A blog about New York City, my books, and my cats. Mostly.
Because the world can’t have enough pictures of my cats. I just opened an Instagram account, but now I have to get back to work writing so I haven’t experimented with uploading a photograph yet. But I had to choose the username stacymhorn because stacyhorn was already taken. Imposter!
As some of you know, I’m working on a book about Blackwell’s Island, which was the name for Roosevelt Island in the 19th Century. They also called the island Welfare Island from 1921 – 1971, because back then welfare was not a dirty word. The word was associated with compassion, and looking out for your fellow man/woman. This doesn’t mean that people didn’t despise the poor back then, they did (not everyone of course).
The pillars pictured below are all that is left of the Hospital, except I am having a hell of a time tracing the history of this hospital. It started out as the Penitentiary Hospital, then it became the Island Hospital, presumably because it wasn’t for inmates alone, then Charity Hospital, and finally City Hospital.
It’s unclear to me though if Charity Hospital and City Hospital were the same building. There are contradictory records. Historians don’t agree.
Anyway, I just came across a terribly upsetting story involving Charity Hospital. I can barely read about it much less write about it. We shall see if it makes it into my book!
The thing is, I’m not going to be in any part of town the Pope is going to be in. And I’m feeling kinda lazy. My choices:
8:30 a.m. Visit to the United Nations and Address to the United Nations General Assembly. (I slept late and was feeding the cats and sitting down to coffee. Where I am remain.)
11:30 a.m. Multi-religious service at 9/11 Memorial and Museum, World Trade Center. (I’ll be on my way to meeting my friends for lunch.)
4 p.m. Visit to Our Lady Queen of Angels School, East Harlem. (I’ll be sitting at my computer thinking, ‘That’s a lot of subway stops away.’)
5 p.m. Procession through Central Park. (You need to have gotten a ticket, which of course I didn’t do. But it might be fun to be on the periphery, watching the crowds and being part of the excitement.)
6 p.m. Mass at Madison Square Garden. (Invitation only, but there were will also be thousands of people in the area, hoping to get a glimpse and this is even closer to me.)
A picture of my group at the VR Hackathon I participated in this summer. I’m always the teeniest. Anyway, I love my group. Can’t you just tell they’re all great??
I admit it. I’m getting a little caught up in the visit of Pope Francis. Maybe I’ll try to catch a glimpse on Friday. That reminds me! I was there when Pope John Paul came to Boston in 1979 and I got a picture of him. What on earth did I do with that??
I should remember, whenever I’m agonizing about all the animals I can’t have, that I have this face to come home to. Hello little man.
This was at a pet adoption event at Union Square yesterday. I passed through on my way to a Roosevelt Island tour. (Thank you, Judith Berdy!)
This is the pet that stole my heart (along with a tiny gray kitten). I want heem. Except, I think it’s a her. Heem is more fun to say. Huur. Huur works.
