Proud Parents (3)

On the final day of my parents' visit, the NYC weather was over 90 degrees, almost breaking a record. So, we went from coats on the first night to needing air conditioning (which we don't yet have) the last night. But who needs to sleep in the city that never sleeps? Well, me. But let's back up.

Unbeknownst to us, there was an Upper West Side street fair taking place practically right outside our front door. After spending some time there, we headed to Riverside Park on the East River, hoping to escape some of the heat. We walked north several blocks and realized we weren't far from Columbia University. On our way to Columbia, we came across a beautiful Baptist church which had been attended by John D. Rockefeller.



Just a few blocks away, we walked to Columbia University, which has an amazing campus, considering it is in the tight quarters of Manhattan. Columbia has graduated many Nobel Prize winners, three U.S. Presidents, and at least three of our Founding Fathers - very similar credentials to my alma mater, Buena Vista. For example, BVU was ranked 11th for academic quality in the Midwestern Baccalaureate category. So, pretty much even. Below is a picture of Columbia's library where Alexander Hamilton used to pull all-nighters studying for his "Becoming a Founding Father 101" exam.



Another Columbia building:



Who knew the Upper West Side had so many large, stunning churches? Here is another one we found on our walk back from Columbia.



Bonus! This church had resident peacocks. We think this was an albino peacock?

Alyssa tailed this one until...

this! Very impressive. It even posed a while to allow Alyssa to take a few pictures.

After our long, hot tour of the Upper West Side, we went to an excellent French restaurant - Cafe du Soleil.

The food was great but the company was better. Despite the swings in weather and resulting lack of sleep, we were so happy to have my parents out to visit. And we may welcome them back soon in October! Since they are avid readers of the blog - thanks Mom and Dad!