Kate and Jacob in "The Big Apple"

 It was such a JOY to share some of the sights, sounds, and tastes of NEW YORK CITY with Nathan, Kate, and Jacob for a few days in September.  They came ready to see all they could, and experienced a lot!  Kate loved using the subway trains.  She enjoyed each ride as if she were in an amusement park.  She was not at all intimidated by all the crowds and diversity, jumble and noise.

Here Kate poses with some mosaic revelers which adorn the walls of the Times' Square Station.

One night Jacob and Nathan attended a baseball game at Yankee Stadium where they especially enjoyed the revered tradition of the venue and the congeniality of the crowd.

That night, Kate and Grammy had such fun at a lively production of "Matilda" based on the Raold Dahl book of that title.  Amazing!

Jacob was impressed by SHAKE SHACK hamburgers and fries. The food tasted so good to all of us, maybe because we were famished after all our sightseeing.

 At dusk we walked from Brooklyn to Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge.  The stunning views of the city were enhanced as the lights in the buildings began to glitter.  The bridge, built in the 1880s, is an engineering marvel.  Many New Yorkers of the day were afraid the steel cable system would not be able to hold the weight of all the traffic.  Today the bridge is a much-loved icon of the city.

A favorite spot for Kate was the giant Toys-R-Us store at Times' Square.  She was amazed at the indoor Ferris wheel, and the fantastic selection of games and candy!

We visited the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island and also the Museum of Immigration on Ellis Island.  Both filled us with pride for our nation and with gratitude that we are blessed to be citizens of the greatest nation on earth.

 Of course we had to try lots of New York food.  Jacob, who works at Little Caesar's Pizza in Salt Lake City, was especially excited to try New York pizza.  Both he and Kate were quite impressed.

Besides Italian pizza, Jacob and Kate enjoyed French crepes, Chinese dishes, German pretzels, Dutch cookies, Jewish bagels, and Middle Eastern falafel.






We were so happy to have this visit from "home."
It enhanced our awareness of the treasures around us in this great city. It also reminded us of the blessings of our treasured forever family!

Heinrich Hofmann Paintings in the Riverside Church

 Last week we visited the Riverside Church on the Upper West Side in New York City.  This interdenominational church, completed in 1930, was built largely with funds donated by John D Rockefeller.  It has long been known as a stronghold of activism and serves a diverse neighborhood which includes about forty ethnic groups.

The church sits facing a beautiful park on the banks of the Hudson River.

We were particularly interested in seeing four very special original paintings by Heinrich Hofmann which hang in the church.  The images, which we have often seen in reproduction, are all very familiar and touching.   Here a sweet, young Christ teaches the "doctors" in the temple.

Our prophet, Thomas S Monson, has for many years hung a reproduction of this particular image of Christ in his office.  He writes of the painting:
 "I love the painting, which I have had since I was a 22-year-old bishop and which I have taken with me wherever I have been assigned to labor. I have tried to pattern my life after the Master. Whenever I have a difficult decision to make, I have looked at that picture and asked myself, “What would He do?” Then I try to do it. We can never go wrong when we choose to follow the Savior."

This painting of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane hangs in the "Gethsemane Chapel" of the church.  It has badly darkened with age, but remains a precious image of Christ's Atonement.

Here Christ speaks with the "rich young ruler."
(See Matthew 19:17-22)  "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:  and come and follow me."

It was a thrill for us to feel the spirit of these paintings "in person."

Our Temples: Houses of the Lord

We feel so blessed to be living here in the heart of New York City serving as missionaries in the Manhattan Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We serve a 7-hour shift in the temple every day it is open, typically Tuesday through Saturday every week. We support the temple presidency and local members in the surrounding areas of New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in providing sacred ordinances which bless both the living and the dead.  We enjoy a wide variety of responsibilities from administering and recording ordinances, to cleaning and doing the laundry.  In all we do, our purpose is to promote the great latter-day work of salvation for the dead, and to encourage and bless the local Church members.  We serve patrons who speak a dozen different languages.  Many of our most faithful are Spanish speakers, and Elder Hawkins is especially helpful with them. Sister Hawkins has extra duties in the temple office.

 

"Surely these temples are unique among all buildings.  They are houses of instruction.  They are places of covenants and promises.  At their altars, we kneel before God, our creator, and are given promise of His everlasting blessings. . . . Here we set aside our own selfishness and serve for those who cannot serve themselves.  Here, under the true priesthood power of God, we are bound together in the most sacred of all human relationships--as husbands and wives, as children and parents, as families under a sealing that time cannot destroy and death cannot disrupt."

 Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, August, 1974

Marriages performed in this "sealing room" are for time and eternity. Ceremonies are sacred and simple; they are attended by only the closest friends and family.  Afterwards, couples can greet more friends and well-wishers in front of the temple.  Passersby on the crowded sidewalk shout their congratulations, and drivers on busy Columbus Avenue honk their horns.

Temple work blesses both the living and the dead. Through family history work we discover our roots, and our lives are enriched.  In April Sister  Hawkins made connections with a fifth cousin, and they shared the opportunity to perform ordinances in the Manhattan Temple for common ancestors.

When two of our grandchildren, Meg and Tim, came to visit, they performed ordinances for some cousins from the 1800s.  We were so pleased to be able to share with them the spirit of this work in the "House of the Lord."

Josie and Chloe in Gotham City

We were so excited to have Joe, Charlotte, Josie, and Chloe come from Highland, Utah to visit us for a few days.  We were on a break from our temple service during the temple's routine two-week summer maintenance.

Here we are checking out the view from the top of our apartment building.

We went to Manhattan's Chinatown for some authentic Chinese dim sum.  We got along pretty well until they brought around the fried chicken feet.
The next day they were thrilled to discover "Shake Shack," and that quickly became their favorite New York meal.

Chloe was especially excited about our visit to the huge Nintendo Store at Rockefeller Plaza.

 Many say that Juliana's in Brooklyn is supposed to have the BEST (thin-crusted) New York pizza--and we agree.

 It was a thrill to watch the city put on her sparkling jewels of light as dark fell.  The Manhattan skyline was stunning!  Afterwards we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge.



Another highlight was visiting Ellis Island, Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty.

We enjoyed walking through Central Park several times.  Central Park is a huge, beloved, public space which is vibrant with activity all day long in the summer.  The Bethesda Fountain is an especially lovely spot.

 When we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Chloe was particularly excited about seeing the Degas ballet paintings.

Charlotte, with her training in and love for art, was a wonderful guide for her girls as they got a taste of the treasures in this incredible collection.

We thought Josie looked a lot like the woman in John Singer Sargent's elegant portrait of "Madame X."

We all loved the vast collection of Egyptian art.  Here Joe and Josie check out the Temple of Dendur  transferred here, block by block, from the Nile Valley of Egypt.

Both girls were fascinated by the displays of arms and armor.  These horsemen ride beneath banners  of some of the knights of the Round Table.

A little weary after more than four hours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we reluctantly decided to call it a day--even though there was still so much yet to see.

We hope  this dear family we come back and see us again soon!

Around the City

Down near the southern tip of Manhattan is the financial district including the New York Stock Exchange.  Wall Street was so named because it ran along the line of defensive walls the Dutch built to protect themselves from the British .  Close by is Federal Hall, the site of our nation's first capital.  A grand statue of George Washington stands on the site of his inauguration.

A surprising sight right in the midst of busy downtown New York City is this peaceful colonial-era graveyard near Trinity Church.

 We attended a splendid New York Philharmonic concert in the mammoth, Anglican Cathedral of St John the Divine. Started in 1892, it is still only two-thirds finished.  When complete, it will be the largest cathedral in the world.

 The Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, on Fifth Avenue along "Museum Mile," is home to a fine collection of modern and contemporary art.  We enjoyed the stunning architecture of the building itself more than the art it housed.  It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, his only building in New York City.

We spent one morning biking on Roosevelt Island, located in the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn. We got great views of Manhattan's east side.

This now-abandoned smallpox hospital, built on the island in 1856, served about 100 patients until 1875, when it was converted into a school for nurses.

"Roosevelt Island" honors President Franklin D Roosevelt.  It has residential areas as well as an impressive park commemorating his presidency.

We were deeply moved by this visonary statement he made near the beginning of World War II.

 From the island we got this spectacular view of Manhattan from the east.  Prominent along the river on the left is the UN Building.  Center is the spire of the Empire State Building; the pointed crest of the  Chrysler Building rises on the right.

We were thrilled by a performance of the Tabernacle Choir in famed Carnegie Hall on July 2.

One hot afternoon we took the subway south about an hour to the southern edge of Brooklyn along the Atlantic Ocean to "Coney Island."  It was a fun change of pace to get sand between our toes on the beach and stroll the historic boardwalk, built in 1921.

 The amusement park rides included the rickety, wooden roller coaster,"Cyclone," a designated New York City Landmark.

Of course we had to try a "Coney Dog" from Nathan's. (And, truly, it was the best I have ever eaten!) They claim to have invented the hot dog and have been selling them here since 1916.

New York City is full of music, from street performers to the finest classical concerts.  Dozens of free summer concerts in parks are sponsored throughout the City. We have enjoyed several, including this one by the Boston Symphony Chamber Players in the huge Naumburg Band Shell in Central Park.