Rainy June Saturday

Full photo album at my Picasa pages...

After Leena and I got off the phone I showered and got dressed to head on out...

Getting out of the apartment building I started to walk uphill towards the F train station, but then at the next street corner up I couldn't decide if I should do that or not...  The weather was so nice and pleasant (i.e. cloudy, cool breeze and a somewhat wet fog) and I realized I had no particular plan for the day or anything special to do, so I thought I'd walk...

I must've stood at the corner for two cycles of the light, starting to walk one way, then the other, then the first...  Anyone watching must've thought I needed help or something...

In the end I figured I'd walk, the weather was great, I didn't really have anywhere to be, and no need to waste a ride on my subway MetroCard (I haven't bought the monthly, unlimited pass...)  So, I turned up 6th Avenue here in Brooklyn, and since I haven't walked on that street as much as 4th, 5th or 7th Avenues, so I might as well sight see there.  From 6th Avenue, almost every other block had barricades cutting off access to one street other another on either side, pretty much all for block parties for the day.

When I got up to Flatbush Avenue I popped in at the big Target to use the bathroom, then back out on the street.  I followed a different path up towards the bridges than usual, through more residential neighborhoods, and that was nice.

The rain was picking up a little, though, and I was getting a bit wet, especially the front of my shirt from walking into it, but not drenched, just sort of a slow soaking...

By then I had an idea where I wanted to go, too, Shima, in the East Village for sushi.  So when I was close to both the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge I decided to take the Manhattan Bridge, since the way it's angled means I'd end up in Manhattan slightly further north, in Chinatown, rather than at the top of the financial district, and closer to where I wanted to go.

As I was across Jay Street from the walkway entrance to the Manhattan Bridge, and two blocks from the Brooklyn Bridge, a guy who was walking ahead of me for a couple of blocks turned around asked me "which direction is the F?" and I had to ask, "you mean the F train?" and he said so...  Unfortunately, he was going the wrong way, so he made a face when I told him it went to the Jay Street - MetroTech station about six or seven blocks behind us...  As soon as he walked back the other way, another guy who'd been standing a little distance approached me and asked "where's Jay Street?" so I pointed to the sign next to us and said "this is Jay Street."  He asked if it went far the other direction, the way I'd just come and I told him it did, so he went up that way, too...

So, then I got onto the Manhattan Bridge.  I walked it once before, sometime last fall.  Today because the rain it was virtually empty of walkers and runners, which I found nice.  I took some photos, but it was raining enough that I worried my camera could get wet and damaged, so I put it away after a little bit.  I played with a panorama photo program on the iPhone with some of the graffiti to get a long, long photo of it.

Once across the river in Chinatown, I walked up Bowery until I hit 4th Street in the East Village, where there was a street festival going on.  One singer was on a stage in the rain, getting wet, playing a guitar and singing.  He sucked, and was playing some song I vaguely recognized, but doing it really badly, but looked like he was having a good time (and to be fair, was probably a hell of a lot better than me!).

I got to Shima as the rain was picking up and I was pretty wet, so it was great to get inside for lunch.  The service was unusually slow, and I didn't recognize either of the waitresses, despite having been there quite a number of times before.  I overheard one of them apologizing to other customers for not knowing a particular dish from the dinner menu because she was new there.  I didn't get too upset with the slow service because it was pouring outside, so the longer I stayed in the more I dried off...

I also got an earful of the "soap opera" at the next table, with a 50-something woman and an older Japanese man.  Mostly it was just her talking, and talking and talking…  They must've been dating off and on for a decade or so, then it sounds like he broke up with her leaving a note, "sorry, I'm just selfish" and she's trying to get him back, or something…  Near the end she said "we've known each other for years and I still don't have your address" and he refused to give it to her for a while, then caved in and wrote it down, and I heard her say "and the apartment!" and then he wrote something and she said "apartment 2, just 2?  I don't think so! Write the whole apartment number down!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of me a lone woman, maybe in her late 20's or early 30's came in and sat down.  She ordered a cup of tea to start with, then took her bag and went to the restroom, came back and started reading a book and sipping her tea.  Then when the busboy, who didn't speak English, came by she said she'd like to order, but I couldn't figure out what he said.  But before a waitress could come to take her order, I saw her get up, grab her bag and dash at high speed to the exit.  There was a loud *BANG* as she burst out the door…  All talking stopped for a moment in the restaurant, then a customer near the door said "shit, she broke the glass."

As I was finishing lunch it was almost 4pm and I was surprised how late it was, since I usually get there earlier in the afternoons, but then I remembered I walked instead of taking the subway, so it made sense...  And the rain had stopped by then, too.

Out on the street I walked across Manhattan to the High Line.  It was more crowded that I expected in the rain, but not terribly so.  By then it wasn't really raining, just foggy and misty and gray, my idea of perfect weather...

I had to wait under the High Line for a few minutes while a wedding party got their photos taken on the Ganesvoort Street Stairs at the southern end of the park, going up.  When they were done, I dashed up from the the southern end to the bathroom at 16th Street, and then strolled leisurely up the new section to 30th Street.  I took some photos with my longest lens on the way up, then at 30th Street I swapped lenses and put a wider one on the camera.  I walked back down again, taking pictures with the other lens.  On the balcony of one of the apartment buildings right next to the High Line was a banner someone put up as a marriage proposal to a girl.

At another part of the park, overlooking 10th Avenue, I saw another wedding couple with their photographer.  They had an assistant blocking traffic so the photographer could take the couples' pictures in the middle of the street...

I made it to a part of the park with a bunch of seats a little before 6pm and figured I'd stop there and read until close to 7pm.  Some of the benches were wet from the earlier rain, but I found one that was dry enough for me to sit on without soaking my rear end, and relaxed there for a bit, reading and watching people coming and going.  At that section there's a sort of fountain where it's just a thin layer of water running over the concrete into a drain, and in sunny weather it's jam packed with people taking off their shoes and walking in it.  Today it wasn't, but one little boy really loved it and ran up and down that section at least ten times, splashing in the water and giggling...

And another well dressed, but obviously not wedding, couple with a photographer and a bright red umbrella were going up and down the High Line, posing in various places.

At about 7pm I put my book away and went down to the lower end of the park to see the dance performance going on.  A dance troupe was redoing its very first performance, from the 70's, on the rooftops of buildings around the High Line.  The dancers were in bright red uniforms, scattered around so each could see at least one other.  One of them was the leader and others followed the moves.  The dancing itself wasn't very appealing, not nearly as much as the concept of it, with dancers all around, and the fun of trying to see if I could actually find all of them.

I didn't stay for the whole performance, because frankly, I didn't find the dancing itself very engaging once I'd seen the spectacle of it, so I went down to 14th Street.  I stopped at a place for a cantaloupe frozen yogurt that was pretty good, then in Union Square I caught the subway back to Brooklyn.

Once in the apartment I changed and brewed a cup of tea, but then decided that since the weather's cool, for a break from hot summer, I should go out and stock up on ice cream.  This way I can carry it home without it melting too much, so that worked well.  I'm not eating ice cream much in the hot weather, though, it just melts faster than I feel like I can properly enjoy it.

Memorial Day Weekend

Saturday…

Whew, it's pretty warm out.  After Leena and I took a cool shower then researched paneer pasanda on the web, got dressed and headed out.

I found two restaurants in Manhattan that listed paneer pasanda on their online menus, and one in Queens, but looking at photos of the one in Queens, I couldn't tell if it was a sit-down place, or take-out only.  I'm sure there's more, but not tied in with the GrubHub menu system...

 I decided to try the nearest one, on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village.  I took the R train from near my apartment.  I got lucky on the train, too, the R line was backed up and running behind schedule, the so the particular train I was on was going to "go express" and skip a bunch of stops, going over the Manhattan Bridge instead of the tunnels under the East River and jump up ahead of some other R trains to fill in the gap in front of them.  When it left DeKalb Avenue it was on the right track for me to see the artwork I've been trying to figure out which train to ride to see...  Cool...  It's two sets of underground cartoon animation, but only clearly visible from one track.

I got off the train at Prince Street, turned around a few times at the top of the stairs to orient myself and then headed up to Bleecker Street and over into The Village...

I almost didn't see Indian Taj because it was on the opposite side of the street, with a big truck blocking it while offloading...  But I did and went in.  It wasn't very crowded, only two couples at tables near the front, close to the buffet.  Since I was already sweating from the short walk, I asked for a table wherever it's coolest, so they seated me at private booth in the back.  I told the waiter I'd like to order from the menu rather than the buffet, so he came back with that...  I quickly found what I wanted, the paneer pasanda, and ordered that with two plain, sada naan.

There was a bit of a wait, and the booth was very close, with curtains running all the way to ceiling.  But across the restaurant, to the side was some nice Indian artwork to keep my eyes  occupied while I waited.

When he brought the dishes I was surprised.  I'd never seen paneer pasanda in a red gravy before, always white, and relatively dry...  But he set it down saying "paneer pasanda" then set down the bread bowl, saying "two orders of naan" so it's not like they got the order wrong...  And it was chunks of paneer, not thin layers with stuffing...  But now that I'm looking online again at their menu, the description is "cubes of cheese seasoned with authentic spices butter & cream, served with basmati rice" which is exactly what I got...

My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach and I should've only ordered one naan, not two.  Especially since they were butter naan, despite ordering plain.  Same as last time, but maybe "plain" means "butter" here because that's the normal order or something.  The bill has always been for the price of plain, so maybe butter naan just has a lot more butter or something...  I couldn't finish it all, and in fact, I think I tried too hard because I was a bit uncomfortable from eating too much, rather than stopping at "fully satisfied."

I also think my capacity has gone down since coming to New York because I eat smaller meals all the time, so when faced with a big meal, I simply can't eat as much.  Not that that's a bad thing, just don't take me to any expensive all-you-can-eat places...

Overall, it's probably worth returning to that restaurant.  The dish was good, it simply wasn't what I expected, but I'm sure other stuff is probably good, too...

After I finished and paid I headed out to the streets again.  I walked up to Madison Square Park, near the Flatiron Building, where I found a park bench in the shade.  I spent an hour or so reading there on the iPad, occasionally sipping some of the water I carried with me, watching people go past, watching the squirrels and birds, etc...

While sitting there I cooled off and started to think maybe summer weather isn't so bad.  But once I got up again, I was uncomfortable in the heat before I was even out of the park...  Also, the allergies weren't so bad when I was sitting still, but once I got up to walk again, I was stuffed up, my eyes were running and I was sneezing...

I walked along 23rd Street, from the Flatiron Building almost to the river, and it's quite a busy street.  Lots of good looking restaurants to try there...  It also rained lightly, very lightly, unbelievably lightly, just a few drops from a single cloud overhead, for a few minutes till that one cloud blew over.  That single cloud didn't even block the sunshine...

Then down to the High Line again.  I walked the length of it, twice, but couldn't find a free seat in any shady spot because it was so crowded.  But at least I got to use the bathroom and the water fountain...

From there I walked over towards the river, because I saw an interesting ship at the dock, but couldn't get close, and the sun was awfully hot out there, despite the breeze blowing off the water. So, I headed back in on 15th Street, till 9th Avenue and then walked up 14th Street to Union Square.  I picked up a $1.50 cup of fresh apple cider from a vendor at the farmer's market there (the market is in Union Square Wednesday, Friday and Saturday almost every week of the year).

Then I took the subway home.  Back in Brooklyn I dropped my backpack off at the apartment, then went out once more to buy some allergy medicine Gary recommended, then out again to buy some groceries...

Now I'm in...  I took a long, cool shower that helped some.  I see I got some sun on my face, a light sunburn, not too bad...

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Sunday...

I slept in a bit later this morning, took a long, cool shower, a light breakfast, another cool shower and got dressed to head on out, with no particular plan in mind.

I took the R train and even into Manhattan couldn't decide where to get off and what to do, other than be outside...  It was blazing hot just walking from my apartment to the subway station two blocks away.  But not as hot as yesterday...  I was half considering getting off at 23rd Street and reading in Madison Square Park, or Times Square and doing who-knows-what, or Central Park and finding a spot to read, or taking it to Queens and check out Jackson Heights, or switching to an R or Q along the way and taking either of those to Astoria in Queens just to sight see...

In the end some other dude made the decision for me...  A one-man-band guy got on at the station before 57th Street and was playing a trumpet.  A trumpet!  A fucking trumpet!  In a subway car!  It was way too loud and hurt my ears like hell, so I got off at 57th Street, which is very close to Central Park.

So, I walked up to Central Park and figured I could use the bathroom there, except that it was packed and while shorter than the line for the ladies' room, there was still a line waiting to get into the men's room and I didn't feel like waiting.  So, I walked around the lower portions of Central Park a bit, stopped on a park bench in some slight shade, with the sun peeking through some of the trees and cooled off a little.  Even the fifteen minutes of walking before that were enough for me to get uncomfortably hot and sweaty.  It stank of horse manure there, but was kind of fun watching people walk by and take photos of some rather uninteresting rock formations.

Once I realized I wasn't going to get any cooler at that spot I got up and started walking.  I walked out of the park near the Plaza Hotel and the Apple Store, at 5th Avenue, then at 57th Street I cut across to 7th Avenue and caught the Q train down to 14th Street Union Square.

I got off there, in the mood for sushi at Shima in the East Village.  It wasn't a long walk from Union Square there, but it was pretty hot out.  I made my way mostly in the shade of buildings, and only out in the sun to cross streets.

Lunch was good.  None of the usual waitresses were working today, so the service was a little more chaotic.  There was one guy who I've seen before, I think behind the sushi bar, and he didn't seem too familiar with waiting tables, and another waitress who I've also seen before, but she didn't seem to be in the mood to wait tables or something.  Both were polite, but not efficient or cheerful as usual.  Still, the food was what I expected and afterwards I got two scoops of green tea ice cream.  The waitress also brought me a cup of green tea that I thoroughly enjoyed as well at the end.

From there I walked up to 23rd Street and across to Madison Square Garden.  It was jam packed with people and the first shady bench I found turned out to be too close to Jemmy's Dog Run, a place in the park for people to let their dogs run loose in a fenced in area (lots of New York City parks have these) so I got up and found another.  But it turned out to only be shady when the occasional cloud blew over, and when the sky was clear it was hot...  On the other hand, it was easier reading the iPad screen when the sun shone on it than when it shone on me.

I got up again and found another place, where I actually sat Saturday, and that was better.  I read there for a while, as well as watched people, squirrels and birds...  It was relaxing there...  Another middle aged couple eventually came and sat on the bench next to me and read for a long time (the guy had a book I've been thinking about getting...)

Eventually I was getting hotter and hotter as the breeze faded, plus I had to use the bathroom and there isn't one that I know of in Madison Square Park, but I checked on the internet anyway, and didn't see one listed.  So, I figured it was only 15 blocks up to 42nd Street and Grand Central Terminal, where there's also a shop, the New York City Transit Museum, with some artwork I keep planning on getting, but none of my wanderings have me ending up there at the end of the day.

So, I walked up.  By the time I got up there the sweat was rolling off me and my clothes were uncomfortably abrasive from sweating...  I used the bathroom but just missed the shop, which closed at 6pm, since I got there around 6:03pm or so...  And they're not open tomorrow because the holiday...  Ah well...

From there I wandered over to Bryant Park and sat in the shade to read for a little while, then got up and took the F train home from there.  In Brooklyn, instead of getting off at the 9th Street & 4th Avenue station, then walking uphill, I took it one more station to 9th Street & 7th Avenue, so the walk was downhill, and about the same distance.

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Monday, Memorial Day...

Well, today was relaxed and interesting...

For a change I decided to wear the Birkenstocks Leena's mother got me in New York in 2007, but without socks.  I can't wear my usual black ones without socks because the foot liner isn't suede so my feet make a horrible sounding and uncomfortable sucking sound with every step.

I got out the door around 11:30am or so, and dropped my rent check off at the mailbox on the way to the subway station, feeling like I left only partially dressed because of the missing socks...

I just missed an R train when I got down to the platform, but then an N train came, which doesn't usually stop at the 9th Street station.  But there was no room to sit in the first two cars, and I didn't feel like standing all the way to Manhattan, so I skipped it and waited for the next R train, a few minutes more.

What luck, too...  I couldn't make out the conductor's announcement clearly, but due to some incident, this particular R train was going to take a different route.  At the next station, DeKalb Avenue, it was on the opposite side of the platform from where the R usually goes.  And as luck would have it, on the track that goes past the artwork underground I keep wanting to see...

I got my camera ready and as we passed the lit up art I took a bunch of photos.  Unfortunately, I don't think they came out well, though.  It was more brightly lit inside the train, so it's mostly reflections off the window, and the window was fairly smudged, too...  Oh well...

After DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn, this R train followed an F route through lower Manhattan, which is very strange.  I would've expected it to at least follow an N route, not an F.  One guy who'd been wearing headphones got confused when we exited the tunnel onto the Manhattan Bridge and asked "I was wearing headphones, what was that announcement?" so I explained it.

Then at one of the stations, where the R normally does not go, a woman looked at the signs outside and the map near my seat and asked, "I thought this was the train to Whitehall?" and I explained to her that there was some incident and this particular R train was taking a weird route, but that the conductor was still calling it an "R train to Queens".  I suggested she stay on it till it rejoined its regular route, then get on a Brooklyn bound R to get to Whitehall...  When we got to 34th Street at Herald Square, I told her that was the best place for her to make the switch...

I got off the train there, too...  I felt too stinky, sticky and sweaty to possibly go into Macy's and try on summer clothes, so I didn't.  I did check out the Manhattan Mall shopping mall, but it was a pretty lousy place, not much in the way of interesting stores (e.g. no music store!)

I made my way down the streets to Madison Square Park where I walked around looking for a cool, shady bench, preferably closer to the middle, but no luck and I got one near the north end of the park.

I took out my book and read a bit...  It was a book about travelers' tales from India.  After a little bit some scruffy looking, heavily tattooed elderly guy in a wheelchair, being escorted by a young woman, asked "are you planning a trip to India?"  I told him not right away, as I'd recently returned after about ten years there and was still thoroughly enjoying life back in the U.S. again...  We chatted a bit.  He'd never been farther from New York than New Orleans.  When I mentioned still being kind of new to New York City he asked me how I liked the park, and reminisced about how it's been cleaned up over the years.  He said when he used to be homeless he slept in that park for a couple of years.  Eventually he said, "well, you return to your book, I'm just going to close my eyes here in the sunshine for a few minutes..." and dozed off...

After they left some college students came.  One was a big, muscular black guy who took off his shirt a couple of times to flex his muscles and show off quite a few tattoos, the other was a long haired, fat white guy with a heavy metal t-shirt, spiked leather wristband, studded boots...  Once they settled down they started drilling each other on their anatomy homework, about various joints in the body, which are unilateral, bilateral, trilateral, some stuff about the thumb joints and things...  It sounded like they were preparing for a test or something in medical school...

I started getting hungry and got up to buy a pretzel from a vendor at the corner of the park (the line for the Shake Shack again had around 75-100 waiting, so I wasn't going to do that, though I really want to try it sometime).  When I returned I'd lost my bench...

So I took another bench nearby.  After a couple of bites of my relatively unsatisfying pretzel, a woman on the next bench asked "is that pretzel any good?"  I told her it was only mediocre, not the worst I've had, but not really very good.  She mentioned that she'd bought a cup of beer from the food fair across the street and she knew she shouldn't have it in park, but wasn't causing any trouble...

We ended up chatting for another hour or more, mostly about New York City, parks, computers, local food, dog walking and India.  She mentioned going to college in the mid-70's so I guess she fifteen years older than us, or so.  She took a year off then to live in India, staying mostly in villages to get "the authentic Indian experience" as she put it.  She was curious for my descriptions of how India has changed since she was there.

She mentioned she used to be a writer, and had written a book about New York City's parks, but is now a professional dog walker to the wealthier people in Manhattan.  At various times other people walking dogs greeted her when passing by, and she'd point them out as another professional dog walker.  She said she has keys to apartments where many owners don't even know her last name, she's just "that weird lady with the green flour on her hat" that their building doormen recommend as a dog walker...

She was pleasant and friendly to chit chat with.  But a little weird, in a not-quite-right manner...  She was totally paranoid of the government and kept pointing out people in the park who were covert government agents.  At one point a couple of guys came a bit closer than normal to photograph some squirrels that were actually being a bit cuter than normal, right behind the bench she was sitting on, then the guys drifted off...  A little later she asked if I remembered the two black guys with the camera, and I said I did, but not that they were black or anything, just a couple of other tourists paying more attention to squirrels.  She told me they were government agents and on the way over they'd flashed her with a "laser refractor" to hurt her eyes, and the squirrel photography was just their cover, to look like tourists...

She asked if I ever read science fiction novels, which I do.  She said writers like Heinlein and Bradbury weren't just speculating on future things, like government control of citizens, but they were actually involved in it and had first hand knowledge.  I asked if she'd ever read any books by Philip K. Dick, but she didn't recognize the name and agreed to look for some of his.  Some good Philip K. Dick novels should blow her mind...

Around 4pm, I still hadn't eaten more than a few bites of my pretzel, that had gone totally stale and I didn't want any more of it, and I figured I should be heading back to Brooklyn, do laundry and all that...  As I was walking away, she called me to come back for a moment, then she gave me advice on buying a pair of Birkenstock sandals with a strap at the back because she said I was walking funny...

From Madison Square Park at 27th Street I walked down to Union Square, then across 14th Street to catch the F train back to Brooklyn.  I like returning on the F because I can take it one stop further and my walk home is all downhill.

First Weekend of May

The full set of photos is available on my Picasa page...

Saturday

Whew, long day out walking...  I actually got off to what felt like a late start after a shower and reading stuff online for a little bit (I'd drank a can of soda while Leena and I were on the phone so I wanted to make sure it went through me before going out...)

Just a random scene while
I was out walking...

I got on the R train and at Atlantic Avenue - Pacific Street there was an N express that pulled up right next to it, so I went across the platform to that one, as it's faster and goes over a bridge instead of in the dark tunnel under the river.  The guy sitting across from me was sleeping with a bottle of soda in his hand and actually looked a bit like Fred Flintstone on his t-shirt.  At one station he got up and walked to the door, but then seemed pretty drunk or something because he couldn't stand up, then ended up sitting back down and closing his eyes again...

I got off the train at 49th Street, sort of right behind Times Square, and walked up to 55th Street and Lexington Avenue to the shoe repair shop to get my Birkenstocks.  I waited in line while a woman in front of me kept the clerk busy answering questions about what they could do if she didn't like the new dye she was getting on her shoes and all that...  The woman who wasn't paying attention to customers, just polishing shoes, saw me and took my receipt, but had a lot of trouble finding my sandals.  Once the woman in front of me finished, the clerk helped the other woman find them.

She was going to put them in a bag for me, but I said "no, I'll put them on".  My feet were aching slightly from the walk up there in the other Birkenstocks, with the softer footbed, and at first the freshly resoled pair felt a little weird, since I hadn't worn them with these particular socks in a while.  But it was good to get them back.  After a few blocks they felt just as comfortable as an old pair of shoes (which they are...)

I like this sign!

I wasn't sure just what to do, so I walked down Lexington Avenue from there...  I kept my eyes open for lunch, too...  And about fifteen blocks down I found it...  I passed an Indian restaurant and saw dhansak on the menu outside and thought, 'hmm....'  Then I kept walking, saw some sushi and a good looking burger place, then thought "dhansak...  Dhansak!" and turned around to get that...

The place was called Nirvana.  I walked in and it was totally empty.  The maitre'd didn't tell me they were closed, so I indicated just one person and he led me upstairs to the restaurant, which was totally empty, too, not a single other customer.  I pointed to a table and I asked if I could sit by the window, but he said "no, the window tables are for parties of four or five only" and then pointed me to a table for two not far from the window.  He said they closed at 3pm, and by then it was 2:20pm...  To be fair, though, it did get a lot busier, the crowd actually doubled before I was done...

As soon as I was seated I ordered dhansak and naan.  He asked "do you want rice?" and I said no, just naan.  He asked if I wanted butter, garlic or spicy naan and I said "just sada naan" and he acknowledged plain naan...  So I sat and waited a few minutes.

The dhansak wasn't like Leena's family's cook's at all...  It had chunks of chicken in it (which I expected, ordering it from the chicken section of the menu) but other vegetables, like green beans, carrots and peas.  The waiter also brought a dish of rice, saying "compliments of the house" (I assume it was just part of what was left from their lunch service to get rid of).  It was good, not exactly what I expected, but good.  While I was eating another guy came in and sat behind me, he also turned down the rice, but then when his meal came got a complimentary bowl of it as well...

I finished right around 3pm, paid and headed back out...  I continued on down Lexington a few more blocks, then started heading towards the west, knowing one thing I was looking for was on west 34th Street, but not exactly where.  Around there, too, I figured I could use a bathroom, and knew there was a public one in Penn. Station, on 32nd Street and 8th Avenue. On 34th I found the Affordable Art Fair, in a fancy building across the street from the Empire State Building, and the sidewalk and entrance to it were packed with people.  After going a few blocks further to Penn. Station I didn't feel like walking back into that crowd, so I didn't make it there...

I exited Penn. Station on 7th Avenue, heading southward.  The Fashion Institute of Technology has an interesting looking building, so I drifted that way, and found FIT had a street circus going on outside of there.  I wandered through there a few minutes, enjoying watching people do karaoke, and play some of the games, then kept going...

A couple blocks from there I ran into another street closed off for a carnival, too...  It was more crowded and had lots of kiddie rides and things more geared towards small children, was noisier and less interesting...

I made my way over to the High Line.  The northern-most stair case was absolutely full of people, with a line waiting to climb up and a crowd up at the top waiting to go down.  I skipped it...  By the time I got to the next one down, it was pretty crowded, too.  So instead I went to the Chelsea Market thinking I'd get a ginger popsicle from the stand inside, People's Pops, that specializes in them.  There was a little line there, but the guy in front didn't know what he wanted.  First he asked if there was anything sugar-free, to which the guy working there said no, all flavors had a little bit of organic cane sugar in them, then the customer asked "oh, they all look so good, which should I get?" and the worker said "they're all good, it's a matter of what you'd like" and the customer asked "well, if you wanted one right now for yourself, which would you get?"

At that point I gave up, I didn't feel like standing in line for all that, and I left.

I walked up 14th Street towards Union Square, but then decided to check out Madison Square Park and see if there was more to that artwork I saw the crew setting up last weekend.  I also figured that would be a good place to stop and sit for a while and sip some of the water I'd carried in my backpack.

Madison Square Park was indeed crowded, though less than last weekend when there was a Sikh festival in it.  Lots of people were examining and photographing a huge, 44 foot sculpture in the main lawn, Echo by Juame Plensa.  Small leaves were falling off the trees, and every time there was a breeze they blew around like a snow storm.  I sat on a bench there for a while, not sure how long, just relaxing, playing with my camera and trying out some different techniques.  After a while, though, I started to get congested and sniffly, maybe from the stuff from the trees blowing around...

Once I got ready to move, I changed lenses on the camera and walked down Broadway to Union Square. In Union Square I walked a full circle around it, then used the public restroom there.  Three days a week there there's a big farmer's market, with fresh produce, meat, honey, wines and things.  One stall had fresh made apple cider at $1.50 for a cup, so I got one and it was really good cider.

A shop near where I went the
wrong direction...

By then it was close to 6pm and I was getting a little tired.  But I decided to walk back to Brooklyn over the Brooklyn Bridge...  It was some walk down Manhattan, but I took the subway from Union Square to Canal Street.  Only once I got out at Canal Street, I got turned around and walked a few blocks in the wrong direction before I figured it out.  I was waiting at a traffic light to cross along with another couple when one asked "what bridge is that?" pointing to one to our right a few blocks and he said "the Manhattan Bridge."  I thought about it and realized, that it being on the right would mean I was facing the wrong direction, it should've been on my left...

So, I turned around and headed the other way, through Chinatown and down along a street lined with government buildings and courthouses.  I saw the plaza I found late last year that was pretty interesting, but once I bought the 11-16mm ultra-wide angle lens, the plaza was closed for some construction.  The construction permits posted listed an expiration date of April, but today it was still blocked off with construction barricades...

Near there I passed a fountain with three young women horsing around and after I'd passed one of them came running and asked "can you take our picture?" and gave me a camera.  So I took a bunch of photos of them posing on the edge of the fountain, then gave it back and continued on my way...

Outside City Hall I got onto the path to the Brooklyn Bridge.  It was pretty crowded, lots and lots of people, but not the most crowded I've seen it.  I've seen it before with so many people that walking on it was like walking in a crowd leaving a movie theater.  Today was a little better.

I took a few photos on the bridge, but with some of the construction it's hard to get a good view over it, and with all the crowds, many are blocked by taller people...

On the Brooklyn side of the bridge I walked around a bit, walked down by the water, under the bridge.  I found the big park that I've seen in movies, that I couldn't quite find before, with a great view of lower Manhattan.  It was cool down there.  I got a few photos of the sunset reflecting off the Empire State Building in the distance, as well as some of lower Manhattan.  Definitely nice down there.

But it was getting chillier with a breeze, probably from being right by the river.  I didn't quite know how to get home from there, other than a general south-east direction, but not which streets go through and which don't.  I partially retraced my steps to get up near the Brooklyn Bridge close to where I left it for the ground.

Then there was a park I recognized from the last time I was in that area, so I went through there.  The other side of it has big businesses and government buildings, courthouses, Brooklyn Borough Hall, a university and things.

At the edge of the park, when it was getting dark and there was hardly anyone there I ran into a couple who were lost.  They asked me if I knew where the nearest subway station was.  I said I knew it was in the park, but when I used it before I entered the park from a different place.  But I whipped out my iPhone with its map, located where we were with the GPS and from there I showed them where the subway station was.

A few blocks and I figured out where I was and remembered how to get home from there.  I walked through the Fulton Mall district, full of retail shops closing up for the night, and then to Flatbush Avenue and down there till it crossed 4th Avenue, where I headed up a couple of blocks then up to 5th Avenue all the way to my apartment.

Whew, quite a walk.  But it was fun.  There's some places I definitely want to go back with a different camera lens...


--------------------------------
Sunday

Well, today was shorter...  After Leena and I got off the phone and I  showered, I got dressed and headed on out.  I didn't really have much of a plan...

So, I got on the R train near my apartment.  At Atlantic Avenue - Pacific Street there was a D express train across the platform, so I hopped over to that, knowing it would go over the bridge instead of the tunnels.

I kept imagining it would stop at Canal Street, despite knowing that the D doesn't, it's the N that does. When it got across the river and stopped at Grand Street, I got off there, since I'd never used that station before.

Grand Street was near Chinatown, not far from where I'd been yesterday and pretty close to Canal Street, and most of the shop signs had Chinese writing, the smell of Chinese food wafted all around, and a city street sign had an arrow pointing away from it all and said "Chinatown". I walked around some of the less crowded streets around there a little, took some photos.  The lens I carried wasn't good for some of the things I wanted to photograph, but then none of them does it all...

I walked north on some street I'd never been on before, and through Little Italy, which had some interesting looking restaurants and shops.  Mostly I tried to stay on the shadier sides of the streets because the sun was blazing hot out.  Eventually I crossed over into the East Village, where I've been quite a few times.

As I got closer to 12th Avenue I decided to stop in at Shima for some sushi and worked my way over there. There were hardly any customers and I got a nice table by the window.  This time the waitress actually recognized me and remembered that I wanted a window table last time.  The sushi was great, as usual.

Back out on the street I walked up to 14th Street and to Union Square.  In Union Square I caught the crowds from the Asian American and Pacific Islander Culture Festival going on.  There was some Thai sort of performance going on in one part of the square, and a big stage set up at the back of the square.  People handed out pamphlets related to it so I got one of those.  I watched some of the performance, but couldn't really get close enough through the crowds to see more than a glimpse.

The Andy Monument -
for Andy Warhol...

From there I walked up towards Madison Square Park, which is about eight blocks up Broadway.  Just before the park I took some photos of the Empire State Building and crowds and then my camera's memory card ran out of space and the camera shut down.  Actually, in the nearly four years I've been using that camera this is the first time I've filled the card...

When that happened I turned around, went back to Union Square, watched the performance a little more then got on the subway to head back to Brooklyn.

Back in the apartment I offloaded the last few weeks' photos from the camera and started a load of laundry and that's that...

Night Time in 8th Street Apartment...

This is what my apartment looks like at night when the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses across the street has their outside lights on.  The lights are evenly spaced, so the window frames cast dramatic shadows inside.  It completely changes the shape of the room, making the ceiling feel sloped.

The End is Nigh!

Whew, finally...  I think I have just one more load of moving and I'm done.

I picked what was probably the most disorganized and inefficient way of moving from one apartment to another.  I schlepped a backpack and a tote bag of stuff on the subway, over and over and over...  A few times I left the tote bag and carried a box or a suitcase, when those had to be moved, but otherwise, nearly everything came in those two bags...

I knew at the start that I wasn't going to be organized enough to actually pack and have everything ready to be moved in one shot, or even a couple, despite a friend offering to drive down to New York City and help me (it wouldn't be fair to her to drive down and me not have anything ready...)

So, when I got the keys to the new apartment I started with what items I would need to spend a first night in the new apartment.  The next day I prioritized based on what I would need to spend a first work night in the apartment and get to work in the morning.  Then I had a surprise and had to change some priorities because the new apartment had no hot water at the time...

All subsequent weekends this month I've simply taken the subway back and forth between the two apartments.  Carrying the empty backpack and tote bag one way, full the other...  Fortunately both apartments are pretty close to stations on the R line.

The hardest part of each trip is getting out with full bags at the 9th Street station in Park Slope.  I have to walk up the stairs, then it's uphill for an avenue block, when I'm already winded...

Today I hired some movers to help with the furniture, the dining table, four chairs and bookcase, which were too much for me to haul on my own.  I suppose I could've taken the chairs and bookcase, one-by-one on the subway, but I decided not to.


Late in the morning I looked up movers on Craigslist to see what options there were.  I found one that had a reputable looking website where they also listed prices, so I called them.  It was $75 an hour for two guys with a van, which seemed reasonable.  That was the cheapest option listed that included transportation, others involved labor but no transportation, which was exactly the problem I have doing it myself...

I called them and the guy said to email him all the details and he'd call me back.  So, I did that, emailed the two addresses, the quantity of stuff to be moved, and that I'd like to get a ride with the movers.  A few minutes later he called and said they'd be there at the old apartment at 2:30pm and I confirmed the price with him.

Then I headed to the old apartment.  There's not so much left to pack at this point, but still garbage to throw out.  I didn't realize how many plastic bags I've accumulated in just six months.  Lots and lots!  I brought a pocket knife with me so I could cut the tape on various shipping boxes that were lying around so I could flatten those out.

I also left my Visa card and most of my cash in the new apartment, since I expected to get a ride with some strangers and didn't want to risk them stealing too much if it turned out to be a scam to get me alone and rob me.  Craigslist has a bad reputation for crooks using it to set up meetings with people who'll have cash, though I think that applies more to people offering stuff for sale for nontrivial amounts to get prospective buyers to meet them, carrying cash (e.g. I could use it to advertise a $1,000 computer and expect a prospective buyer to meet me somewhere with $1,000 cash, so I could then beat them up and steal the money) than it applies to services (one recommendation I read is if you want to buy something via Craigslist, arrange to meet the seller at a police station, if they're legitimate they won't have a problem with that...)

Around 2:10pm they called and said they'd be there at 2:30pm.  I continued doing my stuff and around 2:30pm I was taking a load of trash out when I saw a black, windowless van pull up and stop in front of the apartment.  A couple of minutes later they called and I asked if that was them in the black van and they confirmed, then one of them got out and introduced himself as Danny, and said the other was Tyrone.

Tyrone stayed with the van while I went up with Danny and we moved the chairs and bookcase down to the van.  Then I stayed with the van while they went up and got the table, the largest, heaviest item.

Once loaded in the van Danny sat in the back on the floor while Tyrone got in the driver's seat and I sat in the passenger seat.  Tyrone set the GPS thing to give directions, which gave weird ones that would work, but involved quite a few extra turns, so he just followed mine.

In front of the new apartment I put down the door stops so we could load all the stuff into the lobby, then Tyrone stayed with the van while me and Danny got things in the elevator and up into my apartment.  I didn't really want just the two of them in my apartment without me, so that's why I did half the work...

Once finished I paid Tyrone $75 since it took almost an hour from when they arrived till we finished.

I made another trip down to the old apartment and filled the bags, then realized, that there's not two bags worth of stuff left!  Whoo hooo!

But I'll use both, anyway, I think I'll haul the robot down tomorrow and let it run wild a bit.  It should like the wide open, empty apartment.


So, after I do the last load, I'll write a letter to my former landlords, stick the keys in an envelope and slip it under their door.

AND THE SUBSEQUENT WEEKENDS ARE MINE AGAIN!

What is computer programming?

Recently on Slashdot I read a comment about a new Microsoft programming environment, TouchStudio, for the Windows Phone 7 that allows programmers to write programs on the phone to run on the phone.  Another commenter wrote:

So, it appears to be not true programming but just script manipulation.

Well, that brought up something that I've heard a lot, especially as a professional FileMaker Pro application developer...  What is programming?

Other developers working in FileMaker Pro used to say that it wasn't programming, but just "scripting" or things (often with some concerns over how it would look on their resume and what negative effect it would have on future career options).  Sure, with FileMaker Pro we didn't sit down with a text editor and write code to compile or interpret, it had a lot of point -n- click, choose items from a list, etc. to create a script.  And FileMaker Pro used the term "script" for code written in it.

But I don't agree that it isn't programming.

To me, computer programming is simply about instructing the computer what to do later.

Later is any time after the instructions are created, whether it's a one-time fix for something, or a piece of code that'll run a thousand times a second for a few years or an event handler to deal with users clicking an OK button somewhere or a scheduled task for every day at 3pm.

The way I see it, whether it's assembly language, BASIC with line numbers,  C, Java, SQL, JavaScript, FileMaker Pro, LabVIEW, Access, Python, Ruby, Logo and a virtually unlimited list of others (and I could grudgingly add VisualBasic...) if you're using it to tell the computer what to do sometime after you've given the instructions, it's computer programming...

Blessed be those who speak to inanimate objects...

...For they shall be computer programmers.

From a sign on my uncle's old office in the math department of Whittier College in 70's...

House Cleaning is Hell

I'm not known for my love of doing house cleaning...  In fact, probably just the opposite...  The apartment I lived in Beaverton, Oregon in the 90's I don't think I ever thoroughly cleaned in the seven years I lived in it.  The only thing I like to clean are the dishes...

It's not that I don't appreciate a clean house.  I mean, I like how Leena keeps the apartment all nice and clean and puts such a tremendous effort into either doing it herself or managing the servant through it, or a combination of both.  Especially in Pune where the amount of dust blowing in is simply incredible and most of the tools are sub-par.  And I've always enjoyed visiting my Aunt Lenore in Florida where I can walk around her apartment in bare feet without them getting filthy (my parents' house misses this qualification not because of dirt, but because the Oregon coast weather means always wearing socks in the house...)

But rather, it's just that I don't find the act of cleaning to be worth the time, effort and energy.  I work my butt off at the office, and while I earn a decent living, I pay a heavy price in terms of time, so when I have free time, there's so many other, far more rewarding ways to spend the time: reading, writing, web surfing, programming, playing computer games, exploring the city, baking, eating, watching a movie, sleeping, laying back and staring at the ceiling...

And it's worse because I'm not very good at it.  Or is that an understatement?  I suck at house cleaning.  Sure, I possess the knowledge of how to do it, but it seems like after I sweep a floor there's still dirt everywhere, if I wash a bathroom there's still dirty water streaked all over the place.  So on top of the miserable work, there's the end result that just makes me feel angry, frustrated, like I'm totally incompetent and I wasted my time.

To top it off, whenever I sweep I usually end up getting a sore throat and a cold that lasts for a week or two of sneezing, sniffling and coughing afterwards, while using cleaning chemicals gives me headaches and makes me nauseas...   And the noise of the vacuum cleaner causes pain to shoot through my ears...

I'll go out of my way to avoid making messes, but over time it does accumulate...  And I just don't find it worth it to deal with it...

Anyway...

I for one welcome our new robotic vacuum cleaner overlords...

I've had this now for a bit less than a week...  It's less noisy than most vacuums, which is good, and best of all I can just start it and step out...

Perfect?  No...  As one friend pointed out, he bought one six years ago and hopes they've improved its algorithms since then.  But even if they haven't it still probably cleans better than I will over the course of six years...  

First Weekend Of Moving

The afternoon view from my new
apartment...  Looking north.

Well, it's Sunday night, and this ends the first weekend of moving to my new apartment...

Some ups, some downs...  Some stuff that's cool and some that isn't...

I started off yesterday morning with the goal of bringing over enough stuff that I could spend last night in the new apartment and get up this morning for breakfast and a shower and all that.  That was how I prioritized what's gotta go.

I used my biggest Oakley backpack and a tote bag.  Most of the trips I tried to pack the heaviest things in the backpack, since it's easier to carry with weight, and bulky, but lighter stuff in the tote bag.  And for the most part that worked quite well.

The hardest part of each trip was getting up the subway steps at 9th Street and then walking uphill on 9th Street to 5th Avenue.  After the stairs, the uphill was killer.  If the light was red, I'd get a short moment to stop and catch my breath at the corner of 9th Street and 5th Avenue.  And once there, the remaining walk wasn't far.  At least the new building has an elevator.  I may not always use it, but for carrying stuff, it's useful.

After I stopped for lunch yesterday, though, I started to get diarrhea.  I'm not sure it was lunch, or if that was just a catalyst.  I'd eaten Indian food from a street vendor on Friday night in Manhattan, so maybe that could've been what was truly not agreeing with me.  I don't know.

But after the first round of diarrhea in the new apartment, I found out something not so hot...  There's no hot water...  The water heater is simply not working...  Uh oh...

Around 11pm, at the end of my last trip, I ran into the building superintendent in the lobby and told him "garam pani nehi" which he didn't understand, so then I thought more about it and switched to the appropriate Spanish, though possibly not grammatically correct, "no agua caliente".

He came up and checked it out, then called someone on his cell phone and spoke in rapid fire Spanish, then handed the phone to me.  It was Jones, whoever Jones is, and he said he'd try to get a mechanic to come today to look at it.  I told him I'd be in and out, and might not be accessible on my cell when I'm in the subway, so he said "then we can do it on Monday."  I told him better to do it Sunday, so I can get a hot shower before work on Monday morning.

One thing I discovered at night was there's no light in the bedroom.  There's a switch, but no light fixtures anywhere...  I hadn't noticed that before...  I guess I'll have to pick up a floor lamp of some kind. The switch is probably for one of the outlets.  The living room is the same way, no lights, although it's a single room with the dining area, where there is one.  On the other hand, I like dark and walking around the apartment in the dark.

I slept in the new place on an inflatable mattress that wasn't very comfortable, but I was exhausted...

In the morning I got up early enough and figured I'd dash over to the old place for a shower and the first trip before my morning call with Leena.

That worked.  For the call I sat on the window sill of the new apartment, watching the view out the window.  It's also the place with the least echo in the empty room...

Then I got on the phone to switch over the electricity to my name, followed by the gas.  Only the gas company wasn't doing that on Sundays.  I got through, followed all their voice menus and everything only to get a live person who said I'd have to call back tomorrow.

Then I called the one contact I have for the new apartment and he said the cold water was because I hadn't yet switched the gas to my name, so the gas company locked it.  A reasonable explanation, though I wish he'd have told me in advance.  And it doesn't explain why the stove has gas.

So, my next trip I figured I'd bring back my biggest cookpot.  That way tomorrow morning I can use one of the skills I picked up in India.  I'll heat a pot of water on the stove and use a cup to shower with warm water in the bathtub.  I've done it before, lots of times, so I can do it...

I took a lunch break and walked around Park Slope looking for something to eat.  Some places look good, but on a sunny Sunday afternoon in a trendy neighborhood they were all crowded, with people waiting outside for tables.  I ended up back at a sushi place I'd been to before and had a tasty tuna platter.

Then after another trip I simply fell asleep on the bed for an hour and a half in the new apartment.

Now it's about bedtime...

A March Saturday Wandering Manhattan

The full album of photos is on my Picasa page...

After Lenea and I got off the phone I used the washroom, took a shower and then got dressed and prepared to head out.  I figured I'd carry my most extreme opposite lenses for the camera and see what I'd see...  It didn't seem too cold, so I wore layers with my worn-out green sweatshirt and the "new" green sweater with the massive hole in the back (which would be covered by my backpack all day).

I only had two goals for the day.  First, get sushi in the East Village...  Second, get some photos of a synagogue on the Upper East Side.

Leaving the apartment I walked up to 59th Street so I could catch the N express train, instead of the R local at my local stop at 53rd Street.  The 59th Street platform was more crowded than usual.  Just as the R was pulling into the station there was an announcement about the N train, but then the R made so much noise it drowned out the loudspeakers.  After the R left, the announcer repeated it, saying that "due to a stalled train at Stillwell Avenue, N service is temporarily suspended.  All Manhattan bound passengers should take the R train."  Fortunately, a couple of minutes after that announcement an N train rolled in...

It also turned out to be about the most crowded I've seen the N train on a weekend afternoon.  It was packed.  I squeezed in, though.  My nose was slightly stuffed up from the migraine (a normal effect of the migraines) but several people complained about the smell in the train and walked through the doors to the next car to get away from it, though I didn't particularly smell anything.  I mean, it wasn't like fresh, outside air, it smelled like the subway...  After people moved out I saw there was a dirty, filthy homeless looking guy with his bags of "stuff" on one of the benches not far away, so maybe that's what they were complaining about.

Unfortunately this N train wasn't on the right track to see the light artwork in the tunnel in Brooklyn.  I still haven't figured out exactly which train to be on to see it consistently.  Mostly I think I've seen it when the N is running local in Brooklyn, but that's unusual during the day.  The R definitely doesn't go by it.  Maybe the Q?  I might have to try switching to a Manhattan bound Q in Atlantic Avenue and see.

In Manhattan I got off the train at 8th Street - NYU in the East Village and walked a bit of a zig-zag path up four blocks and over a few avenues to 2nd, where I stopped in at Shima for a sushi lunch.  It was good, as it always has been on my trips there.

Once I'd paid and left I went out and walked up to 15th Street, then turned to head over to Union Square, figuring I'd catch a subway train up towards Grand Central or somewhere, still unsure what I really wanted to do with the day.

On the way over to Union Square I was near a scruffy looking, somewhat older guy who was ranting and raving quite loud, to no one I could see.  "What the fuck was she thinking?" and "Fuck her, she wouldn't give me $5 to get home...  What the fuck was she thinking?" and variations on those two themes over and over...  I happened to glance at him, mostly curious because when I'd first seen him I didn't notice a phone headset wire, and he noticed, then patted me on the shoulder and said "hey, sorry about the language, man."  I never said anything to him but "yeah" and "hmm..." and "ahh" while I listened to him tell me parts of story.  Someone, I guess, was supposed to give him cash for subway fare to get home or something.  He went on, hoping he wouldn't have to beg in Union Square for it, but prepared in case he'd have to, and how he believes "what goes around comes around" and "it's not always about money, you know, I help someone move, but when I ask a favor they always seem unhappy I've turned up..."

Once we got to Union Square he dashed across the street while I waited for a light and went our separate ways.

It looks like the farmers market in Union Square has started up again.  It wasn't quite as packed as I've seen it before, but it was there from when I first arrived in NYC in September, all through the winter, until the weekend I took my parents to see it in February, then it wasn't there till this weekend...  Some good looking items, honey, breads and things, I'll have to try some stuff out when I get moved...

At Union Square I couldn't squeeze into a 6 train because it was so crowded, but then got the next 4 or 5 (I forgot which) and took that uptown to Grand Central Terminal.  Always a good place to stop and use the bathroom...  I also looked at the subway map for some inspiration on where to go, but couldn't decide.

So, I went out of the station and walked up along the west side of it.  It was bright and sunny, with sunshine gleaming off the skyscrapers all around, so I took out my camera and took a bunch of photos as I walked around.  I was using my 11-16mm wide angle lens, which often results in overly dark pictures in the daytime, but it was so sunny I couldn't see the display on the back of the camera to see what the photos looked like, or which direction to adjust the settings, so I hope they came out (haven't offloaded them from the camera yet...).

I worked my way up Lexington, Park and 3rd Avenues from 42nd Street to 58th Street.  I stopped to take some photos of the synagogue I had in mind at 55th Street, but from what I could tell on the camera I didn't get any good shots.  The sky was bright, but the face of the building was in shadow, so it was really dark, with the sky too bright, and trying to lighten the building ended up with way, way too bright sky...  Oh well...

At 58th Street I wasn't sure if I should continue up, or go somewhere else.  So, I stopped to look at Leena's Amazon wish list for that Bluetooth headset, figuring that with the Apple Store a few blocks away, between 58th and 59th Streets, I'd pop in and see if they had it.

On the way I passed the ING Direct bank branch.  It didn't look much like a bank, actually, except that it was all orange inside with ING signs, their lion logo and bank sorts of product ads on the walls.  It was two stories tall, all windows, with a cafe inside and people sitting on orange chairs at orange tables drinking coffee.  Unless those were actually the bankers' desks?

When I came up on the back of the Apple Store I got a look at the line going in...  There was a steady stream of people backed up about twenty feet from the entrance, with the line snaking inside and down the spiral stairs that go around the glass elevator.  I decided not to go in, too much of a line...  Then I remembered there's another Apple store a few blocks away on Broadway, at 67th Street (well, "a few blocks by my walking") so instead of waiting two minutes to get into this store, I walked about twenty-five or thirty to the other store...

Across from the Apple Store, at Grand Army Plaza (not to be confused with the one in Brooklyn, which is my Friday "crossroads" decision time, to go to the apartment or anywhere else) I joined a throng of spectators watching a dance troupe performing on the sidewalk for a few minutes.  Some of them were fun, but then one dorky guy took his solo and I couldn't understand what he was doing, but whatever it was, it wasn't interesting to watch, so I left.

It was crossing the street there that I got hit by the blast of cold, cold wind that pretty much continued all the rest of the afternoon and evening.  East of Central Park was merely chilly, but from the park on westward was downright cold.  I should've worn a warmer jacket...

The other Apple Store didn't have any of those Bluetooth headsets at all...  But I did take some notes on other products I'm thinking about, a couple of video devices for the Mac so I can probably view video from other things.  I was thinking about getting an XBox 360 or Wii, but didn't want to buy a TV just for that, so if I can hook it to the Mac, that'd work...  This store has lots of tables of Macs with store workers giving shoppers lessons at almost every one of them how to use some of the software on them.  I was listening to one guy teach some people how to do some image manipulation.

Back on the street again, I worked my way in another zig zag path over to Central Park.  I walked down Central Park West, along the outside of the park, taking some photos of the inside of the park and people on the sidewalk.  Around there I swapped lenses from the wide angle to the 100-300mm zoom, the longest, narrowest one...

At the bottom of the park I stopped and enjoyed the sunshine at Columbus Circles, which had a bit less wind than the rest of the west side of Manhattan.  I saw some of the first flowers of spring there.  I got startled by one guy who came up behind me while I was paying attention to the camera viewfinder, and asked "do you want a ride in the park?".  I think he was a cycle-rickshaw driver, since there didn't seem to be any horse carriages waiting around there...

I walked around Columbus Circle, taking photos of buildings and statues shining bright in the afternoon sunshine.  There's one that's all covered in gold that practically glowed in the sunshine.

From there I walked down 9th Avenue a few blocks, taking photos where I saw any interesting architectural things, mostly juxtapositions of old buildings and new buildings in the background, or details on old buildings that appealed to me.  Neither of the lenses I carried were well suited to that, though...  Lots of things were well lit up by the west-ward moving sun.

And then I wound up at Times Square again...  Naturally I made my way up to the red steps at the north end...  While standing up there a few different pairs of people gave me their cameras to take their photos, all wanting the hordes of people below in the square as the background.  This is the first time anyone's ever handed me a fancy digital SLR, though, to take their photo...  Maybe they were confident I wouldn't steal it because I had my own, with an impressive looking lens, around my own neck...

When my hands got cold and numb from holding cameras in the biting wind I took off.  I walked over to the Port Authority Bus Terminal to use the bathroom.  While deciding what to do next, I figured I might as well go try the Thai grilled chicken salad at the New York Burger Co. that I've been curious about for a couple of months.  So, I grabbed the E train at the Port Authority Bus Terminal and got off at 23rd Street, and walked to 10th Avenue.

The guy at the order counter of the restaurant greeted me just like he knew me, a little too familiar than appropriate, so I was confused as to whether I should know him or not, because I certainly didn't recognize him, and I'd only been to this one once before (there's another one of them at 21st Street and 6th Avenue, where I've been twice).  This meal was disappointing.  I've had better Thai chicken salads before.  I think maybe I'l stick to burgers when I go to these places...

Since I was close to the High Line, it seemed like a good idea to go there.  And it was, except it was really cold up there.  But I enjoyed some photography from there, even if it was too cold and windy to sit down and relax (then again, if it hadn't been, all the places to sit would've been taken).  There were lots of other photographers up there, too...  I think I got a couple of good shots of the sun setting behind New Jersey.

After it got dark I was walking up 14th Street towards Union Square to get a train home, when I got a whim to go see Prince Street after dark, so I hopped on an A train at a closer station and went down there.  It was fun walking around there for a bit, but cold...

Walking along I was listening to some young women very closely behind me talking.  They mentioned how the English language is changing, how they don't like some of the changes, and agree with some of their professors from when they were in college.

I was just about turn around and tell them how I've spent ten years overseas in a country where nearly all who speak English speak it as a second (or third) language, and while I've heard some speak it perfectly, mostly I've heard it butchered beyond belief…  But as I was about to turn, one of them abruptly changed the conversation, "hey, I need to buy a pair of black tights…"

I listened to them talk of that until I came upon the Oakley store, where I wanted to check out backpacks, so I popped in.  There was one I asked to see and the clerk took it down for me then went back to doing some work at the checkout counter.  I nearly bought it, but kept standing at the checkout counter and no one there even glanced at me to say "just a moment."  Once the impatience set in, I decided I really didn't need it, left it on the counter and walked out.  I really didn't need it, so fortunately their rudeness overrode my impulsiveness and saved me some money.

I caught an N train at Prince Street as soon as I got into the station and came home...  It was relatively late for me and I didn't get home till close to 8:30pm...

The Universe is Listening

I just had a weird coincidence yesterday...  But not the first of its kind...

On New Year's Eve I walked most of the way home from Times Square to Sunset Park after midnight.  Partway through Brooklyn I passed a big sign advertising BAM and listing what appeared to me to be names of performances.  The name, BAM, intrigued me, of course.

Then that following Monday I got a pamphlet in the mail with a calendar of performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.  BAM.  There it was.  Same logo...  BAM!

Is that weird or what?

Then this past Saturday on my wanderings about Manhattan (I'm still editing the travelogue, not posted yet...) I was near Columbus Circle and happened to see some interesting stuff at the entrance to the Museum of Arts & Design.  While not in the mood for being inside at the time, I made a mental note to check out that museum as it looked like the sort of place I'd enjoy.

Yesterday I got home from work and in the mailbox was an invitation to an open house at the Museum of Arts & Design.  A weird coincidence for sure!

I suppose both of them got my name and address from the mailing list at the Museum of Modern Art, which I joined last year.  Still, the first mail from each came on the first working day after I saw them...

As one of my friends commented about this, "the universe is listening."

My Hair is Getting Longer!

Now that I've been in New York City on my own for over six months, my hair is starting to get a bit long...  If anyone asks, I'm not really growing it, it's just doing that on its own without much intervention from me (beyond eating regularly...).

Me in early October 2010,
a few weeks after
getting to New York City

Getting my hair cut and maintaining it just isn't something that's very interesting or important to me, and frankly, salons and barber shops stink of noxious chemicals that I find really unpleasant.  It never really has been and the only times I've ever gotten it cut regularly are when other people push me to bother...

It was kind of fun in Pune the first year or so, going to Sheela's Beauty Parlor in Sagar Arcade with my buddies to all get our hair cut, and sitting and talking while each of us had our turn.

But then Leena and I started dating and she wanted my hair kept short.  Fortunately she pretty much took care of all the arrangements.  She made the appointments with the barber, who's shop is on the same block as her family's house, so it was convenient when we went there for lunch every weekend.  She took care of getting a servant to run over to see when the barber was free and could take me.  She took care of telling him how she wanted my hair cut.

All I had to do was go and sit in the chair while he worked, then go back to Leena's family's house with him for her approval on the haircut (with occasional trips back to his shop for a quick fix...)  And pay him the cash I already counted out and had ready (including a 100% tip).

Me in late March 2011
with my hair getting
longer and quite windblown...

But now that I'm on my own for a while, I just can't be bothered with finding a respectable looking barber shop, that'll still probably smell of chemicals, trying to tell a barber what to do with my hair, when I don't know the terminology ("um, just like it was before?") and wondering what's the appropriate tip and all that.  And why?  So I can do it again in a month?

And besides, I think a bit longer some of the brown hair overlaps and covers up some of the gray, but when it's short, the gray has nowhere to hide...

Not Reading

For the last couple of decades I've read and read and read, with most of my free time being spent with books.  Typically I read 50-100 books a year.  I get up in the morning and read while I eat breakfast, read while I use the bathroom, read while I brush my teeth...  In the evenings I read while I eat dinner, read on the couch for a bit, read while I brush my teeth, and so on...

But since coming to New York City in September last year, I've hardly read any books at all.  It's very strange to me, but I've thought about it and I guess it's a couple of things.

I haven't bought any comfortable furniture to read in.  There's the less than comfortable, cheap Ikea dining chairs, or the floor.  From the floor, though, there's no good lighting that'll come from behind to read, only overhead.  The lighting can be solved by using the iPad for reading, instead of a dead tree book...

When I have free time on the weekends, I just want to get out of the apartment, walk around and explore the city.  After ten years in India where I found getting out and walking to be uncomfortable (traffic, lack of sidewalks, noise, pollution, heat, feral dogs, etc.) now that I'm in a city where I'm comfortable walking, I don't want to spend as much time inside.

In the evenings, I don't feel like I have much time, and what I do I spend writing to Leena and reading friends' things on Facebook, and maybe a bit of light stuff on the web, like Slashdot.  But it's very quickly bedtime.

About the only time I'm really reading any books is when I'm in the bathroom...  And that's the most comfortable furniture, too...

When will I read again?  Maybe when it gets too hot to be outside in the summer.  Or when the newness of New York City wears off a bit.  And when I get a nice comfy chair or couch...

The Dilemma

Now that I'm moving to an apartment about an hour walk from the office, and plan to walk on a daily basis (unless I buy a bicycle, but that's a topic for another, future post), I'm not sure what to do...

So far I've been buying monthly, unlimited use subway passes, which recently went up to $104.  When I take the subway to and from work every day, except most Fridays when I walk home from work, and take the subway into and out of Manhattan almost every Saturday and Sunday, it's worth it.  I know I'm getting my money's worth out of each one.

MTA card, with my handwritten
activation date so I remember
when to buy a new one...

But I'm planning to walk to and from the office, which cuts out about 40 subway trips per month, that's is the bulk of the usage.  And in pure financial terms, the $104 will no longer be worth it.

However, there's the non-financial aspect...

Part of the ease of getting around is that I have an unlimited use card.  I don't have to think twice about heading into the subway to go anywhere, it's already paid for, and using it ten times won't cost me more than using it once.

I know that if I had one that wasn't unlimited I would weigh every decision to go somewhere.  For instance, if I was thinking of going to a restaurant for some meal I felt like, I'd calculate the extra $3 each way as part of the price and probably not go.  Or, if I was walking around somewhere and got the whim to go somewhere else, like in Manhattan but then wanted to see the Gantry Plaza Park across the river in Queens, I'd think that even a short, one station subway ride would suddenly cost me $6 and not go

I can imagine that if I didn't spend the extra money on an unlimited use card, I'd spend more time sitting in the apartment, wishing I could go out, but being too stingy to spend the lesser amount on subway fare.

For "quality of life" it's probably worth it, to me at least, for the more expensive, unlimited rides per month card, even if I don't use the full dollar value in rides.