Visitors' Guide

"O God of Truth, we recognize that violence is part of our life, and we name this violence as sin. We confess that for a long time we have called this violence by names we could tolerate.

We have called physical abuse, discipline. We have called violence, a family fight. We have called isolation a need for privacy."--from the Riverside Church bulletin comes this prayer from John de Gruchy of South Africa

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I caught the M4 bus after taking a friend to St. Patrick's Cathedral and went on out to Riverside. I was going to read my Japanese mystery, all about a woman who lands in trouble because of personal bankruptcy after running into heavy credit card debts. However, right away a woman sat down with a city touring guide so I thought I'd chat instead of reading. She was from Norway in New York for a conference. She is a researcher specializing in bipolar and schizophrenic disorders of adolescence. We had a great discussion about Norway, disorders, and her outings. She was on her way to the Cloisters. I pointed out various landmarks such as the grand piano statue near the north end of Central Park and told her about the peacocks at St. John the Divine's. I asked her what her plans were for the next couple of days and suddenly she asked, "But where would you go?" I explained I was no authority and had very limited experience, mostly with alpacas at the zoo and the boardwalk of Coney Island. She got very excited. That was exactly what she wanted to know. "I want to know where a person of your sensibilities would choose to go. I want to go there, too!" What an interesting compliment. Her home in Norway is in a very wooded place and the noise and crowdedness of the Big Apple bothered her. I said, "Sometimes you have to embrace that very noise and crowdedness since, after all, you are only here for a short time. Look up Neil Diamond's song, 'It's a Beautiful Noise.' And there are so many parks scattered through the boroughs where you can stop and reflect." I said my recommendations were purely sentimental: the Statue of Liberty a must and a walk to the little lighthouse on Roosevelt Island is good for looking out on the bustle of the city from a peaceful setting. There is a cat rescue mission there, too. I love the mural by James de Vega with a quote of his on E. 124th Street. And another by students in Astoria. Her appraisal of my sensibilities reminded me of the woman from Brooklyn who was traveling on Amtrak to Richmond, Virginia. She looked me over and summed me up this way, "You need to go to the Tenement Museum." My 120th Street stop came before I could make a list of my sentimental favorites for the Norwegian. I'm pleased to think when she returns to her work, she'll think of the "tour guide" she met on the M4.

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...may the blessings of lists be yours today, trip lists, dream lists, book lists...

Map: courtesy of the Wildlife Conservation Society

Sticker: courtesy of Ronald McDonald House