we had future plans to spend Xmas Eve
at a Carnegie Hall concert, so
we decided to stock up on Christmas services
by attending not one but two churches
on the fourth Sunday in Advent!
after another leisurely morning
in our cozy studio apartment,
we strolled West towards
First Presbyterian
for their afternoon carol service.
glockenspiel in Union Square
virtually everyone wears a mask in NYC.
bonus is that you, then, do not need a scarf
to keep your face warm!
~ First Presbyterian, NYC ~
what a beautiful, old sanctuary!
we sat in a "box" seat on the left,
and it seemed most of the congregants
were probably church members.
lovely brass ensemble, too!
First Presbyterian - a covert recording
my recollection is that we strolled
back to our place between services.
it's possible we stopped by Veniero's,
which was about two blocks away...
i, actually, became a bit of a pastry snob
once we discovered a nearby French pastry shop...
but the Sicilian almond cheesecake
(with green & red candied cherries) was memorable,
and the cannoli were fun!
& it was just so darn Christmassy!
irresistible!
&, i think, we picked up dinner
at the Halal food truck on the corner, too.
then we headed down to Trinity Wall Street
for its choral concert...
Trinity (Episcopal) Wall Street
to gain entrance,
our COVID cards & licenses were scrutinized,
our temperatures were taken,
our masks were on our faces, &
our belongings & bodies
went through metal detectors.
there were paid security guards.
this was partly due to the pandemic...
and partly because
in this city
& in this part of the city
everyone remembers.
i remember.
my oldest was at preschool;
my youngest was asleep in his crib.
i was folding laundry &
watching the morning "news" shows.
& suddenly buildings had holes,
planes were hijacked,
people were jumping from skyscrapers
(you could tell...it was horrible),
and those skyscrapers collapsed
into chunks of concrete, plumes of debris...
a stunningly beautiful sanctuary!
& an ethereal youth choir
performing Benjamin Britten's
A Ceremony of Carols
it was dark & bitterly cold (after our mild first few days),
but we did walk around the 9/11 memorial afterwards.
there's now an impressive contemporary building nearby...
and the old church whose wrought-iron fence
was covered by the faces of all the people who were loved & lost.
it was a quiet, reflective day
