Back in Ohio: Cicadas and Crickets

Back in Ohio, I am surprised by the sounds of the Midwest that I usually ignore: crickets at night and cicadas in the daytime. Here are two videos I found on YouTube you might enjoy.  cicada and crickets.

Me-Ality at New York's Bloomingdales

I got a Me-Ality scan at Bloomingdales on Fifth Avenue, but I'm not sure how it helps. I got a printout of my jean size in all the Bloomies brands, so I guess that's good. But couldn't I just do that by getting a salesperson to help me in the dressing room?

Day Trip: Katonah, New York

I'd read that Katonah, New York, was a quaint village to visit located about an hour's drive north of Manhattan. Here are a few photos from the trip. 

Crossing the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge over the East River.

Historic Episcopal Church in Katonah

Private home

Private Home

Amazing Paintings of New York's Harbor at The Museum of The City of New York

This painting is about five feet wide. The detail is outstanding. 

Here is a close-up of part of the above painting.

And another. . . sorry, I don't have the painters' names to give you. 

And another close-up of the above.

New York Bus Tour: The Ride

The Ride is a 90 minute bus tour of Midtown Manhattan. I bought four tickets through Groupon in advance of my aunties coming to visit, but a family emergency kept them from coming. I took the tour with a friend, and we tried to give the other two away before boarding. Would you believe it's really hard to give away tickets in Times Square? We finally convinced a couple to take them just as we were boarding.

Seating on The Ride is theatre style, facing the street. The whole time, loud music is blasting and lights are flashing while two energetic guides on either side of the bus banter back and forth with slap-stick comedy. An occasional interruption by "the bus's" voice gives interesting information of buildings and parks. People on the street can see you, so there's lots of interaction.

The most fun came when people on the street suddenly turned into entertainers! This guy was walking with everyone else when he kicked into a dance, Gene Kelly style, on the curb! Watching the pedestrians was part of the fun, too, as some people stopped and watched and others deliberately ignored him.

This guy in the yellow cap surprised us by breaking into a boisterous rap that included rhymes about birthdays and anniversaries of people on the bus, a clever and engaging gesture! He would also randomly pick out a passerby and make a rhyme about him or her. He was awesome!

Here we are in Columbus Circle and you can barely see a couple dancing near the fountain. A ballerina began the dance when she bumped into a man taking her picture, then he began to dance with her! So fun. They danced the entire circle. Once again, some people just walked on by without so much as a glance. Only in New York.

This guy fooled me, because he really looked and acted the part of a street musician just out to get some dollar bills in his bucket. The guides on the bus engaged him by asking for a song, and he tried sheepishly at first, then he got better. . .

Then this woman looking like a tourist/shopper joins him with her amazing voice--an obvious plant as well, but totally unexpected. 

I loved this adventure, and it was a full 90 minutes as promised. If you go, arrive 20 minutes early. My friend and I had to sprint through Times Square from the subway because we'd been caught up in shoe shopping in Greenwich Village. Nobody wants to sprint through Times Square. But it will be a good memory!

Living In New York: Stay In or Go Out?

When you live within walking distance of a major city (like Manhattan) and you don't work (like me), you're faced with a decision every morning: stay in or go out. The problem with staying in is that it feels like you're missing a day of vacation. The problem with going out is that you're going to have to put out a lot of energy.

Yesterday I got out. I hoofed it seven blocks to the subway. With the threat of rain, I took an umbrella. I also packed an extra pair of shoes. Plus I took a book to read in case I decided to have lunch or read in the park. (My friend, Marsha, who recently visited, put it this way: You don't go into Manhattan without a plan.)

Here was my interesting day that I would have missed if I'd stayed in.

Dog Walker.

On the elevator down, a young man had just picked up a large dog to walk for one of his clients. Another big dog already was with him. I asked him if it was hard to manage large groups of dogs with so many people on the sidewalk. He said because of the pack mentality, most dogs walk calmly when the walker is focused on them and their walk. But the dogs know when the walker is not paying attention (like when they are talking to a stranger on the elevator). That's when they will misbehave, i.e., pull on their leash or bark. And, indeed, the dogs were starting to pull different directions until we parted paths.

Camera Crews. 

I spotted two different camera crews readying to shoot scenes for the TV shows "Suits" and "The Good Wife". I didn't see the actors, but they were there somewhere inside their trailers I'm sure. Unless you have all day, you don't want to wait around since it takes all day to set up for 20 minutes of shooting.

A Change of Weather, a Change of Clothes.
It didn't rain as predicted. Instead the sun came out, and I was burning up, so I bought a summer shirt off the sale rack at Bloomingdales and had the sales woman clip off the tags so I could wear it out of the store. Sweet!

Eat on the Street.
I grabbed a hotdog with mustard and sauerkraut. I spilled mustard on my new shirt.

Beggars.
On the subway my fellow passengers and I were subjected to a speech by a young man with a red face and handsome features except for rotting teeth. He spoke in a hyper fast way: "Believe me, folks, I'm more embarrassed by this than you, but I have to tell you, I'm in a pickle. I, of all people, see the irony of this situation because I have my degree in Communications and here I am begging in the subway."

He got a few dollars, but not from me. I'm pretty sure he was in need of his next fix. I hand out McDonald's gift cards when I have them.

I did give a dollar to an old woman holding out a plastic cup later that day, though.

Angry People.
Later, while walking in West Village, I saw a man running away from a woman who was yelling: "I f**king hate you! You better never f**king come back here." Then the man sort of slowed his pace and turned around to walk back. That's when she bent forward, made two fists and screamed at the top of her lungs: "GO AWAY!" And he went away.

Always Have a Plan.
The place I wanted to go to was closed on Mondays. Crap. The park I wanted to read in was too shady-looking and there were a couple of old guys talking to themselves.

An Impromptu Date in West Village.
An employee at a sidewalk cafe, Zucca Trattoria, was handing out menus and telling people that "Happy Hour" was all evening tonight and they had a rooftop. A quick text to my husband, and I had a dinner date in West Village!

Impatience on the Subway.
On the way home, a man and two women were not sure if they had the right train, so one was holding her foot in the door to keep it from closing. After a little while, too long for the subway, several riders started yelling at her to "Close the door!" One added, "you stupid b***h".

Being Friendly on the Subway.
Later on another train, a lady squeezed in next to me and leaned forward to be polite. I told her to "Go ahead and lean back, you've probably worked all day." She laughed and the guy next to her started talking about his day: He'd been emptying trash at the New York City Police Department. He recently lost his accounting job.

I'm glad I went out.

Here are some more West Village photos from the day.

One Way to Meet Your New York Neighbors

I posted on my apartment's bulletin board that I would pet sit--not for pay, but just to be neighborly, and I've had three calls! This weekend I watched this guy whose name is Boo Radley. Boo met me at the door each time I came to feed him, and he played with me like a puppy! Boo's owner is a young woman who is trying to get a play published and very likable. She has promised to buy be me a drink sometime. (-:

Paper Dress at Papyrus

New York Statues: Alexander Hamilton and De Witt Clinton

I chose to take a friend to The Museum of the City of New York because we needed some "quiet". The day before she and I had been absolutely worn out by the city: masses of people, miles of concrete sidewalks, crowded subways, honking taxis, and noisy restaurants. Plus we'd stayed out pretty late that evening. . .ahem.

(You may want to read about my first visit to this museum here.)

A friend and reader of this blog, Benny, recently suggested I write about some the city's statues. And here is a photo of a colossal statue of Alexander Hamilton located on the north side of the museum's entrance.

We all have some understanding of Hamilton's role in history, but I didn't realize how much New York pays tribute to him. Check out this map of Hamilton's New York created by the New York Historical Society.

The statue of De Witt Clinton's is ensconced into the south end of the front of the museum.

Below is a paragraph about Mr. Clinton from Wikipedia. I suggest you read the whole article. Did you know he was responsible for the creation of the Erie Canal? Remember singing "Low bridge, everybody down. . ." in grade school?

 ". . .  an early American politician and naturalist who served as an United States Senator and was the sixth Governor of New York. In this last capacity, he was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal. Clinton was the leader of New York's People’s Party and was a major rival of Martin Van Buren. . . .He heavily influenced the development of the New York State and the United States."

SoHo Window Displays

The Best Meal We've Had in New York

As many excellent meals as I've had since moving to New York, none compare to the late summer meals my mother would cook when I was growing up: bright red tomatoes, corn with delicate strands of silk still attached, and earthy new potatoes.

Of course, as a young person, I wasn't interested in preparing the foods, just eating them! I didn't realize how much the smells of onions cooking in bacon grease excited my taste buds; I didn't make the connection of how the sound of the pressure cooker sizzling and hissing was as much a part of good eats as lifting the fork to my mouth. Restaurant meals are wonderful, but you kind of miss the foreplay!

My husband and I came home from Union Square's Green Market with as much as we could carry on the subway. I prepared two nights of meals from it, and each night he said, "Best meal we've had in New York." 

 

Six-Year-Old Violinist

Isn't this just the cutest thing you have ever seen? He was playing outside of the New York Public Library. That's his dad behind him. I wonder whose idea it was to showcase his skills on the sidewalks of New York. I'm guessing the dad wanted his kid to get some public performance practice. And, yes, of course, I gave him a dollar. He was good!

 

The First Leaf

Sitting in Bryant Park yesterday, a lone leaf landed on the table where my handbag was sitting. It was the exact same color as my handbag, and I thought that was neat. . . 

How to Decorate a Long Hallway, Part Three

I wanted to decorate my long hallway with photographs, but I didn't to spend a lot having them enlarged and printed. So, I did it myself using my plain ol' black and white printer. I just enlarged the photos on the computer and printed them in 8.5 by 11 inch segments. I used green painter's tape to add some color and a nice graphic element to the theme.

Eyebrow Threading in New York

Got my eyebrows threaded for the first time the other day. I had never heard of it in Cincinnati, but perhaps that's just because I wasn't looking. It seems like every beauty salon offers it here and not just for your eyebrows, but for your entire face!

I did my eyebrows, but she asked me twice if I wanted my upper lip done! Uh, no and no.

Sanctuary's New Rooftop Restaurant and Bar

The Sanctuary Hotel boasts a brand new rooftop restaurant on the 20th floor. The view is outstanding, but the decor was just as pleasing. The restaurant wasn't open when we got there, so the front desk folks said we could wait in the lobby, an intimate and gorgeous space that truly was a sanctuary from the sidewalks of Times Square. 

The Perfect Pint Rooftop

The weather has been perfect for outdoor dining these last few weeks. If you want to dine and/or drink at a New York rooftop bar, I suggest you look for a place that offers tables in the shade. There is not much of a breeze if the rooftop is in-between very tall buildings. Fans placed throughout the space, though, can make a big difference, so look around for those, too.

The best part about rooftop bars is being outdoors, the second best thing is enjoying the view. Some offer very little in terms of views, and that was the case here because it was only four floors up, but it did overlook a busy street for people-watching. The best view at The Perfect Pint Rooftop was up.

Would you take this job?