NYC - Part 5

Too many days have passed since I last blogged so reviewing events in details are not possible any more. Instead I will highlight the last weeks events as much as I can remember.  Being in NYC hasn't kept us from enjoying friends from other places or from home. Last  week we were going to ride the ferry to Governor's Island but found out it was only open to the public on weekends. My research had not given me this important information.  Since we couldn't go we walked to the lower end of Battery Park. It's really beautiful there and the view of the Statue of Liberty is great.  I think it must be the best view on land short of going over to Liberty Island.  While at the park we ran smack into one of Jerry's former co-workers, Linda Lavigne. 

What a small world, especially as crowded as NYC is this time of year. While conversing with her we realized that her granddaughter is also a student at my school. 

On Saturday evening we met up with a college friend of mine YaVonda Hall, who was in the city with her son and friend for the evening.  

We had pizza together and then went out for dessert. She said she had a sore throat from talking so much. It requires full on chatter to catch up on 30 years of life in one night.  We left them and didn't make it back to our apt. until after midnight. 

The next morning we went to church at Brooklyn Tabernacle. There was a waiting line, but this time the weather was no longer perfect as it had been. It was warm and muggy and standing on the hot street for 30 to 45 minutes was tiring. Jerry and I were especially tired Sunday too.  While standing in line I watched a woman walk by talking out of her mind about vampires and using foul language. She was talking to no visible person, but obviously there was someone she saw that others did not. In addition, there was a guy begging for money from the people in line for church. He made sure he said "God Bless You" before asking for money.  I always feel an uncomfortable feeling when people are begging. I really want to help and feel sick if I walk away and don't help. However, I also have questions and thoughts about what they are really doing with the money. Sometimes I feel I miss opportunities to help others by wasting time with the many thoughts and questions I have at the moment the person is asking for help. I want to be sensitive to the spirit to know the difference or know how to help.  I saw a girl in the subway the other night looking in her wallet and she burst into tears. She was young. We were in a hurry and walked on through the turn stalls to the subway. I've had regrets for not talking to her and asking if I could help. It made me think of my own child and how I would want someone to help her if she were in need.

The service was wonderful.  It felt like a Pentecostal revival like we had growing up in the Church of God of Prophecy.   One of the other staff ministers, Tim Dilena, preached and he was wonderful. He spoke about knowing how God speaks to us when we need answers. He emphasized the importance of reading the word for direction.  He quoted someone with a very true and thought provoking statement "the less people read the bible, the more it is translated".  His message was meaningful to me and it reaffirmed what I know, that when I'm reading and studying the bible, all decisions and answers to questions are more clear. 

After church we visited Juniors for lunch again. It's  funny how as we acclimate to an environment we become creatures of habit again.  At home for some reason we frequent the same few restaurants on certain days of the week, especially on Sundays. Actually we planned to stay close by the church because I wanted to shop at a particular store in downtown Brooklyn.  Downtown Brooklyn is definitely an inner city environment with some of the negative features that you find in the inner city. However,  I really enjoy the downtown area. 

The sidewalks are wide and all the stores you typically find in the mall as well as hip hop stores are all on the Main Street. The street is actually called Fulton Street Mall.  When we enter church the streets are fairly quiet, but when we leave they are bustling with people and food and loud music. 

I've read the best way to see NYC is to walk the streets. We've definitely walked and walked and walked and walked and ridden busses and subways. NYC is definitely the most diverse city I've ever visited. Going from one area of the city to another area or neighborhood as referred to by NYers is like entering a different country. It isn't uncommon to hear people speaking other languages. Often you can ask questions or try to have conversations in English and the person to which you are speaking doesn't speak English. You can also speak "southern" and they also don't understand what you are saying.   No lie, people here really have a hard time understanding me. I also have difficulties understanding most of them too even though they are supposedly speaking English. Brunilda, from my church says its not English, they are speaking New York.

We've visited several areas of the city now by walking. We've been to Chinatown, Little Italy, Chelsea, Tribecca, Battery Park City, Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Morningside Heights, Lower East side, East Village, West Village, Midtown, Theater District, Garment District and Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights. We hope to visit Queens and Staton Island and possibly Hoboken, NJ in our next two weeks.   In addition, we've also visited several parks. The ones I can remember are Bryant Park, Central Park, Hudson River Park, Battery Park, Washington Square Park, Herald Square, Morningside Park, Riverside Park, Brooklyn Promenade, Columbus Park and several others I cannot remember. 

I've been sick for a couple of days now. I thought I was better and went back to normal eating and got sick again. Today we have done nothing. Jerry is napping while I write this blog.   I hope rest helps us make it through the next two weeks.

This has been a great trip. As most of you know I love NYC and my feelings have not changed about this city. I still love it.  However, I've been asked if I still want to live in NYC. I have a confession to make and it may disappoint many who have loved my love of NYC. I confess I do not want to live in NYC.  Maybe in a younger life I would have fit right in, but at almost 50 I don't think I would love it every day. While NYers are nice and helpful, my observations of their day to day life seems a little depressing. They don't interact much with one another as they go through their day to day routines. I understand completely because they spend so much time working and transporting to and from places that the blank stare on the subway makes sense. 

Now that the shock factor is over for me I feel I do the same thing on the subway.   They don't seem to have downtime at all. They snack and eat on the busses and subways,  eat standing up and walk fast everywhere they go.  They are very fit people because they walk so much. It really is rare to see many overweight people walking the streets and climbing the subway stairs. I'm sure they are here but they are getting around some other way.  When they shop they have to carry large bags on busses and subways. Last night we saw a girl on the subway carrying a full length mirror. I've seen people with large speakers, tables, etc. 

Can you imagine carrying these things for several blocks?  Although there are so many options for food and entertainment, I've listened to conversations and had conversations with many locals who say they don't  go outside of their designated neighborhood or work area much. Many NYers haven't visited the places I've been in the few visits I've made to this city. I can actually tell them about places they don't know about themselves even after being here their entire lives.   I miss the privacy of my car. That time on my way home from work is peaceful and all mine. I miss southern hospitality. NYers are helpful, even nice, but they lack the same level of consideration that we own in the south. For example, when walking the streets, they do not step aside for anyone. I have tested it to see if they would move over if I didn't and they don't. They will plow you over without thinking twice. Everything is crowded and tight. You have so little space everywhere. Bathrooms are tiny, Cafes and restaurants are small and packed. You will always be seated right next to someone if not at the same table. The extras we get are not available here like refills on drinks, chips and salsa with your order, etc.  Although the food is plentiful some specifics stand out here and it's Italian, Asian and Deli food.  There is no Mexican restaurant on every corner. The soul food doesn't hold a candle to the food in the south. The pizza on the other hand is awesome. The cheesecake is the best you will ever taste. It's a good thing people walk here or they would all weight 500lbs. The smells of food is everywhere. You want to eat when you are already full. 

I love visiting other places and am always fascinated by the way other people live their lives. I love experiencing a different way of life and hope to be able to experience even more places throughout my lifetime, but this trip has helped me appreciate what I already have at home. I appreciate the green space available right outside my front and back doors. I appreciate my big bathtub, my moderate sized home that is mansion sized in NYC.  I like that southerners will strike up a conversation with anyone and everyone. I like that a man will give up his seat for a lady. Jerry and I were talking and laughed thinking about how noisy the subway would be if you filled it with southerners. Can you imagine the conversation?  I also miss the cleanliness of my own town. It's hard to keep a place this size clean. Riding subways and busses just makes you feel nasty. 

Going down under ground via stairs and stairs and stairs with millions of people and standing on a crowded subway when the seats are packed is only fun as an experience, not a way of life. 

Cindy Pafford

NYC - Part 4

Wednesday we had tickets to see the matinee for Phantom of the Opera.  Jerry chose to see this show. I woke up feeling sick and really wished we didn't already have tickets because I wanted to stay in and rest. We got dressed and made our way to Times Square via subway. Of course we had to go by way of the same escalator  where I had encountered the gross man a few nights before. Jerry laughed and asked if I wanted him to walk in front of me and I told him definitely. We decided to eat before the show so we chose to go Guy Fieri's American Kitchen. 

I was in need of something lite and healthy. I felt really yuck.   We shared a large salad.  It was an Asian type salad and it was very good. However, it was $18 for one salad. Food in NYC is already expensive and when you eat in TS the prices get higher. The restaurant was convenient because it was right across from the Majestic Theater where Phantom was playing.

My friend Barbara told me I would hate Phantom of the Opera. I didn't know it was one of those shows where they sing every word. I absolutely hate those. If Jerry had known that he wouldn't have chosen it. I was open minded though because Broadway has never disappointed me. Honestly I think had I not been so sleepy and feeling so bad I would have enjoyed it even better. I didn't hate it.  The music was great, even if it was opera. Thank goodness for those four years Meaghan sang with the Augusta Children's Chorale and we were forced to go to the opera every Christmas. After a few years it started to grow on me. If this had been my first opera experience I would have died of boredom. I've come to appreciate it slightly.   The technical production of the show was also great. I can say it didn't disappoint, but I prefer the modern Broadway shows. We would really love to see Motown, but since its so new we don't expect to be able to get discount tickets.  We will not pay full price since our trip here is so long and we can get discount tickets for many others.   We plan to see one more show while we are here but planned to see one at the beginning of our trip and we will see another at the end.   After the show we went immediately back to our apartment since I was not feeling well. We stayed in for the evening and ate leftovers for dinner. We had leftover Chinese food and pizza so it was a good way to save money. We were both so tired we were in bed by 11:00.

Thursday we decided to go to the lower east side. I had lots of things on my list to see in that area. I've heard so much about it I wanted to go.   We took the bus again and since the lower east side is near Chinatown we were on the same bus as we were the other day when we went to CT. It was during school hours so there were no rowdy children for me to discipline. However, the group on the bus was speaking Chinese so we had no clue. They were funny. Jerry said they always sound mad when they are conversing. 

Once we exited the bus we followed our app directions to the lower east side visitor center for maps. Shortly after we began our walk a Jewish gentleman lured us in a  men's clothing store. He immediately began sizing Jerry and grabbing suit coats for him to try.  

We told him that Jerry was retired and didn't need a suit. He said he didn't mind, he loved talking to people and this was fun to him. He shared that this clothing store had been in his family for 73 years. 

We somehow stumbled to the conversation about our weight loss surgeries. This gentleman was interested and wanted to discuss blood pressure medications and compare what he was taking. I wanted to go, I was more interested in finding the women's shops. We were slack today we took his picture but we forgot to ask his name. I was ready to move on. He was authentically dressed in his yamaka with long strands of hair twisted and tucked  behind his ears. His beard, I assume was long since he had a black bobby pin stuck in his scraggly gray beard. We moved along admiring the lower east side. We had wanted to go to the Tenement Museum, but between the two of us it would have been $40 and neither us are fans enough of museums to spend that much. The lower east side has a personality of its own. It's got that artsy, grungy look mixed with the past Jewish heritage. The lower east side was once a place for immigrants trying to make a living. They worked hard to move out of the area and now their children are moving back because its now trendy among the artsy, tree hugger types. One nice thing we noticed is the prices of food and some clothing stores are cheaper in this area. There are many fabric stores in this area mixed with vintage, furniture, clothing stores and food markets. One market I really wanted to visit was the Essex Market. I read about the place and thought it sounded like an interesting place. In the market was different types of Latino groceries and produce. 

There was also Japanese items, bakery items and even a clothing store and barber shop. Inside the market was a little counter with Brooklyn tacos for sale. We were hungry so we each had a pork cooked in cola taco. It was very good and the tacos were only $4 each. They were very meaty and filling as well as tasty.  Another nice find was a great candy store. Just a couple of days ago we had visited the very hip candy store owned by Ralph Lauren's daughter on the upper East side. This was an economy candy store. It had all the same neat candy for lots cheaper. It was a fun store and we bought some of the same sour candy we purchased at Dylan's for a much better price. I recommend this place if you ever visit NYC. It's called Economy Candy Shop on Rivington St. 

Soon we found a cheap clothing store. They had great prices and cheap clothing. I really could have found some deals here, but go figure they had no fitting room. They said if they didn't fit I had seven days to return them. That was the craziest thing I had ever heard. I bought a $5 pair of leggings for Meaghan and one blouse that I tried on over my clothes. The lady at the register said no fitting room because of people stealing. I'm surprised they sell much without a fitting room.  Jerry also kept texting me wanting me to hurry because he was tired of sitting in McDonalds. The owner of the store said he had to leave his backpack up front to go inside so he opted  to sit next door instead. We continued our walk until we strolled into SoHo. SoHo is trendy in a totally different way than the lower east side. It's also artsy, but has a more expensive, classy feel. In SoHo you find high end boutiques and name brand stores. NoHo is also right in this area as well and it was difficult to tell when we were in one area or another.  SoHo is a great place to walk. It's pretty and hip with lots of Cafes, shopping and tree lined, cobblestone streets. While in SoHo we found a bench for Jerry while I found this shop I was looking for name Uniqlo. This shop also had good prices and cute clothing. I spent about an hour or so in this shop. The air conditioning was broken so trying on clothes while sweating was no longer fun and I left with only a few items and didn't break the bank. We decided to walk to  this restaurant we had went to on our last trip that sells this wonderful grilled corn. While walking there we passed a cafe with open walls and a garden area and we decided to dine there instead. The atmosphere was appealing and there were open tables so we stopped. We were tired from all the walking. We shared fish and chips and it was good enough. 

Since we were in SoHo we checked my list and decided to walk to this rooftop bar I had on my list because it was supposed to have great views of the city. We thought we might get a coke or coffee.  We walked for what seemed like a long way before we finally found the place. Once there we discovered reservations were needed. At that point we didn't really care because we were exhausted. We sat on a bench to get our bearings to figure out our route back to our apt. The corner we were on was quite busy and it appeared the party scene was getting started. While seated, two gentlemen walked up and were discussing one of them leaving to go to Asia. They parted ways and one of them sat on the bench next to us. We struck up a conversation with him. He shared that people who live in NY can't imagine living anywhere else, but they dream of getting out of the city and they do every chance they get. He said he wishes he could have an apt in NY and a house with a garage to the  suburbs so he could garden. 

We made our way to a bus stop and started back to our place. We went a different route seeing the west side on the Hudson River. We passed Battery Park City and Battery Park. It's very nice and we look forward to going there tomorrow.  We got off the bus at the Staton Island Ferry and made our way down through FiDi to our apt. Walking along the water in the evenings here is cold. I've yet to be hot here. It's been very nice during the day. At night we usually turn off the air and open the window while watching TV and I'm usually cold. We have considered walking back to the river since its right here, but it's always windy and cool.

Tomorrow we plan to eat breakfast at a diner. We are tired of continental breakfast with the carb overload. We are both ready for some protein. Apartment living has its positive and negative aspects. Some of the negatives are that we received minimal supplies, like two rolls of toilet paper, one roll of paper towels, no wash cloths, just a few towels, and there are no cooking supplies needed to cook a meal. There are cooking tools, but purchasing all the oils, spices, condiments wouldn't be worth the money.  We've learned to grab some fruit and milk from breakfast along with peanut butter packets and cream cheese. We have a big refrigerator, stove top and a big microwave with a built in convection oven. We've made sandwiches and eaten some of our leftovers but its just as cheap to split a meal. The nicest thing about the apt is the location. The FiDi is quiet at night and that's good for old people. It's close to the water with excellent views and it's easy to get a bus or catch the subway. The breakfast five days weekly is nice and plentiful and saves us money. The lounge area is nice and we enjoy hanging out there in the mornings. 

The rooftop deck is also nice. But unlike the lounge we can't hook to free wifi there. Having a washer and dryer has also been a lifesaver since we packed about a weeks worth of clothing (well maybe more for me). Jerry washes clothes daily which is one of his obsessions but with only a few towels we have to wash frequently. The washer and dryer are small so we can only wash small loads.  The apartment is small and Jerry and I are spending a lot of time with one another. Lets just say by the time we get back and I leave four days later for a week long conference, he will be ready for some alone time. We've done pretty well, but we have gotten on one another's nerves at times. Thanks goodness for social media because it gives us social time with other people. Lol. Until next time, I'm ending my sharing for the evening or I could say morning since its nearly 1:00 a.m.

Cindy Pafford

NYC, Part 3

Monday we headed over to Chinatown because I wanted a bigger shoulder strap bag than I am currently carrying. The backpack I brought, though small is a gym type bag with string/rope straps and they are uncomfortable for carrying heavier items.   We took things slow before getting ready because we are trying to pace ourselves. Actually I'm raring to go but Jerry wants to pace ourselves. He's used to the retired life now so he's missing his daily down time. 

We had a problem with the plumbing in our apt so we got a very late start waiting for maintenance to fix it.  About 2:30 or so we mapped our route on the bus to go to Chinatown. We are never 100% sure if we are on the right bus or subway and always ask others for confirmation we are headed in the right direction.  We boarded the bus and Jerry was still asking if we were on the right route. I punched him and said look around, we are obviously on the right bus everyone on the bus was Asian. There were lots of elementary school kids riding too. I wonder if riding the city bus is how kids go to school here. It could be since they were not in their local area that they were students from one of the special schools here. I found out that there are several, I guess what we would refer to as magnet schools in Manhattan. You have to be tested and score at a particular level to be admitted to these schools. Anyway, there were several kids on this particular bus, doing what kids do on school busses, jumping around, kicking at one another, out of their seats, giggling. I almost, without thinking jumped up and reprimanded them. I remembered I am on vacation, not in work mode. They were off the bus soon and so were we.

We planned to have lunch in Chinatown at one of the places on my list.  We were hungry so we planned to eat before the shopping adventure, which in Chinatown is a tiring adventure.  The weather forecast was 0% chance of rain so for once we decided not to carry our jackets and umbrellas. About five minutes after we got off the bus the bottom fell out. We hurried to the nearest sidewalk with construction because the scaffolds cover the sidewalks in those places.  We were trying to decide if we would wait out the storm or waste money on a cab. We knew the restaurant couldn't be far.  A gentleman told us there was a store at the end of the scaffold so Jerry ran in to buy two umbrellas. While he was in the store an Asian young lady asked me where Bayard Street was located. I'm guilty of stereotyping because my first thought is I'm a Georgia tourist in Chinatown and this Asian girl is asking me for directions.  How does she not know the way.?  I told her I was a tourist and asked if she also was a tourist. She said she had lived in NY her entire life but she was from Queens so she didn't know where she was either. She had a notepad and had google maps up trying to figure out her destination. We began to talk, and learned that she is currently a freshman at Dartmouth University in New Hampshire, but she had graduated from Stuyvesant High School in Tribecca. This is one of those schools I mentioned earlier. Someone a day or so ago had mentioned to me it was the best in Manhattan and only the brightest were admitted. I told her I knew she must be brilliant if she attended that high school. I asked her if she commuted alone on the subway each day and she told me she did. We talked about how kids commute alone on the subways. I can't imagine. We seem so much more protective of our kids. Again I guess it's no different than putting our 16 year old in a car alone. It's just a different world that is hard to imagine. This young girl's name was Tiffany and she shared that as I required Meaghan to call me all the time, she also had to call her mom to check in too.  

I offered to let her walk with me under my umbrella since we were headed in the same direction. She was meeting her high school guidance counselor for lunch while she was home for the summer.  We parted ways and walked on looking for our restaurant. I've shopped multiple times in Chinatown, always in the same general area where you buy knock off purses, etc. however the bus drop off was in another area. I knew Chinatown was big but it is so much bigger when you are walking it than when on a double decker bus. It's truly an amazing place to see. You feel like you are in Asia. They are speaking their native language, selling fruits, vegetables and other items I've never seen before. It was neat to walk through the section that wasn't just the hub for selling illegal knockoffs. As we walked we came on a park, Columbus Park, where all the signs were all written in what I believe was Chinese. 

Even though the area is Chinatown, there are many more Asian groups living there than Chinese. The park experience was something to behold. Inside the park were multiple little groups huddled around tables or benches. They were grouped by men and women, with neither of the groups mixed with the other sex. They were all playing games. The men were playing what appeared to be some sort of Chinese chess or checkers. The women were playing cards. Jerry said they were playing poker. Under the pavilion was loud Chinese music playing and it appeared there were big groups of men engaged in games there too. They were all oblivious to the tourists snapping their pictures.

We finally found the restaurant that I had on my list from my Frommer's book. Authentic it was for sure with huge roasted ducks hanging in the front window with heads still attached. It was old and decorated just like a Chinese restaurant. 

We sat down and tried to ask our waiter what was good. It was a funny experience trying to converse with him. It's obvious living in NY working in Chinatown doesn't require these residents to learn much English. According to my Frommer's book this is a local place that many Chinese families frequent.  We wanted to try something different instead of our same Chinese dishes we always order at home. We opted for Cantonese noodles with pork.  It was pork, not cat I know the difference in taste. Lol. Although, if you are one of those people who doesn't eat Asian food because you are convinced its some other type of domesticated animal that is served, you might want to avoid eating in Chinatown.  Me on the other hand, I'm really not picky about food. I like most of it. I was skeptical though about the dish our waiter recommended with squid and fish cakes. I wasn't that brave. 

After lunch we made our way to Mott street to wait to be approached to buy the "secret" merchandise. It only took one step onto Mott Street before a young man approached me "you want Micha Koah (Michael Kors) purse. I showed him a picture on my phone of a Michael Kors watch Meaghan wanted me to get. The adventure began as he whispered to stay a few feet behind him and follow him. He occasionally looked back to see if I was following. He then passed me off to another woman who guided us down a side street. In the past they would take you in a store as you go behind a secret door to a room full of purses. It isn't that easy any more. Now they pull out a paper with pictures from under their shirt and show you picture all the while looking frantically around for law enforcement. I told them I had to see the merchandise.  A few minutes later they were back with the watch in a plastic sleeve. It looked good. Now was time for the bargaining. We did well, if it will truly hold up.  It's heavy and looked real to me. Next we asked for purses. I told the guy I wanted to go in a room to see all the purses. He said "follow me". So we went tracking up and down several blocks. Jerry was complaining by now about how stupid this Was. I said "give it up, I'm getting my purse". We finally enter a store go around the corner in the tiny store and the wall opens up and tons of white women come out of the wall. I had to stand and wait for them to finish and then Jerry and I were led down steep, dark steps to what seemed like a dark basement cave. Then.....there they were in all their glory, Michael Kors, Gucci, Coach, you name it. I walked away with two Michael Kors after much bartering. Then Jerry told him he needed some Rayban aviator glasses. By this time our cash was dwindling. Of course they walk you straight to an ATM. This ATM requires you to scan your card just to go in and get money. It locks others out while you are getting money. Jerry got more cash then we bartered for two pair of sunglasses. By this time Jerry had had it. I wanted a watch too but he said I had to wait until our last week here and if we had any money left I could get one. If not, forget it. That's his way of telling me don't spend anymore if you want it.

After Chinatown we rested a little while and decided to walk the other direction down Water Street where our Apt is located. We were looking for Stone street because it is a small street with Cafes and tables in the cobblestone streets. 

We realized how close we were to Battery Park and the Staton Island Ferry. They are just down the street. We found a pizza restaurant and ordered pizza. It was yummy.  The pizzas in NYC are made in a wood fire oven which makes for a crispy crust.

Today (Tuesday) we started the day as usual with our breakfast in the lounge. We usually take our iPads and watch TV and FB and I write for my blog. We take our time before we head out for the day. We are getting tired at this pace and we have to find some more things that are relaxing. We thought we would go to Central Park today but the it started to rain AGAIN, so that was out of the question.  When we left the apt we rode the subway to Brooklyn first to go to the TkTs booth to get matinee tickets for tomorrow. At the Brooklyn location you can purchase matinee tickets the day before the performance. Besides Brooklyn is closer for us since we are down in the financial district. There is also a Discount booth at South Seaport right by our apt, but it's still closed from Hurricane Sandy damage.  We purchased tickets for Phantom of the Opera. I hope I will like it. It was Jerry's choice and cheaper than the others that were for sale. I've received contradicting opinions about it. Either people love it or hate it. So far I've seen 5 Broadway shows and I've loved them all. I hope this one continues my love of Broadway shows.

After our Brooklyn stop we caught another subway, made a transfer at some point and rode all the way up to the upper East side. It's neat how every neighborhood in NYC has its own personality and is almost like being in a different city.   The upper East side is where the elite and extremely rich reside.  The only celebrities that live there are the insanely rich and famous, like Madonna. The others live in other nice areas of Manhattan. The atmosphere is typical of the residents living there. There are many town cars or black cars as they appear to me. All the fancy cars seem to be black.  Most apartment buildings have doormen dressed in typical doorman attire. The buildings have signs that say "all visitors must be announced". There are nice stores like Bloomingdales, Barney's, etc. 

I didn't get to walk much of Madison Ave today because of the rain, but I want to go back on a nice day to walk Madison Ave up on the East side.  This is the most expensive shopping area in Manhattan. I want to celebrity stalk, so I have to return.  We specifically went today to take a ride on the Roosevelt Island Tram. I had riden before and wanted Jerry to see the great view this four minute ride provides across the East River to the small island called Roosevelt Island.  

Here's a link to Jerry's YouTube video. 

http://youtu.be/Y6iDQgQY9Vo

Roosevelt Island was once an island that housed housing projects. Now they are mostly condos and apts. We enjoyed the ride. You can ride the tram by using the same metro card used for the subway or bus. It is used by the residents and people take the same big items over just like on the subway. I've seen bikes, furniture, musical instruments and pets on the subway. Once we got to RI we walked down the riverfront path and found a bench with a great view of Manhattan and the river. 

We had packed a picnic lunch of sandwiches so we enjoyed our lunch with a view. As we sat there it became overcast and a few drops began to sprinkle around us. I didn't want to be on the tram in a storm so we made our way back over for another four minute view. From there we strolled back down the street to Dylan's Candy Bar. This store is owned by Ralph Lauren's daughter and its three stories of every kind of candy you can imagine.

You can even find candy you grew up eating as a child. I found the wax coke bottles full of colored sugar water,  lick-a-sticks, Mary Janes, chick-o-sticks, candy cigarettes, and more. Jerry found candy he remembered that I had never heard of like  Bonomo Turkish Taffy and teaberry gum. 

He is older than I am and he grew up in another part of the country so we have different memories.  We only purchased a small bag of things to taste since candy isn't something we can eat well.  

We had planned to have dessert at Serendipity 3 since we did the major subway stair master today, but the wait was longer than we cared to wait for something we didn't need anyway. By that time the rain was coming down heavier. We walked toward the west side to find the big Apple clear cube store. Jerry wants to visit all the neat Apple stores. 

That place was packed with people. Not only did they have a store full of customers, there were more employees in one store than I had ever seen in a retail store. If you have ever been to the Apple store you know they have lots of people working in there. Magnify that by a gazillion and that's what this store looked like. 

We left there and walked a little further in the rain and found the Plaza Hotel. It was on my list so we took shelter in the lobby from the rain. Since we were occupying their chairs where drinks were being ordered I felt compelled to order at least a diet coke. 

That small bottle of coke costs $7.00.  Good thing we had a picnic lunch. By now we were hungry. We have a favorite place we wanted to go that was on the upper west side. The restaurant is simple but good. We really enjoyed it on our last trip. The restaurant just moved to a new location this week. The name of it is Good Enough to Eat.  

We walked further in the rain and caught a very crowded bus in the middle of afternoon traffic.  It was just our luck the bus drop point was right in front of the old location. We walked about two or three blocks to the new location, still in the rain. Luckily we remembered our umbrellas this time. Too bad I didn't have my cute new rain coat. We finally arrived and enjoyed fried chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy, salad and sautéed kale. Watermelon slices were also included with the special. We shared a plate and drank water. That's our money saving tip too, drinking water at restaurants. We drink diet coke when we are back in our apt. After dinner we were both tired. I sure wasn't up for subway riding or bus riding especially with the rain. We checked Jerry's phone app that gives estimated cab fares. It gave a figure of $28 so we hiked to the subway, made transfers from the 1 train to the 2 train and finally made it to Wall Street. Once back in our apt we made our own ice coffee. We brought down some milk from breakfast as well as equal packets and brewed a pot of coffee this morning and chilled it while we were gone. Everyone here drinks iced coffee and all I have to do is see it and then I want it. We bought one the other night and enjoyed so we decided to save $7 and make our own. It was pretty good too.

Tomorrow we will go to see Phantom of the Opera and I will post more later.


Cindy Pafford

New York City - UPDATE

Since I last blogged we've done so much I have to write again before I forget the details.  

Thursday was a wet and cold day in NYC. We were exhausted from the busy day before so we took our time getting ready and finally ventured out in the afternoon to Chelsea Market. It was on my list of things to do and we figured it was a good indoor place to avoid the rain. We packed  our rain jackets and umbrellas and made our way over to CM. Chelsea Market is the home of the 

Food Network and the Oxygen Network. However you can't see tapings of shows there.  There are many Cafes, food stores, bakery's, etc inside the building which used to be the old Nabisco plant. Jerry used his subway app to get directions  and we also double checked with the concierge here at the apt. We've learned quickly they are not knowledgeable like hotel concierges. They basically google and give those answers, like we can't do that. Once on the subway I realized both Jerry and the  concierge had the wrong directions because we were on our way up to the Bronx. The girl you saw in the picture that was sleeping on the subway woke up and helped us find our way back. We ended up at Penn Station and had to make transfers to a different train. NYers are an excellent source of help on the subways. They usually notice tourists that need help and immediately ask "where are you going?"  They have never failed us when we were lost. Once at Chelsea Market we were hungry for lunch. We walked through eyeballing all the good cafes before choosing one that looked tasty. We ate at Freedman's and shared a cup of two bean turkey chili and fish tacos. Both were good. Afterwards we wandered around looking in the shops and bakeries. We noticed  a coffee shop with a hallway behind it. Jerry walked back to see if it was where Food Network offices were housed. I happen to look at this small group of people chatting and noticed that the man chatting was Iron Chef Michael Symon who is also on The Chew. I didn't know his name immediately but knew who he was. Jerry told me his name. I started snapping pictures. No way was I going to mess up like I did when I saw Valerie Harper and Susan Lucci and not get pictures.  In a few minutes he walked away with these people. One guy with him got his attention and pointed back to us. Michael walked over shook my hand and I told him we were fans. He gave me a big hug and said "you are not from NY are you?". I told him yes and he laughed and said "no you are not". He shared that his mother is from Dalton, Ga. He was so nice and let Jerry snap a picture of us together.  Jerry said he was jealous because he's the Food Network fan and he didn't get his picture with him. This was one time I was glad to have my southern accent. It got his attention. 

After leaving Chelsea we rode the subway to Times Square thinking we might sit and enjoy the scenery.  Usually sitting in TS is one of our favorite things to do in NYC.   If you have ever visited TS you know there are  many crazy people in that area. With the high volume of tourists you get the crazies trying to get handouts and attention.   Although it seems like there are so many more there than other places, I think every place has troubled people. The volume seems higher because of the foot traffic and high number of people in general.  I hesitate to describe what happened next because not only is it gross but it also isn't a topic anyone would feel comfortable describing.   However, I want to document all my experiences because with any vacation there are  usually those disappointing events that take place.  When we exited the train at the TS subway station we spotted an escalator which is rare at most subway stations. While riding up the escalator a man was riding in front of us but instead of facing forward he was turned around staring straight at me while putting his hand down his pants in his behind. I wondered if he was turned around thinking no one noticed. Jerry was close behind me so I turned my head sideways to say something to him. When I turned my head back forward this crazy man was trying to put his hand in my face. I immediately reacted a screamed for him to get away from me. Jerry also told him to get away. He then said gross things and proceeded to put his hands in his mouth. Needless to say that really changed my desire to hang in TS. It unnerved me and made me sick.  We walked on and found a seat in TS and immediately it began to pour down rain. We took shelter in the Marriott Marque in their lobby. While searching for a seat we ended up sitting at stable with a couple from Connecticut (The Migdol's).

We enjoyed about an hour of conversation with them and promised to meet again via Facebook.   We finally made our way back to our apt and had a few blocks to walk in the rain.

On Friday we decided to try the bus instead of the subway. A metro card gets you both on the subway and the bus. We wanted to ride above ground to see more of the city. Jerry used his phone app for bus directions to Bryant Park.  We visited Bryant Park three years ago and loved it so we wanted to return.  We discovered the bus stop was just a few feet from our apt.  While on the bus we met a young woman who heard us discussing where to get off the bus. She quickly chimed in and ask where we were headed. We began conversing with her. We didn't get her picture but she shared her name and number and told us to call her if we needed help with directions. Her name was Zina and she is a culinary tour guide. She said she would be glad to help and not charge us a thing. She also suggested we travel to Inwood park which is at the North west end of Manhattan. She said she thinks it is the most beautiful park in the city, even more beautiful than Central Park. If that's the case we will definitely check it out. Dumb me I thought Harlem was as far as Manhattan went North.
We made it to Bryant Park and really enjoyed the ride above ground with no subway stairs to climb.   While at Bryant park I took advantage of the clean bathrooms with the cool toilet seat covers that I posted on FB. There was a program going on in the park to celebrate the 238th birthday of the US Army.    

Jerry posted videos from the celebration.  One of the wonderful things about NY is that there is food everywhere. Anything you want is available every few steps. Of course it's all available with high prices. Even the cheapest food is expensive. We walked across a little side street a few steps from the park to Pax Wholefoods and got salads for picnicking in the park. Two salads with one small bag of pita chips and no drinks was $19. We enjoyed our salads sitting in the park. The parks are also full of entertainment with people lying in the sun on the lawn, hula hooping, reading from the outdoor reading room (umbrellas set up with portable bookshelves full of books), riding the carousel, playing chess or ping pong. Bryant Park is located behind the NY Library, hence the outdoor reading room. Bryant Park is one of my favorite places to hang out.  It's also close to Fifth Ave. which is a shopping heaven. 

We visited the NY Library after chilling in the park, then walked up Fifth Ave, stopping at Joe Fresh for shopping before we reached St Patrick's Cathedral.  Joe Fresh was recommended by the nutritionist that works with my surgeon. She told me the prices were good and they had cute clothes. Her friend is the marketing person that did all their decor. I really liked the shop and bought a few things at reasonable prices. St Patrick's Cathedral was hugely disappointing because it is under so much construction that the entire outside and most of the inside is obstructed by scaffolds.  We walked from there over to Rockefeller Center.  While there we indulged in another treat from my list. We split red velvet cheesecake from Magnolia Bakery.  

This is the second time I've had this glorious piece of tasty heaven. Sometimes a second chance at something wonderful is a let down. This was not the case. Instead it was even better than the first time I tried it. It was after this indulgence that Jerry and I committed to no sweets except on weekends while in NYC.  Friday night we stayed in our apt and had grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. 

On Saturday we planned to go over to what we thought was Greenwich Village to have breakfast at a place I had on my list from the show The Best Thing I Ever ate.  It was actually in the East Village instead. We started our trip with a bus ride again. We went to the bus stop to wait on the next bus. A lady joined us on the bench to wait for the bus. I greeted her with a simple "good morning" and she immediately said "you must be a tourist".  I guess my accent is a dead give away every time. She told me it wasn't the accent, but the fact that I greeted her. She said NYers don't speak. She was raised between NY and North Carolina and said southerners were always so polite. Although we have found NYers to be very helpful,  I have noticed they don't speak to one another on the subway or bus. They tend to speak to tourists to help and will converse if you initiate conversation, but don't greet one another.  On the subway most have an iPhones with earphones and they either zone everyone out, sleep or read. They don't even seem to notice their surroundings. I guess it's similar to our autopilot as we drive home after a long day at work. It's my understanding too that NYers work all the time and live a very fast paced life except on vacation. One girl we met on the bus told me it is necessary for them to get away for a vacation just to be able  function with the busy, fast lifestyle. The lady we met at the bus stop was so friendly conversing with us all the way to our stop. Since we were getting off at the same place, she directed us to our destination. Her name was Jazzie Thomas, an unusual name for an older woman.

 We wouldn't have planned to go to this restaurant if we had realized it was in the East Village because most of the shops in the EV are closed on Friday afternoons and Saturdays because there is a large Jewish population in that area. EV is right next to Greenwich so it is hard to determine where one begins and another ends. Even so our restaurant was open. I wanted to go there for the blueberry blintzes.  When we got there we saw it was a vegetarian restaurant. We are definitely not vegetarians, even more so now because we are supposed to eat a high protein diet. We ate their anyway. This was the smallest place I've ever seen. The name of the place was B&H Dairy. 

It was old and "tree hugger" friendly. The lower east side used to be the sketchy, scary part of town with many immigrants living there working hard to get out of that part of town. Now the children of the people who worked hard to get out of there are coming back on purpose. It is the new hipster area with lots of young, artsy types. It definitely has that feel too with lots of graffiti, vegetarian restaurants and multiple restaurants from every ethnicity. If you notice in the pictures I posted there were several kinds of different restaurants. Of course this area is still home to many Jewish people. Anyway we ate lentil soup and blueberry blintzes. They were both ok.   Afterwards we took a walk that I had on my list of one of the prettiest walks in the city. We walked 4th St from the East Village, through Greenwich Village to the West Village. It was a beautiful walk with tree lined streets, Cafes and shops along the way. We stopped for awhile in Washington Square Park. As I said earlier the parks in NYC are one of our favorite things. We always stop at everyone we pass. In WSP we spotted a Mennonite choir from Lancaster Pennsylvania. 

They were singing and preaching in the park. It was nice to hear some old hymns I haven't heard in a long time like Power in the Blood and Redeemed. They sang with no music, but had nice harmony. God bless those people for trying in this city. I sure hope they didn't pass the man we had just seen a few minutes before the park that was crazy out of his mind swearing profusely with the "F" bomb. I can imagine being in NYC was an eye opening experience for them.   Since being in NYC I've tried to not forget about my daily time with God. While on vacation it's easy to be selfish and only think about what you want to do. I've been in thought and prayer about what I can do when given opportunity while in NyC to bless someone else. There are so many in need everywhere, but they stand out in the city. With that being said I found it ironic that I listened to the Mennonites praise God on one side of the park and walked to the other side to see a group of young people wearing devil horns and then witnessed what I think could have been some drug trafficking.  It was a true reflection to me of what goes on in the spiritual world and the kind of warfare between the two spiritual beings. Evils is always present trying to war against the Holy Spirit. Thank God I know who has already won the war.  The park was full of people lying in the sun and playing in the fountain. The weather was absolutely perfect. We continued our walk stopping again for a rest at a small  spot of green with trees and benches. As we sat down another "not so sane" man came over to us for a handout. He said he had not eaten in a month, but he really didn't look malnourished. He mumbled and shared he had been homeless for four years and was HIV positive and had Aids. He looked healthy to me except for all the teeth missing from his mouth. Drugs rot your teeth so I am pretty sure why he was "not so sane". He also told me God was his best friend and then said he used to live in Atlanta where he had PCP pneumonia (whatever that is).  This is when it's hard to know how to help someone. I tried to listen to the Holy Spirit for direction, but I'm skeptical about giving money for someone to buy more drugs. Jerry gave him a few dollars and we hope he did eat food, not drugs.  I thought about it later and thought I should have prayed with him instead. We walked on and finally made it to the West Village.  By this time we were definitely in need if meat after that vegetarian brunch. The West Village is beautiful and many celebrities live there as the real estate is very expensive. Everywhere we turned we saw vegetarian restaurants. A guy overheard us discussing that we didn't want vegetarian and directed us down the street to a Greek diner. He said its a greasy spoon and good. That was right up our alley.

Saturday evening we met up with Augusta folks for dinner. Meaghan's third grade teacher and a former co-worker of mine, Kathie Treado and her husband Dennis were in town so we decided to have dinner together.  We decided to eat Italian at a Brooklyn Heights neighborhood favorite, Armando's.  It was also on my list. We took the subway from Wall Street over to Brooklyn Heights. It was so easy to get there. Actually going to Brooklyn from here is easier than going uptown in Manhattan. By the way we have discovered we love Brooklyn, at least the parts we've seen so far. Brooklyn is huge and we have only been to a very small section. Brooklyn Heights is wonderful. It's the most expensive neighborhood in Brooklyn and like I said on Facebook, I want to move there when I inherit millions. The neighborhood is quiet with beautiful homes, tree lined streets and lots of Cafes and restaurants in walking distance. It is very friendly and everyone is outdoors. At the end of the streets is the Promenade which gives a killer view of Manhattan. While strolling the streets dreaming of living there we were greeted by a friendly 85 year old woman sitting on the stoop of her home. She shared her story of inheriting her home from her "daddy" who was a Mormon and shared that he had worked for Mayor La Guardia. 

We chatted for awhile and she invited us to drop by again before we leave. Her name is Pete Valentine and she is also in our pictures of Brooklyn Heights. We finally walked to the restaurant where we enjoyed a nice Italian dinner with the Treado's. 

Sundays are always a favorite for us in NYC because we get to attend church at Brooklyn Tabernacle.  If you aren't familiar with their choir, you need to look them up and listen. This church started by basically rescuing crazy, drug addicts off the streets. Now it is housed in what was the largest theater in Brooklyn with 4000 seats. They also have overflow across the street for those who don't get there in time for a seat. They have three services on Sunday too.  The choir just sang for the presidential inauguration. It is huge and powerful, not just in sound, but in spirit. It has a diverse population with multiple nationalities represented in the congregation. We always get there an hour early to get in and get a seated. Yesterday we had to stand in a line that wrapped the building to get in and get a seat. The service didn't disappoint. As a matter of fact I believe this was the best service I've  attended to date. The praise and worship was great. The choir sang great songs, singing my absolute favorite BTC song. We realized that three years ago when we were at BT we were also there on Father's Day. 

The service was so moving and for some reason it spoke to me from beginning to end. For those of you raised in COGOP you will understand when I say it was like an old assembly service. The music was Pentecostal with tambourines and a great dancing in the spirit rhythm. It brought to mind a memory of being with my dad at the general assembly and staying late to hear and watch the Bahama Brass Band. It was a sweet blessing that the music triggered a fond memory of my dad on Father's Day.   After church we walked through downtown Brooklyn to eat at a favorite, Juniors. We enjoyed a great lunch of real food (BBQ chicken, potatoes, salad). Something that's a staple at many diners and delis in NYC is a pickled slaw, beets and dill pickles. All three are included with every meal. They have a different flavor than I'm used to, but I like it.

After we returned to our apt we finally decided to explore the back side of our building since the river is right behind us. We had no idea we were sitting so close to South Seaport. We have a view of Brooklyn and the Statue of Liberty. We are more pleased with the location of our apt daily. We walked up to Manhattans only mall at Pier 17 on the water. There are lots of shops and Cafes there too outside the mall. 

The mall isn't great, but they have porches all around with chairs with great views of the water, Brooklyn, the bridges and boats. We chilled there for a few hours soaking in the view and while I wrote for my blog. We ended up having dinner afterwards in our apt. We ate our Italian leftovers from the night before.

This morning we've spent the morning on the rooftop deck, chilling, eating our continental breakfast.  We plan to clean the apt today and then head to Chinatown for shopping, lunch and the experience. More to come later.


Cindy Pafford