New Amsterdam

Hello!! Well I left for Amsterdam about a week ago. I decided to visit my family (Janet, David, and Marian ) in New York on the way. I wanted to understand the Dutch on a deeper level, and concluded there was no better way than visiting their former colony. In actuality, it bears little resemblance of a small trading colony. New York is a phenomenal place, a destination I will always consider a second-home. The contrast of flying from Salt Lake and arriving in Manhattan is sharp. One scene is highlighted by mountains, the other contains pillars of steel and glass towering over you.

(SLC)

(My view underneath the Brooklyn Bridge)

The art of people watching is always at its' best in NYC as well. Luckily enough, I came across a fantastic character in the Subway.

(Blankman)

I approached him with an accent saying "picture", while I held my camera up. He bashfully obliged and asked me if I was from Ukraine. I shook his hand and he began telling me about the world's biggest problem called "sins" Here are a few highlights...

• SIN is a cluster of amino acids in the retina of the eye, they block the bright light of life.
• Jesus Christ shed his blood to dissolve these amino acids.
• The bright light is blocked, causing it to fall to the ground in the form of acids.
• LuciFer (Fe) is the melanin, pigment under the skin. 
• Without God's light to block the LuciFer (Fe) and SIN, millions of free radicals form
• These free radicals cause cancers, diseases, aging, and death.

He is developing ways to defeat all this with the Chinese and Russians by the way. He kind of reminded me of   Damon Wayans in Blankman too haha.

(Wayan's on the left)

We parted ways and I headed towards my favorite pizza in the world, Grimaldi's. It's a real simple place, under the Brooklyn Bridge (Brooklyn end) and short walk from the subway. There is always a line of at least 15 people outside waiting to get in. In turn, there is a "Soprano's look-a-like" running the line; he skips the pleasantries, and gets right to business, " and for that we thank you."

(Original- Tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and garlic)

(Grimaldi's)

On my last day in the city I met a very nice and intelligent Columbia student named Alexis. We were both walking block after block to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Normally, it's hard to pin-point another among the thousands on NYC's 5th avenue. However, as we headed uptown the crowds thinned and it was just her and I. Anyways, we ended up seeing the met, meeting up with her friends, seeing an off-Broadway play, and eating Vietnamese sandwiches in Washington Square. 

(Alexis showing her "museum pose")

Expect an update of The Netherlands soon, and welcome to the blog.