A truly unique event - think about it: St. John the Devine Cathedral, which is the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world and has space for a couple of thousands of people, was packed on Sunday for a special service: animal blessing! Besides people there were hundreds of pets (mostly dogs, some cats) in the church.

It was The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, an annual celebration in honor of Saint Francis, patron saint of animals and nature. This decades-old event consisted of a service first, including highly progressive/modern dance (of different cultures) and very modern music.

Also, there was a procession of the animals in (!) the church (below), including a camel, a horse, cow, snake, birds and other creatures. Afterwards, the blessing of the private animals on the Cathedral lawn took place, each pet individually (lines were endless!). Outside, some (animal/environemtal) organizations and some vendors had set up booths in the church yard.

Animal procession in the church and dog waiting for his blessing, no barking or uproar by the way!

Not being a churchgoer at all, it was quite an experience, though I was thinking about all the homeless hungry people on the streets, who aren't treated as well as these pets are!

Walked over to the subway station and took the train over to Brooklyn, to visit the Brooklyn Museum.

The photos below show a special exhibition, called Red Grooms, Mimi Gross, and The Ruckus Construction Co. 1976. This collaboration of artists set up a “sculptural comic book” of urban life, a vibrant installation satirizing the city with a mix of painting, sculpture, performance, and puppetry

Their permanent art exhibition is well worth visiting, too, a modern, presentation, sorted for topics or subjects, not chronologically (above and below). Also, they have huge Asian art, Islamic Art, African Art, etc. collections!

Another special exhibition, called "The Dinner Party" - a feminist tribute - by Judy Chicago (below).

From there we took the train back to Manhattan, to the World Trade Center Site with Calatrava's Oculus (below) and Brookfield Place on the waterfront.

Walked north along the piers - the Hudson River Park - and noticed how well they are used and how popular they are. Lawns, sports and playgrounds, seating, and the piers themselves. One park is done by Tom Otterness from Wichita, who also designed the funny little sculptures in the 14th St. Subway station.

Checked out the new Pier 26, especially because of the newly added "fish playground". The pier itself is planted with plants of five different eco zones, there were nice seating areas, all with a great view, of course! Watched cruise ships pass by (on their way north, to Boston and on to Canada) and ended up with a beautiful sunset before we heaved our tired bodies towards the subway station and back "home" to Harlem.