Hold that thought! That's not me behind the Yellow Knight of Oz(?) getup.Only the curious visitors seem to mind this fellow, who quickly turned around with that "Who gave you permission?"- look as soon as I aimed the camera at him.
Business must be terribly slow in the miming industry; here he's caught just hanging out with this other guy who couldn't sell me a ticket to the double-decker Hop-on Hop-off tour bus. With a camera hanging down my neck, who would think I'm not with the group from Beijing?
I'm always mistaken for a native whenever I shop in Chinatown - it never fails, the grocers always do a "rapid fire" Mandarin, Cantonese or Fukienese with me, a language or dialect I don't understand and will never speak in my lifetime. No offense meant Rose, I love you as a friend, but memorizing over 50,000 characters, depending on which dictionary is used, is not my mission on Earth. Besides, I wouldn't call it exactly a romantic language (in the true sense of the word), so there goes my desire to learn it. Rose is half Filipino half Chinese, doesn't drink tea at all and not an inch gifted with Chinese features. One big attribute - she sure comes in handy when it comes to ordering the real authentic Chinese dishes in restaurants. We admit, we are "friendly users".
You can dress anyway you want to or not even dress at all and the locals won't pay any attention to you in New York. See that girl to the left (or right) of the mime? She definitely is a tourist, and checking him out from head to toe. Unless he's bungee jumping from atop the Empire State building, Pale Male and Lola could draw a bigger crowd than this pale yellow fellow.
I got the cue when the bigger guy stared and gave me the back-off signal. I quickly disappeared into nearby Central Park. Whew! For one lousy picture (well, I actually stole some 5 or 6 shots), I could get killed. Peace and quiet, except for occasional dog walkers and strollers I was happy to regain my freedom to shoot. Flip flops in the height of winter? They didn't name NY as the other fashion capital of the world for nothing. New Yorkers just have to break the norm, don't they?
Isn't this magnificent? And graceful. This is the Gapstow Bridge, one of several stone bridges in Central Park. It overlooks The Plaza Hotel and on a clear day the skyscrapers are reflected on the Pond. What a vision by Olmsted. 125 years ago when Central Park was created there was nothing here but empty lots. Today, beautiful buildings and lush trees rise above the man-made hilly landscape. Simply awesome.
I got the cue when the bigger guy stared and gave me the back-off signal. I quickly disappeared into nearby Central Park. Whew! For one lousy picture (well, I actually stole some 5 or 6 shots), I could get killed. Peace and quiet, except for occasional dog walkers and strollers I was happy to regain my freedom to shoot. Flip flops in the height of winter? They didn't name NY as the other fashion capital of the world for nothing. New Yorkers just have to break the norm, don't they?Isn't this magnificent? And graceful. This is the Gapstow Bridge, one of several stone bridges in Central Park. It overlooks The Plaza Hotel and on a clear day the skyscrapers are reflected on the Pond. What a vision by Olmsted. 125 years ago when Central Park was created there was nothing here but empty lots. Today, beautiful buildings and lush trees rise above the man-made hilly landscape. Simply awesome.
Oh yeah, my trip to the eye doctor earlier - uneventful. It didn't even happen. Ten minutes before my appointed time, I showed up only to be told to reschedule my visit. Without a referral form from my primary care doctor, I would have to pay out-of-pocket. Sorry but that ain't happening, man. A measly request for referral will probably be charged by the other doctor as a visit. I tell you, we're in the wrong business. This American health care system is enough to make one sick, one can't help but take a jaundiced view of it.
Hopefully my eyeballs will still be good for another week until I get that "bleeping" referral. I'm in no hurry, the snow is coming down pretty hard as I hammer away on the keyboard and I'd rather be taking pictures of this white stuff than wasting time in the doctor's office. Who knows what characters may be lurching in the waiting room....
