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.
Well, I made it to New York. Penn Station is on 31st, and was headed to 81st, so you do the math. Google said it would take me 56 minutes on foot. I went towards an exit promising taxis waiting outside, but was soon met with the realization that I don’t know how to hail a taxi. Because I’m a dork. So, I just started walking, lugging my…(I just realized why they call it luggage) bags the wrong way because Google Maps was confusing me. Eventually, I got going in the right direction but pretty soon my feet were hurting and my arms were hurting from pulling my suitcases. That’s when I started getting smart and picturing where I needed to be positioned in order to get a taxi that could expediently take me where I needed to go. And just like that, a taxi let off a passenger and I did that little ducking/waving/smiling thing that dorks do when they’re not sure they’re doing it right, and he pulled over to pick me up. Of course, I didn’t give didn’t give him the address, only the nearest intersection ( I’ve seen “Taken.”) Also, I didn’t fall for any “Wanna share a cab” offers (“Taken!!”) The cab driver was the best. We talked about our children. He spoke French and said Connecticut very beautifully. He let me off after a short drive ($21!). I walked to the apartment, and all the keys worked and life was good. I went out to go to Zabars and get some provisions, but unfortunately they were closed. Luckily I found a little Greek grocer, and bought a nice piece of cooked chicken in a delicious sauce, some Greek salad and hummus, and yogurt for breakfast. I was so exhausted, I went to bed early.
My cab
My apartment
Deep in rural Somerset County is the crash site for flight 93, a plane terrorists intended to fly into the Capitol Building on September 11, 2001. Autumn here is quiet and you really feel the wild things of the area heaving sighs and going within to prepare for winter resting. So it is unthinkable that something so violent occurred here. I think the designers must have felt this, too because they created a memorial that both encompasses the land on which this terrible tragedy occurred and honors the memories of brave people who learned from loved ones what was happening in NYC and chose to fight their hijackers.
The Tower of Voices is a giant windchime still under construction, but will be the first thing visitors see when they arrive at the Flight 93 Memorial.
There is a walkway encircling the entire memorial. 40 orchards with 40 trees line half. The crash occurred near a working coal mine. FBI soon closed down the mine and used their buildings for investigative work. The memorial grounds are slowly healing from coal mining activity.
The Memorial Sights.
I loved the architecture.
I ate dessert before dinner.
I thought it had so much character.
On a steep hill overlooking the Ohio River is a 142 year old incline running steeply up a track and conveyed by a cable that we are hoping is not as old as the car in which we rode. You get THE most extraordinary views of Pittsburgh if you just pay (cash) for a one way ticket from a grumpy guy behind a counter and hop on when the next car arrives. It was pretty great.http://www.duquesneincline.org/index8656.html?page=about-the-incline
Joanie On My Mind 