Day 86: The Cans

Photo of the Day: One Can at a Time

Today after church, Mei Ling and Jayson invited me to visit the CANstruction in the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center. The exhibit features elaborate structures made of canned goods created by renowned architecture and engineering firms. When the competition ends, all the food is donated to City Harvest to help feed the local hungry and homeless. I was very impressed by the intricate and creative submissions and enjoyed oohing over the tiny quirky details that the designers incorporated. One of my favorites was Kan Kong, a reproduction of the famous scene of King Kong atop the Empire State Building, complete with a tiny airplane made of tuna cans and a Pez dispenser as Ann Darrow. After we finished our tour of the exhibit, we walked along the Hudson river waterfront to enjoy the chilly sunset.

Later that night, we met up with the rest of the crew at Shake Shack, one of New York's renowned burger stands. We went to the Times Square location, which was packed, but we were fortunate enough to find a table to seat our large party using a little strategic hovering. The joint's reputation lived up to the hype, even with my high expectations. The burgers were juicy and flavorful, and though small in size, they were satisfying. I think Shake Shack's real strength, however, is their dazzling selection of drinks and frozen custards, blended with high-quality ingredients into unique and gourmet flavors.

I had told myself I was going to go home right after dinner and get some errands and ongoing projects done tonight. That all went out the window with one magic word: BANG! Eunice invited us over to her dorm at Columbia University for a game night, and one of the guys in our group just so happened to have the complete Bullet set with him in the car. As the most seasoned player in a group largely composed of newcomers, teaching the complicated rules fell to me. It was very slow going at first, but once momentum picked up, everyone agreed about the sheer awesomeness of the game. It was another late night and mildly unproductive weekend but totally worth it in the end.

The beautiful Gothic-style Woolworth Building.

Reflections of the 9/11 Memorial construction across the street.

The Winter Garden at the World Financial Center.

FEASTer Islander, a unique tribute to Easter Island's monumental statues made of 2,500 cans.

Cups Can Only Spill, made of 5,180 cans of tuna in water.

The clever PhilANThropy, that actually used peanut butter and jelly jars in their sandwich and Pom juice bottles as ants!

This one was entitled downside-up: one CAN make a difference, which is designed to show how this single can is holding up an entire structure.

A-Salt on Hunger, personifying salt and pepper shakers made of cans of Hershey's cocoa and evaporated milk.

It's a Hit (to Hunger)! is a replica using 7,146 cans to create the famous Battleship game.

Tomato Tornado, made of 6,400 cans of tomato sauce. `

Can'truck'tion: Delivering a Thanksgiving Meal ironically shows cans being loaded into a truck made of cans.

How adorable is the The BabushCAN, made with 3,472 cans?

Building blocks made out of cans spelling "We Care."

The name Paint the Town 'Fed' is stretching it with the title pun, but pretty artwork!

The Kan Kong, made of 3,000 cans, was one of my favorites because of the Pez dispenser of a Disney princess that served as Ann Darrow.

A Smart Way to End Hunger, designed to look like a Smart Car, uses 6,072 cans.

This cute engine made of 3,369 can is titled I Think I 'Can' after the famous storybook train.

Building Blocks Against Hunger.

.

Mr. Potato Head.

When Jayson got reprimanded by the security guard for running up the escalators.

Mei Ling waits for us during a bathroom break.

The Hudson River through the World Financial Center window at sunset.

Sunset over the Jersey Shore and Ellis Island.

Sunset over the Hudson River.

NY Waterways ferry docking terminal.

A lighted sculpture along the Hudson River waterfront.

The Winter Garden as seen from the outside.

Jersey shoreline from the World Financial Center Plaza.

The North Cove Marina from the World Financial Center.

The weather forecasting machine using wireless signals, lights, and machinery.

My very first trip to the famous Shake Shack!

My delicious Shack Burger with a Fair Shake (vanilla and coffee) milkshake and cheese fries. So wonderful!

Shake Shack gets a thumbs up.