So, we leave early to avoid the queues caused by the PCS strike, walk into Term 4, pretty empty, check-in, no-one there, walk straight up to passport control and zoom through the baggage scan. Mmm, what to do for 3 hours?? That bit was easy, but getting on the plane proved more difficult with no regard for the queuing tradition, and a one hour delay. Anyway, Kuwait Air was not up to much. No booze (should have thought of that before) and only what appeared to be middle eastern TV dramas. I try not to drink on flights anyway, cause I end up feeling like M. Creosote, with sausages for fingers and chipolatas for toes. My monitor wasn't working and Teresa's headphones only produced static. Can't wait for the return flight. Still, JFK was a breeze as well (what's going on?) and soon a cab was dropping us off outside the apartment. Struggled up four flights of stairs of an ancient building, with attractive brown and magnolia decor, (lungs bursting now) and entered our mini domain.
It is small, but brilliantly located. We seem to be right on the cusp of Greenwich Village, SoHo and West Village. I love these acronyms?? for the districts. SoHo is South of Houston Street. Tribeca is the Triangle Below Canal, Nolita is North of Little Italy, and one I hadn't heard before is DUMBO, Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Brilliant! We have walked in all the three districts now, despite the heat and humidity. The parks are a godsend, especially Washington Square which is fairly large and nicely shaded, being surrounded by the massive academic and social buildings of NYU and having loads of trees and benches to chill out on. Great for man and dog watching. Noticed loads of dogs here. Not sure how Ralph wool cope with city life. Always on a lead no rabbits.......
Day 2 or is it 3?
Although Greenwich Village is pretty and tree lined, it is not what we would call a city village as it is intersected by the massive Avenues, which take about 3 minutes to cross. But it does have a village/community feel with lots of sidewalk cafes and bars. We found a nice pub first time out, The Half Pint, good selection of craft and other beers. Sierra Nevada Summerfest was my favorite and Teresa managed to neck several Brooklyn Summer ales too. We popped into the small market downstairs on our first night for essential supplies (you know what I'm talking about) and bought the most disgusting pint of milk ever. It tasted like across between UHT and vanilla yoghourt. We thought that the lack of decent fare was going to be a problem for the self catering aspect, but just around the corner from the pub is " The Best Supermarket in the World!". Morton Williams - "The Fresh Marketplace". Wow, everything was fresh and they sell the same Castelvetrano olives you can get in Jamie's Italian. Food to go included roast beef, gravy and mash, moussaka, pasta dishes, rice dishes, fish dishes and meatloaf!. So no cooking for me this holiday, its either eat out or self serve ready cooked meals.
We headed off in the direction of the West Village along Bleecker Street. Bleecker seems to have everything going for it. Lively, bohemian and classy. The further north you go the classier the shops become (Marc Jacobs, von Furstenberg). We were heading for the High Line, a new park opened last year which has been developed out of the disused overhead railway line that used to serve the meat packing industry. Its a brilliant idea and beautifully carried out. The original railway was raised above street level in the 1930's to ease the carnage of freight trains, horses carts and pedestrians competing for the same space. In the 60's chunks were removed and the trains finally stopped running in the 80's. Local residents saved the line from further destruction and developed it into this long sinuous walkway with lawns, trees, benches and fantastic plantings of grasses and plants. The views of the Hudson and down onto 10th Ave. are great, but it is the calm feel of the High Line itself, a garden in the sky, that really makes it stand out. We walked as far as Chelsea and the Meatpacking District. Walking back on terra firma we passed the Empire Diner (will check that out later) and eventually back through East Village and into Washington Square again. 3 piece Jazz band playing in one corner (bit too free form for me) and a group of youngsters (mostly percussion and a sax and guitar) at the other end. Loads of people compared to the other day. Lots of Street Fairs today (Independence Day Weekend). Streets blocked of by NYPD cars. You can buy lots of junk food, hats or have a back massage (thats all - nothing else). No internet since Friday night - bummer. Cutting and pasting this when we get back on line.
Walked into SoHo in the evening. Big shops, fantastic cast iron architecture, and very arty. Nice feel if you want to clothes shop or buy some art. Stopped at Fanelli's for a brew and a burger ( drew the line at a BIson Burger, but may be tempted next week). Teresa has turned into some "mad cannibal woman", her words, she bought a pack of salami yesterday and is nuts over the burger (lots of grease running through your fingers, yum). Checked out the local cinema, Woody Allen new film Midnight In Paris is playing. Hope to see that before long, also Ricki Lee Jones is playing in SoHo Tuesday, will try for tickets. New York - noisy,crowded, yellow cabs, sirens, hot & steamy. Love it.
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