Wednesday, April 18

Jeff took Marty, Kate, and me along for an earlier departure this morning so that he could show us his old stomping grounds - Columbia University. It was a magnificent sight indeed. I might send my son there...

Anyhow, we passed first the seminary, then the Riverside Church. Jeff told us that this was where MLK Jr. held his speech against the Vietnam War, so I decided to look it up tonight. Here are his closing words (sorry about the incomplete citations - I'm on vacation...):

"Somehow this madness must cease. We must stop now. I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home, and death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as one who loves America, to the leaders of our own nation: The great initiative in this war is ours; the initiative to stop it must be ours." (Antiwar.com)

We met up with the rest of the group and enjoyed a refresher on General Grant while we visited his memorial. According to our guide, General Grant was THE person who ended the Civil War. Good to know:) Above to the left is a group photo with our very own guide, Charles Calhoun, giving us a preview for what to expect tomorrow.

The task for the afternoon was to find our own museum. I headed down to Times Square to meet my nephew Elmer, and after lunch in Greenwich Village and a visit to Washington Square Park, we headed to the Museum at FIT (see pictures above). The fashion museum was interesting but very small, so I decided to research Washington Square Park to fill the expected learning quota for today. It turns out that back in the 1700s, it was a cemetery for yellow fever victims. Then it became a site for public hangings, and then eventually a residential area for the upper class. I'm not sure exactly when the triumphal arch was built. (Source: Project for Public Spaces)

I turned in early tonight. Hard to believe it's almost all over!