What's going on?

Today was an overflow day at the Soup Kitchen/Food Pantry in the Stapleton section of Staten Island. For close to thirty years I have been a volunteer at the Soup Kitchen located at Trinity Lutheran Church on St Paul's Avenue. Back then if we had 40 folks for lunch we were really hustling. Today we had 117.


One of the reasons is that back in the day the Food Pantry operated on Friday evenings, and we served on Saturdays.  Now we work in tandem, and our numbers for both ministries have skyrocketed.


And the work is more difficult.  We have more clients who are in need of better physical and mental health services.  We see more folks who have lost jobs or are returning from incarceration. More mothers and children show up to have a meal after they pick up food from the pantry.  More Mexican and Central American day laborers come in. Many of these guys are homeless and ineligible for referrals to shelters because they are either drug or alcohol abusers or both. They arrive late for lunch so pie-eyed I am amazed they can climb the stairs.  They drink several cups of coffee, chow down on dessert, scrape the lunch into a plastic container and grab an extra orange/apple or two from the box  as they leave. They then  hightail it into the Food Pantry to see if they can convince the clean up crew to give them some bread or peanut butter or both.  They will be back next week; they do not remember what they did the week before, and the dance will begin again.


Then there is "Jacks".  A senior citizen,well known to those of us in the social service business on Staten Island.  He comes every week at around 10am.  If it is not his week to get a Food Pantry pick up, he solicits "donations"....so you don't want those Corn Flakes??? Jacks will take them off your hands, as well as those cans of sardines you are not sure what to do with. Jacks knows and is happy to take your excess.  Next on his agenda is checking out lunch. 


Every week for the past five years, Jacks has been first online to get to the lunchroom. He has explained to me several times that he is a "big guy", and as such, needs us to provide him with an over-large portion. If the portion is not up to Jacks' standards, he may resort to "table surfing".  That is a ritual in which Jacks, once he has finished his meal, stands against the wall and looks intently around the room.  He might spot a family group in which one or two young children did not finish their meal.  He will swoop down, scrap the leftovers onto his reserved plate, sit down and join the folks for another go round.  Today, he did this three times. We try to be overly generous when we serve lunch, but Jacks just thinks we are being too controlling. 

Today I expressed my concern that his habit of finishing off someone else's lunch might be a health risk  He told me that he has been dong this for years, and has never gotten sick.  Oh, by the way, he says, we have the best meals of all the places he goes to eat.  Is this a complement?


I also have two or three regular late comers.  I call one "The Charmer".  He arrives fifteen minutes before we close and packs his lunch "to go" in his own Chinese "take out" container. Bur, he does try to get something .  I do not bite.


     "M'am" he says, " If you close at one and have leftovers, can you give me seconds?"
      "No", is my reply. "We close at one; I feed my staff, and the rest goes to the outreach center;    you can go there if you are still hungry.  It is four blocks down, three blocks over."
     "Well", he says, " I can take some of that burden off of you."
     "Hum", I say, " We can shoulder that burden."


I call the other one "The Philosopher". He is a gentleman of a certain age, an artist, who has fallen on hard times.  He knows and acknowledges many of the volunteers by name and engages several in bright and interesting conversations.  He loves art and is often seen at local events.  He is not a constant client, but comes when funding for his newest project dries up.


 My favorite "late comer" is the "Haitian Cowboy" an eccentric Creole gentleman who, despite a physical disability, shows a real compassion for others and never complains about his state.  I do so love his broad brimmed fedora which he wears with aplomb and a style like no other. And although Walter, our plant supervisor, does not share my admiration for this client, he is always willing to make a place for him at table.


Now, some of you may think I am a really mean person.  Think what you want.  I have to abide by the rules set up by the Soup Kitchen and the NYC  Dept. of Health. I never know how many people the Lord is sending me to feed today.  I never know if I will run out of food. I never know who needs our listening ear today.   And I never know who is going to be walking with me on this journey .

Medical Care in America

Once I reached the magic age of 65, I became eligible for what my Ob/Gyn called the "Cadillac" of medical insurance: Medicare. Since I also retired with medical coverage for which I pay a small fee, and have prescriptions drugs though my Medicare D rider from the UFT and have dental, vision and hearing coverage, I am in pretty good shape when it comes to health care. And I am grateful for that. But it is the small things that can make you nuts.






About two years ago I was diagnosed with sleep apnea...no surprise there, three of my four siblings have had the same diagnosis.  I was told I could have surgery since the main culprit in my case is a deviated septum.  I opted for the CPAP machine since several friends and relatives had related good experiences with it, and the thought of surgery, even though not extremely invasive, is not something I really want to do. So, I ordered the machine.




For the uninformed, the continuous positive airway pressure CPAP therapy is a common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. It includes a small machine that supplies a constant and steady air pressure. In my case, it has taken me a very long time to get used to this contraption.  I usually take it off during the time I am sleeping, and the noise will finally wake me up. I then have to put it on again and restart the process.  This happens at least two times a night. Needless to day, I am not a happy sleep camper.


Medicare Part B covers this machine, so imagine my surprise when I received a bill for $1,500 for the machine from the place I got it from via prescription from the ENT guy who diagnosed me two years ago. I also received requests from my secondary insurer regarding charges they denied to pay the rental fee for said machine. In an attempt to fnd out what the heck was going on, I spent the majority of my day on the phone with various and sundry insurers from Don at Medicare (nice enough guy) to Patty and Tammy at the "machine shop".  My favorite call was the first one I made to Beacon, NY at the billing service.  I was told I should go to the post office and mail the machine back to them.


I said, "If you want the machine back, why did you send me a bill for it?"


Their reply,"I don't know.  Just send it back."


My retort, "There is nothing in this letter that tells me to return it.  What if I paid you for it?"


The very intelligent reply,"We still need to have it back."


Then they won't get my money, you think? You can't make this stuff up.  And, remember, I was talking to folks in New York State and New Jersey.


Well, after eight phone calls, and an average of five transfers per call I must do the following:
          1. Contact my healthcare provider ( that's the doctor for those of you who are not sure)
          2. Go to a designated website and download, fill out, save and print up the documents
          3. Get a new prescription from said health care provider/doctor
          4. Fax everything to the new supplier and wait for confirmation
          5. Make an appointment for delivery and sign off on it.


Boy, it is a good thing I am retired and don't have anything to do but take care of my medical situation!  I wonder how others have dealt with this crazy system we have.  Single payer is looking mighty good!

Altar faux pas

Over the almost twenty years since my ordination to the diaconate in the Episcopal Church, I have witnessed or been privy to many main altar mishaps and missteps that were seamlessly camouflaged by the altar party who never again spoke of the high altar hijinks that resulted in the worshiping congregants being unaware of near liturgical disasters. I have come to really respect those clerics and vergers who have been able to easily fix what one might think is an obvious error with quiet aplomb and tact.

Here is a listing of some of the boo-boos I have either witnessed or was an active participant in over my years of altar service:

1. Who let the dog out??

At an extremely liberal and progressive parish in which I served , the rector and I were distributing communion during the service.  One of our parishioners, a professional singer, habitually brought her very diminutive dog to church.  The rector usually blessed the dog as we distributed communion: first the bread, then the wine.  The rector presented the bread; we used whole wheat pita; and before I could offer the cup, the singer gave half of the bread to the dog who quickly chomped it and swallowed it down lickety split. Fido was not given the opportunity to slurp the wine...I skipped over them both.

2. Judge the juice:

At that same urban parish we routinely offered non-alcoholic wine or grape juice for our parishioners in recovery or just for those folks who did not drink wine or preferred juice.  We usually put this into a glass chalice so folks knew which one contained a liquid sans spirits. One Sunday I noticed the glass chalice contained an amber colored liquid which I assumed was white grape juice, since I overheard the sacristan saying the purple juice was gone, and he had run out to the local Gristede's to find another bottle.  Imagine my surprise when I was "cleaning up" the altar and began to consume what I thought was white grape juice, only to discover I was gulping down Mott's Apple Juice! 

3. The drowning bee and the swimming horse fly:

a. The first parish I served at was surrounded on three sides by open park land and a cemetery. Sometimes, in the spring and fall, the ushers would open windows and side doors to catch a great cross ventilating breeze.  On two occasions that caused major problems at the altar.  On one occasion, a rather large bumble bee crawled around the altar and rested on the rim of a wine filled chalice. When the altar server rang the bells, it frightened said bee who unceremoniously fell into the filled chalice and after a few horrific moments of insect struggling, drowned in the sherry. As the rector lowered the chalice after the final elevation before distribution of communion, we flicked said dead bee into the sacristy, and distributed communion as usual.

b. Same issue a few weeks later , but his time with a rather large horse fly who dive bombed into the chalice and began doing the beast stroke across its diameter. He continued to do so during the elevation and owing to a slightly deliberate slosh on the celebrant's part, was flicked out the side and took off into the sacred space of the church to bother some sleepy congregant.

4. Bees, again, on the church wall:  

A swarm of bees appeared on the back wall of the Mid-island Church in which I served.  No problem: call the bee keeper and cancel services. This was done, and the bee removal went pretty smoothly.

5. Ants in the ciborium:

Peonies are lovely. Their colors run the spectrum from creamy beige to brilliantly vivid pints, but they come with their own problems: ants. The Sunday flower arrangements of locally harvested peonies were beautiful, but filled with local ants...and not the kind we are related to.  We picked off as many as we could, and passed out the hosts...no one was any wiser.

6. Candle problems: These are legend.

a. My daughter's hair caught on fire in the 1990's fuelled by hair spray and hot wax.  No harm done, a lay reader swatted her head with his prayer book.

b. Exploding candles happen due to leaning candles and drafty churches. I have seen this happen on many occasions, and you can never really tell if and when it happens. Yet when it does, you are almost powerless to stop it.

c. Too close to the flower arrangements results in drying out of flowers and leaves which is easy to deal with. Just pick them off.    On other occasions this resulted in flaming flowers...never a pretty sight. I know of one church where an attempt to light the overhead

Advent Wreath resulted in the whole thing going up in flames....but the fire extinguisher was nearby...no harm done.






So, a sincere and grateful Thank You to those in the altar party: celebrant, acolyte, verger, deacon, reader, who have stepped up to the plate and helped the rest of us avoid Altar Altercations that could have ended in more than embarrassment.

Finding the Sacred whilst Traveling

Just about a week has gone by since I returned from my latest adventure abroad.  A well-planned trip to Northern Europe visiting several Baltic cites and Germany including stops in Copenhagen, Malmo, Stockholm, Tallin, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Porvoo, Magenburg, and Berlin; places steeped in various kinds of Christianity and Judaism where state domination of society often suppressed the religiosity of its citizenry. But even while travelling, encounters with the Divine happen in the most unexpected places.

My home parish of Christ Church is currently engaged in a year-long read of the Bible: First and Second Testaments.  We are currently in the middle of the Psalms, and I used a good chunk of time on my flight from Newark to London catching up and surpassing my place, so when I got home, I would be caught up to date.  The gentleman in the next set of seats over asked what the huge book I was reading was, and I showed him.  He told me he was Jewish and was impressed that a Christian group was reading his scriptures with such intent, and we discussed the  translations of Pslams from the Hebrew, the language he studied them in, into the English that I was reading.  He was also interested in the order in which we were reading the books of the Torah.  He said that he found comfort in the Psalms of David because the issues they address: anger, joy, suffering, elation, despair, contentment, hopelessness and honor; things that still plague us today...a valid and honest point.

Interior Sankt Petri Kyrka

On my second day in Denmark, we decided to take the train over the new Øresund Bridge to visit the of Malmo, the third largest city in Sweden.  There I visited the main Lutheran Cathedral, Sankt Petri Kyrka . While I was visiting there, I got to witness a wedding performed by an Armenian Orthodox priest and deacon dressed in vestments that made the bride's elegant body clinging white gown look like last weeks left over wet white bread. And of course, their  Eastern influenced chanting gave the whole ceremony an other-worldliness that was breathtaking. An added extra was that the church served coffee and cookies all day...a perpetual coffee hour! Something my son, Rob, would have really enjoyed!

Samon, Guri, Aviv

While visiting Tallin I encountered  lovely trio of Russian clerics on a 18th century Russian icon that came home with me. This was really special because when the Soviet Union was in the game, none of the older icons could leave the premises. Sts. Samon, Guri and Aviv, the stars of this piece of art,  are supposed to support marital bliss. Aviv is the deacon.  The example here is a bit nicer than mine, and I could not afford to buy this one. Mine has a painted blue background, not this fancy gold leaf.

Stockholm Cathedral

This trio will make a nice addition to my icon collection that has its primary focus on deacons ...originally an academic project which later became a rather obsessive hobby of mine.  Now if I could only find a deacon in an icon with a swan....my other collection obsession.

St George and the Dragon

In Stockholm we visited the Lutheran Cathedral.  Of course, it was not always a Lutheran Cathedral; it only changed over from Roman Catholicism after the Protestant Reformation.  It is a monument to the state as well as to religion as it has two ornately gold-leaf decorated "seats"...more like thrones...upon which the ruling monarchs of the realm can plant their royal posteriors. The rest of us commoners can sit in the faux marble painted wooden pews which speak to Scandinavian sensibility and practically. There is also a great statue of St George slaying the Dragon which would scare the beejesus out of any young child.





Grand Choral Synagogue

The highlight of my tour in St Petersburg was not the opulence of Catherine's Place, nor the manicured and pristine gardens and fountains at Peterhof, but the simple yet elegantly refurbished Grand Choral Synagogue. Its simple majestic beauty and serene ambiance as a place of prayer and remembrance stands in tribute to the many folks who have over the years passed through its massive doors as worshipers and visitors.

 

Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe

And continuing on that theme, in Berlin we visited the Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe located across the street form the American Embassy two blocks from the Brandenburg Gate in what would have been just inside the eastern Berlin Wall.  This monument is a sobering reminder of the horror and destruction humans have inflicted upon each other over ideology. I just wish more visitors read the admonishment that this is a solemn spot and not a place for school children to play "Hide and Seek".      

But my favorite souvenir from my trip was given to me by a travelling companion from Germany.  Thanks, again! Who knew Martin Luther could actually be fun?  Playmobile, of course!      

      

Musings on the Baltic

Musings on the Baltics:

I have just disembarked in "Wonderful, wonderful " Copenhagen after a seven day cruise around the Baltics visiting Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Russia.  This is an interesting part of the world, and I got to travel with several decedents of immigrants from this region.  Because I still use my married name, which is easily identified as Scandinavian, I was often addressed in Swedish, Finnish or Danish on this trip.  I smiled politely and replied that I merely marred into a Swedish-American family, and only knew the curse words my late husband taught me...he had learned them listening to his great aunts and uncles at family gatherings.  His own grandmother who lived with him spoke to him only in English, and would never use such improper language, but Aunt Tilly and Uncle Olaf certainly would.

On a lark, we took the train across the new suspension bridge to Malmo, Sweden from Copenhagen and spent time tooling around this port town.   Visiting the Swedish Church (Lutheran) was a serendipitous stop; I got to meet some German tourists who gave me some suggestions for our trip to Berlin, and I was able to witness an Armenian Orthodox wedding ceremony that took place at the high altar.  The officiant and assisting deacon were decked out in ornate vestments that made the blushing and beautiful bride look like an "also ran".     

The first stop on the trip was Stockholm, a town we have visited before. 
We opted to walk around on our own and enjoyed Gamla Stan again shopping for Dala horses, watching the changing of the guard, and enjoying a classic Swedish lunch in Sally's Restaurant; it consisted of Swedish meatballs, gravy, mashed potatoes, cucumber salad (almost as good as Aunt Eleanor's) and lingen berries served with a nice salad. If you are ever in Stockholm, I would recommend a lunch or dinner stop here. They have fixed price meals and a daily special for each day of the week. The owners are actually Italian, and they have an extensive wine cellar as well.


It  seems odd to be able to freely enter places that were located behind the old "Iron Curtain", and to leisurely stroll the streets of Tallin in Estonia buying items with Euros along the way was a real treat.  I picked up an 18th century Russian icon in a small antique shop haggling a bit with the owner for a better price. At one  point in recent history no one could take older icons out of countries under Soviet domination, so I was pleased to know it was now possible. A fellow traveler got some nice amber jewelry: an antique bracelet and newer earrings to go with a piece bought on a prior visit to Copenhagen.

St Petersburg was another story.  There are still remnants of the old Soviet Union: we had to go thorough a painfully and unnecessarily long passport check complete with unsmiling clerks who issued us the necessary "paper"...literally a visa with our name and passport number written in Cyrillic,  and fierce looking supervisors with big hats and pistols. One can only get off the ship in St Petersburg if one has purchased a shore excursion from the ship or an approved provider.  We opted, with the advise of our travel agent, for a local tour operator; we designed a tour tailored to our sightseeing goals. Since we were only there for one day we hit the hits, so to speak:  Catherine's Palace and the recreated Amber Room; Peterhof's magnificent gardens with wonderful flowers and fountains, the main synagogue and the Hermitage. In addition, our agent arranged for a coin dealer to meet our two collectors at the tour operators' office...we were all happy and exhausted campers at the end of the day.

Helsinki was a rather short stay.  I went on an excursion though Helsinki to Porvoo where I purchased another icon, but was able to convince the owner to ship it to me.  It was written ( remember, icons are not drawn or painted; they are written) by a local woman.  I have seen very few Finnish icons, and this will make a nice addition to my collection...however, I need to re-think the current icon space in my apartment.

We are now sitting at the Central Station Train Station in Copenhagen waiting for a train to Germany.  It will be a seven hour odyssey including a ferry ride from Denmark to Germany and a half an hour layover in Hamburg.


So the adventure continues....more to come.







Sent from my iPad

The Gift of Hospitality

Moon over Brooklyn

One of the things I like to do is entertain.  In my younger days, I would spend lots of time milling over menus and recipes deciding what I could cook and serve to my guests.  Nowadays, I prefer to either do a prepare ahead simple meal or simply call the caterer. Either way I get to spend more time with my guests.  I have also hosted dinner or lunch at a local restaurant and had dessert at my place.

When I lived in  New Dorp, the house was large enough for hosting up to twenty two people for Thanksgiving dinner which I did on several occasions.  I can remember my husband and father moving tables around to get the maximum number of seats.

Now that I am in a smaller space, I do most of my entertaining in the milder months when I can utilize my outdoor space which overlooks New York's lower bay and the Verrazano Bridge. It is fun watching the ships sailing by, and when the sun sets the moon rises over Brooklyn makes it seem like a magical place.






After Hurricane Sandy I often hosted volunteer groups who were sleeping at my church for a final "Thank You" dinner. The meal is usually simple: Swedish meatballs, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn and peas, green salad, biscuits and Italian ices and "Black and White" cookies for dessert. If the group is primarily teens, we simply order pizza from the local joint and serve salad and cookies with it...simple and easy to do. Over the past two years I think I have hosted between seven and eight groups from as far as Prince Edward Island in Canada to Texas.  All of them were here to do recovery or restoration work. 

Christ church/New Brighton/ SI, NY

Larger groups, I can only host up to a dozen folks plus my prep and meet crew, usually have a meal at our church prepared by one of our parishioners who is head chef at a local hospital, so they tend to be a bit more upscale than what I do, but the view from here is better than form the church. We will be dong one of those tonight; it should be fun.  The group is from a Lutheran Church in South Carolina, and they have been sleeping in our parish hall for the past week.


At almost the same time, our Second Saturday crew will be preparing a dessert to be served to the guests of the Soup Kitchen in Stapleton. Once a month the parishioners of my church prep, cook and help serve lunch for anywhere between sixty and one hundred patrons.  This week we are welcoming in the summer-like weather with hot dogs, green salad, vegetarian beans and homemade peach cobbler.  The peach cobbler is always a hit with the diners since they usually just get canned fruit doctored up with a squirt of whipped cream.


So, as you can see, hospitality is very much a part of what I do, and I like to extend it to as many as I can. I am always looking for easy meals to prepare, so if you have any suggestions or recipes, shot me an  email and share.

Great American Cities

Without a doubt, I am living in one of the most exciting cities on earth.  New York City has it all: great food, great theater, great vistas and great neighborhoods.  What is happening now in the town of my birth is that folks who come to usually visit the isle of Manhattan are discovering great places in the other boroughs like Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn, the wonderful restaurants in Astoria, Queens, the gardens at Wave Hill in the Bronx and Snug Harbor and the Chinese Scholars' Garden in my own borough of Staten Island.  I have always thought of New York as a great international city, which it is, but there are many great American cities that offer much to visitors, and, as usual, I have my list:



Quincy Market



1. Boston: Some of the best seafood and Italian cuisine can be had in Boston, but be warned! It is a walking city.  Driving in Boston should be avoided at all costs! The streets are narrow and meander around willy-nilly making no sense whatsoever. I have gotten lost there in a car more than I would like to remember. But...using the subway is easy and efficient. It will take you wherever you want to go. And do go to Quincy Market! If I go to Boston, I usually take Amtrak.

DuPont Circle





2. Washington, DC is a delight! It is a great museum city and also has an efficient subway system.  Dupont Circle is a fun place to stay and there are nice restaurants nearby. During the week there are mostly government folks milling about, but on the weekends hotel rooms can be had for reasonable money. I have yet to run into Clair or Frank Underwood, but I daresay, "House of Cards" has done more for tourism to the DC area than anything I can think of in my lifetime.

Mall of America

3. Minneapolis-St Paul, I think of them in tandem, although, they each have a different vibe. I would suggest you NOT visit in winter, which can be dicey, but spring and autumn are delightful.  You can see some great regional theater and major league sports in a user friendly city.  Oh, Mall of America is there; a wondrous and wonderful thing in and of itself! 





4. Miami is a tropical delight! There is definitely a Cuban vibe that can't be denied, but there is also a hint of exiled New Yorkers who are into great cheesecake and latkes...and the beaches are lovely. Eating or partying in South Beach is an experience in and of itself.

Pike's Public Market Seattle

                                                                                                              

5. Seattle is a laid back wonder with great salmon, fresh produce and what seems like a coffee shop on every corner.  The  Pike Place Market is not to be missed.  I had one of the best lobster rolls ever in one of the restaurants there.  The ride on Seattle's Great Wheel at  Pier 57 on Elliott Bay is fun and a precursor to the proposed Observation Wheel scheduled to open in two years within walking distance of my apartment.  It is, however, less expensive than the proposed NY Wheel will be, and is a great way to see the city from a different angle.  Try to do this around sunset.

River Walk/San Antonio

6. San Antonio was a great surprise.  I attended a meeting there in March and enjoyed it immensely!  The River Walk was fun, and the city itself is easily walkable with many interesting things to see and do.  I bought a nice piece of art glass from a dealer there which is sitting happily in my living room overlooking NY harbor.





Café Du Monde

7. Chicago is, in my humble opinion, the quintessential great American city: great steaks, great deep dish pizza, great museums, great urban architecture, and great municipal art! The Navy Pier's conversion into a tourist destination was a masterful idea. I have never had a bad meal in Chicago from high end restaurants to local neighborhood joints...great cuisine!

8. New Orleans....what can one say? I have been there pre- and post-Katrina, and am happy to see that this place is rebounding. And the food???? Excellent! Whether you are having breakfast at Brennan's, where they invented Bananas Foster, or dipping your beignets in chicory coffee at Café du Monde, there is never a disappointing culinary moment. 

Naval Aviation Museum/Pensacola

9. Las Vegas is not high on my favorite lists, but it did have one of the most unusual museums I have ever seen...The Liberace Museum was in a strip mall in Vegas. It contained his collection of pianos, including one owned by George Gershwin, his costumes, cars, photos with other celebrities, including my favorite of the maestro with Pope John Paul II making faces into the camera,and the world's largest rhinestone.  Sad to say, it closed in 2010, but every once in a while the foundation that owns the collection does "Pop Up" exhibits at hotels on the strip.  Keep an eye out for them.



10.  Pensacola is like a bit of the islands on the Florida panhandle. Its sugar white sand beaches are a wonder to behold.  The National Naval Aviation Museum is located on the Naval Aviation Station in Pensacola; it is the largest museum of its type in the world and is a fascinating visit.  I have been there twice and enjoyed it immensely...of course it helped that both times I was with a group of retired Navy guys who had served on the same aircraft carrier.

                                                                                                     







Lee, Jackson, Davis

Oh my, I forgot Atlanta! Wonderful Contemporary Art Museum and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library! ...and an unexpected excellent German restaurant in Cumming where my brother-in-law lives! The rapid transit system is very nice as well. If you are interested in history,  you can go to "Stone Mountain" where one will find a bas relief sculpture of Confederate military leaders...the War of Northern Aggression is memorialized here, and the ironic fact that the granite that forms the Lincoln Memorial was quarried here in Georgia...poetic justice? Perhaps. 


I have been to LA , but am unimpressed.

There are other cities in the USA that I am wont to visit: Charleston, Savannah, San Francisco, and Salt Lake City. Please share your impressions and direct me to your own hidden gems.