On my way to Tea and Sympathy, yesterday, I came upon the AIDS Memorial Park in Greenwich. It was dusk and a perfect time to appreciate it. This site was chosen because St. Vincent’s Hospital, famous for its compassionate innovations in treating AIDS patients in the 1980s, was located here. If you would like to learn more, read this:
https://nycaidsmemorial.org/about/
I have been reading Jane Eyre on the Subway. I think it makes me seem more casual.
I didn’t like it. I’d been advised against it. I just wanted to see where SNL was made. Apparently near Times Square. I couldn’t WAIT to get back on the subway. I accessed it through 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
That’s me.
Thanks to Pokemon Go…
I needed to go to a nearby post office and decided to take the scenic route by Central Park. I discovered my favorite thing about the Upper West Side in the morning is seeing all the parents walking their kids to school. It is so charming.
Today went almost too perfectly. I bought a Metro card, and the lady I bought it from was so nice. She came out of her booth just to show me the ropes. She gave me a paper map which I immediately committed to use sparingly so as not to look dorky. I was super nervous that I would totally screw up the subway, but it was so easy! I just copied the New Yorkers.
My first stop was the New York Public Library on 5th the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue. Holy smokes! I’ve never seen I’ve never seen a building so gorgeous. Each time I rounded a corner the there was an architectural feature topping the previous one.
Just as extraordinary (in a different way) is Bryant Park which occupies the acreage behind the library. It is filled with snack kiosks, an area with board games, a reading area with books for kids, a huge lawn for sitting and so much more. It was a happy place.
I hopped on the subway to go to the Tenement Museum which is located near the Williamsburg Bridge. Okay, so first I got on what I thought was the right subway. Then I panicked and got on another train at some random stop. Then I decided that train was wrong, too and hopped on another one. There was no planning here, folks. This one made a stop at Delancey Street which triggered a memory, so I got off and magically, I was a block away from the Tenement Museum! So first I decided to go in the opposite direction because the Williamsburg Bridge is really quite extraordinary. All of that last sentence is true except for the word “decided.” I accidentally went that way due to my sketchy Google map skills. It was a happy accident though because there was an empanada stand selling the most delicious and inexpensive food. I bought a shrimp and cheese empanada and a bottle of water for $3.25! Then I did the museum tour and it was awesome. Did you know that FDR appointed a woman named Francis Perkins as his Secretary of Labor? She was the first woman to hold a cabinet position. She made a real difference to the European immgrants here durging The Great Depression. Read about her here:
http://francesperkinscenter.org/life-new/
I successfully took ONE subway to My next stop, Greenwich. My sole purpose was to visit the Tea and Sympathy shop. I bought Earl Grey , a tin of sticky toffee sponge, and some crisps. That sounded British, right?
Greenwich was cool. I will go back, I think.
I stocked up on food for the week at two local institutions Trader Joe’s and Zabars. Most people would say that that title should really only apply to the latter store, but I think Gary Gulman would disagree (see link.) Plus the cart escalator was awesome.
Zabars was a food mecca. I bought zucchini pancakes, cheese, pierogies and fresh ravioli there. Who needs restaurants!
My head was swimming (read: I was losing my sh$%) this morning with all of the things that I need to do to get around this huge city that I wanted to visit so badly. Just thinking about the subway put me into a small panic. So I woke up at the crack of dawn, grabbed my coffee cup, and headed to Starbucks. It was near from Central Park, so I took my coffee and watched the sun rise. A Colorado girl needs a little nature to fire her up for a big day in the city, I guess.
Joanie On My Mind 