Travel: New York, Summer 2009

We are OFF for summer vacation… This year to THE CITY! Not the big city, not New York City, not the Big Apple, THE CITY, as it is called, and IT IS!

Well, I never found the shoe I misplaced while packing last night! (Yes ONE HALF of my favorite, ancient pair of Merrell’s).The car was finally loaded to the brim and Perry, Brennen and I were ready for our week of fun and frolic with my sister Janie, nephew Phillip and niece Irene. While I LOVE a road trip, I had forgotten how simultaneously dull and nerve-wracking the ride up I-85 and 95 can be. Now that Brennen is seventeen, there are three of us to rotate driving. Like The Three Bears and their preferential temperatures of porridge, Papa Bear doesn’t drive in heavy traffic, Mama Bear doesn’t drive the speed limit , and like a drunken sailor , Baby Bear has a driving style that approximates an Indy 500 Champion, all the while muttering what might be swear words … It is hard to say for sure, since I cannot hear the exact words being spoken over the alternating heavy metal and rap music booming over the radio…

All went well til the traffic came to a standstill near the south side of Washington DC. For about an hour, I inched along, with the voice on our GPS, fondly named “The Bitch”, explaining the obvious traffic delays. Perry was sleeping, Brennen was complaining… I could take it no more! Like Eve eying the apple, I could no longer fight the temptation. I pushed the dreaded button that said “REROUTE”! BAD IDEA! Who knew there was an exit, right on I-95 that led directly down into the heart of Washington DC? Here we go, on a driving tour by the front steps of the Washington Monument, Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials. Tour of the Smithsonian, anyone? I cruise through the rolling green hills and stark tombstones that mark our militarty deceased. Perry awakes when he hears me talking to the “nice officer” at Arlington Cemetery who helps direct me into a u-turn . He is NOT happy, in the least. He swears, if he should fall asleep again while I am driving, we might end up in China!

We eventually make our way back to I-95, arriving in Brooklyn by car just as Janie and Phillip arrive fresh from the airport! Irene’s mother, Mary Tsonatos, has thrown together a “little something light”… words she uses to describe every meal she prepares in her lovely kitchen, with the exceptions of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Our feast consisted of leg of lamb and roasted potatoes, pork tenderloin and gravy , stuffed peppers, chickpea and mushroom salad, broccoli rabe, tomato croquettes, cheese pies, lobster and crab filled endive leaves followed by fresh fruit (cantaloupe, mango and plums ) and a mille feulle pastry filled with custard. It was vegetarian friendly and delicious!

Later that evening, we arrive at the Westin Times Square . It is an amazing hotel on the corner of 42nd/ 43rd and 8th Streets. Our room is really large for NY… a typical- sized room with a little “L’ for at the end for Brennen’s extra roll- away bed and sitting area, creating a little “nest” of his own.


DAY #1: The first morning of our stay, we are “dragging” after our late night, but are excited to explore the city. We purchase a 48 hour bus tour pass from Grey Line, and took the Downtown Loop. (Empire State Building, Flat Iron Building), the South Street Seaport Area, Greenwich/ Soho. These bus tours help us understand the nuances and personalities of the different boroughs, and gives us an overview of the architecture of the city. Brennen spotted some shops at Greenwich Village, and we stopped for some back – to –school shopping at American Apparel, Urban Outfitters and H&M. We continued past the UN Building and some of the ethnic neighborhoods and tenement areas, settled by the areas ‘earliest immigrants. For dinner, we strolled around until we found a little Italian place, Alfredo’s and picked up dessert t (banana pudding, piece of pie and a macaroon) at the famous Magnolia Bakery, touted by Martha Stewart.


DAY #2: We continued with another loop on our Grey Line bus tour… this time cruising around uptown at Central Park, the upper East and West Sides and Harlem, home of the famous Apollo Theater. Central Park is huge… a 200 acre oasis in the big city , with everything from a huge reservoir, intimate little gardens and pools, vast meadows, a ball field, miniature sailboat rentals, the famous Tavern on the Green Restaurant, and so much more! All landscaping in the park (every plant, topsoil and water features) was designed, created and implemented by man. The forethought to have created this respite in the midst of this urban jungle is amazing.

We learned why Billy Joel sang about Christie Brinkley being an “Uptown Girl”. The Upper East and West Sides are where the wealthiest New Yorkers live, and we enjoyed seeing where many of the celebrities reside including Demi Moore and Ashton Kucher , Dustin Hoffman, Barbara Walters as well as the late John Lennon, Farrah Fawcett and Walter Cronkite. We spotted “ The Naked Cowboy” in the middle of Times Square!

After lunch, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, browsing through the masterpieces of this great museum. After the museum, we stroll through the refreshing shade of the Upper East Side of Central Park, returning to the hotel to catch a late comedy show by the National Comedy Theatre (format was like “What’s my Line”. ) The show was hilarious, and was funny enough for all but not so raunchy that it made anyone uncomfortable. It was one of the few “bargains” in this city! It is fun to see Brennen having so much fun here. He is in love with this city!


DAY #3: We ventured out for a quick New York breakfast at a streetside shop for bagels , a papya juice smoothie of sorts, and yes, I had a plain hotdog for breakfast ( it looked so good!) We head out via the subway to a park near Brooklyn Bridge. There is a pedestrian walkway on the bridge that is isolated from the street traffic, and we enjoyed seeing the amazing view of Manhattan as we walked across the top of the bridge, safe from the busy traffic below. Once we crossed the bridge, we made our way to a small Flea market Under the Brooklyn Bridge, where we purchased homemade granola, T-shirts for Brennen, and photographs for Perry to use in his artwork. Phillip, Irene, and their friend Elvia met us, and we enjoyed the most amazing, fresh lobster rolls, sushi and cookies from the vendors within the market. The lobster rolls were the best I had ever tasted rivaling the best Maine has to offer, no kidding!

After strolling around this little area called DUMBO ( Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) we made our way to the trendy (up and coming) area called Willliamsburg/ Bedford. This place is an eclectic and artistic- filled neighborhood inhabited primarily by folks called “Hipsters” . Hipsters are 20 and 30 somethings that appear to have a lot of disposable income but never work! None of them weigh over 120 lbs. and they all seem to be wearing their grandma’s clothes! The graffiti art along the streets was fascinating and very colorful. We had dinner at a very cool, hip venue which featured a type of Thai-fusion cuisine. The restaurant was rocking with ambient music, and cool décor consisting of suspended ”space chairs” and porch swings, Asian water features, and circular pod-like bathrooms with a communal “water station” in the center of the pods which Perry mistook for a fountain! (Attention my Designer friends, they laugh in the face of ADA regulations here! I love it!)Also, the men’s room had TV screens that allow you (the occupant) to view out into the activities of the restaurant.



DAY #4: Today’s agenda is one I have been looking forward to! The Gugenheim Museum is hosting a Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit, marking the 50th anniversary of the museum. (FLW was the architect for the project.) Many of his drawings, sketches and models are exhibited here… not only for his many famous buildings, but also many of the projects that were never built and whose genius has been locked away in the archival files at Taleisin, Wisconsin. As a designer, I enjoyed his “working drawings” with all the typical notes, dimensions and scribble you would expect on any set of drawings being used on a jobsite! Phillip went with us to Little Italy to a great pizza place . We strolled the streets in nearby colorful Soho , and made our way back, exhausted again, to the hotel.



DAY #5: This city makes me feel jittery …like I have had too much caffeine! It’s hard to settle down at night and I am always too excited to sleep in!

July 28th(today)is our 25th Anniversary! How lucky we are to still love and like each other after so many years! I am truly married to my best friend! All week long, Perry has been spoiling me with little anniversary gifts and today was no exception! I have received some beautiful art- gifts to fuel my creativity (handmade notebooks, a cool pen, a beautiful bookmark, some bed and bath items…) He knows me so well, and his gifts reflect that he knows what means the most to me. Perhaps, what meant the most to me was the beautiful card . I love you, too, Perry! xxooxxoo

Today, we take a field trip to Brooklyn, and we manage to get there via subway without gettin lost! ( To say we are getting good at this is a blatant lie, but we ARE getting better!) We met Phillip in Bay Ridge and checked out the progress on the “new” house, which is actually a 100 year old Brownstone. It is going to be beautiful! We are looking for ceramic tile and stone for the kitchen and bathes checked out a few tile shops in the area… We found some great tile, so it was a productive trip! We bought theater tickets at the TKTS in Brooklyn (much faster than Times Square locations) and look forward to seeing the Broadway production of HAIR tomorrow!

In the evening, we celebrated our anniversary at Swing 46, a dinner and dance venue between Times Square and Hell’s Kitchen. Janie and Brennen went with us, and we all had a great time. Perry and I had Fillet Mignon, wine and cheesecake for dessert! The band was phenomenal,...We even participated in the group dance lesson learning “The Charleston.” We had so much fun, that Perry and I are going to take dance lessons this year! Perry surprised me with another gift… a beautiful turquoise bracelet! I love it! (But I thought we were not doing gifts???)



DAY #6: Our last full day in New York, and we are trying to squeeze in as much as possible! Janie and I got up at 5:30 AM, grabbed breakfast on the run, and walked the 4 or 5 blocks to Rockefeller Plaza/ NBC Studios where they film The Today Show. Although we arrived a little after 6:00AM, we were pretty far back in line! Since I watch/ listen to this show every morning getting ready for work, it was really interesting seeing the production crew in action! They have large TV monitors around the plaza and broadcast for you from “behind the scenes”, so we could see the anchors preparing. You can look right into the studio from the street, and the anchors will sometimes wave right back at you, which is cool! (Meredith did!)

Later, we went back to the room to collect the boys, and took the subway to catch the Staten Island Ferry. It is free, and a great way to see Lady Liberty, as well as cruise the harbor to Staten Island!

On the way back, we stopped in Chinatown/ Canal Street and bought “cheap” things… t-shirts, glasses, scarves, watches, etc… we also ate lunch at an authentic Thai restaurant, that was excellent! (The better places throughout NY have a Zagat Rating, which means they are award winning, in specific categories…that is how we knew/ hoped we were not eating cat or dog!)

Our last highlight of the trip was attending the Broadway showing of HAIR! Boy , was that WILD! I expected the nudity,( which thank God was done with dim lighting) , but I was not expecting all the sexual innuendos and what appeared to be ( and smelled like) pot smoking! The music brought back lots of memories… “Aquarius”, “Good Morning Starshine” and “Let the Sun Shine In”! This show won the 2009 Tony Award for “Best Reprisal of an Original Show” . Not your “conventional” Broadway show, I can only imagine how powerful show this show was when it first appeared in the turmoil of the late 1960’s. It still makes a powerful statement today, especially as our brave young men and women fight and die for us in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tomorrow, we will head for home! Packing is never fun! Brennen has been a real trooper, but is homesick for his friends! Me, I am missing the dogs… while I think Perry is missing the peace and quiet! New York has been great and we have all had a BLAST. We were especially glad to spend time with Brennen, who is starting his last year of High School in a few weeks. Our home, in Welcome, is a small place. Our goal was to show him some of the BIG WORLD out there, and for that we truly succeeded!