Our first evening was taken up with arriving (our flight landed after 9 pm) and getting from the airport to our lodging. We would be staying at a small hotel/hostel on the edge of Chinatown. This placed us fairly close to Sean and Jill and also gave opportunities for public transport while keeping the stay “reasonably priced” at least for New York standards.
We got settled in our room, let Sean we had arrived, and headed back out into a warmish evening to find something to eat. After 10 pm many places were closed for the day, but we found some good dumplings and even ate them with chopsticks. In the coming days this would be the pattern as well - being introduced to new foods and new ways to purchase them. Each meal was an adventure in itself.
Thursday morning we met Sean and Jill - and Pierre, their dog - at a coffee place in our neighborhood. Jill showed us some vegan rice triangles at a Chinese bakery before taking us to her work and showing us around. Her store is in a Chinese market mall with some other stores offering different types of vintage clothing or special jewelry or other options.
Our first lunch was sitting at a high table at the side of the East River. Now maybe that doesn’t sound very appealing, but it is one of the most enduring memories of the stay. The views of downtown Brooklyn on one side and downtown Manhattan on the other, a soft breeze blowing on what would become a warmer day. The ever-present sounds (see the previous post) enveloped us as we caught up on life.
We walked Sean to his work, just around the corner from where Jill works, and then headed uptown using the metro for the first time. We had decided to visit the New York Public Library, but this would end up being a real visit a few days later. On this day the main exhibition hall was closed. Still, we enjoyed the architecture and went outside to enjoy Bryant Park. NYC is full of public parks and everyone makes good use of them. Of course Bryant Park is next door to the library and is not far from many tourist spots (Times Square etc), so there were also plenty of tourists about, including us.
Throughout our stay here we heard all sorts of languages: French, Spanish, Portuguese, and so many others which we couldn’t correctly identify. Did I mention that it was like being in a foreign country? There is an energy in the city. Everyone is busy going somewhere, doing something, wanting to experience something. And we moved along with the current of people moving and doing and talking.
We were more than able to do some very special touristy things on this stop, not only because we had time, but because we were blessed by givers who especially wanted us to be able to enjoy and who knew how expensive things can be in the City. We are so very thankful to so many who made many of these moments possible, not only in NYC, but all along the way. Your giving hearts have been amazing!
So because we could and because we are museum nerds anyway, we visited various places, some which were free, others which were made possible. We returned to the library (which was free) on Saturday because we really wanted to see the Gutenberg Bible and other gems on exhibition. We spent a day at the Met (Metropolitan Museum) seeing as much as one can on what in the end were fairly sore feet. And we went to an off-Broadway play that went horribly wrong (No seriously, that was the name of the play!).
But we also visited various parks around the city. The city planners were clearly convinced that green spaces were essential for city dwellers, and they were right. We found beautiful oases of green, filled with the laughter of children with parents and the fluttering of pigeon wings as people walked through. Central Park, of course, is always amazing. This time we visited other sections than when we came in 2019. There was music at Bryant Park, pigeons at a stop at Seward park nearby where we were staying, a dog walking area at Sean and Jill’s park and conversations in each of them.
What do you like best about a good city park? After seeing how small many of the living quarters are in the city, we understand completely how many people basically lived as we did for the time we were there: using the bedroom only in the evening when needing to sleep. The rest of the time was spent at the myriad restaurants and parks in the neighborhoods.
Our last full day was spent with Sean, Jill and even Pierre at Coney Island, making like every city tourist. Gaudily painted amusement rides, ridiculously long lines waiting for overpriced hot dogs or snow cones or crinkle fries or other fare. The boardwalk stretching out passed the amusement, bordered by the beach leading down to the ocean. It was a gloriously sunny day (we all burned) and we had a blast sharing rides and time together.
We all went on the Wonder Wheel, but it has a twist which shocked us all and got a good squeal out of the girls (or was it the guys too). Sean and Scott competed at the arcade gathering points from tossing basketballs into moving baskets, bowling of a sort and racing arcade motorcycles (Sean won everything). Jill showed her hand at ‘the claw’ and won two prizes. In between we all walked barefoot in the wet sand, surf kicking up against our legs.
Our time was coming to an end. The day before, Shirley and I had decided to take the Staten Island Ferry out to Staten Island and find a restaurant there. Shirley had been wanting some good night shots of the city, which meant waiting until at least 8:30pm. A trip into what seemed another country was just the answer. We spent a wonderful dinner together, sharing delicious food before heading back on the ferry.
We stood at the front of the ferry, the wind making it almost too cold, but actually just right because it was so exciting. The sun set behind Lady Liberty as we passed by and the lights of Manhattan and Brooklyn lit up as if they were doing it just for us (and everyone else on the ferry).
New York City is a tease. It is a place that seems to have everything, but it doesn’t give its prizes away for free. You have to be willing to deal with the metro, walking, the crowds, the noise and the life that is the city. It is like the city knows that what it offers is worth the trouble you have to take to experience it. We were glad to have some time, especially to have that time with Sean and Jill in what is now their city.
We have way too many pictures for this stop, but it is what it is. If you are wanting to spend a while looking through our experience of this city, feel free to check them out here.
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