The Boy became betrothed to orthodontia the instant that he grew himself some teeth. This week it was consummated. With his new appliance he looks like a character from a John Hugh's movie (i.e. if Long Duk Dong had a best friend). Today we had to return to the orthodontist for an adjustment and on the way from the office to the subway station we traversed the familiar street that we used to walk every day, back and forth, to school. And lo and behold, somebody new has moved into the neighborhood. A very cool buffalo-bison-yak-thing painted green and blue and smack in the middle of a posh jewelry store. If my memory serves me, it's where a SuperCuts used to be. Judd the Red Chicken got his hair cut there once or twice.
Nothing stays stagnant in this town. You can go away for a two week vacation and come back to find that your favorite grocery store is closed, a new public art installation is up, and because of a movie being filmed your car has been relocated.
Our business with the subway station was to head down to Bryant Park. We poked around the Main branch of the NYPL for a bit. The last time we went we tried to see the free movie that plays on the half-hour, but it was down that day, so today we finally got to see it. It touches on the history of libraries, explains the set-up of the NYPL system, introduces the history and purpose of the building there on 5th Avenue, and explores the ideals of the public library. The nucleus of those ideals being that vast stores of information and knowledge are available to everybody -- for free. If the American dream is about bettering oneself and improving a life by becoming educated (while tugging hard at those boot-straps), then nothing is more of a resource than a public library. And there isn't a finer collection of original documents, and reams of dream-fodder than what is circulated and shared in New York City. The president of the NYPL system said that it is a right of the people to have access to these resources, and the internet helps makes that happen. One interesting feature is the online digital gallery.
While in the neighborhood we browsed a great bookstore across 6th Avenue from the park, called Kinokuniya. While I'm embarrassed to admit it, the bulk of our time was spent not looking at books, but rather all the fun Japanese stationary items. The big finds of the day were a small clear car that has two tiny brushes inside that supposedly clean surfaces, and a button with a tooth on it that made The Boy smile through all his orthodontics-induced pain.
We grabbed lunch on 39th at Kati Roll. It was delicious, but The Boy couldn't properly bite to eat most of his, and The Girl got a rash all around her mouth from the spices. Seriously, there is always something.
Our last stop in the area was actually what prompted the expedition. For Christmas The Girl received a gift-card to Build-A-Bear and she has been patient these past two months. Walking in to the store I asked The Sister if it was all coming back to her. While she is now a mature young woman preparing to head off on a life of her own, she was once a little girl who loved, loved, loved Build-A-Bear. And it seems so recent. Now there's a different little girl who loves Build-A-Bear. Today she stuffed a pre-historic mammoth and named him Fido.
