Sing for Hope Pianos: Day 2

Hello again, I'm writing this entry on June 10th. I admit, I am now overwhelmed by the idea of recapping everything on the blog. Every day, more experiences happen that I have to document. It is just so blissful to be in the present moment and enjoy things as they happen. As it's a rainy night, however, I'm using this opportunity to preserve some more of these memories.

Piano #6: Van Cortlandt House Museum. Hopped on the 1 train to the last stop in the Bronx. Google Maps made it seem like the Van Cortlandt House would be a bit of a walk from the station; however, I was pleasantly surprised that the distance was much shorter than I had anticipated. The piano was situated on the porch, and I had it all to myself.

An early favorite for 2013 because of its design and sound.

Here's a video of me randomly playing the sheet music on the piano. Yay sight reading!

I was here.

Van Cortlandt House Museum.

Piano #7: Highbridge Park - Wallenberg Playground. It's a good thing I have these pictures and a running list of songs I played to help jog my memory.  It was a hot day (not as hot as the day before, but it took a lot of energy to walk from the subway station (191st Street).  Granted, I walked the wrong direction without realizing it, and had to backtrack.  A few kids were playing the piano when I arrived, so I rested at a bench covered by shade from a tree.  (Thank you, tree.)  I admit though, that the sun got the best of me, so I didn't play for very long.

Piano #8: Mitchel Square Park.  It's interesting that I've been to this area of Manhattan (168th Street) several times when the A train stops running for repair work and shuttle buses are made available.  But I had never paid attention to this park and the memorial.  I read online that this park is named after a former mayor of New York who was killed during World War I.

As I waited for the girl to finish playing, I sat on a bench in the lovely park area, and this leaf fell into my open palm as I was reviewing sheet music.

Piano #9: Morris-Jumel Mansion Museum. I took the subway one stop to 163rd and visited an area of Manhattan I'd never been to before.  To get to the mansion (which was George Washington's headquarters in the fall of 1776), I had to walk down a charming little street (see below).  The piano was covered by the tarp, as rain was in the forecast.  I took it off while I played but covered it back up again before leaving.

View from the piano.  It was visually peaceful, that's for sure.  There was traffic noise, and people  were chatting loudly  in the grassy area to my left, but it was otherwise a good location for the piano.

I really like the artwork on this piano: places that no longer exist in Albany, New York.  

Such a charming street.  This picture doesn't quite capture what it's like to see it in person.  I wonder what it must be like to live on this street.

Piano #10: Fort Tryon Park. Wanting to make sure I got back to my neighborhood before the rain arrived, I headed back uptown and stopped by the piano at Fort Tryon Park.

There are lots of great advertisements for the pianos this year!  I see them everywhere.

Another early favorite because of all those vibrant faces.

The piano already had a stuck key, so it made it difficult to play my songs, but again, I enjoyed this piano for its art.