Revolutionary Petunias

The Nature of This Flower Is to Bloom.
Rebellious. Living.
Against the Elemental Crush.
A Song of Color
Blooming
For Deserving Eyes.
Blooming Gloriously
For its Self. 

-"Revolutionary Petunias," by Alice Walker

Happy 90th Birthday Grandma Cardwell!

 

The Thirsty City

Who knew that the oldest bridge in New York City is Uptown?  Today Chloe, James, Kyle and I walked to 171st and Amsterdam to visit the High Bridge, which recently re-opened after being closed for over forty years.  

At the entrance to High Bridge Park we were greeted with various pieces of public art that were each interpretations of chairs or seats.

My favorite piece was this shiny, glittery creation called "Sunday in the Park With Jorge" by Christina Jorge.  The best part was the fact that the bustle of this fabulous creation was made of BBQ potato chip bags!

Next, we had to walk down a steep stairway (Chloe counted 96 stairs) to get to the bridge.   Of course we had to make room for the crazy New Yorkers running up and down the stairs with weight vests on in August.  The bridge itself is definitely not 'Uptown's Highline," but it is beautiful and definitely worth visiting.

 The High Bridge Past and Present

The High Bridge in 1900

1837 – Construction starts on a bridge that would be a part of the Croton Aqueduct, designed to bring water from the Croton River in Westchester to New York City.

1848- The High Bridge opens as a stone arch bridge with features of a Roman aqueduct.

1872- The High Bridge Water Tower is built.

1928- A steel arch is constructed to replace the stone structure.

1949- The bridge stops being used as part of the water supply.

1950’s- Complaints about bridge’s safety are voiced in The New York Times.  Some report pedestrians throwing bricks and rocks at passengers of The Circle Line as it passes underneath the bridge.

1970’s –The High Bridge is closed.

2006- The Parks Department announces a $20 million restoration project.  The project ultimately costs $62 million.

2015- Bridge re-opens to pedestrian traffic.

                               

Stop Telling Women to Smile: Washington Heights

For more about Stop Telling Women to Smile click here.

I Love Kadir Nelson!

Star for Noon

Green Tea

I Should Be Reading Avi, but I'm Reading Atwood

Margaret Atwood is the author of over forty works of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.  The Handmaid's Tale is one of my favorite books of all time, so I was excited to read her latest collection of short stories, Stone Mattress.  The nine tales in this collection are meditations on aging, love, and death.  They made me realize how thinly drawn most portraits of older people are in literature and popular culture.

Stone Mattress was one of the best books that I have read this summer.  It challenged me and made me laugh out loud; read the title story here.

Vivrant Thing!

Beauty products are important.  Case in point: this weekend Mikita and I decided to start off our epic three-day/two-night sleepover by taking our girls to the zoo.  Too bad that we didn’t check the weather report before stepping out in the midst of the first Heat Wave since 2013.  Trust me: penguins, manure and 90 degree temperatures don’t mix!

Cooling off at Turtle Back Zoo

I’m sweating bullets (probably shouldn’t have had those two glasses of Riesling pre-field trip) and poor Misa is literally about to fall out. We can’t even sit down in the shade because 1) there is no shade and 2) somebody decided to paint the metal benches black.  In the midst of this emergency, I look over at Mikita and she's digging in her purse.  I’m thinking that she’s about to pulls out some water or a pocket fan.  Instead, she starts handing out blotting papers!  I’m sure that the five of us were a sight.  Two women in platform sandals and jewels, and three girls walking around blotting their noses and foreheads!

Vivant Beauty, located on 121^st and St. Nicholas, is our type of place.  This black owned shop is several steps above the local beauty supply stores in Harlem.  It stocks make-up, skin care, and hair care from brands like OPI, Mario Badescu, and Hair Rules.  There is an emphasis on high-end brands, and natural products.

The owner, Desiree, is knowledgeable and incredibly sweet.  Seeing that I was wearing cornrows she guided me toward Girl + Hair a line of hair care geared toward braids and weaves.  The bottle has a nozzle top that allows you to insert the product directly onto itchy, dry scalps.  On top of the great products and attentive service, Desiree offers generous free samples with purchases.

Visit Vivrant Beauty if you are in the neighborhood.  If you aren't it is definitely worth the trip Uptown.  

220 St. Nicholas Avenue

New York, NY 10027

212-865-0100

Jumping Monkey Hill

Today Chloe and I went to 126th Street to get our hair braided, and I realized that I forgot my book once I sat down in the chair.  There is no way that I can last in that noisy, crowded shop without headphones and something good to read.  Luckily, I had my Kindle, so I used the time to re-read stories from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's collection, The Thing Around Your Neck.  All of the stories are engaging and thought provoking, but I was struck by the brilliance of "Jumping Monkey Hill."  As I return for my second year of teaching at Dwight, the ideas of questioning cultural (and gender related) expectations made it particularly poignant.  The subject matter and the 'story within a story' narrative structure make it ripe for teaching.

Read it here

I would pair "Jumping Monkey Run" with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Ted Talk, "The Danger of the Single Story."

Someone Once Told Me That There Are No Coincidences . . .

Wednesday, August 12

Friday, August 14th

Where are the Books?

I haven’t been inside of a public library in a long time, but Chloe and I have had nothing but time on our hands this month.  This weeks we (ok, "I") decided to take a tour of libraries in Harlem.  On the whole, I was shocked by how underfunded and uninspiring they were.  There was nothing there to excite either a reluctant reader, or a seasoned one.  In fact, there were hardly any books!  

The Hamilton Grange Branch of the NYPL

The Hamilton Grange Branch of the New York Public Library on 145th Street stinks, no . . . it literally smells. The outer walls are sparsely lined with shelves of books (fiction, non-fiction, new books, books in Spanish) but the bulk of space is taken up by computers.  These computers obviously serve a necessary function for the community; for many people the ability to print off a resumé is more important than ability to check out the latest Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie novel.  However, there has to be a balance.  If young people, in particular, aren't developing a love of reading in school and the libraries are devoid of books, where do they turn?

The Countee Cullen Library on 136th Street was a bit better.   Immediately, the librarian was able to show me how to use my IDNYC card as a library card.  There was a section of books on the Black Experience - a lot of street fiction, very few classics, and almost no books from contemporary authors- but it's the thought that counts right? The children’s floor had volunteers doing face-painting and mask making to celebrate the end of their Summer Reading program, and there was a floor just for teens where high-school students were gathered using computers.  Unfortunately, again, there were very few books.  I could not find any of the books on Dwight’s Summer Reading List for 7^th graders.  The Schomburg Center next door features an exhibit on Walter Dean Myers, but I was not able to find any of his books at the library.

The one bright spot was the Washington Heights Library on 160^th Street.  Chloe and I stumbled on this branch on our way to visit Sylvan Terrace and The Morris Jumel Mansion.  We took a glass elevator up to the Children’s Floor and were greeted with books, computers, illustrations, comfortable couches, and lots of light.  Chloe and I both found books that we wanted to take out and were thrilled with the self-service kiosk for check out.

After this week, I definitely plan on donating to the public library in the future.  Find out how to support The New York Public Library here