Times Square- It's easy to get overstimulated here! I decided it might be nice to see it again at night, but there are so many people. I kept running into people and vice versa- it was tiresome. I saw ads for lots of Broadway plays I would like to see. The Lion King (on left), Mama Mia, even Xanadu might be fun to watch!
Rockerfeller Plaza. That ice skating rink is much smaller than it seems on TV. Everything in and about New York has always seemed mythical and larger than life- even the statue of liberty is really a lot smaller than I thought. In spite of it being smaller that I expected- it's it is a symbol of something great and awe inspiring as Mt. Rainier on a sunny day- even greater!
Check out this monster Reuben at Katz' Deli in lower East Side! I'm not a big fan of meat, but this sandwich melts in your mouth. When you order a sandwich, the cutter slices the meat while you are waiting, then stacks the meat vertically on the sandwich. The bread is great, but it is no match for the stack- corned beef (like butter!), swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and a thousand island like dressing. I'd better get my cholesterol checked. It was so great, I had to buy a Katz' mug to commemorate the event.
Katz' deli is famous for good food and the movie When Harry met Sally. We found the deli in a guidebook not knowing it's fame on film.
A small pavilion was erected above the World Trade Center subway station (that still functions underground) to display plans for the future use of the space at ground zero. The green boards list all the those who died in the wtc.
A model of the new space to commemorate the twin towers. There will be two reflecting pools that empty into the middle. The building in the center will be the museum.
The beginnings of rebuilding at ground zero. They are working into the night, even on Saturday. It is beginning its transformation from devastation and loss to new beginnings and hope.
Aunt Joanne and Uncle Paul and I escaped from wintery weather to the Chihuly exhibit at Phipps conservatory. The conservatory was an island of greenery (away from the snowy outdoors) mixed in with the glass art work. Each of the glass installations seemed to spring directly from nature- while appearing alien at the same time. 
The roots tour: this was the first home owned by my grandparents (correct me if I'm wrong!) Many of the houses in the south side of Pittsburgh are brick and stone.
House #2. Photo taken with permission of current residents. House #2 and 3 were built by my grandfather.
