The Roaming Minds

Welcome to Little Italy sign at Mulberry and Broome Streets intersection.           The quick answer to that question is food - Italian cuisines and desserts. Have you tried different flavors of  bruschetta, gnocchi ,  ravioli,  and  linguine ? How about  cannoli, pignoli ,  gelato,  and  torrone ? If you want to try authentic Italian food other than the familiar spaghetti, meatball, pizza, and salad, go to Little Italy. They have rows and rows of ristoranti Italiano (Italian restaurants) and dessert stores. If you need to know what to order, restaurants display menus with a list of ingredients at their entrances. There are also standby receptionists waiting to answer your questions. Here are three things you need to experience when visiting Little Italy.  Eat at one of the ristoranti Italiano.      There are so many restaurants to choose from. We tried Benito One's linguine seafood made of white c...

  The Harvesters  (ca. 1565) by Pieter Bruegel | Oil on wood | 45 7/8 x 62 7/8 in. You can examine the artwork here .      Pieter Bruegel the Elder's (ca. 1525-1569) work above depicted one hot summer in a Dutch countryside. It was part of his original six paintings, but five survived, showing the different seasons of the year. The one above is currently displayed at the Met Museum in New York City, while the other four are exhibited in Vienna, Austria, and Prague, Czech Republic.      It is interesting that as I examined the details of this Dutch masterpiece, it brought memories of the  barrio  (village) where I grew up in the 1980s. It is fascinating despite significant differences between the year (the 1500s versus the 1980s) and place (the Netherlands versus the Philippines), the subjects in the painting and my experiences shared similarities. As a result, those similarities triggered the memories of the village I grew fond of....

A Medieval portal      The Middle Ages, or Medieval Period, was a European period in history that began from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the Rennaisance Period (13th-15th century). This period became known for its art and architecture, particularly ecclesiastical structures like grand cathedrals and monasteries.      The Met Cloisters has curated some of the grandest Medieval architecture, exquisite gardens, and original art forms. No other museum in the U.S. has combined these aspects of Medieval cultures. Here are our favorites. The cloisters and gardens      A cloister is a covered corridor with a wall on one side and an open quadrangle, garden, or courtyard on the other. This type of architecture was common in Medieval monasteries, convents, or cathedrals. There are four cloisters in the Met Cloisters, three with idyllic gardens in the middle. The Bonnefont Cloister   Behind us is the herb garden at the Bonnefo...

     Living in the Big Apple affords us endless wonderful experiences. It's been more than a year since my wife started working in NYC, and us living on the Upper West Side, but every time we get out of our apartment, new experiences await us. Here are some things we discovered you can see or do during summer if you visit the "city that never sleeps." Watch a drive-in movie. The Manhattan skyline during the movie drive-in.       If you love going to the movies, you can enhance the experience by watching a film through a drive-in cinema. Whether you drive in with a vehicle or motorcycle or walk in (chairs are provided), the experience is much different from watching a movie in an enclosed theater. The full moon, stars, and gorgeously lit Manhattan cityscapes join you as you enjoy the company of your loved ones watching the latest movie. As you approach midnight, bonus fireworks display on the right side of the Manhattan skyline. We recommend you try S...

Photo by Steven Lasry on Unsplash      Psalm 23 is one of our favorite verses. Who could not remember this reassuring psalm?  The Lord is my shepherd ... it begins. Here's the whole chapter in the New American Standard Bible (NASB) version. The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For the sake of His name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Certainly goodness and faithfulness will follow me all the days of my life, And my dwelling will be in the house of the Lord forever.    Our pastor expounded on this passage during the last Sunday of May 2022. Indeed, Psalm 23 never loses its comforting power in a ...

Night view of The Metropolitan Opera House      She's an exquisite princess, but at the same time, cold and ruthless. She hated men and promised to execute any suitor who could not answer her three riddles. She was vengeful and ferocious to men who tried to pursue her heart because her equally beautiful ancestor was kidnapped and killed by an invading prince. She was sure that she would never love a man.      On the night of the execution of her 12th suitor, a young man rang the gong to signify he wanted to challenge and pursue her heart. However, the princess, ministers of the kingdom, and the crowd were sure that he could not answer the three questions and would face the same fate as the previous suitors.      However, victoriously, the young suitor answered all three questions correctly. The crowd cried for joy, but the beautiful princess was furious and begged the emperor not to let him marry. The suitor offered the princess a challenge o...