New York City Day 4: Wondering the Village

Invoked in a conversation last night was the idea that if we were to visit Edgar Allen Poe's Cottage up in Harlem this morning, Ben would be glad to make us an egg sandwich. Figuring that Rachael and I got in around 5:30am, the chances that we'd actually make it out there were slim. We woke up entirely too late to head up to Harlem but decided it could be fun to visit the Oscar Wilde bookstore on Gay Street in the East Village (a substitute literary reference!). Poor Rachael lugged around a huge suitcase through two subway transfers, up and down steps, and when we arrived in the neighborhood where the bookstore was we searched for a good 30 minutes and could not find it. Rachael hailed a taxi to the airport. We said our goodbyes and now I was officially on my own in the city for the next few days.

I finally found the Naked Cowboy!

Since I was there I decided I was going to find Gay Street if it'd take all day. After all, it was on the map and very close. When you've visited a big city you may have discovered that you cannot depend on the sun's position in the sky to figure out which direction you are going due to the shade of massive buildings. It's almost always the case that on your very last day of your visit you have completely conquered your sense of direction, when you need it the least. I found Gay Street at the corner of Christopher. Unfortunately the book store was no longer there, so I decided to walk north-west past LGBT shops, buying interesting postcards for my friends, until I reached the High Line.

The High Line is a preservation project that converted an old freight rail line into a garden / walk path (mix of industrial steel structure with nature). I have read about it in several blogs and was curious to see its transformation. I decided to walk it for a bit, taking a brief break in the shade and watched people walking by and overlooked the Hudson. Very classy.

By this point in the trip, I had to resort to comfort over curiosity and since my hangover was growing increasingly evident, some decadent underground air-conditioned shopping couldn't hurt, so I went down to the Chelsea Market for a bit. I ventured through some grocery stores and delis, including a nice little Italian Deli with a huge selection of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. I bought a bottle for Mike and continued on, sampling fruits and smoothies and being in awe at the beautiful displays of cakes, cupcakes, and cookies, which fueled by hunger for something to eat.


(Obama cookies! From Eleni's)

I hopped the nearest subway and head to the East Village for some curry, which I've been craving since I've been here. A little book I bought (which has helped / hindered my navigation through the city) recommended I stop at 'curry row'. I stepped into this place called Taj and since it was only 4pm, there was not a soul there so I had great service and the food was out quick. The curry was delicious and spicy, just as I'd hoped. I continued walking and came across a free outdoor festival with locals selling their custom designed clothing, jewelry, and even a wonderful little band playing in the streets. I popped into Fabulous Fanny's sunglasses and quickly popped out after seeing the price tags. One thing I love about the East Village is the smorgasbord of ethnic eateries. Within one block I walked past a Ukranian cafe, Polish bakery, a few Italian places, curry row, and Ethiopian cuisine. I love it!

I returned to the hostel to take a much needed nap and woke up after the sun went down. The day was not over yet, so I headed out to the Staten Island Ferry to relax on a free boat ride and $3 beers. What a pleasant day...

New York City, Day 2: and I will walk 500 miles..

Today I was well rested and Rachael and I decided we were going to spend this day separately. I started off walking to Grand Central Station to admire it's beauty and architecture and to catch the subway to the East Village. Unfortunately for me as an early riser there was nothing open except a few cafes, but that was ok for me. The beautiful stores were barred up and the weather was dreary but there was not a soul on the streets - a very rare sight I would assume. I decided to sit at a little cafe and watch the neighborhood come to life, before heading to the Staten Island Ferry.

(Scenes of the East Village in the morning)

The Ferry was a wonderful experience. I saw the lady of the harbor in all her glory (and behind many heads of tourists) and even got chilly from the cold Atlantic breeze. It was fun to people watch as well... an array of multi-ethnic families all behaving differently. Parents and children, lovers, friends. I sometimes wonder if NYC realizes how lucky it is to have such diversity.


I stopped off in Greenwich Village, walking past the NYU campus and stopping in The Strand (a supposed 18 miles of books, five stories tall). I kept to the first floor, browsing the section about New York City history. I went away with a book on the history of the Subway Transit and a book about the Yankee Stadium for my father. On my way to Union Square to head back to Uptown, I barely missed getting poured on again. Beat ya this time weather!

(Mini cupcakes from Baked by Melissa!)

I tried my first meal from a street vendor - a falafal salad (which was much more unhealthy than it sounds...). I then strolled up to Central Park. It is breathtakingly beautiful this time of year... a gorgeous vast park with hills, trees, with a cityscape backdrop like distant mountains. I began to understand the draw of this city a bit more. People put up with their tiny overpriced apartments because with a slide of your metro card you're minutes away from parks, beaches, entertainment, and any sort of food you're in the mood for. This day in Central Park there were numerous baseball games, Frisbee tournaments, lovers napping in the shade almost completely hidden from all the others.

I went back to get ready for a concert my friend Ben, who's been living in the city for almost a year, invited me to. The Donnas, Pat Benatar, and Blondie would play at Brighton Park for free! I took the Q train to Coney Island and the park was completely packed with people young and old, people sporting full out 80s attire, and families picnicking. The Donnas played only a short set, making sure to get their hit in. Pat Benetar blew us away... she still had that gruff voice of hers. So awesome! We listened to Blondie but after standing for hours, Ben and I decided to head out before the crowd dispersed. It was so surreal waiting at the station watching the lights of the Coney Island amusement park as Blondie echoed through the trees.

We decided we were not ready to end the night and went to Planet Rose, a karaoke place in the Village. The place was tiny and thin and packed with people. In the back were Zebra print couches and leopard print carpet. I had promised that I would sing Pat Benatar if Ben did as well, so we signed up and to our amusement an amazing singer wearing Ben's same hat had signed up for his SAME song earlier. Awkward! Ben got up there and just over-performed and people were much more entertained. I was in my 'own little world' when singing my song, high-kicking and cracking people up. Can you guess the song I chose? LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD (the song that seems to follow me around on my vacations). Everyone was happy and carefree, the bartender even bought me a shot of Old Crow, which I can now say is only decent IN mixed drinks, not as a shot, yuck.
Ben and I separated ways on the subway. Fun times...

VIDEOS:
Ben and I singing on the way back to the subway after Karaoke

and just for the hell of it...