"...and the livin' is easy." Part 6

07/22/16

5 miles

We venture out to Queen's Chinatown. This is a long haul on the subway. We head east, and quickly emerge from underground. This ride will have a view.

At 103rd Street/Corona Plaza, the subway car transforms. In just seconds, the train goes from dead quiet to bursting with music and Mariachi harmonies. Michael immediately starts to dance (MJ bumps along for the ride) and we bounce around for a few minutes to upbeat, traditional Mexican music. The song ends right as the train pulls up to the next stop, and the small band disappears, taking their lively sound with them. We marvel at their timing, but the other commuters are completely unimpressed.

Flushing's Chinatown has a reputation for the best food (and the greater square footage) of the two giant Chinatowns in the city. We surface from the subway and are immediately in the way. Vendors moving product, shoppers with their bags, workers headed to lunch, food stands of all sizes have us weaving on and off the sidewalk, dodging the masses. We are somewhat aimless in our journey. What are we actually doing here? Where do we even begin?

We poke around a few shops before resting in a nearby park and watching the planes fly overhead. Lunch is vegetable dumplings, bok choy, and hot noodles at Xian's Famous Foods. This is a Zagat Rated joint that takes its noodles very seriously (on the website, they request that if you take ]their noodles to go, you at least try them in store before you go, as hot noodles tend to get "bloated, mushy, and oily" when they cool down). The food was excellent and very reasonably priced.

We don't last long in the heat of the day, and make our way back to Greenpoint, where we finally try the famous Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. A scoop of peach and Oreo later, we're back in the air conditioning, marveling at the people who live without it.

07/23/16

3 miles

Lunch today is with our friends Ilhwa and Alex at Tavern on the Green, in Central Park.

The food here is not quite up to NYC standards. Also, the waiter recommends the blueberry lemonade to beat the heat, but fails to mention that it's alcoholic…The location, however, can't be beat. It's a beautifully appointed spot, and we sit in the shade for hours and visit with old friends.

Michael Jr. gets to swing again, this time in Central Park. He loves it.

A friend from Augusta is debuting his new musical, A Scythe in Time, at the NY Musical Festival. Michael attends while Dani dons the pack (for the first time!) and heads back. Umm, wow. It's heavy. But it's a beautiful, late afternoon stroll down 35th toward the ferry, and the pack gets a little easier with practice.

         

07/24/16

3.5 miles

NY1 is calling this a heat wave. We feel pretty well equipped to deal with temperatures in the 90s (less than 100% humidity? Girl, please). But it's hot, and we do have the little guy to think about, so we are taking it a little easier these days.

There are a handful of excellent coffee joints in the vicinity (not to mention a doughnut place that we are probably getting too much of) . We discover that the place just down the street has a hefty, cheap(ish) breakfast burrito. We have breakfast and coffee there as well as a long chat with some friends that MJ has made.

The big trip today is to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees play the Giants. We watch a string of blobs come on and off the field, soak up the atmosphere, and hang out until we are abandoned by the shade.

 

07/25/16

Would you believe that we did absolutely nothing? No. Thing.

Ok, we watched some TV.

Can we blame it on the heat?

07/26/16

6mi

When you spill a half full, iced coffee on the subway, you have to move fast (though we were encouraged by more than one commuter to just leave it). Two diapers and one wipe later, you can hardly tell anything happened. Bonus: all three cleaning implements can be stuffed into the now empty cup.

We head to the Met, which is impressive in pretty much every way. Paintings and sculptures by the European masters, artifacts from ancient Egypt, China, and India. People from everywhere passing each other in this incredible space, one small child enjoying the sounds of his squeal echoing throughout the bustling corridors.

This evening, Dani goes to the show while Michael stays home. It's Radiohead at Madison Square Garden with Mariana, and it's a blast.

07/27/16

6 miles

We're down to the wire now, and there are still people we want to see!

It's coffee and breakfast with old friends Franklin and Jim. It's been too long, and we're excited to finally introduce MJ!Hanging with them is easy, and we have to hoof it to the next spot. We cut through Central Park (easier said than done) to get to the West Side for a lunch of freshly made crepes with Adam and Mary Dorine. Before long, it's time to head back to Brooklyn. There, we will finish off the day with Ilhwa and Alex for snacks and continued conversation. So many good people!

                  

Miracle (we're not) on 34th Street (Part 5)

Friday, 7/15/16

2.5 miles

A few housekeeping items keep us busy as we wait for our guests to arrive.

They may be driving, it might take 10-12 hours to get here, and one of them has an exam on Monday morning, but you know what? Uncle Wigwam and Aunt Janine are coming to visit anyway!!

R and J arrive. Our evening consists of Indian take-out, Pokemon hunting, gelato, and the 8th wonder of the world, Kevin Costner in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. (The accent! The mullet!).

**Full disclosure, Dani is not only a HUGE KC fan (everybody muffs an accent now and then!), she also loves Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (and the Brian Adams song that comes with it). And isn't afraid to share it with everyone who might venture onto this blog.

`

Saturday, 7/16/16

6.6 miles

In the early afternoon, we venture to Manhattan via ferry.

M and D to R and J: the ferry is so fast, so efficient!

The ferry: I'll show you.

We find ourselves on a bigger, more crowded boat that takes quite a bit longer to disembark (and embark?).

Delicious noodles and garlic bok choy for lunch.

Rich and MR  pluck the ukuleles in the Sam Ashe music store.

Rain forces us to rethink our plan to get to Chelsea Market. We wait out the worst of it over steaming coffee.

As the rain clears, M and D realize that MJ's bedtime is only an hour away. The next ferry leaves in 25 minutes, and we are determined to catch it.

We leave R and J to bee-bop around the city some more, and HOOF it down 34th Street at top speed.

The Avenues flash by. 9th, 8th, 7th. We're crossing 2nd at the moment the ferry should be arriving.

We press on, on the off chance that it's late. It is! We make it back, just in time for bed.

When R and J get back, we order pizza from Fornino's and hash out our game plan.

We will party in shifts.

M will go out with them until 10:30, D will take the later shift.

Ever in control of their mental faculties, R and J take us both (separately) just down the street to the edge of the dark water.

There, we see the glittering NY skyline for the first time on this trip.

Top notch cocktail at Alameda. Barely cared what the one at that other bar tasted like.

Sunday, 7/17/16

6.2 miles

Or how we might feel the next morning. Moving right along…

The Bedford strip of Williamsburg is bustling with people, vendors, outdoor café seating.

We eat ramen, and Richard surprises and delights the wait staff by calling out some parting words in Japanese.

After lunch, our guests must  leave. As is, ETA is very, very AM on Monday.

R and J leave too soon, but arrive home just in time for Rich to take his exam. We're in awe of their pluck. 

Monday, 7/18/16

8.5 miles

This morning, we count up our mileage. 146 miles to date.

We're off to Chelsea Market. It's a delight for the (tourist) senses: beautifully arranged flea market stalls, a walk-in closet sized shop of goodies from Morocco, an Italian food market, gelato, chocolates, seafood, coffee, books, spices, and much more.

Breakfast (technically second breakfast, as we started with steel cut oats) of avocado toast, fried eggs and potato hash.

Sufficiently fueled, we head up to the Highline, a 1.5 mile walkway on an old, elevated section of the West Side Railroad Line that starts at Gansevoort Street and goes all the way up to 34th. The vegetation is in its full glory and we walk amid lush yellows, greens, and purples, enjoy the shade of tall, leafy trees. People mosey, lounge, sleep, stretch, visit, hydrate, and drip popsicle juices of every color. The very last section is in full sun, but looks out onto the glimmering Hudson (we made it to the far West side of the island! Certainly this is how Balboa felt…).

Hips don't lie...camera does. Dani meets Picasso and loses half her body weight.

As we approach the end, we spy the tower of a massive ship in the distance. It slowly comes into focus.

It's an aircraft carrier.

Called the Intrepid.

That's a museum.

Which houses a SPACE SHUTTLE.

And THE Concord.

And an A-12 (looks like onesie SR71 Blackbird).

An F4 Phantom II (type dad flew).

We're dead on our feet but now we know what we're doing tomorrow.

  

Tuesday, 7/19/16

6.5 miles

Coffee and beakfast at Bakeri.

The Pulaski Bridge takes us into Queens, the 7 takes us all the way to Hudson Yard.

The Intrepid!

A huge Lego version of the ship greets us as we board.

The Intrepid is speckled throughout 20th century history (Pacific theater of WWII, Vietnam, recovery for Mercury and Gemini missions).

Demonstrations of lift and drag, a model of the first ejection seat, pilot gear.

Then the flight deck: American, Israeli, Polish, French, and Russian fighters, trainers, spy planes, choppers.

 

We approach the giant hangar that houses the starship Enterprise! Ok, technically, it's never been in space, but it is the Enterprise, it is named for the USS Enterprise, and it is incredible. Goose bump City just walking next to the massive landing gear, peering at the nose, the windshield, the wings.

We exit through the gift shop, working hard to ignore all the cool stuff for purchase.

The three kids behind the counter see MJ riding high in the pack and freak out: "That's the coolest thing in the building!"

With a space shuttle around the corner.

Kids these days! ;D

For once, we navigate the subway like pros. MJ spends most of the ride staring deeply into the eyes of the guy right next to us.

It's precious.

Wednesday, 7/20/16

7 miles

We ferry to the 11th Street Pier on the southern end of Manhattan (this time it's on purpose).

Today we join the ranks of the 4 million  or so people a year that visit Liberty Island. It will be hot, crowded, and touristy, but neither of us have ever been, so we're going.

Long ticket lines. Security.

We make a game of identifying as many languages as we can. German. Spanish from Mexico, Spanish from Spain, Puerto Rican Spanish. Dutch. Japanese. Mandarin.

We board the boat with what feels like 10 billion other people. It rocks violently as wake from the incoming boat arrives. Pantomime barf.

We watch the statue get closer and try to imagine what it must have been like to have arrived here in the 1890s after weeks at sea.

Back on dry land, we lay out our trusty Mexican blanket on an isolated spot of grass, put on some music, and watch MJ roll around while we play gin amid the amazing breeze, lapping waves, and Lady Liberty's backside.

Though we're both interested in the role Ellis Island had to play in history, we skip it in favor of walking in the shade (as opposed to standing in the sun).

Lunch is at Teri's, a  delicious veggie joint.

We walk North on Pearl through part of China Town and Stu Town. We arrive close to the pier just in time to see the ferry pulling up. We slap the headphones on MJ, run past the deafening sounds of three helicopters coming and going.

We make it, and relax to the sight of  Manhattan slowly slipping into the brightness behind us. 

 

Thursday, 7/21/16

5.6 miles

The first couple of weeks here, we had weather in the 70s and low 80s. These days, the temperatures are creeping up.

This afternoon for Greenwich Village (the west side of Lower Manhattan). Our goals are to: a) have falafel at Taïm, an itty bitty, middle eastern vegetarian spot that Alex and Rachel took us to once and b) soak up the atmosphere of the area. It's a success, and bonus: an icy pear, lemon, and mint smoothie is the perfect antidote to the heat. We mosey South, enjoying the calm of the neighborhood before turning around at the border of Tribeca.

We brought the aforementioned headphones for Michael Jr. in case of really intense noise (originally purchased for use on the Mooney). Well. With the bus brakes, the screeching subway, constant construction, honking horns, sonorous sirens, jumping jackhammers (ok, I'll stop), we have used them every day.

Most of the time, MJ sits happily up in the pack, looking as though he might be listening to hip-hop beats and getting looks of  appreciation from passersby. Today, however, he isn't having it. I put them on, he takes them off. On the subway, he waits until the doors are open (but not for long), tears them off and throws them. They clatter to the ground, just outside the doors that will very soon be closing. Time slooooows as we do the math:  Michael is closest to the door, but encumbered by the pack and can only move so quickly. Dani has her hands full, and would have to get around Michael.

We snap back into real time as a passerby breezes past, scoops up the headphones, and tosses them into the car as the doors close. Crisis averted. With all the excitement, we almost miss the look of satisfaction on baby's rosy face…

It's an easy day mile wise, but we're no less happy to climb that last bit of stairs before the cool, quiet, dark of the apartment.

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Out and About (Part 4)

7/11/16

6.5 miles

We take the ferry to Manhattan, intending to visit a Tannen's Magic Shop on 34th Street.

We find it on the 6th floor of a building, all the way in the back. The guy behind the counter offers to show us a magic trick. He says it is his own variation. We watch closely, but walk away stunned, without the foggiest idea how he did it.  We decide that the experience can only be topped if we go back the next day and the shop itself has disappeared.

We meet up with our former student, friend, and world-traveler Trey for a nice lunch just outside of Times Square.

So much chatting results in having to run off after coffee, as our little sweat pea is now in danger of turning into a pumpkin.

We dash home, thinking we've slacked off in a big way, but find that we've walked over 6 miles. Such is life in NY!

7/12/16

14 miles

The Ferry is our friend. The Green line (subway) is not.

We are off to Manhattan again, this time to hit a music store and meet with friends/former students Mary Dorine and Adam. We ferry over to 34th Street, then walk up to 75th, and over to Amsterdam to meet them at the Piccolo Cafe.

We have lunch outside and listen to the fun things they've been up to since we saw them last. At some point, Adam is revealed to be a Baby Whisperer, as MJ sits contentedly on his lap while Adam barely seems to notice that he's there.

This is our first time on the Upper West Side, and Michael and I take it in after we say our goodbyes. Central Park, brownstones, quiet neighborhoods and quite a different vibe from the chaos just a handful of blocks below.

We make our way back to 34th, as Michael is headed for the Sam Ash (music store) there.

It's like something Jack Black would sing about, and while I'm gawking at everything around us, everyone is gawking at us.

(This may be a good time to mention: people stare at us everywhere we go with the pack. We can't walk more than 50 feet without giggles, commentary, pointing, staring, or most commonly, people just shouting at us about how cool it is, or how they want a ride or  how that's the life, etc. Who knew we would find a way to stand out in New York City, of all places??? #deuter

By the time we ferry back across, it's 5pm and we have walked nearly 14 miles. Somehow, this 14 miles isn't nearly as painful as the last. 

We'll leave you with probably the oddest thing we saw all day: We're walking down the street, minding our own business, and a bus stops not far away. Dani notices that some people are frozen on the sidewalk staring at it, so we turn around, and the people in the bus are all facing us. Stadium style. Like they're at the movies and we're the picture show. They wave, we wave back, they wave some more, we reciprocate. An endless circle of gawking and disbelief, really. (We can't hear what the smiling guide with the microphone is saying as he's pointing and waving to us, but he is definitely encouraging this behavior.) This beats out the one girl in two weeks that we've seen on a skateboard. She was cool too, though. :)

7/13/16

5 miles

We leave this morning with two goals in mind: have a nice lunch out at a little place that came recommended (that we've passed a bunch and been curious about called Park Luncheonette), and replace our depleted coffee supply, using the information on the bag of coffee beans as our guide. We did indeed have a lovely lunch of beet and quinoa burger with fries. MJ had a couple bites of beet burger and a tasty bit of mashed avocado. We were somewhat less successful on the second count. After lunch, we proceed to walk to what we think is our destination, miles and miles away. We pass through some thoroughly unimpressive parts of town, then walk smack into the middle of a Hassidic neighborhood. This was an accident, but it was utterly fascinating. At one point, it is just the three of us in a sea of top hats, curls (payot), and yarmulkes. While we are just down the road a couple of miles, in Williamsburg (still Brooklyn), it feels as foreign as any soil we've ever visited. (To be perfectly honest, our fascination was equaled by a very tangible sense that we didn't belong there, and that we were intruding. This just a few miles from where we are staying!)

We finally arrive at Brooklyn Roasting Company (here, Alex and Rachel are shaking their heads and laughing--they know exactly what we've done), and as I pull out the bag to check the blend, I realize that these were not the droids we were looking for. "You had one job to do!" I say, bopping Navigator Michael on the head with the bag that will not be useful here. In his defense, the first hit online using most of the words on the cover of said bag get you this place. We have a coffee anyway, and looking up at an ominous sky, decide to take the Subway back.

With our plan foiled, we decide that we ought to get  some points for the mileage. Anyway, it's movie night, and popcorn is in our very near future.

7/14/16

5 miles

We wake up feeling a little lazy. (We are, after all, out of coffee).

On foot, we head the coffee shop we meant to find the day before. We find it about 2 miles away, order it iced because wow, it's hot this morning, and buy a bag of beans. Our conversation goes from stunted mumbling to excited babble. Wouldn't it be amazing to know who the very first person was that discovered the effects of caffeine. Was it really a shepherd and his hopped up goats? The Sufi of Mocha?

It's not yet noon but it's hot and muggy. Surely we are justified in resting for a day? We discuss. We're not exactly on pace for our 300 mile goal but we have walked around 115 in the last couple of weeks. It's decided. We will take a break today. At around 5pm, we venture out again. We need a number of supplies, and laundry must be done.

Also, we are surprised and delighted to hear that we will be having visitors from afar, and soon!

Brooklyn and Beyond (Part 2)

7/2/16

5.8 miles

Late morning departure to famed Farmer's Market for salad fare: sorrel, cilantro, tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers. 

We continue South to Williamsburg (also a part of Brooklyn). There, on Saturdays, is Smorgasburg, a weekly food market with heavenly scents, varied fare, long lines.  

We eat and drink, lounge in the shade, listen to live jazz, and gawk at the passersby. 

We decided to pick up the laundry we had dropped off the day before, feeling very NY as we lugged it back.

MJ now spends most of his time pulling himself up using the couch. He likes to stand there and reach for the remotes. When he can't get them, he grips the edge and uses it to "walk" to the other side of the couch (where he also can't get the remotes).
He's spending an awful lot of time on those chunkerdoodle legs of his...

A moment before mommy busted him for sucking the NY puddle grime off the wheel (and she was subsequently awarded Parent of the Year right there on the spot).

       

7/3/16

13 miles

We load two packs with the intent of getting to Prospect Park, which is 6 miles south in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

(For me, Brooklyn has always been Greenpoint. Newsflash: it's huge.)

On the way, we are stopped in front of the Bushwick Inlet Park. We are asked to pose in front of the sign that details the long fight to pull this land from the clutches of greedy developers (these activists are in their 50s and saythey started fighting when they were our age). #wheresourpark

We park it at the Brooklyn Museum "stadium" to rest and have lunch. 

Families began to gather and we discovered that the nearby holes in the ground shot water high into the air in elaborate patterns. MJ and all the nearby children are spellbound.

Long, hot walk back. 13 miles maaay have been a tad ambitious for so early in the trip?

We order Fornino for dinner, which Rachie calls the best pizza in NY. We would be inclined to agree.

This time, Dani wins at cribbage.

Little hipster scarf from Uncle Wigwam (Richard) and 

Aunt Janine helps ward off the morning chill.

          

7/4/16

4.5 miles

Intending to stroll around Greenpoint, we somehow end up in Williamsburg.

We have a delicious breakfast at Bakeri (Cinnamon roll! Vegetable tart!).

There is a Bakeri right around the corner from our apartment, but we meant to do that.

The weather is beautiful, so we take the stroller (and its sleeping occupant) to the East River Park for the grass, the breeze, and the view. 

MJ wakes up eventually, and, after some time nosing around in the grass, notices another baby. They lock eyes. Smoke signals ensue. We strike up a conversation with the family that belongs to the other baby. Vally and Alex are Greek, and live nearby. Their son Jasson is 14 months, and is daring to stick his finger near MJ's mouth. Repeatedly. Having both felt the wrath of the two toofs, we are vigilant.

We say our goodbyes at the park, and head home. Back at the apartment, MJ (this after many falls and near misses) starts to put a hand down to survey his landing area. When he can feel the floor, he lowers himself down. We can't believe it.

When the baby goes to bed, we start watching a billion part documentary about the history of New York. It begins with the earliest Dutch settlement, after sailors happen upon one of the largest natural harbors in the world.

We learn that Manna-hata is a Dutch iteration of a Lenape Indian word meaning island of many hills (though after the grid was designed and imposed on the island, the topography changed almost entirely) and that Brooklyn comes from Breukelen, after an earlier Dutch town in the Old World.

MJ's first taste of grass!

Summer in the City! (Part 1)

The two Michaels and Dani have been invited to housesit in NY.
So many goals...They include:

• Have an active, productive month. 
• Explore all 5 boroughs.
• Spend more time with each other, less with our devices. 
• Eat great food every day.
• Did I mention walk 300 miles?

Questions abound.
How will Michael Jr. react to this new environment?
Can we see everything we want to see on foot?
How much can you get in NY for less than $50 a day?
Will we ever want to come back?

Read on to find out...



6/25/16

A day and a night with the Smith Family in Charleston. 

Michael Jr. is in heaven! Lots of play time, attention, and other kids.

At one point they are all sitting on the floor, all talking at once, and he is babbling excitedly at the top of his lungs. 

Wish we had video!

6/26/16

Drive to Dunn, NC, which was the right distance and the right price (Airbnb). 

The cabin is itty bitty and rustic but very charming. It sits on quiet horse farm in the small town of about 10,000. 

6/27/16

We take an early, hazy morning walk.

Michael takes MJ to meet the horses. 

We start the long drive (7.5 hours) to Philadelphia. We mean to take most of the day, with lots of stops. 

The studio apartment in Philly (Airbnb again) is in a great part of town, but completely uninspiring. 

Up 3 flights of stairs in a rickety building, no character whatsoever and completely bare (apparently these "corporate" run apartments are increasingly common and are really ruining the spirit of Airbnb). 

 

6/28/16

8.5 miles 

Michael turns 39!

We walk around Philly with no particular goal in mind. The weather is overcast and cool, perfect for us. 

MJ is the star of the show, as people comment on him in his "litter" everywhere we go. 

6/29/16

The drive from Philly into NY is supposed to be around 2 hours. 

We try to carefully thread the needle by leaving right at 10am: avoid Philly traffic, make it into NYC before the traffic is untenable. We get out on time, but the drive takes about 3.5 hours. 

We enter the city in awe. The masses! The traffic! 

Rachel and Alex greet us in Greenpoint. We visit, get the walking tour of the all the best spots, and do Italian takeout that makes it impossible not to overeat. 

6/30/16

We visit, settle in, and hang out. 

Rachel and Alex prepare to leave. 

Dinner is at Mogador, a Morroccan place nearby. 

We leave the ordering to the pros and we are not disappointed. 

Hummus, couscous, halloumi (fried cheese), falafel that will knock your socks off. 

We learn that the streets in Greenpoint are alphabetical, from North to South (Ash, Box, Clay, Dupont, Eagle, and more!)

7/1/16 

8.28 miles

We say an early farewell to Rachel and Alex.

Pack up and leave around 9 to set foot in the city. 

Walk down to the Williamsburg Bridge. 

On our way, we pass a shoot for crime drama Sneaky Pete with Giovanni Ribisi.

With the traffic, the train, the wind, and the helicopters, crossing the Williamsburg Bridge is unbelievably loud. 

Dani catches a glimpse of MJ in the pack. He is asleep.

Lunch is at Russ & Daughters, a long established hub serving Jewish comfort food. 

Delicious lox, latkes (fried potato cakes), and coffee. 

Kitchen and wait staff are all making faces at MJ (or responding to the faces he is making at them?) This is his first experience in a high chair (he's finally sitting)!

Walked back talking of the growing list of to-do's for the month of July (even a month in NY is not enough?!)

Learned that you could eat at a different place in NY every day for 12 years, and never make it to all of them.

Ate a dinner of random fridge dwellers over a game of cribbage.

Finally got to see GOT finale. E.P.I.C.