SOME NOTES ON NYC
By Dan Miller
March 23, 2007
I'm told that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of gawkers were looking skyward at JFK International on Monday as our flight approached from Nashville.
Well, they weren't actually watching the little JetBlue plane bringing me, my wife and daughter to New York City -- along with about 85 other passengers.
They were watching that big super dooper Airbus A380 jumbo jet approaching the runway right next to the one we were landing on -- at the same time.
In fact, our pilot announced that we could see the giant plane touching down just by looking to the right.
Strangely, it's is the biggest jetliner ever built, but -- from the air -- it looked pretty much the same as any other plane.... even rather smallish.
But it can be configured to seat 853 passengers!
When I heard that, my first thought was.... Wow, imagine how long it would take for 853 passengers to "deplane".... and how weary the flight attendants would get, saying "bye-bye now" 853 times.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, to the attached photos.
If you should ever hear that I couldn't keep pace with my wife and daughter as they scurried through The Metropolitan Museum of Art.... don't believe it.
My excuse is apparent in the first photo.
I was attempting to move around while also serving as the "pack mule" for an estimated 40 pounds of jackets, coats, scarves, mittens, cameras, maps and other things!
By the way, I'm standing in front of the transplanted Temple of Dendur, which was built about 3,500 years ago in Egypt, but now sits there in New York City.
Interestingly -- though you can't see it here -- a quick peek inside the ancient tomb makes it clear that graffiti is nothing new.
On the walls are names and dates from the early 1800s, scribbled by Europeans who ventured inside the tomb at its original site.
It's odd.... the graffiti has now become somewhat historical.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next photo shows my daughter McKensie taking a rest in that same Egyptian gallery.
She has an uncanny way of adapting to her surroundings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next, it's British actor extraodinaire Gavin Lee, posing with Karen, McKensie and me backstage at the New Amsterdam Theatre after his show-stealing performance as Bert in the Broadway production of Mary Poppins.
Boy, do I recommend that wonderful musical for kids and grownups alike!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Backstage, after watching the show, we were approached by a young man from Birmingham, Alabama, who used to live in Mt. Juliet, and said he remembered watching me on TV.
But that recognition was soon trumped....
A woman came up to me -- right there in the New Amsterdam Theatre -- and called me "Danny".
I knew immediately this one went deep into my past.
Turns out, it was a girl (older woman) who attended school with me back in Georgia from the 8th grade through high school graduation.
The great miracle of the night was that she actually recognized me!
(Not to imply that I've changed all that much since the 8th grade!)
I'll tell you.... jetliners may be getting bigger....
But this world, at times, seems incredibly small.
__________________________________________