Siejen

My evening in the Big Apple had kicked off with a Lunar New Year’s Celebration hosted by Mayor Bloomberg at Gracie Mansion. After the celebration, I had sushi with my college friend, Roslyn, on the UES.

As I decided to head home by hopping on the 4/5 “green express” subway downtown, I was reminded by an older man passing in the opposite direction to stop and take a look at the “Total Lunar Eclipse” that was occurring in the Big Open Sky on a clear night in the Big Apple. I stopped in my tracks and turned around (“East”) to look at the Total Lunar Eclipse that was happening before my very eyes. I continued my journey along 86th St. when I was again stopped by Judy and her new acquaintances Doris and Joanie G from Kings Pt. who I might add are also Obama fans! Judy was so enthusiastic and tried to stop every passerby in their tracks, making sure that no one missed this incredible event. I congregated and stood on the corner of 86th St. & 2nd Ave. with a group of other New Yorkers watching the Full Moon rotate into the earth’s shadow becoming a lil ball suspended in the middle of the universe. What an amazing sight to witness in this great city! I will now have to wait till December 20, 2010 to witness the next Total Lunar Eclipse.

My family and I left on Friday night around 11:30pm to drive from Long Island, NY, and across 2 state lines to see Punxsutawney Phil make his annual weather prediction in Punxustawney, PA, also dubbed as the “Weather Capital of the World”.

We arrived around 5:30AM just in time to hop on the local “Punxsy School District” buses from Groundhog Plaza up to Gobbler’s Knob. As we stepped off the bus at Gobbler’s Knob, the annual proclamation was kicked off by a beautiful display of pre-dawn Fireforks. Around 7:27AM, the “Inner Circle” gathered around the 120 Year Old (+) “Phil” to make his annual prediction for “6 More Weeks of Winter”. The celebration and festivities continued in the middle of town where we each also had the chance to personally “meet & greet” Punxsy Phil and have our photos taken with him and the “Inner Circle” in the town park.

As you traverse through the small town of Punxsutawney, PA, you will not only find cute little places to eat, but, you will also bump into 32 “Phatastic Phils” which are “colorful and whimsical” 6 Ft. tall fiberglass groundhogs.

“Punxsy Phil” has a special home at the groundhog zoo, and his long life is sustained by the secret magic potion that he receives once a year during the Groundhog Festival. For every drink Phil has, his life is sustained by an additional 7 years.

“Meeting Punxsutawney Phil” has been on “Siejen’s List of Things To Do”, and the extremely hospitable and friendly people of Punxsy, PA made our little family adventure all that more enjoyable.

I spent a week in New Mexico (Albuquerque -> Santa Fe -> Taos) last year with my college roommate. It was absolutely wonderful. You feel as if you have entered a differnt country the moment you have stepped off the plane. The people are genuine, incredibly hospitable and kind-hearted.