Sing for Hope Pianos: Day 4

Hello, hello! Today is Sunday, June 16th. Thankfully I wrote the first couple parts of this blog on my iPod Touch while riding the Staten Island Ferry on June 4th. That was a smart move, and I'm glad I did it. I am now racing the clock because I have been asked to participate in the finale of the 2013 Sing for Hope Pianos concert at Lincoln Center.  (Yes, I went home to practice, haha!  And cool off.)  More on Day 16!  Without further ado, here is Day 4!

Although I didn't get the chance to go to South Street Seaport on Saturday, June 1st, it just goes to show that everything happens for a reason. It's so perfect how things line up if you let them.

First, work hard. Then play hard. After finishing up my work "to do" list, I got green light at work to go "piano surfing."

I hadn't eaten a substantial lunch, just a whole bunch of organic grapes for hydration. I missed out on the Cinnamon Snail's dinner service near Union Square the night before (June 3rd) and decided to check their location on Facebook. Wall Street and Water Street. Perfect! I could grab lunch and play the piano at South Street Seaport!

After a train ride on the 1 with a transfer to the express 2, I made it down to Wall Street in the last hour of Snaily's lunch service. I ordered my favorite sandwich: the ancho chili seitan and a mango & lemongrass donut.

Piano #11: South Street Seaport. I headed over to South Street Seaport with my food and decided to check out the piano's location before eating. And as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to play right away as nobody was playing. In my three years of doing this, I've learned to seize opportunities as they come.

I quickly took pictures and then sat down to play.

After seeing this piano at the piano buddy info session, I knew I had to visit it.

I was all about finding the secret message.

Found it!  Love it!

When I finished playing a song from my core trio, a lovely couple who just moved here from Mexico walked up to me and asked me about the piano, so I told then about the 88 pianos available for anyone. I asked them if they played, and the woman said she was just learning.

Next up, I played back-to-back pieces from my core trio. In my line of sight, I could see at least one woman standing and listening to me play. After I finished she approached me and asked me if I wrote the song I just played. I told her it was a cover, and I asked her if she played. She said no but that she had designed the piano. How cool is that?! I got the chance to meet the artist, Laura, and tell her I loved her work. I had seen the piano at the piano buddy information session and loved finding her secret message (ha, yes I waited until this blog to post pictures of it). But then, she told me there are TWO secret messages -- one message for the school or hospital where this piano will eventually be donated and one message for anyone to find if the lid is down. She didn't give it away, and I am so glad for that. She offered to take my picture with my camera, so I played Lullaby for Eliana.

Photo taken by Laura.

Another photo taken by Laura.

During my performance, a little boy came up to the piano and would hide his face from me. I wanted to "find him" like in Hide and Seek, but I would have to stop playing to do that. Instead, when he popped his head back up, I smiled at him. When I was done, I asked him if he'd like to play and scooted the bench closer for him to sit down.

Lunch break!

The ancho chili seitan burger, aka my favorite sandwich from The Cinnamon Snail.

Mango lemongrass donut! Holy moley, it was amazing!  I didn't really taste the lemongrass, but the mango was SO GOOD. P.S. not sure why this uploaded sideways

After eating, I returned to the piano to look for the secret message available for all.  A woman was taking pictures of the right side of the piano, and we started talking about the art project.  I mentioned to her that I had just met the artist and was looking for the second secret message.  We both started to look, and then when I read Laura's dedication on the side, I realized it didn't end!  When I turned the corner, the period of the last sentence was on the back of the piano, and there was more!  So, now that the pianos have all been moved to Lincoln Center, I feel okay with releasing this video.  Perfect timing.


There is no sound on this video -- I muted it and couldn't find 19 seconds of the perfect soundtrack. Just letting you know before you think there is something wrong with your speakers!
Piano #12: Staten Island Ferry. I took the M15 bus down to the Staten Island Ferry terminal and was able to catch the next ferry right away.  The universe was conspiring in my favor.  (I think it still is, by the way.)  When I arrived at St. George, a man was playing this beautiful baby grand, representing 12 pianists, 6 males and 6 females.  Six well-known artists and 6 lesser-known artists.

Manhattan in the distance.

This top/lid was made to look like show art for a Playbill cover.  Cool, huh?

This is the artist's signature!

I knew I still wanted to play more pianos after Staten Island Ferry.  I only played two songs there before leaving.  I decided to head uptown, but first I picked up a couple cupcakes and green juice from Blossom du Jour.  I kept laughing while riding the subway.  Cupcakes and green juice?  Unhealthy and healthy?  That's how I roll!

I stopped by the piano at Morningside Park, but it was located in a children's playground, and the rules stated you had to accompany a child in order to enter.  Well, there were kids playing the piano, and I wasn't going to interrupt them anytime soon, so I enjoyed a red velvet cupcake while listening to the kids play.  Then I headed west...

Piano #13: Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Like some select locations, Cathedral of St. John the Divine has had a piano all three years of the piano art projects.  This particular piano with its Renaissance angels seemed like the perfect fit.  After I finished playing my core trio of songs, a woman asked me if I knew any Carole King.  Sorry, no.  I think I need to expand my repertoire next year.  Not necessarily Carole King, but at least one or two songs people know.  (But it's always still nice when people recognize Brooke Fraser.)  To finish, I played Lullaby for Eliana.

Girls playing when I arrived.

Okay, I have to get ready to return to Lincoln Center for the finale! Stay tuned...

Grateful

Believe it or not, this blog was unplanned. Nonetheless, it's a blog that I must write. How far do I backtrack? Well, let me just say that I've been vegetarian since March 2010, and I've been vegan since February 2011. In some ways, that doesn't seem very long, but as I've been saying for a long time now, everything happens for a reason.

Fast forward to actual Thanksgiving Day 2012. For those of you who don't know (and that's pretty much everyone except maybe two people), I spent quite a bit of the day planning for an online rally for the dolphins and whales that swim near Taiji, Japan. Now, some of you may think I'm crazy for doing that. Maybe all of you do. But it was worth it to me. And I would do it all over again. That holiday weekend, we saw five straight blue cove days.

Saturday, December 8

So this past week, I had been obsessing over going to The Cinnamon Snail to get a donut – hopefully a jelly donut. I love jelly donuts. I learned that the Snaily (affectionate term for fans of the award-winning food truck) would be at the Vegan Holiday Shop-up in Brooklyn on Saturday. Recently, on Saturdays,the truck has been serving neighborhoods affected by Super Storm Sandy. For FREE. So I've been missing my opportunities to get my favorite ancho chili seitan burger, but I have no reason to complain: I love the fact that they are helping the victims of Sandy get back on their feet. I arrived at the truck a little bit before noon yesterday. I was the first person in a line of one for about half an hour. Okay, yes, that was totally awkward, but once they opened, a long line formed very quickly, and I didn't have to wait in it! Boom. Worth it. I was greeted with a cheerful "Good morning!" and I ordered a Thanksgiving Sandoo, plus two treats, one of which was a cranberry jelly donut!

I briefly popped into Pine Box Rock Shop for a quick look around the shop-up. I've already bought Christmas presents for my family, so I just wanted to see what the vendors were selling, just in case! I then made my way on foot to Dun-well Doughnuts which, by subway, is one L train stop away. But I used the time to stroll and eat and savor my Thanksgiving Sandoo. I normally don't eat while walking, but that sandwich was perfect for multitasking. It held together nicely, and it was OH SO GOOD. It was heaven in sandwich form. Though I brought my camera with me, I didn't take a picture. Sorry. If you're in the NYC area, get the Thanksgiving Sandoo. You will be singing its praises, trust me.

By the time I got to Dun-well Doughnuts, I was so full that I convinced myself to only get one doughnut to go: traditional glazed. After all, I already had two treats from Snaily to eat later. ;)

Sunday, December 9

During my planning for the Vegan Holiday Shop-up, I browsed the website and took a look at all the vendors that would be there. I got really excited when I learned that Chickpea & Olive was among the food vendors! Now, I honestly can't remember how or when I'd first heard of them, but I have indeed. Their logo is adorable. Then I learned that they'd be at Bread and Yoga's Om Grown Market on Sunday, so thankfully my dilemma over which food to eat on which day turned out to be a no-brainer: I could have both Snaily and Chickpea & Olive in one weekend!

I was originally planning to go to a vegan holiday market down in SoHo on Sunday, but once I learned about the holiday market in my own neighborhood, again, it was a no-brainer. You can't beat local.

I made my way around the market and then stood in line at Chickpea & Olive's table. I heard a few people in front of me ordering the grilled cheese sandwich. They had run out of Daiya, so it would be a ten-minute wait. No worries. I already knew I wanted the Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich!

I had a little chuckle when Danielle, the woman who took my order, said "Another Gracias" to Daniel, the chef. Yes, I notice the little things, and even that was appreciated by me.

My order was ready in a few short minutes. There wasn't really anywhere in the market that I could sit down and eat, so I packaged up the sandwich in a "to go" container that I brought with me and took it home.

I devoured the first half of the sandwich in less time than it takes to boil water. I told myself to slow down, waited for my water to boil, and then savored the second half. The sandwich is perfect. In every bite, you get seitan, you get gravy, you get cranberry jam, you get pumpkin. It's a slightly messy but OH SO GOOD sandwich.

Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich from Chickpea & Olive

Chickpea & Olive, I bow down to you. I support you because you are more than the amazing food you make. You are the only food vendor that I have seen retweet Sea Shepherd's updates about the horrors in Taiji. To me, that means everything. It's nice to know that someone else in NYC cares about dolphins and whales and is making a difference doing something they love.

So again, dear reader, if you find yourself in NYC, please support Chickpea & Olive. Their food is so incredibly satisfying! I am already a fan and look forward to trying more of their creations.

Full of gratitude and full of Thanksgiving leftovers,
Allison