The week started out with a visit to Murray’s Cheese, a well know cheese shop in NYC, for a cheese tasting class Monday night!! I can definitely say I will be a regular patron of Murray’s as long as I’m in NYC. It was great fun, very informative and we tasted cheeses I would have never tried otherwise. The class was 1 1/2 hours long and the lady teaching the class was very, very knowledgeable. Continue reading From cheese to the Philharmonic!
Here I sit on SuperBowl Sunday wrapping up my second week in NYC. I just finished reviewing Jordan’s calculus homework so my synapses are a bit strained! It’s been a long time since I have done calculus but I guess it’s good to exercise the brain in new and different ways! And, speaking of that, yesterday I went to my rescheduled juggling class – it was fun but, as expected, a good dose of humility. It certainly becomes apparent very quickly that trying to use your non-dominant hand effectively is challenging. But, again, that is supposed to be good for the brain – we’ll see!
Entrance to the Frick Collection
Today I had a tour of the New York Federal Reserve Bank. It was very interesting!! The tour is only an hour long but well worth the time – and it’s free but you do need reservations. The Federal Reserve Bank is located in the Financial District and is only a block from the Fulton Street subway station.
The Federal Reserve from across the street
As you might imagine, there is very heavy security around the building and to get into the building – printed tickets, photo ID, metal detectors, etc. And there are no photos, calls or texting allowed inside the building. They will physically walk you out of the building if you pull your cell phone out of your pocket!!
Yesterday it was very rainy in the morning so I spent the time reading the New York Times Sunday paper! It stopped raining around 1 p.m. or so I set off on a hike. My goal was the Barnes and Noble on 5th Avenue, which is about a mile from my apartment. Since I polished off three Dostoevsky novels in my Russian literature course at UCLA (part of the Seniors Scholars Program) last quarter before I left LA, I decided to round out my education in Russian literature by tackling War and Peace by Tolstoy. I figured it was a good goal in the remaining 100 days I have here in New York! So, it was off to Barnes and Noble to get a copy.
After a couple of pretty chilly days, it is warming up a bit. However, there is some snow in the forecast for this next week, so we’ll see! No matter – I have my snow boots at the ready! At least I think it’s supposed to be reasonable tomorrow. Probably a good day for more exploring on foot. That’s the one thing about New York – it’s a great walking town.
This morning when I went outside it was a balmy 24 degrees!! There is no snow on the ground, but it is a bit ‘brisk’! I think it’s supposed to warm up tomorrow and over the weekend.
After I got done at the gym yesterday morning, I decided to venture downtown to look into getting a Reduced Fare pass (read Senior citizen!) for the MTA (subway) system since I’m going to be here for a while and it allows me to ride at half price. I figured it would be an adventure one way or another. I had visions of long lines, etc, etc. but it was a piece of cake. I now have a photo ID Reduced Fare MTA pass and am good to go! Continue reading A little chilly!
The miracle is simply the fact that I am living here in NYC on 34th Street! But, I am getting all settled in and finding my way around. I probably walked 3 1/2 or 4 miles yesterday. I even found a Home Depot here in Manhattan – who knew?? The weather was beautiful yesterday but is supposed to be rainy tomorrow – probably a good reading day!!
This is exactly why one should be very judicious in the use of the word ‘never’. I’m sure in my past life I have uttered the phrase, “I would never live in New York!” – and here I am!
Jordan – New York Bound
Jordan and I left LA on a 9 a.m. flight and even caught a bit of a tail wind (unusual going East) so we actually got in a little early. Traffic into the city was ‘normal’. Why anyone would have a car in Manhattan is beyond me. The cab dropped Jordan off at her dorm and then he dropped me off at my apartment about 20 blocks away.
I’ve been in touch with my Airbnb host in New York and we’re all set. I have an apartment on the 11th floor of a building in a neighborhood called Murray Hill. Hopefully, it will be OK. I guess I’ll see when I get there. I have it reserved through the end of March and then we’ll see what happens!
Jordan would like me to stay in New York through the first part of May but I’ll just see how things are going. I was originally planning to go real estate shopping in Montana in the spring but I’m now thinking that I’m not sure I want to buy a house and then head off to Australia for the bike ride for 3 1/2 months at the end of August.
Here we are at the end of Week 2 and ‘reality’ is beginning to settle in. I shuttled Jordan back and forth to her job in Silver Lake every day and got a real taste of the LA commute. When it rained really badly Monday and Tuesday things were particularly challenging. Having never really had to commute very far, I just don’t understand how all of these people do it every day. I guess you can get used to anything!
On the plus side, I found a really cool neighborhood coffee shop/bakery, Café Tropical, right on the corner where Jordan’s office is. Apparently it’s a neighborhood institution in Silver Lake. They had great pastries and café con leche’s!! I wish I would have found it sooner. But, Jordan is now finished with her training at the clinic in Silver Lake so there won’t be any more trips out that direction. She starts her job at the main clinic in New York next week. (Parttime job – she’s still going to school) Continue reading Week 2 – Reality is beginning to settle in
