We are going today to an airport hotel and fly out in the morning. Our future is bright, exciting, a new beginning. So why is my heart so very heavy? Why am I almost driven to tears when I sit outside and gaze at our building? Manhattan has been in my blood from birth. It will be so very hard to leave here even if it is to go to "paradise" with the one I love. I guess this sentiment is difficult for anyone who has not lived here for a while to understand.
We will come back to visit OFTEN. But the weather is so very difficult for those of us with decreased sense of balance and an innate intolerance of cold weather. Snow can be a real killer.
Well, goodbye for now New York City. I guess some people "leave their heart in San Francisco" but I will leave my soul in NYC. We will return!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Hawaii Here We Come!
Guess some people may call this organized chaos but . . . Trying to get all you own into four suitcases and two backpacks can be a fun exercise, if you adopt the right attitude. After all, we did it not more than a year and a half ago. So here we are having fun! Four days to go so let's get serious people!
Turns out we will have to mail four additional boxes of "stuff." But that's OK. At least we are not up against the absolute limit we had when we went to Thailand.
Can't wait to start posting some photos with palm trees in them. Gonna miss The Big Apple more than I can say, but we'll be back.
Turns out we will have to mail four additional boxes of "stuff." But that's OK. At least we are not up against the absolute limit we had when we went to Thailand.
Can't wait to start posting some photos with palm trees in them. Gonna miss The Big Apple more than I can say, but we'll be back.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
More Fun with Trudy, Helen and Connie
Our first stop today just had to be the seaport. We told the ladies to catch the downtown bus - the M15 down Second Ave. Their hotel is about 20 blocks north of here. Connie called to let us know they were leaving and would meet us downtown. John and I wound up lollygagging (if that is a word) so long that when we got on the bus ourselves -- there were our three ladies!
Since arriving in the city Trudy has expressed over and over that she wants to eat a hotdog on the street. We have a Famous Nathan's Hotdog shop in the seaport. Trudy got her hot dog but not from the street. However, she has vowed to get one before they leave tomorrow! This is one determined lady.
Connie and John are like two peas in a pod. They were talking about where Rockefeller Center is located. Then they simultaneously each pulled out a map. After comparing maps they decided maybe John's had more detail. Next came an in depth discussion of street names and locations.
Trudy was not at all interested in my iPhone or what it can do. But when I told her there was a note from her daughter, Joanna she whipped out her eyeglasses and was so very ready to take a look.
Left to right - Helen, Connie, Trudy. They all look great!
We did lots of reminiscing, story telling and laughing.
Trudy and Helen seemed to enjoy the view they had of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Seaport is a favorite visiting spot for out of town visitors. There was a group of young people near us posing for photos. The kids got the idea to try jumping in the air and having their photo taken. Helen decided to try the same and asked me to take her photo. Her enthusiasm definitely matched that of the kids. However, her distance from the floor was not quite as high as theirs.
As Connie was busy snapping photos John was taking shots of her. He had the camera in his lap so these results are definitely not posed.
This photo is included only because I think Connie is really pretty.
This is a visit to Ground Zero.
Also at Ground Zero.
Our last tourist spot to visit was Rockefeller Center. This is a great photo of Helen. I cannot take the credit. John took it.
:-)
Also at Rockefeller Center.
Connie and Helen walked straight to the end of the walking corridor to take a look at Rockefeller Center. Where is Trudy, you may ask? Well, she seems to have a little difficulty passing shop windows without taking a peek.
This shop window really sealed the deal. Trudy is a retired French teacher. The window she is perusing belongs to a shop that has all things French.
Trudy finally made it down to the others. The art deco statue is part of the plaza decor.
This is a photo that shows our typical group activity. Everyone takes photos of everyone else all at the same time. We generally wind up laughing at each other ( a whole lot).
Here is a heavy discussion about where shall we eat. Trudy said she wanted a deli sandwich. Once again we went to my iPhone to find all restaurants and deli shops nearby. Found one less than a block away and proceeded there.
We went to the deli. Each of us found something to eat. There were both hot and cold sandwiches as well as hot vegetables and meats. Everyone found something they wanted -- except for Trudy! She bought bags of different flavored chips and a bottle of water. It is so much fun to hang out with these ladies.
A daytime view of the Empire State from our garden. Trudy was delighted to have her photo snapped with this famous landmark. Can you tell?
This is a photo of the top of the Chrysler Building at night. We took it from the front porch of our apartment building. I had promised to show the building to Trudy before she left. This photo helps me keep my promise (I hope).
Since arriving in the city Trudy has expressed over and over that she wants to eat a hotdog on the street. We have a Famous Nathan's Hotdog shop in the seaport. Trudy got her hot dog but not from the street. However, she has vowed to get one before they leave tomorrow! This is one determined lady.
Connie and John are like two peas in a pod. They were talking about where Rockefeller Center is located. Then they simultaneously each pulled out a map. After comparing maps they decided maybe John's had more detail. Next came an in depth discussion of street names and locations.
Trudy was not at all interested in my iPhone or what it can do. But when I told her there was a note from her daughter, Joanna she whipped out her eyeglasses and was so very ready to take a look.
Left to right - Helen, Connie, Trudy. They all look great!
We did lots of reminiscing, story telling and laughing.
Trudy and Helen seemed to enjoy the view they had of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Seaport is a favorite visiting spot for out of town visitors. There was a group of young people near us posing for photos. The kids got the idea to try jumping in the air and having their photo taken. Helen decided to try the same and asked me to take her photo. Her enthusiasm definitely matched that of the kids. However, her distance from the floor was not quite as high as theirs.
As Connie was busy snapping photos John was taking shots of her. He had the camera in his lap so these results are definitely not posed.
This photo is included only because I think Connie is really pretty.
This is a visit to Ground Zero.
Also at Ground Zero.
Our last tourist spot to visit was Rockefeller Center. This is a great photo of Helen. I cannot take the credit. John took it.
:-)
Also at Rockefeller Center.
Connie and Helen walked straight to the end of the walking corridor to take a look at Rockefeller Center. Where is Trudy, you may ask? Well, she seems to have a little difficulty passing shop windows without taking a peek.
This shop window really sealed the deal. Trudy is a retired French teacher. The window she is perusing belongs to a shop that has all things French.
Trudy finally made it down to the others. The art deco statue is part of the plaza decor.
This is a photo that shows our typical group activity. Everyone takes photos of everyone else all at the same time. We generally wind up laughing at each other ( a whole lot).
Here is a heavy discussion about where shall we eat. Trudy said she wanted a deli sandwich. Once again we went to my iPhone to find all restaurants and deli shops nearby. Found one less than a block away and proceeded there.
We went to the deli. Each of us found something to eat. There were both hot and cold sandwiches as well as hot vegetables and meats. Everyone found something they wanted -- except for Trudy! She bought bags of different flavored chips and a bottle of water. It is so much fun to hang out with these ladies.
A daytime view of the Empire State from our garden. Trudy was delighted to have her photo snapped with this famous landmark. Can you tell?
This is a photo of the top of the Chrysler Building at night. We took it from the front porch of our apartment building. I had promised to show the building to Trudy before she left. This photo helps me keep my promise (I hope).
Trudy, Helen and Connie Say Hello NY Goodbye Harts
In just about a week John and I will once again be moving. Our next "home" will be on the island of Oahu. The word home is in quotes because we long ago adopted the philosophy that home is where we are - and are together. So NYC has been home for a little over a year. But before we leave there have to be a number of goodbyes. Trudy (Md), Helen (Charleston), and Connie (D.C.) drove up for a few days. To date Trudy has not had a chance to see some of the wonders of our city. It is now Trudy's turn. We took a few photos along the way.
Waiting in line to board the Circle Line for a cruise completely around Manhattan island. This cruise has been active for 64 years. The pier where we boarded is only a few hundred yards from where Sully made the famous emergency water landing of his jet airplane. Circle line boats were among the first to arrive and offer aid.
This is Trudy once we boarded the boat but were still at the dock. She smiled a lot during the whole 3 hours. The cruise includes a commentary telling us the history/story of much that we saw.
Connie has been to the city many, many times. But she still enjoys taking photos to capture memories.
We cruised around the lower tip of the island and had a good view of the financial district.
We went close to Lady Liberty as well as Ellis Island.
We sailed up the East River right past the United Nations. The tall black building to the right of the UN is yet another building from Donald Trump. The cruise also showed us Yankee stadium(s) -- there are two right now, one old and one new -- Harlem, 21 bridges, one cable car that takes residents home to Roosevelt Island, Grants' tomb and lots of other stuff.
What is a trip to New York without a visit to Times Square? Portions of Times Square as well as Herald Square are now designated for pedestrian use only. The city has put out hundreds of chairs for public use. We sat for quite a while and just took in the sights and sounds.
Eventually we moved down to Herald Square and sat for a while there. Trudy and I wandered into Macy's for a short time to look around.
The Ladies had tickets to go to the top of the Empire State building. They wanted to wait until dark. While waiting we took the opportunity to have dinner in a restaurant located at the base of the Empire State.
After dinner we wandered out and across the street. Just for fun I asked Trudy to look up. She seemed transfixed! I guess looking up at 80+ floors from the street can be an awesome sight.
Waiting in line to board the Circle Line for a cruise completely around Manhattan island. This cruise has been active for 64 years. The pier where we boarded is only a few hundred yards from where Sully made the famous emergency water landing of his jet airplane. Circle line boats were among the first to arrive and offer aid.
This is Trudy once we boarded the boat but were still at the dock. She smiled a lot during the whole 3 hours. The cruise includes a commentary telling us the history/story of much that we saw.
Connie has been to the city many, many times. But she still enjoys taking photos to capture memories.
We cruised around the lower tip of the island and had a good view of the financial district.
We went close to Lady Liberty as well as Ellis Island.
We sailed up the East River right past the United Nations. The tall black building to the right of the UN is yet another building from Donald Trump. The cruise also showed us Yankee stadium(s) -- there are two right now, one old and one new -- Harlem, 21 bridges, one cable car that takes residents home to Roosevelt Island, Grants' tomb and lots of other stuff.
What is a trip to New York without a visit to Times Square? Portions of Times Square as well as Herald Square are now designated for pedestrian use only. The city has put out hundreds of chairs for public use. We sat for quite a while and just took in the sights and sounds.
Eventually we moved down to Herald Square and sat for a while there. Trudy and I wandered into Macy's for a short time to look around.
The Ladies had tickets to go to the top of the Empire State building. They wanted to wait until dark. While waiting we took the opportunity to have dinner in a restaurant located at the base of the Empire State.
After dinner we wandered out and across the street. Just for fun I asked Trudy to look up. She seemed transfixed! I guess looking up at 80+ floors from the street can be an awesome sight.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Almost Time to Go
Our time left in NYC is winding down rapidly, and our activity rate seems to be ramping up at the same time. It's not just having to pack suitcases once again. The month of June seems to be the time of the year when folks we know come to New York. But, for us that makes it a happy time.
While living here we were lucky enough to find a fully furnished studio apartment in the same building and on the same floor as our son and his family. The photo below is of our "landlord". When we first arrived Liz was a grad student at Columbia University in film. This past spring we attended a film presentation where Liz showed her final project. It is a relatively short documentary called "The Last Mermaids." She filmed it on Jeju island off the coast of Korea where the mermaids live. The mermaids are from a matriarchal society where women who for generations have supported their families by free diving to retrieve abalone and fish. The photo below shows her receiving an award from the Oscar committee. She also has won a Fulbright Scholarship to transform the work into a full length film. We are proud of her.
If you would like to know more, here is a link to a review of her film:
http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/reviews.php?film_id=16423
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented its 36th Annual Student Academy Awards® on Saturday, June 12, in Beverly Hills. Pictured here are presenter John Landis (left) and Liz Chae, winner of the Gold Medal in the Documentary Category for "The Last Mermaids."
This is Gerry. Gerry was our Volunteer Director when we worked at Rivington House. We met with Gerry for lunch this past week for our last visit with him. He will be missed.
We stayed with Derrick Patterson and his mate for a couple of days at their house in Phrae, Thailand for our "site visit" during our Peace Corps time. June got to visit Derrick while in one of his Thai classrooms. He is one bang-up teacher! The kids LOVED HIM. He came to New York to visit with friends in this area. We caught up with him in a bar and then went to eat. It was great to hear what he's got going on and to talk Peace Corps.
Derrick met up with us a second day; here he's sitting with us in our studio. Still doing a lot of catching up. Later, we went to lunch at the ThaiNY restaurant nearby. He did the ordering and all the talking with the staff in Thai - they loved it. After dinner we were given a comment card to fill out. Derrick wrote his comment in Thai. That is one talented fella!
While living here we were lucky enough to find a fully furnished studio apartment in the same building and on the same floor as our son and his family. The photo below is of our "landlord". When we first arrived Liz was a grad student at Columbia University in film. This past spring we attended a film presentation where Liz showed her final project. It is a relatively short documentary called "The Last Mermaids." She filmed it on Jeju island off the coast of Korea where the mermaids live. The mermaids are from a matriarchal society where women who for generations have supported their families by free diving to retrieve abalone and fish. The photo below shows her receiving an award from the Oscar committee. She also has won a Fulbright Scholarship to transform the work into a full length film. We are proud of her.
If you would like to know more, here is a link to a review of her film:
http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/reviews.php?film_id=16423
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented its 36th Annual Student Academy Awards® on Saturday, June 12, in Beverly Hills. Pictured here are presenter John Landis (left) and Liz Chae, winner of the Gold Medal in the Documentary Category for "The Last Mermaids."
This is Gerry. Gerry was our Volunteer Director when we worked at Rivington House. We met with Gerry for lunch this past week for our last visit with him. He will be missed.
We stayed with Derrick Patterson and his mate for a couple of days at their house in Phrae, Thailand for our "site visit" during our Peace Corps time. June got to visit Derrick while in one of his Thai classrooms. He is one bang-up teacher! The kids LOVED HIM. He came to New York to visit with friends in this area. We caught up with him in a bar and then went to eat. It was great to hear what he's got going on and to talk Peace Corps.
Derrick met up with us a second day; here he's sitting with us in our studio. Still doing a lot of catching up. Later, we went to lunch at the ThaiNY restaurant nearby. He did the ordering and all the talking with the staff in Thai - they loved it. After dinner we were given a comment card to fill out. Derrick wrote his comment in Thai. That is one talented fella!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Caleb Goes Home ;-(
The day had to come. Caleb has to go home. Even though the weather was not very cooperative, we had a good time and we will miss him. We hope he will remember his New York adventure!
Absolutely had to get a big bear hug from Grandpop. Only Caleb and I made the flight to Atlanta today.
We went to the airport in a hired car. Caleb is showing us his package of chewing gum we got for the flight. Chewing gum during ascent and decent helps keep the ears from "popping". When we took the elevator in the Empire State building from floor 1 to floor 80 our ears popped.
We all had secret thoughts of Caleb potentially being concerned about flying. We did indeed run into some bumpy air. The pilot announced we were going through some bad weather. It was heavy enough that snack and beverage service did not happen at all. So what did the novice passenger do? He did ask about the bumps and I explained that there can be bumpy air just like the bumps we felt when we rode in the M15 down second avenue. And then . . . . He promptly went to sleep.
Another snapshot of our veteran traveller. He only woke up once our wheels touched down in Atlanta.
Here is a photo of Caleb's welcoming committee. They seemed pretty happy to see him. Of course about two seconds later Tanner wanted to know where was her present!
Everybody was happy to see everybody else. Can't you tell?
Absolutely had to get a big bear hug from Grandpop. Only Caleb and I made the flight to Atlanta today.
We went to the airport in a hired car. Caleb is showing us his package of chewing gum we got for the flight. Chewing gum during ascent and decent helps keep the ears from "popping". When we took the elevator in the Empire State building from floor 1 to floor 80 our ears popped.
We all had secret thoughts of Caleb potentially being concerned about flying. We did indeed run into some bumpy air. The pilot announced we were going through some bad weather. It was heavy enough that snack and beverage service did not happen at all. So what did the novice passenger do? He did ask about the bumps and I explained that there can be bumpy air just like the bumps we felt when we rode in the M15 down second avenue. And then . . . . He promptly went to sleep.
Another snapshot of our veteran traveller. He only woke up once our wheels touched down in Atlanta.
Here is a photo of Caleb's welcoming committee. They seemed pretty happy to see him. Of course about two seconds later Tanner wanted to know where was her present!
Everybody was happy to see everybody else. Can't you tell?
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Caleb's Excellent Adventure - Day 6
Another day of thundershowers. What a shame. Our plan was to visit a 4 acre playground aimed at children Caleb's age but ..... So instead we went to the movies and saw Land of the Lost. I think he liked it.
After the movie Caleb and I went to the grocery store. We picked out my birthday cake together. I think he likes it. Can you tell? He had a realllllly big piece.
The rest of the afternoon was split between games on the Iphone and the cartoon channel. Such a heavy load! Caleb thought it would be a good idea if we had spaghetti and meatballs for my birthday dinner. Here he is trying to conquer those darn long, slippery spaghetti noodles.
He decided the best way to eat his spaghetti was to make a sandwich. That seemed to work a little bit better.
And what is a birthday without ice cream? Here are Caleb and Grandpop hot footing it to Baskin Robins.
This evening the weather became much better. No rain and the temp came up enough for us to take off our hoodies. Caleb's flavor of choice is something called "Aloha Chocolate". Can't tell you much about it because I haven't had any (yet).
Took this photo to capture his chocolate mustache.
Before going upstairs we went into the garden to snap this photo of the Empire State Building. The color tonight is white.
Caleb has become efficient with operating our elevator. He also took charge of my small collapsable grocery cart. We went shopping for soda and he was able to carry six two liter bottles. Such a city boy!
After the movie Caleb and I went to the grocery store. We picked out my birthday cake together. I think he likes it. Can you tell? He had a realllllly big piece.
The rest of the afternoon was split between games on the Iphone and the cartoon channel. Such a heavy load! Caleb thought it would be a good idea if we had spaghetti and meatballs for my birthday dinner. Here he is trying to conquer those darn long, slippery spaghetti noodles.
He decided the best way to eat his spaghetti was to make a sandwich. That seemed to work a little bit better.
And what is a birthday without ice cream? Here are Caleb and Grandpop hot footing it to Baskin Robins.
This evening the weather became much better. No rain and the temp came up enough for us to take off our hoodies. Caleb's flavor of choice is something called "Aloha Chocolate". Can't tell you much about it because I haven't had any (yet).
Took this photo to capture his chocolate mustache.
Before going upstairs we went into the garden to snap this photo of the Empire State Building. The color tonight is white.
Caleb has become efficient with operating our elevator. He also took charge of my small collapsable grocery cart. We went shopping for soda and he was able to carry six two liter bottles. Such a city boy!
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