Where we're heading next:
Home Sweet Home
Quote of the Day
Peanut, "Wow, mom, now we can say we've been to all 50 states! What are we gonna do next?"
Have I mentioned Peanut's peaked interest in universities? Well, the Pratt Institute has been on her list of sights to see in NYC for quite some time. She was reading a bio of....eek. I think it was Sal Murdocca, illustrator for The Magic Tree House series. He graduated from Pratt which happens to be one of the schools I dreamed of attending many moons ago. I promised her I'd show it to her.
After breakfast we intended to make a quick stop, bid farewell and head for Jersey. However, Aunt NYC is used to traveling underground and was very turned around driving in a car, on one-way streets above ground. I asked Peanut if we could blow off Pratt considering we were hours behind schedule and needed to get on with our road trip. No way, Jose. It was a must-see for her. This kid is 8 and she felt like she couldn't miss seeing a design school?!
Being Sunday, classes weren't in session and the gates were locked for the most part. We found an open one, however, and drove right past the guard stand (on coffee break?) to the parking lot. Green space. Peace and quiet. Huge sculptures and artsy students dotted the landscape. I dare say Peanut finally found her oasis in the middle of NYC.
Eventually, we found an open building and were nearly turned away until the Security Guard recognized the sincerity in Peanut's eyes. She let us in to snoop around some very untidy classrooms; Peanut was reserved, but her wheels were turning. These weren't ordinary classrooms -- they were set up for designing and drawing! The icing on the cake was visiting the Campus Bookstore -- quite a different scene from Cornell and UAlbany -- it was essentially a celestial art supply store. I have no idea if this visit will have any impact on Peanut, but her eyes were sure sparkling and she appeared grateful for our efforts.
Aunt NYC and I have been friends for more than 2 decades and she's just so dear to me. When she married Tio, an intelligent and charming good person, we fell in love with him, too! Now we're so sad to be leaving them. While we were together this weekend, Aunt NYC and my 20 year high school reunion was taking place back in San Antonio, TX. Strange! As we said goodbye on a dangerously busy street in front of the Manhattan bridge, I couldn't help think that I'll never see her like this again; when I next see her she'll be a changed person. She'll be a mom.
Grandma wants me to be very clear about how much we walked in Manhattan. She feels like she saw more in 2 days than most people see in a week on an organized tour. She's absolutely right. (This was anything but organized!) Keep in mind that our stroller is a thing of the past and Doodle was a champ, with the aid of Tio's shoulders now and then. So, here are the neighborhoods that we covered on foot:
Lower East Side, Financial District, Tribeca, Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho, Greenwich Village, Garment District, Midtown, Upper East Side
A new spot for me on this trip was Brooklyn. Did you realize that if Brooklyn went back to being an independent city, it would be the 5th largest city in the U.S.? It has 2.5 million people and 3.5 Manhattans would fit inside it. Aunt NYC said it's become the place where people wanting to start a family can actually afford to live -- within the city -- and not have to move to the burbs. That's precisely what Tio and Aunt NYC will be doing: staying put in Brooklyn when Baby NYC arrives early next year. We were all so thrilled to see her pregnant and the kids couldn't seem to keep their hands off her belly.
We were also introduced to DUMBO, a Brooklyn neighborhood down under the Manhattan bridge overpass, on our last morning in town. We met some friends at Bubby's for breakfast and I must insist that you go there to sample the cheesy grits. Upon returning to my own kitchen, I will begin to tackle the recreation of this creamy breakfast/lunch/snack/dinner delight.
Two things happened today that show I'm fatigued:
1. I shredded our double decker bus tour tickets along with my receipts last night after doing bills. They were good for 2 days, too! Arrgh.
2. This morning we got in a cab to meet everyone for breakfast in Greenwich Village. I told the driver "W. 6th and 4th Street". It was really a diner on "W. 4th and 6th Ave". Our taxi driver was really kind, turning his meter off as he circled and circled around the construction at Washington Square trying to find my address. Whoops. When I realized my mistake, I tipped him well! (I just remembered while writing this that I forgot to get in touch with Thinker. Geez, I think he's in the W. Village, too. Bummer bummer bummer!)
After breakfast we wandered through a market, taking far longer than anyone expected. Street markets are always fun but in NYC they can be really nuts. Where else can you hear a guy yell, "Buy this shit from me! I need to get rid of it today!" I can't wait to hear what Doodle repeats to her class at school when we get back.
The kids got new scarves as the temperature has plummeted. Never mind that I just bought them all new scarves in Maine; naturally, those are safely in the
trunk of our car.
Little Man spotted a Knight and took off running. He was pretty disappointed to find it was only a statue of Shakespeare on the NYU campus!
We also popped into Shoofly and finally, Peanut has another pair of shoes on this trip. She chose boots again. Suddenly, I want to run errands that I have planned for when I get home. Like getting the kids haircuts. Why not? We hopped in a cab and drove to the pretentious Uptown children's stores: Petit Bateau, Baby Lulu, Bambini...they all become more than an E-bay reality for me here. Sale racks and huge selections! I chose Catimini because it had a Cozy's Cuts next door. One outfit each, a nice haircut and off we went to Times Square where we had just enough time for a hot dog before seeing the matinée of The Little Mermaid on Broadway.
It was absolutely amazing. Set designers astound me. People who can sing leave me in awe. And I have to say, I love Ariel. I do. And so do Peanut and Doodle. Little Man loves Prince Eric. So do I. And so do Peanut and Doodle. Doodle could barely contain herself. If she wasn't dancing in her seat, she was relentlessly trying to comb the teenage girl's hair sitting in front of us; she'd gotten an over sized Dinglehopper as a souvenir during intermission and I immediately regretted it.
We finished up this insanely indulgent day by walking over to Rockefeller Center (ice-skaters!) and lighting a candle at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Aunt NYC managed to give Grandma a great tour of Manhattan even without the double decker bus! Taxis whizzed by, proudly off duty, so we showed them by squishing into two pedicabs. Freezing our asses off with enormous smiles on our exhilarated faces, we rode all the way from Times Square past the Flatiron building to La Mela in Little Italy where you get served what you get served, and hope you like it! No menus needed.
Packing very cleverly, we managed to only bring one suitcase into NYC for all of us. Peanut and Little Man are staying over with Tio and Aunt NYC in Brooklyn (a surprise gift!) while Grandma, Doodle and I are staying in an apartment smack between Little Italy and Chinatown -- a very exciting place to be planted.
I've already indulged in a cheap factory-style pedicure from a Chinese woman, and a handful of Italian nougat candy from a street vendor!
The apartment we're in belongs to a good friend of Aunt NYC who's on vacation and let us rent it for next to nothing. It's as funky as can be expected for an old tenement apartment. The entire place is sinking so all the furniture is propped up on one side to make it level. And it's so tiny that the toilet is in the bedroom and the shower with miniature sink is off the living room! Here's the unbelievable part: back in the day this would have been divided into TWO apartments with up to 8 people in each. Think Angela's Ashes.
Grandma toured the Tenement Museum and got the historical scoop. She couldn't say enough good things about the tour so I'd suggest skipping the Empire State Building and doing this instead if you're ever in the city. (They have a children's tour as well, but they were all sold out while we were here.)
Anyway, with so little bathroom space, the kitchen quickly became our suitcase/dressing room. After showering, I ran into the kitchen only to find that I'd forgotten to pack myself any clothes! Not a thing! Yesterday's outfit was grimy and already buried deep in the dirty clothes bag. I started to crack up standing there naked in a kitchen the size of my porch at home, right above the hustle and bustle on Mulberry Street.
Naturally, it all worked out in the end. Aunt NYC brought the kids over with a stack of CurlyTop clothes from the trunk of our car. I quickly changed and we were off for DimSum at Pings. Walking is something New Yorkers take for granted. I read somewhere that they walk 5 miles a day without even considering exercise. Such a bonus to living here, right? The kids, however, were exhausted just getting to and from the subway. Tio would say, "Oh that's just around the corner" and pretty soon, we learned that Tio's "around the corner" meant at least a 1/2 mile.
Did I mention that Little Man received a belated birthday present while staying in Brooklyn -- a Batman costume, which he wore all over NYC. He quietly stated to me, "Mom, this sword is one of the best presents I ever got. I've been wanting one for soooo long, and I know you weren't ever going to get me one." I just looked at him and said, "That's why it's so fun having Tio and Aunt NYC!"
New York City rules! We always have a sensory explosion here and I just relish it. One of my very best friends (Aunt NYC with hubby Tio) lives in Brooklyn so we made our way there first.
Hey, check us out driving in NYC! That's a first for me and it was quite the harrowing experience indeed. None the less, we made it, parked our car for the weekend and took a couple of trains into The Big Apple.
Staring at the subway tracks, the kids came up with every imaginable scenario for me to let them climb down there. They wanted to see rats. When Little Man actually spotted a small rat running across the tracks, I thought all three of them were going to combust.
It's been a while since I've navigated NYC by myself but we only made one error -- getting on a train going out to JFK. That was nothing compared to our wait for the correct train back.
Doodle squatted down on the platform floor and started rubbing her hands on the ground. I'm not a Germaphobe but I too have limits. I told her to get up - right away - that it was filthy down there. She got up all right and promptly stuck out her tongue and licked her palms!
I have no idea what she was expecting but it can be stated with certainty that Doodle has tasted the absolute worst NYC has to offer.
We had a couple of hours to kill before Aunt NYC got off work so we ventured over to the Seaport and took a water taxi around the biggest symbol of freedom in this country, the Statue of Liberty.
If you come to NYC, take this tour. It was incredible, especially with kids. Our guide was knowledgeable, respectful of foreigners and inspirational to Americans. We got a great overview of the harbor, the BMW bridges (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg), the NYC skyline and of course, Lady Liberty herself.
Patriotism is something that needs to be felt occasionally and this boat was oozing with it. I actually had a chance to talk to the kids about freedom and why all these foreigners (we were in the minority as Americans) would want to see her and why she's such an important symbol to us. When the sun started to sink behind her, it was truly a spectacular sight.
Caves are a hot topic these days in our car so when we saw Natural Stone Bridge and Caves in small red print on the map, we decided to check it out.
Winding down a gorgeous tree-lined road for what seemed an eternity, we started to see little signs:
“We’re sorry”
“we couldn’t”
"move the caves”
“closer to the freeway”
Grandma said these people must be from the Burma Shave generation like her. She was tickled. Finally, we arrived – this was a very Mom & Pop attraction. After buying tickets, I noticed a sign that said, “These trails are left natural, safety is your responsibility.” I just knew I was going to love this place!
Millions of years ago (?) a huge boulder fell and created a bridge over a river. Now the ticket office, parking lot and gift shop are built on this rock! The hiking trails, with no logical sequence, take you down to the river, across the river and into some really cool caves. We could hike down and actually go under the bridge which was rather impressive.
I couldn't keep track of the big kids to save my life! Over and over I read them the signs "Hazard Area: Keep children with you at all times" but off they'd go, so thrilled to be free. The trouble was I was glued to Doodle helping her along the trail and mostly down the crooked, steep and narrow stairs. (This was wrecking havoc on my knees.)
At one point I seriously lost sight of them, when suddenly Peanut popped up out of a hole screaming, "Moooom, you just have to come check this out...right away!" We were at "Peter Pan's Peephole" and I could barely fit in the cave to peep! It was nuts. Much more impressive to those under 4 feet tall!
Little Man and Peanut were in their element. While the map made zero sense to Grandma and I, they ran about hiking up and down and back and forth as though it was the most logical place in the world. I asked Little Man to post, since he seemed the most thrilled, and here's what he had to say:
“We were going back in the mountains into caves and we got walking sticks to use on the trails because there were hazard areas. Peanut and I were leading the way on all the trails. The steps were stones and logs and they were wet and slimy. There was a geode that was as tall as me, but it was from Brazil. Hey, remember that one trail that was a hazard? Where all the water was sloshing around us? Write about that one. It was called the Noisy Cave. It was so noisy! ha ha ha ha! We could only stand on one rock at the end, with ropes, and tried not to fall into the rushing river. I loved that place!”
Today was free to meander North through the Adirondack Mountains. First stop, Yaddo, and a stroll though the public gardens. It’s an artist's retreat now but it used to be the Trask residence and he had the gardens made as a romantic gesture toward his poet wife. Tomcat and I fell under the spell once, too.
En route to Saratoga Springs for a concert (The The and 10,000 Maniacs), we stopped
off to walk through the Yaddo gardens, which we’d heard about but never visited. Indeed they were absolutely lovely and on our way out, we had a little pas de deux in the forest. At the concert we were both fidgety on the grass until one of us admitted that our skin was on fire. We took off toward home, ripped our clothes off and discovered that we were both entirely covered with chigger bites – in places where biting should be strictly prohibited.
We were a MESS, and when Grandma asked today, “You’ve been here before, right?” I could barely look at her when I replied, “Oh yeah, baby. I’ve been here.”
When the dentist back home asked Peanut what she wanted to see the most on our upcoming Road Trip she replied, “I get to see the university where my mom and dad went.” Seriously. University at Albany beat Niagara Falls, New York City and all the farms as far as her expectations went!
We didn’t even have the stereotypical university experience – no dorms, no partying; we were slightly older, married and we’d both already had lives (debt). I cringe when I consider those few semesters where I took the maximum 18 credits, while working full-time, just so save money and avoid more loans. Ugh..
We still managed to enjoy learning, freezing as it was in the winter. In fact, the UAlbany campus has a series of underground tunnels connecting all the buildings. You can literally manage an entire day of classes without ever going outside. Pretty clever, and Peanut couldn’t wait to be a burrowing mole.
After a visit to the Campus Bookstore where I let them choose a new notebook, we were off to find one of the tunnels. School was out for Yom Kippur, so the tunnels were deserted. I let them run wild and they thought it was the coolest thing ever!
I’ve lived in Albany twice. Once when I took off from Texas at 19 and began my quest to see all 50 states. Then Tomcat and I moved there after we got married and finished school at UAlbany. We lived just off Lark St. in a colorful and lively neighborhood, and worked downtown in a classy hotel where we made really dear friends. It was a special time full of hard work, no money and hope.
Usually, when you
return to a place, it’s never the same, but that isn’t so with Albany. I felt immediately at home in our old neighborhood. We stayed at the same hotel where I’d worked (strange!), and my closest remaining friend stopped by to visit us. He's been very ill this past year, and I'm so happy I got to see him looking so well. He also got to meet my Little Ducklings for the first time and see me as a mother. Weird. After I got the kids to bed, we went downstairs and he gave me the scoop on everyone we knew from the old days. It was a treasured visit to say the least.
A funny tradition with my friend: Every year I send him a Christmas card. The following year he sends it back to me, with the envelope completely turned inside out, and his own personal note written on the card. So, in 2008 I'll get the card I sent him in 2007, with his own note on it. Hilarious, right? I've always looked forward to receiving his/my card every year!
The following morning, after feasting on M.A.D. Irish Toast at Miss Albany Diner, I realized that time really can stand still. It’s such an incredibly different experience here in New York than the dynamic vibe out West. It’s slower here with more time and energy spent engaging people, and I certainly miss that.
Remember when I got pulled over in Montana because I was telling Niece a story about how I got my first job in N.Y.? (See N.D. Don'cha Know? post.) Well, that incredible restaurant, The Bagel Baron, went out of business a few years ago. An old guy named Sal who said he remembered me perfectly (nonsense!) said they stopped cleaning the place after I left and they were shut down by the Health Department! And The Daily Grind coffee shop that I worked at apparently still has the same wacky owners along with the best coffee in town.
I also drove them up New Scotland Ave. to romp around Thatcher Park with its incredible view. I told the kids a story about the time I stayed up all night dancing, and then went up the hill to watch the sunrise with some people I met. At dawn, in the meadow below, deer started to emerge from the forest and we watched them have breakfast. Peanut was mesmerized looking down at the meadow, but Little Man berated me, “Why did you go somewhere with strangers?” I’m glad I didn’t tell him the rest of the story...
We drove into downtown Ithaca to eat lunch at the famous Moosewood Restaurant but it was closed. So we crossed the street to The Commons and ooooh, we happened upon an Apple Festival! The Commons is the main gathering place in Ithaca, lined with eclectic shops, bookstores and restaurants.
Tents filled the sidewalks today, and we slowly made our way tasting all the new items: apple cider donuts, pumpkin pie toasted pecans, homemade apple cider (cold+hot=perfect for kids) and the best caramel apple in the entire world.
A note about caramel apples:
Why are they always made with Granny Smith apples? It’s my least favorite apple – too tart for my teeth. As a kid we used those wrapper things in the produce department. (Remember they’re like caramel fruit roll-ups where it's perfectly acceptable to omit the apple all together?) Anyway, at most festivals I drool over the caramel apples, yet skip them in the end.
We-he-he-ell, at this fair, and perhaps it’s the norm out here, we get to choose our apple from numerous baskets. Then they put it in this medieval contraption that slices the apple perfectly and drops it into your cup. Then over the apple slices they pour hot, melted caramel (sitting in a crock right in front of you), top it with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry. I’m kicking myself for not getting a picture, but seriously, with 5 of us sharing one apple, it failed to last long enough for a picture! What an impeccably decadent confection!
Peanut and Grandma went wandering through shops while Doodle and Little Man played "Chipmunk, Mountain Goat, Native American" at the playground. Peanut returned glowing, with a teeny-tiny Herkimer diamond ($1), and a wee piece of Calcite that the storekeeper gave her because she couldn’t afford the $15 wee piece of amber.
After filling ourselves on apple delights, and becoming even more educated on how to grow worms for compost, we headed to dinner. Sometimes it just has to happen that way. And what a finale at the Moosewood. Grandma discovered that vegetarian cuisine has a lot more to offer than mushy tofu.
Homecoming Weekend at Cornell! We have absolutely no ties to this university other than I treasure the area (the campus, Ithaca and surrounding landscape), and find the students to be really cool – not pretentious or stuffy.
We’re actually staying in the Statler Hotel so we’re in the heart of it all, student style. In fact, right when we got downstairs the football team was standing on the sidewalk just outside the lobby. We stood right in front of them, and Little Man's mouth was agape at their "immense size and toughness." It was a sea of red. The marching band came right through the Valet, and led the football players up the street. You'd think we were alumni at the level of emotion we had, being smack in the middle of this huge tradition.
Timing was perfect when we hiked the 160 steps up the clock tower, too. It was time for the 11:30am bells. No one else was up there so the girl in charge chatted with us, telling us how one becomes a Bell Ringer, which is a tough position to attain. She was so sweet and actually let Little Man gong the bells: Da, dee, da, Duuum… What a thrill for him!
We took an endless walk across campus to the Cornell Dairy Bar for homemade ice cream. It was particularly long because Peanut took a spill on the sidewalk. I’m certain that every person on campus heard her scream and I was sure this was going to be E.R. trip #5. Thankfully, a Biology Professor showed up and let us into the building. Again, aren't the residents wonderful? This was enough of a distraction to get past the worst of it. They had an amazing collection of glass replica sea life and also cases full of rare stuffed birds – Peanut flipped out over a 1.5 inch Bee Hummingbird and the Quetzal. (I've told her the Guatemala freedom story for years.)
We eventually made it for ice cream. Then we heard a campus tour guide tell his group that the Final Exam in a particular class is to “create an ice-cream flavor”. If it’s the class’ chosen one, they’ll serve it in the store. Cool! Our favorite flavor was Bavarian Raspberry Cream with Fudge. And we naturally grabbed a bag of cheese curds for the return walk to the hotel.
Campus Bookstores are a new thing for our kids and they LOVED it. Thanks to Gigi back home, I taught them that Cornell stands for “Come Over Right Now Eat Lots Lollipops!” We got some t-shirts, and at the counter Little Man recited the acronym to the check-out person, following up with, “Or it can just read that one word! What’s the word again, mom? Oh yeah, CORNELL.”
