In the groove
Monday felt easy. The day just flowed. The steps by day’s end were nearly the same, yet my feet feel amazingly OK. So much for the minimalist barefoot shoes and hurray to Saucony and technology.
Firstly, Charlie got to catch up on some videos.
Then the humans headed out for diner brunch where I forgot that iced coffee and avocado toast belong to “newish” places - not diners. Then we headed towards midtown so that I could check out an “old world” chocolatier that I saw on IG. Enroute we stopped at an asian pastry shop - I got pitachio meltaways and lily got a matcha cream puff like thing.
Sadly the chocolate lady celebrates Memorial day. On to 5th and the lego store :). I had never been and it was worth the (only 2 or 3 min) wait. I could hang out here for a long time.
Todd and I then visited St Patrick’s, adding another religion to the tour. I went to Sunday Mass here on the overnight college trip. It is so so impressive, yet it’s no Westminster.
We skipped the next 2 stops on my proposed itinerary and took a crazy crowded train to SOHO (south of houston for the uninitiated). And it’s “how-stun” not “hue-stun”.
Lily and I got matcha from Sorate (another place recommended by the intrawebs) and on then back north towards greenwich village so that Todd and Alec could get a cheeseburger, which was eaten on a bench in Washington Square. Alec rated it an 8.5.
At some point in the past couple of years, Lily introduced me to a concoction (I won’t call it a tea since there is no tea) that her mother puts together for her and is purported to have all sorts of healthy benefits. I know that I like the taste. Last year, Lily sent me home with the makings. I’ve since run out and tried to replace the ingredients at the asian market in Kent. I found the chrysanthemum, the goji berries and chinese red dates (jujubes). But I couldn’t find the other ingredient that looked like slivers of a root. Lily asked for me in Chintown yesterday, but they only had large pieces, not slices. Her mom said that she would bring some to me today as well as bring a quantity of dumplings and other assorted homemade delicacies for Alec’s freezer. She texted Lily while we were in the square to tell us that she was enroute from Brooklyn, already on 32nd. We caught the train and headed home.
The mystery ingredient was astragalus - which google says will tonify my qi. So, now I’m all set. Of course she brought ALL the ingredients. I may have a lifetime supply. Come over and I’ll make you a cup of wellness :).
Charlie and Mrs Wu got along famously.
For dinner we went to Ippudo for ramen, very very yummy. I want more ramen in my life and will have to seek out a good place at home. Do you have a recommendation?
Lily and I had planned on getting both matcha and boba Monday and the boba place was in Times Square.
Somehow, and I don’t know how this happened, I thought that “Times Square” was the section of 42nd st that I walk by going to Alec and Lily’s. I can see the H&M building and the TSX building from their apartment. The subway stop there says Times Square. Lily pointed out that that was actually just “times square adjacent”. After dinner we walked to and through true times square - Oh my. I had NEVER seen the likes of this. The pictures do NOT do it justice. The screens are really very incredible. It was 8:30 yet it looked like it could have been daylight.
We headed to HeyTea for boba, then back home to try to convince a small dog to poo in a small square of mulch. It’s getting late, I’m outside in shirtsleeves- everything is very alright.
So much Food
Small dog walks around lower Manhattan and eats goat
The weather concerned me while I was planning for this trip,—It has been nothing but rain and cold for so long, and I figured that would follow us eastward. Saturday had a touch of rain in the afternoon, but yesterday was really very pleasant. Sun and clouds, poncho and no poncho. Completely dry.
My day began with trying to explain to the small dog that these really were the only potty options. Then Todd and I took him to Target, because its perfectly ok to walk your dog around the inside of Target. This place is so odd.
Then we all headed down to Chinatown to eat this and that, which was a request.
Charlie’s first time on the MTA
We meandered around and ended up getting noodles from 2 places - a food cart lady who Lily knows who freshly made an amazing roast pork with egg concoction that was wrapped inside a big rice noodle, very very yummy,—and then we tried to get more noodles at a place I saw online, but the wait would have been an hour. We proceeded to West Rice Roll King and I had curried fish balls on more noodles- interesting and yummy- but no food cart lady.
We ate this on a bench in Roosevelt Park. But there were more stops in Chinatown. There were different kinds of pork buns and shockingly good soy milk and (probably my favorite) mango moochi, which I’ll have to find a picture of.
Alec convinced me that this would be a good weekend to visit, as so many people leave the city for the holiday weekend,—but Chinatown on Sunday morning was very very crowded.
Then we walked through my first buddhist temple, a place I have often walked by wanting to go through. Charlie remained outside.
Over to the lower east side, where there is a restored Synogogue that I wanted to see on Eldridge Street, it didn’t disappoint, though I was the only one who wanted to pay the admit.
We continued to walk, winding through the lower east side up to Alphabet City, stopping at Tompkins Square Park, where Charlie had his first dog park experience. He needed coaxing, like an unsocialized child. These city dogs are pretty great. So very friendly.
We stopped for a beverage at some place on St Marks Place then on Westward bound to Washington Square Park. More snacks (goat!) and general people watching.
Then came a hurried walk up to Chelsea Markets restrooms - still we could take the dog anywhere!, and onto the highline - where we were told that “Dogs aren’t allowed on the highline” - really?? it’s an outdoor walkway?
We went inside chelsea market? and target? and we legit had seen at least 3 or 4 other dogs up there, but whatevs. We exited the highline, found an ATM, and walked through Hudson Yards (the mall), then looked at the honeycomb thing which I guess is called the Vessel. Did not have the willpower to climb it. Only 10 more blocks to home :)
We crashed for an hour or so, then found an Irish Pub in the vicinity for dinner - shepards pie for me.
I think I did 27k steps and was right at 12 miles. My feet are still sore (morning after). Keep in mind, a 17lb dog did most of these 12 miles, with a good deal more actual steps.
NYC
We take the Psychotic dog to NYC
In another place and time
My parents introduced me to NYC. My dad grew up in Bergenfield, NJ with his two sisters. His father worked at a bank in “the city”. I have no idea what he really did. I do know that he started off collecting deposits from businesses in China Town. It was impressed upon me, that this was a potentially dangerous business. Both he and my grandmother were born and raised here. My Grandmother Betty’s (nee Bertha) parents immigrated from Germany and they (along with their extended family) set up a brewery and hotel with beer garden in Brooklyn. I believe my side had the hotel while the uncles had the brewery. Anyway, prohibition came and all was sold, - the brewery uncles made out with more than Great Grandma Widmann did, though she did all right. My grandfather’s family were Irish. His father immigrated twice, becoming the stereotypical Irish beat cop. His mother believed that raw tomatoes were poisonous and was much alarmed when he came home one day after eating one like an apple. These are some of the stories that I grew up hearing.
As stated, my father grew up in Bergenfield watching his father commuting into the city every day. He didn’t want to repeat this. His sisters’ settled in more rural New Jersey and my parents ended up in Ohio, where my dad had a much shorter commute. My dad was a professor, so we had wide swathes of summer time. We often spent 3-4 weeks annually at a cottage in the Hudson River Valley, built on long gone brewery money. (see how this all comes together). Over the years, I had many day trips into NYC as a child. My dad telling the stories related above as well as his time working as a cabby, how rowed a boat across the Hudson as a teenager, how my Great Uncle Ardie,(nee Adolf), would evade the prohibition agents as he smuggled booze into PA. I remember St Patrick’s, FAO Schwarz, the boring boring circle line tour, and feeling very grown up eating oysters at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central. I remember the museums and driving through the park (we always drove into the city). I remember the traffic.
In college, I came to NYC with friends twice. The first was a spring break trip with girlfriends. We stayed with my aunt at the little cottage and commuted in on a bus and had loads of fun; walking around with paper maps, getting bagels, visiting all the art museums, sitting in Washington Square Park smoking. I remember having the best outfit, which ended up killing my feet. The second time must have been during summer break,—we took two cars and Todd came too. I think there also was a stop with Aunt Grace and a commute into the city, but this time we had friends to stay with! We split into 2 groups and ended up sleeping on the living room floor of the tiniest little walk up. I remember being shocked upon learning how many people actually lived in this 2 bedroom apartment. I have many wonderful memories of this time.
I really thought that I would live here some time.
But I never did.
Time went on, and I didn’t visit again for years and years and years. Todd and I got married, we had children, we still visited the little cottage. We thought about bringing the kids down, and we really tried once. We did take them to the Statue of Liberty, but from the Jersey side - I was just panicky about bringing them in.
Our youngest Alec went to college in New York State. He made many friends who lived here. He visited a time or two. He spent 10 weeks one summer interning (!) I was SO envious. I think this was the ony place he was looking for jobs post graduation. He moved here one year into Covid, in a little walk up in the lower east side that was generously called a one bedroom. He and I “toured” the rooms via facetime. At some point he met the lovely Lily, who has lived here most of her life. A city girl! They now inhabit a lovely apartment on 42nd in Hells Kitchen. This would likely have been on my great grandfather’s beat. Since Alec has moved here, we’ve been visiting yearly, (this year maybe twice :) ).
We arrived yesterday, and I am already filled to brim with the spirit of the place. We found out just a day prior that Todd’s neice and her husband will also be in NY for the weekend, so we hung out with them yesterday afternoon,—how crazy.
For the first time, we have brought our little dog Charlie. He has his own set of social issues and bringing him is a bit of a risk. Yesterday he walked on crowded sidewalks and was very overwhelmed. We’re going to be taking him out as much as we can, and then bringing him home to hopefully decompress. Maybe he’ll ride the subway today :)
So this week, I will share our NYC adventures as well as those of Charlie, the potentially psychotic havapoo.