Remember

As my friend Tijana said this Day of the Dead, there are no coincidences, everything happens for a reason.

The first thing that happened is that my daughter asked me to do crafts and I chose to make this poppy. The thought of a poppy floated to me and it felt right as looking at this poppy for days has felt right.

The second thing that happened is that my friend Jelena had her birthday this weekend and I chose to get her Sasha Hemon's The Book of My Lives and as I was holding the book in the book store a desire to read it overwhelmed me. Later that evening my friend and Tijana's sister Vaneja gave me her Bosnian translation of The Book of My Lives to read and, knowing that I had no control over what was happening, I gave her a kiss. The weekend continued unsuspiciously and I immersed myself into Sasha's youth that was also my youth in our home city of Sarajevo. Familiar names, streets, schools. Familiar way of growing up reading, watching movies and talking about them with friends over endless coffees and cigarets as a way of hiding our insecurities.  And loving every second of my life in Sarajevo, even the lonely, smoggy December days. It then so happened that on this Remembrance Day I took the kids to school, went for a jog, showered and made myself a cup of tea. Then the time stopped and in complete silence of a quiet autumn day I continued reading. Youth coming to an end, Sasha was describing the thin line that split our Sarajevo life from the rest of our life. And as the rest of our life started, he described the beginning of the Bosnian war.

The third thing that happened is that I then attended the Remembrance Day assembly in my daughter's school, mostly because she was supposed to sing and I love to listen her singing. As the Where Did the Flowers Go went on, my grin of proudness for hearing my daughter's voice over all other kids' voices disappeared and I found myself thinking about the only war that is real for me, the Bosnian war. I thought of Sasha's brave decision to dedicate one chapter to answering the Why and I felt the anger of all people on Earth who have every been drawn into a war, surprised by it, when all they ever wanted was piece. I command Sasha for making me remember the genocide that was committed in my country and the suffering that was brought onto millions of people who lost their way of life as a result.

They will never learn but we will never forget.

Why I am in love with New York City

New York is my second favourite city in the world. Sarajevo is the first. In both cities, I am aware of the city heartbeat and I ride on it. I feel happy by simply being there. This, of course, happens in fragments in other places, but in these two cities it is consistent. I can only compare it to loving a person and being happy in their presence.  Interestingly, I first became aware of this in New York, and that led me to recognize that this was how I have always felt in Sarajevo, where I was born and spent the first twenty years of my life. But back then, I was too busy discovering life and the city was a cradle in which it happened. Now, when I visit I am aware of it and I always spend some time walking by myself and listening. This attraction had led me to live in New York for three years. Now, I go back often and always, I come across something old and something new.

Here are some moments from my stay over Thanksgiving.

Tribeca is cushioned between the busy Downtown area and equally, although in a different way busy Soho. It is more residential, quieter and delicate. Food in Tribeca is wonderful and there is a cozy neighbourhood feeling there. This time around, I stayed in Tribeca and loved the walking distance to Soho and West Village, also Brooklyn Bridge, Century 21 discount shopping and Downtown.

My favourite NYC bar is Cafe Noir. Although technically in Soho, as it is just north of Canal, Cafe Noir is on the block that feels more like an extension of Tribeca - Warm, Loud, Crazy with many accents but mostly African and Latin. Walking up to it, you are greeted by a small crowd smoking and socializing outside, sitting on the bench below the windows facing Thompson Street or leisurely standing by, checking you out. You enter the subdued light of Cafe Noir, the party music hits you and again you are being checked out and welcomed by the nod of the bartender and a smile of the waiters. If their yummy tapas are what you are after, you proceed to the back room that gives Moroccan feel, pick a table and start to relax, outside world now miles away. Or, if party is what you are after, you stick around the bar and you first start chatting with the bartender, always the most social person there, then you slowly meet people around you. If it is a Saturday night, the chances are you'll soon be dancing in a narrow space in-between the bar and the tables lined by the windows. Here, you breath in the sweet air of spontaneity, like I did so many times before, I recall the New Year's party with the rice shakers in my hands and the dancing last year.  I also remember the first time a friend introduced me to this place, having a late bite to eat in the city that never sleeps.

Smyth Thomson Hotel through my new EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Autofocus Lens mounted on Canon EOS 30D that my friends Maya and Milen gave me before this trip (still in awe!). I try to follow in Maya's footsteps and give this camera the justice it deserves.

Ground zero is where I was on 09/11. I have learned to live with it and I am now able to admire the Freedom tower (isn't it amazing that I have hopped from Freedom Peak - Uhuru over to Freedom Tower discovering my own Freedom along the way). But I do breath faster when I am around here and I see millions of burning papers flying around me when I close my eyes. I remember Meredith's liveliness. Then I slow down, take a deep breath and go on living.

Empire State building reminded me of when Rubina and Mirsad, the friends I love and keep forever in my heart, visited me for a week. They both had hidden fear of heights and spent only a couple of minutes up on Empire State Building, later admitting to me that they felt as if the floor under their feet was moving, so they both leaned into the wall and did not care about the view.

Times Square is a tourist zoo and when I lived there I used to avoid it, except when doing the New Year freezing marathon in 2002 with my work friends. In Times Square, I have always felt more as a bystander watching a movie in slow motion, than as a participant. With Comic Convention in town, this time around, Times Square was swarmed by the dressed up movie characters, giving it an even more surreal look. I have to admit though, my camera liked the vibrant billboards against the perfect blue sky.

Central Park still feels like home. It was the first piece of NYC that I started visiting regularly in Fall of 2000, with my Scottish buddies whom I met through work. Every weekend we met to jog or rollerblade, and after they left for UK and I welcomed the spring, I started going on my own, doing some exercise, followed by walking, taking pictures and exploring its many paths. I shared this place with many friends who came to visit. It always amounted to hours of breathing and listening to the city sounds through the murmur of nature.
The Fall in Central Park is my favourite surrounding, the air still warm, the colours turning to gold and the wind breezing through the tall trees. Paths filled with millions of leaves.

 Strawberry Fields is where I quietly imagine the world filled with piece, love and kindness.

Central Park pond has been on my way so many times, but this is the first time that I climbed the rocks to get higherer than the buildings surrounding the Park. Here I felt in the heart of NYC as if I was the only one the sun was shining on, soaking in all its energy and flying on happiness. Just like the turtles that were bathing on the branches sticking out of the water. Afraid to move and break the spell. I was barefoot and in touch with the granite rock that Manhattan rests on. Aware and content.

Downtown Manhattan Skyline from Brooklyn Heights is one of the  best urban views in the world. I have made this trip before and have timed it to be here at sunset. This time around though, the magic happened around the Statue of Liberty.

NYC Subway is so much better than Toronto's. Being one of the oldest in the world, from the end of the 19th century, it was built in Art Nouveau style. Being in its tunnels and stations feels like walking in a museum. Except that this museum functions amazingly well. Much much better than a much newer, 20th century Toronto subway system. Its grid is amazing, the wait doesn't exist and it moves fast. But most of all, it is an art experience.

Soho to me is a New York fantasy. Behind the tall ceilings and huge windows of its five story buildings I have always imagined cool people living cool lives. Art, motion, unexpected, adventure. Anything but ordinary. This is the place to stroll and shop. And pretend to be there for the art. The movie Unfaithful epitomizes what I am thinking. A lot of coolness that is best not to be analyzed, or who knows what we would find behind the walls of glass.

It is a wonderful thing to have a place to go back to and amazing friends to hug and continue talking to as if a year did not pass since we last met. Cheers!