenny Kramer, the person upon who the character Cosmo Kramer is based, conducts a Seinfeld New York Tour and one of his stops includes Tom’s Diner. Every once in a while, you’ll see a bus load of tourists crowding in front of the diner, taking photos as Kenny Kramer gives his tour speech.
o Tom’s Diner is also the locale of Suzanne Vega’s 1987 song "Tom’s Diner".
Complete name of the real diner — Tom’s Restaurant.
