The Staten Island Ferry

This is the entrance point onto the Staten Island Ferry. It was a Saturday. My husband and I wanted to see Staten Island.

The ferry is huge, as you can see in this picture I took of one passing us headed back to Manhattan.

So there was plenty of space to sit once everyone got on board. Most people went to the upper decks.

This is a good reason to take the free ferry. You can get a good look at the Statue of Liberty, Governor's Island and Manhattan's skyline. Once we got to SI, we started walking. About three miles later, we realized there was not much to see on SI. So we caught a bus back to the dock. There is a nice stadium that holds minor league games right as you exit the ferry. But no games were being played that day.

A Strange Aloneness

Never have I ever been on a subway car this empty. My husband and I were alone on this 7 train one Sunday afternoon. I think we were headed back to Long Island City from Manhattan. You never know where you'll run into pockets of empty space here. It's not all that common, let me tell you.

It's Not Storming Up Here

 

Most of the time on the plane I read or sleep. But this was my view for most of the flight last week when I flew to Cincinnati. There were storms below in New York, but above the clouds, it was a wonderland of blue. It looked like we were flying over Antartica, and I half expected to spot a couple of polar bears running around in those clouds. It was mesmerizing.

 

This used to be a dock facility which included "contained apron" transfer bridges, It was built in 1925 to load and unload rail car floats that served industries on Long Island. It's located a few steps away from where I live along the southern portion of Gantry State Park which is being expanded in both directions along the East River. The new park is making this area of Long Island City a lovely place to spend an afternoon.

Bird on Pier

 

With no particular agenda, I left the apartment recently to simply walk as far as I could and observe the neighborhood. (I really need to get a life.) Anyway, I came across this lonely little bird sitting on the pier overlooking the East River in the quiet of the morning. It didn't phase him one bit that I was closing in on him to get this picture. He did keep a close eye on me, though, as you can see.

Chimney Cakes

 

Aren't these beautiful? I took this picture at a place that makes them just around the corner from my apartment--well 8 blocks away--same thing. The dough is wrapped around a wooden pin and baked over a fire, so they're hollow and soft on the inside and lightly sweet and crunchy on the outside. Called kurtoskalacs, they originated in Hungary.  People used to bring them to weddings where they were enjoyed along with homemade brandy. Now where's my snifter?

Goodbye Northern View

A Different Kind of Sweet: Wagashi

 

I tried Wagashi, a Japanese sweet, sold at this beautiful store called The Manamoto Kitchoan (Kitchen) on Fifth Avenue in Midtown. While it looks like a cookie in this picture, it's more of a liquidy sponge. It's actually a peach flavored bean paste wrapped with soft rice cake. Very tasty! There are all kinds of images of their candy if you "Google" Manamoto Kitchoan. Every item is like a painting.

God Is Still Speaking

One thing I cannot do in NY is sew. My trusty Sears and Roebuck sewing machine from the 1970s is too heavy to travel with me. So while I was home (Cincinnati) this last jaunt, I whipped up these flags for my church. In teaching myself how to attached the white letters, I learned my machine was more sophisticated than I ever knew!

Clouds!

Finally, some clouds rolled in yesterday to give rain. Not enough, but oh how wonderful it was to see.

Here's your bike. What's your hurry?

 

At Columbus Circle (southeast corner of Central Park) you can't walk ten feet without being asked if you want to rent a bicycle from all the hawkers roaming around. I finally gave in one day when I was waiting for my husband to get off work.

I expected the guy who got my attention a couple of blocks just south of Central Park to walk me to Columbus Circle where the big bike parking lot is located. Instead we walked past there, a couple of blocks east, to a narrow but deep shop front. He handed me off to the clerk where I paid my $10. I take that back, I had with me only $9! So the hawker pulled out dollar bill and helped me out! He probably thought, "Cheap tourist!"

Soon, then I was whisked onto a bike that had a large basket in the front for my handbag and wide handlebars. Did I get any instruction? Did I get a helmet? Did I get the phone number of the place in case I had an accident? Nope. Just a warning that it's not legal to ride on the sidewalks and a little push!

I had rented the bike for an hour and enjoyed every minute. There were several other bikers out, but it wasn't crowded at all. This was at around 7 p.m. on a week night. If you do this, just follow the same rules of riding a New York escalator: slow riders to the right, pass on the left.

Clean It Up, People

Someone put their cleaning supplies out on the street by the trash can making it look like whoever posted the "Keep New York City Clean" sticker also supplied the tools! I took this picture by the subway entrance in Long Island City on Vernon Avenue.

Back in NY

I did not want to come back to NY yesterday because I had been in my comfortable Cincinnati routine for the last three weeks -- you know, having lunch with old friends, working the yard, going to church, seeing family, etc. But I AM happy to be back. It's just hard to change patterns. Once I'm into the flow, all is well.

I spent half of the afternoon reading a library book at Bryant Park. YES! The heat is more respectable this week. Last week in Cincy, 105 degrees!