NYC 4-D Puzzle and Sammy, Master of All He Surveys

George's father died two years ago this month. He was a good man, and nice, and whenever George and I went to visit his parents, his father and I would inevitably end up working a puzzle together. It was a gentle, charming way to bond with his family and I keep those memories close. It was sweet. After he passed away, and because I was a puzzle-buddy, George's mother gave me his father's New York cityscape puzzle to complete. It's 4-D because it also looks at New York through the lens of time. The base, a standard cardboard puzzle cutout, shows New York in the 1700s, huge expanses of farms in what's now midtown, the already-emerging alphabet city on the east side. The base is far and away the most difficult part of the puzzle, with a lot of incredibly similar-looking pieces and not a whole lot of distinctive features to work from. But eh, I got it done. I regret now that I don't have any pictures of that layer. Hindsight is 20/20.The second layer of the puzzle brings you into the modern NYC layout. It's made from thick foam with heavy paper overlay, and has pre-punched squares to accommodate various NYC landmark buildings. Buildings are color-coded to indicate the era in which they were constructed, so you can see the spread of vertical development over the course of 200 years. Plus, it's super-cool. And it's done.To you historians and nit-pickers who claim that this puzzleis not entirely accurate...I understand, I get your point. But it's also a puzzle, a toy meant to spark interest, not something meant to be sourced for a dissertation. Get over it.So. New York City in 4-D.Be real, people. The first thing you've got to see in New York is the Statue of Liberty, amirite?IMG_0002Then we go up around Battery Park and check out the gateway to the Financial District.IMG_0004Have a look straight down Broadway.Give it my regards, will you? And remember me to Herald Square.Get an aerial view. (Uh...seems that a building got a little wibbly-wobbly....whoops!)IMG_0006And check out Manhattan from the other side.Surprise! Not all of Manhattan is pure skyscraper.While I was doing this, Sammy--who is without question the boss of this house--jumped onto his loveseat to acquaint himself with all goings-on. Sorry to break it to you, New York, but Sammy is the master over all he surveys.All shall love him and despair. He is an imperious task-master, but not tyrannical. There are worse gigs, so long as you keep him in a steady supply of thyroid boosting cat food pellets. You'll get used to it.  :)So there we have it! This was a lot of fun, and sweet and poignant for me to complete. And it's good to let the world know Sammy is bent on world domination, one puzzle-city at a time.

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Thanks, I guess? For the memories...