1. I have a huge thing about paper. Which might be why I love scrapbooking and altered books and so on. I’ve been researching paper and ink because of my novel SCRAPBOOK OF SHADOWS. I wandered into the New York Public library and there was this fabulous exhibit, “Three Faiths: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.” (Religion is another “thing” of mine. More on that some other time.) A main focus of this exhibit was a kind of history of writing about the three faiths and what kind of paper and ink they used. Kismet, baby. Click of the title of the exhibit at your own risk. You may find yourself there for many hours.
2. Did I mention I love paper? I wandered into Kinokuniya, a Japanese Book Store. No. I don’t speak Japanese. (Though some of my fav mystery writers and movie makers are Japanese. ) My children love Manga and Anime, so I thought I might pick something up there for them. Well, it was overwhelming and I didn’t buy a thing because it was pricey and by that point, I didn’t want any more to carry. But WOW, what lovely paper.
So now, I’m on a mission to find it cheaper. And I have also discovered Japanese-designed fabric.
3. Finding Jerry Seinfeld landmarks.
4. Beautiful quiet spaces in the middle of one of the fastest, busiest places on the planet. Bryant Park is close to my publisher’s office. I had some time before our meeting and so I wandered around the Christmas Market there–gratefully not open at that point in the day, else I would have spent money I didn’t have. But seriously, what a lovely park. I sat and watched ice skaters and listened to beautiful, jazzy holiday music, took a long, deep breath there among the trees, fountains, flowers, grass, and evergreens, before my big meeting.
There was also this carousel, which made me miss my daughters, even more so:
5. The holiday window displays were fabulous. Ditto here about my girls. The displays remind me of old Pittsburgh days when the city had Gimble’s, Kaufmann’s, and Joseph Horne’s and they all had magnificent displays that made a trip into the city more than worth it. I’m not the worlds best photographer. But here are a few attempts to give you a glimpse of what I saw.
