Taking A Look Around

The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine 

While my boyfriend was off at work, I thought I would take the opportunity to do some exploring. My boyfriend lives in Morningside Heights (I had to find that out from Wikipedia) and I know absolutely nothing about neighborhoods in New York, so I thought my best bet would be to google "things to do in Morningside Heights." Also, tomorrow is payday, which means I'm down to my last $11 - "things to do" had better be "cheap things to do."

My google search struck gold: "32 Things To Do If You Visit Our Neighborhood." It looked like visiting St. John the Divine was a must-do - and probably not expensive - so I decided to start my journey there. An added bonus was the fact that I had always wanted to see St. John the Divine, though I had no idea it was in Morningside until today. St. John the Divine was the church where one of my favorite American authors, Madeleine L'Engle, was a parishioner, and I had always wondered about the place where a woman of such creativity and talent chose to pray.

Detail of the Military Window in the Nave

St. John the Divine is a stunning cathedral. It's huge, and the columns seem to stretch endlessly upward into the dimly-lit vaults. The stained-glass windows are richly-colored and depict an almost bewildering array of themes, from sports to missionaries. The intricate Gothic woodwork in the nave is beautiful, and the contemporary art displayed alongside it makes an interesting counterpoint: currently there are pieces by Enrique Martinez Celaya and Mary Buckley Parriott. My favorite work of art was the Peace Altar by George Nakashima, displayed at the entrance to the nave.

My enjoyment of the cathedral was enhanced by the gorgeous harmonies of the choir. I had wandered in while they were practicing, a stroke of luck that was like stumbling into a free concert.

In his left hand, a sword. In his right... a giraffe?

After half an hour, I wandered back out of the cathedral and decided to find breakfast. The well-known Hungarian Pastry Shop is just down a block and across the street from St. John the Divine, and I went in and ordered a cheese danish before finding out that they only accept cash. I couldn't find an ATM that would let me withdraw just 10 of my remaining 11 dollars, so I walked over to Broadway and found a Westside Market, which took debit cards. Westside Markets are full of delicious prepared foods of all kinds as well as groceries, and they had a nice selection of pastries, too. I left with a cheese-covered focaccia and a bottle of organic blood orange juice.

I walked back to the park at St. John the Divine and ate my breakfast under a bizarre sculpture of an angel with a sword cuddling giraffes. "32 Things To Do" tells me this sculpture is called "The Fountain of Life" and dubs it the ugliest piece of public art in the neighborhood. Ugliest? Well, I'm not from around here so I can't be sure, but it certainly is odd. No matter - not even weird art could spoil a picnic breakfast on an unseasonably warm day in New York City.

Copyright 2010 Sara Harding