Before The Deluge: Global Citizen Festival

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Global Citizen Festival

We attended the Global Citizen Festival in New York City again, this past weekend. Exhausted from the travel and the non-stop activity, but we did well.

We stayed near Central Park, and I had opportunity to run the big loop of the park this time, which is about six miles. New Yorkers love the park, and going out early was a great way to see a bunch of serious runners clocking miles. I enjoyed watching some people commuting in to work via the Park, on skateboards, electric scooters, and electric skateboards. It was toughing sticking to the perimeter, as the trails draw you in, but I made other trips to the park and checked out some of these trails too. New York fascinates me in its conflicts--concrete and nature, for one. At one point, I read that per capita the people of Manhattan do very well as far as their ecological footprint goes.

The Global Citizen Festival showcases some of the worlds most popular music talents, performing in interests of global causes. Tickets to the one-day festival are acquired via lotteries, with lottery tickets available to persons who perform certain activist tasks. The causes are good--eliminate extreme poverty, fight climate change, gender equality, healthcare, and so on. The festival corresponds with when the United Nations is in session.

This year's big name performers were Queen/Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Carol King, Pharell Williams, One Republic, and H.E.R. Kelly Clarkson did a duet with Carol King, one of my faves. Alicia was my favorite for the night--she killed it with Girl On Fire, New York State of Mind/Empire, and then a duet with H.E.R. of Aerosmith's Dream On. Didn't see that coming, but so good. "New York..concrete jungle where dreams are made of..." still in my head. Pictured above--we were right up front.

The celebrity speakers may have been even brighter starts--Leonardo Di Caprio, Ramy Mallek (sp? from Bohemian Rhapsody), Natalie Portman, Anna Kendrick, Hugh Jackman (host), Iman, and the list goes on. Many national and international leaders spoke too. The whole thing was in Central Park, attended by about 60,000, and broadcast on multiple channels.

We got their early, like last time, but were surprised to find out that we were some of the first to be admitted. We had a great place to stand, next to a railing, where we positioned ourselves for the next several hours. It was exhausting, and we were older than most nearby, but it was so worth it. The memories will last.

Other things: well, we wanted to get out on the water, so there was the Statute of Liberty, and Ellis Island. Loved Ellis Island--worth taking more time to visit. We did the High Line, a converted trail on an elevated metro track. We found Joe's Pizza, reputedly the best. Vanessa's Dumplings, also the best. There was an afternoon stroll and evening walk through Chinatown and Little Italy. Spaghetti and meatballs, with a canoli chaser.

And the Met. I really enjoyed the Met, loved the Met, and the three or four hours we gave it were not near enough. I was amazed at the pottery and other items that were 2500 years or more old. Below is one of those Greek pots with painting of athletes on it. Probably priceless. We caught the "Play It Loud" exhibit on its second to last day, which was stacked with instruments of rock legends. Very popular exhibit. And I raced around the place, in some weird personal game of art tag, trying to make sure I saw the most legendary works, like the Van Goghs, Da Vinci, and abstract works that I like so much.

My heart will always be in quieter places, but I've always enjoyed my visits to New York, and I hope we get back soon again.