I’ve been fascinated by the High Line for some years now. I mean, who doesn’t love abandoned train tracks? There’s been only  one issue standing in the way of my decrepit mecca: it’s not  open to the general public. There are plans to turn it into a public space…but then it wouldn’t be abandoned, now would it?? Sadly, no.   Fortunately, my friend and fellow lover of all things crumbly and deserted let me know about Open House NY. One weekend a year, people get access to buildings, landmarks, and other establishments that are usually off limits or restricted. I was delighted to find the High Line was on that list.

I was discouraged to find that a ton of other people were delighted as well. There were so many delighted people, a lottery had to created to determine who was eligible for the tour. My friend and I both signed up and kept our fingers crossed, and sure enough I recieved a lovely email saying, “Congratulations! Out of 5,000 people who entered the lottery for High Line tours during openhousenewyork weekend, you have received one of 700 tour slots.” SWEET!

The tour only lasted a 1/2 hour, but my friend and I made the most of our time and got some cool shots of the area. We were surprised that we were pretty much the only ones wielding a camera. Some people actually wanted to go JUST for the tour. Go figure. I wish they gave us more time to wander around the area, but I’m just happy we were lucky enough to check it out before it becomes a park. Not that a park wouldn’t be nice…

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When I was younger, I used to listen to a Sesame Street album, “Let Your Feelings Show”, which featured Grover singing a tune called, “Proud of Me”. It was a delightful little tune about feeling self confident and loving yourself, yadda yadda yadda , and it always stuck with me. Now I’m about to let you in on a little secret…to this day, sometimes when I’ve accomplished something cool (or at times, even when I haven’t) the song will pop into my head, and I will silently start singing it.  I do the same thing with Sharon, Lois, and Bram’s, “I am Slowly Going  Crazy” when I’m super stressed out…but, I digress.

The point is, the other day, I decided to try to find the song online as I only have a copy on vinyl. I came up empty handed at the time, but discovered something even cooler. I stumbled upon a box set of classic Sesame Street tunes called, “Songs from the Street: 35 Years of Music”. I rediscovered songs long forgotten, and I was hit with waves of nostalgia and overall giddiness. Aside from all of that, listening with a more “mature” ear  gave me a deeper appreciation for the music, and Sesame Street as a whole.

While the show was obviously created for children, it maintains a level of sophistication that makes it enjoyable for everyone. Unlike other kid shows, it doesn’t feel the need to produce trite, sugary sweet songs or characters (ok, maybe Elmo ruined some of that…but that’s another conversation). The reason why the show has continually been  successful for the last 39 odd years is because it doesn’t underestimate a kid’s intelligence. Story lines and songs are presented in a way that make it easy for a kid to digest, yet it’s done without “dumbing it down” (to borrow from Lupe Fiasco).  Just the fact that they tackled death with the passing of Mr. Hooper showed that they weren’t afraid to take chances that other shows wouldn’t.

This applies to the music as well.  The creators made the songs catchy and easy to learn and did so using a vast variety of musical styles. Established musicians of all kinds have lent their talents to the show, which has made for numerous memorable moments. I just discovered a duet with Diane Schuur and Elmo. What I love most about Sesame Street is that it continues to stay current.  This season includes Feist doing an adorable rendition of “1,2,3,4″, as well as a spoof called “30 Rocks” which features a bonfide Liz “Lemon”. My future children will be raised on Sesame Street. Barney will be banned.

Feist’s “1,2,3,4″

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