Warm, Sunny Weather

Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010

Today was supposedly the last summer-like day for New York this year. Tomorrow and for the foreseeable future, the temperatures will be in the high 50s. Since November is arriving, it is doubtful that they will reach the 70s again. Today, it was about 74. So everyone was out enjoying the nice day. People were sunbathing, sitting on the lawns, rowing boats, etc.

I spent the latter part of the morning around New York University (NYU). I like that neighborhood, and it has improved so much over the years. Now lower Broadway near there has been transformed into one of the nicer shopping districts of the city. It has a combination of big stores (including a branch of Bloomingdales) and small shops including some (like the Shakespeare Book Store) that have been around for ages. I wanted to make a couple of reservations. First, I stopped at the Frederick Lowewe Theatre on the campus to try to make reservations for a percussion concert. Eventually, I was just told to show up between an hour and an hour and a half before the performance. Then I needed to wait until noon to reserve a seat for a play I want to see on Monday. During the wait time, I explored Washington Square, a nice park near the university, and then I headed to St. Mark's Place, a street lined with small eateries and shops.

At Washington Square, I sat on a bench and read from the novel I have with me. The square was full of people enjoying the day. Next to me, an Asian lady was feeding the squirrels. Before I knew it, one had hopped up on my shoulder!! They have lost all fear of humans.

On St. Mark's Place, I searched for a particular restaurant called Baoguette which is known for its good Vietnamese sandwiches--banh mi. I ordered mine spicy and to go. Then I continued to walk the streets as I ate it.

Back at NYU after 12:00, I went to the office of the theater department and reserved a ticket for Monday night. Then I headed down 12th street to find the end of the High Line, the raised linear park that has been built along the abandoned rail lines that used to bring meat and produce to the market area between Greenwich Village and Chelsea. I had a bit of trouble finding it, because it actually terminates a couple of small streets away from 12th Street. But when I did find it, it was full of people again enjoying the beautiful weather. I walked the entire distance of the portion of the park that is open. Two more segments will open later, and the next segment looks as if it is almost ready. Right now, however, the park terminates at 20th Street. It has spurred lots of redevelopment along the way with both old buildings being reconditioned for new uses and new buildings going up. Because the park is raised, there were great views toward New Jersey and toward Midtown.

I grabbed a train to head to Central Park. I decided it would be better to make my return visit today to get the photos while the weather was warm and many people were out than it would be to come on a cooler day even if that day would be sunny as is forecast for now. I entered the park at 72nd Street where many tourists were taking photos of the John Lennon monument near the Strawberry Fields. For the most part, I traveled the same route as yesterday except in reverse. I went through The Ramble where I got lots of nice photos of colorful trees. Then I stopped by Belvedere Castle. Eventually, I ended up at the northeast corner of the park at the Conservatory Gardens.

Since it was getting late in the afternoon, I decided to head back into Harlem to enjoy a snack as an early dinner. It amazes me how Harlem has improved over the years. I've always been curious about that section of the city. On one of my first trips to New York, I decided to explore it hoping that I would be safe. I entered from the north side of Central Park. By the time I had gotten to 116th Street, just 6 blocks into Harlem, I was uncomfortable. The buildings had graffiti, the sidewalks were strewn with trash, some lots were grown up, and adult men lingered in groups on the sidewalks. I turned and walked over a couple of blocks and then headed back south. On later trips, I took the subway all the way to 125th Street, the main east/west street in Harlem and explored it. Because of it being daylight and because so many people were on the street, I figured I would be safe. But the area still was depressing. Today, Harlem has changed. It is clean, buildings have been renovated, other buildings have been built from scratch. Remove the signs, and someone dropped off there would have a hard time guessing where they were in New York. It feels perfectly safe to walk down any of the streets. This afternoon, I walked about 8 blocks into Harlem and turned and walked another 8-10 blocks.

My goal was Patsy's Pizza at 118th Street and First Ave. It is a New York institution known for its coal-fired ovens. Their high heat produces a crust that is browned with burned spots. I got in line and ordered two slices--plain pizza (cheese and tomato sauce) which I topped with crushed red pepper, Parmesan cheese, and oregano. Then I stood at the window counter and ate them. UMMMM! They were big slices, too. Total cost--$3.50 plus tax.

Well, I was back within just 3-4 blocks of Costco, so I headed there to get a cheap drink and to score some snacks while biding my time until I needed to head to NYU again for the concert. I almost bought me a pair of the flannel slacks they were selling, but I decided not to. They have to be dry cleaned, and I wasn't sure about the appropriate size. Instead, I wandered and tasted samples. Also, I started noting more differences in products between this store and the ones in Texas. This one has Kosher food--meats, breads, and deli items. And among the specific items I saw that looked interesting and are not available in Texas were Jamaican spicy patties, cannoli, plantain chips, lamb shanks, Kirkland Ancient Grains Granola, kibbie balls, creamed spinach, lobster ravioli, taboule salad, and bread pudding.

The concert at NYU proved to be even better than I had expected. It was their Percussion Ensemble performing. What I didn't know in advance is that this is an annual concert that brings together their percussion group and their student composers. All twelve pieces that were performed were new compositions having their premieres. They were fascinating pieces--modern, sometimes strange sounding, but always fascinating. NYU must have a phenomenal music program. It has an enrollment of 1600 students and has 400 faculty members. The Percussion Ensemble consisted of at least 30 members, and they must have had at least 8 kinds of marimbas that were being played as a part of the concert. Anyone not knowing better would have assumed them to be professionals.

That took me up to 10:00 p.m., so I headed back to the apartment for the night. Thank goodness, the weather was still mild, because I had not taken my coat with me today. I was still in a short sleeve knit shirt. I walked a few blocks and caught the F Train back home, barely making it before I needed to urinate!! It's sometimes difficult to find toilets in New York!