May 2012 - Graduation

Friday, May 11, 2012

Caught a 10:30 am flight to JFK on Continental Airlines, which is now owned by United. It was an uneventful, quiet flight.

Got to JFK about 7:00 pm local time. Took a cab to the Washington Heights apartment. We had a Pakistani driver who was very talkative, full of advice and a very aggressive driver. He was appalled at the bad traffic, called NY drivers sheep, and made liberal use of his horn. 

We got into the apartment then took the subway down two stops to 175th where we had a delicious Puerto Rican chicken dinner at Malecon.

Home on the subway to settle in the apartment. Got to bed around midnight.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

After sleeping in following a night of sirens and loud motorcycles cruising Broadway, we took the A train to Columbus Circle. From there we walked in Central Park up to 69th Street where we met Reid and Ira at the lawn bowling green. It was the most beautiful day we have ever seen in Central Park, with the temperature in the mid-70s and the skies blue and clear.

We walked over to a restaurant in the park called Le Pain Quotidian where we got a table outside and had a delicious lunch, courtesy of Reid. We got to hear all about what Reid and Ira are up to these days.

From there we walked all over the park. We saw the Bethesda Fountain, The Lake full of rowboats with amateur rowers, the Boathouse, the Conservatory Lake with model boats sailing around, the Alice in Wonderland bronze sculpture, the Sheep Meadow, and thousands of people walking, playing games, lying in the sun, and just enjoying the day.

After Reid and Ira left to join friends for other activities, Kurt and Jacki continued walking through the park, enjoying the ambiance. We saw the turtle pond, Belvedere Castle, roller skaters, The Ramble, and Bow Bridge before exiting the park at Strawberry Fields at 72nd Street. As usual, there were many John Lennon devotees gathered, some singing Lennon's songs. We scurried past then chanced upon a harp recital in a church/cathedral on 72nd Street which gave us a moment of peace and quiet and a chance for Kurt to think of a few harp-related puns. Finally, we made our way to Big Nick's for a satisfying dinner. Our favorite waiter, Mike, was not there.

After dinner, Jacki did a little shopping at Loehman's while Kurt got coffee and watched the people go by at the 72nd Street subway station. We then walked down to Columbus Circle via Lincoln Center, and hopped on the subway home.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Jacki and I rode the subway to Yankee Stadium to meet up with Ira who had bought us bleacher tickets to see the Bronx Bombers play his favorite team, the Seattle Mariners. Before Ira arrived, Jacki and I walked through a sea of pin stripes around the stadium which sits across the street from the site of the old House that Ruth Built that is now a city park. It was a beautifully sunny, warm day—good thing the ushers were passing out free tubes of sun block. The Mariners ended up beating the Yankees 6-2, much to the frustration of Yankees fans who think their team is God's gift to baseball.

We parted ways with Ira at the subway entrance and then caught the B then A train back to our apartment in Washington Heights. After showers and a nap, Jacki and I walked through the flower gardens of Fort Tryon Park, around the Cloisters, and to a quiet Indian Restaurant called Kismat on Fort Washington Avenue and 187th. The meal was excellent and may deserve adding to our list of favorite places to eat in New York.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Took the A train down to the Garment District. Jacki looked through BJ Fabrics on 7th Ave, across the street from the building that houses Ipreo, Ira's new place of work starting in June. We walked to Bryant Park and had a lunch from Pax across the street. Walked up to MOMA, saw a Cindy Sherman photography exhibit and others, including a Diego Rivera mural exhibit.

Took the F train down to the village. On Bleeker Street we went to a free Juilliard performance at LPR (Le Poisson Rouge) of baroque strings with harpsichord. Walked to the Strand bookstore and bought souvenirs. Walked back to West 4th and caught the A train back to Washington Heights.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Walked all the way north to the tip of Manhattan Island in the rain to the Inwood neighborhood where we found a nice coffee shop for Kurt called Indian Road Café. We saw the Columbia University football stadium with runners doing laps around the track. Walked through Inwood Park, which includes the largest natural forest left in Manhattan. There were beautiful trees, lots of green everywhere, and lots of squirrels and birds.

Back near the corner of Dyckman and Seaman, we had lunch at a small diner. It was still raining, so we decided to head back to the apartment for a nap, taking the A train one stop since we were a bit wet. After a rest, we walked to the Cloisters, where we spent a couple of hours looking at the medieval art collected there. On our way back to the apartment, we went through the heather garden, which is beautiful this time of year.

For dinner, we met up with Ira in the Bronx and walked to the Italian part of town (Belmont). We ate at Mario's on Arthur Street. The Italian food was delicious in this 100-year-old restaurant, and the conversation was very interesting with Ira telling us about his upcoming job and about his schooling and the financial world.

Back to Fordham Road where we caught the D train downtown, switching to the A train up Manhattan and back to our apartment.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Once again getting a late start, we took the A train all the way to Brooklyn. Kurt remembered seeing a new park beginning to be built the last time we were in Brooklyn, and wanted to see how it was coming along.

Called Brooklyn Bridge Park, it stretches from the base of the Manhattan Bridge, south to the Brooklyn Bridge, and all the way down to Atlantic Avenue. Parts of the park are still being worked on, but the areas that were complete were beautiful with lovely landscaping and wonderful playgrounds for children. There is an historic carousel to ride on, and fields for playing games like volleyball. We will keep our eyes on this park.

We had done a lot of walking and the weather was warm and muggy. We took a walk through the Fulton Street Market area in downtown Brooklyn and sat down to rest before hearing from Reid. We hurried on back to Manhattan and Reid's apartment, joining him and Buddy, his roommate's dog, for a quick jaunt around a couple of blocks. Poor Buddy is a Chow from China (even born there), and has such thick fur that he would be very comfortable in the Arctic Circle. It was fun to see how much attention and comments Buddy received from passersby while taking such a short walk of a couple of blocks ("Is he for sale?").

Reid took us to a restaurant on the lower east side called the Mermaid Inn which had wonderful seafood. We walked all the way down to around 6th Street from Reid's place on Park Avenue at 34th Street, meeting his girlfriend, Kate, part of the way down. After dinner, we took a train up a stop or two, then walked across town to catch the A train back home. It was a lot of walking in one day, but lots of fun.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

We did laundry in the morning at a laundromat very near our apartment, then took the A train up to the northern tip of Manhattan where we had lunch at the Indian Road Café  before heading down to midtown Manhattan where we had planned to see a photography exhibit near Times Square. The exhibit was not open, so we took the train down to the lower east side to see the Tenement Museum.

This museum owns a building that was once a tenement, and takes tours through the building, part of which has been restored to the period around 1890-1900. It was  fascinating to see how immigrants lived back then in possibly the most crowded place on the planet at the time.

After the tour we walked around the Lower East Side streets, noticing the odd character of shops, from high-end fashion designer retail stores, to small Jewish garment shops, tiny eateries, and art galleries. It seems to be an area in transition. A Jewish shop owner started chatting us up, and before we knew it, we were inside his store and Kurt was trying on a plaid jacket that the salesman assured him had California written all over it. We barely made it out of there with our wallets intact.

Then we decided to go uptown to Madison Square where Reid and Kate had recommended the Shake Shack, the hottest new hamburger place in town. The long line was too daunting for us, so we had dinner at a small pizza place with gluten-free pizza. It was excellent.

The last activity of the day was a trip to the Brooklyn Museum for the Keith Haring exhibit. Haring was a graffiti-type artist noted for his attempt to bring art to the masses, partially by putting artworks in subway stations. It was a fascinating exhibit that we enjoyed very much. We wished we had more time and energy to see more exhibits in the museum, but it was shutting down. We did briefly see Judy Chicago's famous feminist art piece, the Dinner Party, before hopping on a train back to Manhattan and up to Washington Heights.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Got out of the apartment earlier than usual and took the train to Times Square. Missed our stop the first time while playing crosswords on Jacki's iPhone.

Went to the International Center of Photography and saw the Weegee Murder is My Business exhibit. Had a takeout lunch from Pax which we ate across the street at a very crowded, but sunny and beautiful Bryant Park.

Went up to the MOMA design gift shop to look for gifts, then walked to Columbus Circle and took the train home for a rest. On the way we stopped at Malecon for a takeout dinner which we enjoyed at home.

Then we went back downtown and walked the High Line Park at sunset. Once again, we were amazed at what a beautifully designed park it is.

We caught the train back to Washington Heights from Penn Station where we fought through the Friday night invasion of partners from New Jersey and Long Island.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

We got going early to get to Ira's graduation which started at 10:00 am. We debated whether to take a cab or the train to the Bronx, and on the spur of the moment decided to hail a cab while waiting at the signal by our apartment building. The cab driver made a quick lane change to get to the curb, and the car behind him was distracted and didn't stop. The result was a crash right before our eyes! No one was hurt, but it did quite a lot of damage.

We left for the train station, and eventually made it to Fordham after taking a train and another cab. There were two graduations, one for the entire Rose Hill (Bronx) Campus and one following for the School of Business where 600 names were read. John Brennan, Chief of Homeland Security for the Obama administration, gave the commencement address. It made for a long, hot day but everyone (Ira, Jacki, Lynne, Reid, and Kurt) seemed to have a good time. We then had a late lunch together in Little Italy near Ira's home.

We made a trip back to our apartment to rest up before heading downtown to meet at  Reid's apartment. Reid then took us (including his girlfriend, Kate) to a tapas restaurant called Alta in Greenwich Village where we had a great time trying out all kinds of delicious food. It was a celebratory ending to a fun, but exhausting day.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Determined to take it easy today, we decided to walk up to Inwood and get coffee for Kurt at the Indian Road Café. It turned out that Inwood Park was having a Drums Along the Hudson Festival, so after getting coffee, we watched some performances. The best one was a group of young multicultural dancers from about 7 years old to about 11 or 12. They danced to drums and a Stevie Wonder tune, and were great.

After that, we walked along paths to the far northern tip and around it to the west along the Hudson River all the way down to Dyckman Street and along Fort Tryon Park back to our apartment. We saw all kinds of people at the park and along the way, including a large group of Mexican or Central American families playing soccer, baseball, and picnicking.

After a lunch of leftovers from Malecon and a short nap, we took the train down to Columbus Circle and walked to the MOMA store to purchase some gifts to take home. Then we walked back through the very busy Central Park, stopping to watch some baseball and making our way up to 72nd Street. We always manage to come into or out of the park at this location during our trips to New York, which is called Strawberry Fields, and is right across the street from the Dakota apartment building where John Lennon lived and was shot and killed. There are always lots of people here remembering Lennon, and most of the time there are at least a couple of people playing Imagine in soulful voices. Not quite understanding the worshipful nature of the gathering, we usually try to zoom through as quickly as possible.

We made our way to the Fairway Market at 74th Street and Broadway where we enjoyed a fine dinner complete with stawberry/rhubarb pie ala mode. Then back to Washington Heights via the 1 train.

The whole time we have been in New York on this trip, we noticed (in our faces!) that motorcyclists like to race up the street at night and show off their riding skills. When we were arriving home tonight, there was a group of at least 10 cyclists who peeled out from a red light at the intersection. Several of them were popping wheelies as they roared by, and one was standing on his seat while popping a wheelie. Very scary and very noisy, especially at 2:00 in the morning. Guess we are ready to go home. 

Monday, May 21,2012

Dee Morgan, the owner of our apartment, was kind enough to make a reservation for a car to take us to the airport with the High Class car service. It was prompt in meeting us at 5:30 am, and got us to the airport by 6:00 am, record time, for our 8:00 flight. We were back in SF by 11:00 am local time. It was another wonderful New York vacation.

October 2011 Long Weekend

Thursday, October 20

Woke up before 4:00 am, left the house at 4:45 and made it to the airport terminal by 6:15.

Flight left on time and seemed long because of a very loud baby almost the entire way who, when she finally fell asleep, was supplanted by a complete toddler meltdown for the last half hour a few rows behind us.

Taxi ride to Washington Heights was longer than expected because of an accident along the preferred route which required detours through Harlem and slower streets.

After making it to our apartment on Broadway, we rested briefly before having dinner at a Salvadoran restaurant a few blocks away. Food was good, not great.

Took the 1 Train from 191^st St. to Columbus Circle – all lit up at night, with some very large elephant sculptures in the circle monument.

Then we walked up Broadway to Lincoln Center. After years of construction, it was mostly finished and beautiful with lights, chandeliers, and artwork. The most interesting was an exhibit made up of a huge board of lights that changed according to data on topics such as particulate matter in the atmosphere, traffic patterns in the area, water waste from pipe leakage, sunlight on roofs that could be collected for energy, and other graphics.

After some time there, we walked up to 75^th Street where we bought a few items at the Fairway market then headed home on the train.

Friday, October 21

After breakfast in our apartment, we walked through the neighborhood, mostly on Nagle Road., and caught the BX12 bus to the Bronx. We walked a few blocks to Ira’s home and took a quick tour before heading back to the subway station on Fordham Road.

We took the D Train and the A Train down to Chambers Street. and made our way through heavy crowds to the WTC Visitor’s Center where we picked up entry tickets for the 9/11 Memorial Jacki had ordered on her iPhone that morning. The entrance was several blocks downtown and on the way we circled around Zuccotti Park, site of the Occupy Wall Street protest that has been active for the past month or so. It was a crazy place with all kinds of people, signs, and activities. There were probably way more tourists, media, and police than there were actual protesters. While we were there we saw a chamber music group playing, a Muslim speaker surrounded by listeners, tables with literature, signs being printed by screen prints and spray paint, food stands, flyers being handed out, peace shrines, drummers, guitarists, huge piles of sleeping bags, and a few tents. There were adults and children.

We made our way to the 9/11 Memorial site entry, and went through security (not as bad as at the airport, but enough), and walked several blocks, showing our passes at probably 5-10 different spots along the way. The Memorial itself was impressive, though after experiencing the crush of people, the noise of the protest, and the construction noise going on all around, it was difficult to appreciate the gravity of the site.

After leaving the Memorial we walked around the Wall Street area for 20 or 30 minutes until we found a restaurant to eat at on Stone Street. Then we made our way by foot and train to the 14^th Street entrance to the High Line Park, where we walked the length up to 30^th Street. The new section of the park is beautifully landscaped, as is the older section, and we all enjoyed the relative serenity after our earlier experience. This was Ira’s first time on the High Line.

We found a Starbucks for coffee and hot chocolate, then bid Ira farewell as he left for the Bronx. Kurt and I continued over to 5^th Street and spent an hour and a half at the Morgan Library, which was open to the public on Friday night. Then we walked back to 34^th and 8^th Streets and caught the 2 Train back to Washington Heights. 

Saturday, October 22

We had breakfast in our apartment, then took the A Train down to the Times Square area. We walked across town on 42^nd Street, pulling in at Bryant Park for a quick look to see the ice skating rink being set up with a viewing platform above. It will remain in place into February.

We made our way to Park Avenue, going downtown to Reid’s new apartment near 34^th Street, not far from the Empire State Building. After a nice reunion, an apartment once-over, and a meeting with Buddy, Reid’s roommate’s dog who came from China (a Chow Chow), we left for Grand Central Station and the train along the Hudson River.

Reid’s girlfriend, Kate, joined us for the day. We were hoping to see lots of colorful trees, but found we were about two weeks early for the best color. The hour and a quarter train ride was, nevertheless, very pretty. It was much nicer than the time we had gone to Beacon in early spring when none of the trees had filled out at all.

The town of Cold Spring had a small town atmosphere, with the main street filled with shops, mostly antique stores. We had lunch at a bar and grill-type restaurant, walked around town some more, then headed back to Manhattan on the afternoon train. It was fun seeing Reid and Kate; they seemed very happy together.

We exited the train at the Harlem station and walked across town on 125^th Street, the heart of Harlem. The street was alive with activity on a Saturday afternoon, with tables set up all along the way selling jewelry, soaps, music, books, and African art among other things. We caught the A Train uptown to our apartment.

After resting for about an hour, we hopped back on the train down to Greenwich Village where we were to meet Reid and Kate, and Ira for dinner at a popular restaurant called Tartine. It was a very tiny place and we waited about an hour for a table. Reid and Kate had a hard time getting there because of traffic and the maze-like streets in the Village. The French style dinner was delicious; our appetizers included Brussels sprouts and escargot. Reid and Kate had brought wine, which was the norm for this restaurant.

The young people took off to check out some clubs while Kurt and Jacki walked over to Washington Square to see the view uptown and the watch the people. Then we made our way back to the train and headed home.

Sunday, October 23

We decided to explore the Washington Heights neighborhood, walking down to about 180^th Street, then over to view the Hudson River. We passed some very nice apartment buildings, with lovely landscaping and private garden and playground areas. These buildings were up on the rock heights above most of the Washington Heights area.

We walked all the way to the Cloisters, passing through Fort Tryon and staking out a spot for a picnic later in the day. After a quick stop at our apartment, we walked down Broadway to 175^th Street where we picked up a couple of roasted chickens and side dishes at the Malecon Restaurant in this heavily Dominican area.

We took the train back to our apartment, then put together a nice picnic using some soft bags provided by the apartment owners. Ira and Reid came and we all walked back up the hill to a nice sunny spot on the grass where we enjoyed the meal and talked.  It was wonderful to see the boys and have a chance to talk in a quiet, relaxed place. The view of the Hudson River and New Jersey on the other side was beautiful in the late afternoon light.

We made our way back to the apartment and the boys took their leave, a hard goodbye for Kurt.

For our last night in New York, Kurt and I took the train down to lower Broadway where we spent an hour or so at the Strand bookstore, an amazing place that advertises it has 18 miles of books. We had a leisurely stroll through Union Square and across town, catching a train up the West Side to 72^nd Street. From there we walked up Broadway and had a piece of delicious carrot cake at the European Bakery we often frequent when in the city. We caught the 1 Train at 86^th Street and headed back to our neighborhood, getting off at 191^st Street. This station has a very long pedestrian tunnel, filled with graffiti and a little spooky. We made it home safely and prepared for our departure early the next morning.

Monday, October 24

We got up early for a 6:30 car pickup, swung by the landlord’s place on Cabrini (got a little lost) to drop off the keys, then drove to the airport. Our flight left on time and was a quiet one for a change.

All in all, we had a great, long-weekend trip.