NYC - 4

September 16^th – September 22^nd 2013

Time is flying with the speed of light. Maybe even faster. We already have 4 weeks behind us, it is unbelievable. Our stay is a bit strange and has some extreme points. J.'s job is really bad – unfortunately the worst so far. Our living situation is pretty pleasant. We are very close to subway. We finally tasted the bbq restaurant that is in our building – it was very good and well balanced, nothing was incredibly great but nothing is bad or goofy. I am trying to take walks around the city (mainly Manhattan). I already saw some signs of fall. The central park is still green and beautiful, peaceful and strange. School and homework is keeping me pretty busy, unfortunately. J. came back from Michigan and had to work next three day – horrible schedule. Congratulations to J.' friends B+L to their wedding. Keep having great life together. Just in thoughts, as we were unable to travel to Netherlands, we attended the wedding of our Czech friend H (unfortunately it is officially called partnership ceremony) and her friend E. Congratulations!

The weather got more pleasant and with that our stay got nicer as well. We had to visit Costco, this time better prepared and it was just fine. I made a trip to Green Point in Brooklyn to get some bread in Polish town. I found more stores and bakeries. The first time I visited the place I got off on wrong subway stop and did not find those places. On Thursday I went with J. to the hospital and walked home – it was nice and breezy and it was pretty walk. There was much to see. People were just starting their work day – interesting. I do not understand why there are so many school buses on Manhattan Island – there is such an extensive network of public transport. Oh well … Some nice streets on Upper West Side. The city is strange, the mix of both sides (poor – rich, pretty – ugly, city – park) creates something unique.

On Saturday we took subway A to Brooklyn. There was Brooklyn Book Festival. A small walk to get there – it actually felt cold with the shadow of buildings. The festival was in the park in front of the city hall and other city buildings. Surprisingly there were hundreds and hundreds of stands in relatively small park. It took as probably two hours to get through and check most of the stands. We collected some free samples (postcards, magazines, etc.). The sun took its place on the sky and started warming the place up. We were too warm all of sudden. It was well worth it to visit. We both enjoyed it. There were plenty of leaves on the ground – sure sign of fall coming to the city. From the festival we walked to the Pier 5 on East river. Photoville was an art exhibition in transport containers. Mostly photographs. It was pretty extensive and mostly interesting. J. spent more time there than me. I was sitting on the bench overlooking the river and downtown Manhattan. What a gorgeous day. It probably could not be better. We walked along Brooklyn promenade – strange walkway on the top of freeway. Below the freeway there is a street and then river park with some construction going on. On the other side of promenade are buildings – those people have to have some serious views of Manhattan. Slowly walking we got to the Brooklyn Bridge and crossed it – there was so many people – Saturday. We continued walking to Little Italy to see the last day of some longer festival (I already visited the market part). It was interesting how the city changed: from overcrowded area of the bridge to streets and squares of municipal buildings with almost no people. We walked a block of the Italian festivities and had enough because it was so crowded. We bought some cheesecake on the way to subway and went home. Finally really nice day in the city.

Sunday. We took the car out of the garage and cross the bridge to New Jersey. Nothing in that state besides two stops to look at New York's side, some really nice views. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and looked like rain. We were lucky not to get rain on. Drive towards Bear Mountain State Park. It was very pleasant and pretty drive. The road was surrounded by woods and for about half an hour we did not really see much else then that. Drive to the top of the mountain, watch tower, windy and breezy. Great views – ugly sky. It is really unbelievable what you find about 45 minutes from Manhattan. Down in the park was October Fest (beer drinking). We went to the park, found hundreds and hundreds of teenagers ready for some sport activities. Visit to small zoo and park on the river. The same incredible views of river. West Point – visitor center and museum. Nice village, otherwise not much else. Some interesting exhibits of guns and weapons. We crossed the river and kept driving. Again, time was flying. We (by accident) drove to Cold Springs – pretty town, river, train track, shops. We spent a bit of time walking around, going down to the river park. We drove through Sleepy Hollow. It was interesting and strange landscape (whole area). Heading home, relatively easy and no problems getting into the city. Another nice day.

NYC - 3

September 9^th – September 15^th 2013

J. - work and Michigan (for a friend's wedding). Congratulations.

No camera - no pictures.

Some famous and some ordinary places in the city. Rockefeller Center. United Nations. Grand Central. Polish town (maybe not named like that but there is high concentration of Polish). Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn. Surprise: they are building luxury condos on the riverfront. Little Italy – there was some festival, probably the biggest amount of food I ever saw outside, mostly unhealthy. The park on the top of Manhattan Island – almost empty, quiet and really pretty. River, train track and nothing else to see. Almost nothing across the river either. 125^th street to 72^nd street along Hudson river, pedestrian and bike path: nice, crowded.

There is live poultry store in Harlem.

First rat in subway (72^nd street).

NYC - 2

September 2^nd – September 8^th 2013

MONDAY: Labor day, city, some walk, hot and humid, home, relax.

TUESDAY: Work. Groceries. School. Reading. Walk/run in Nicholas park.

WEDNESDAY: Work. NYC Botanical Garden in Bronx (free, grounds only). Sunny. Less humid. Really pretty, roses (we saw first ones half a year ago in California), flower gardens – pleasant for eyes. Other subway line home – saw Bronx from subway, walked along 135^th street. Grocery store. Walk/run in Nicholas park. J. had terrible day at work.

THURSDAY: Slow and easy morning, small preparation for Michigan trip for J. Strand bookstore near Union Square. Walking to another bookstore close by … really mild and sunny day, time to enjoy the city. A lot of people in here (surprise). Very small store with strange collection of books but pretty interesting for the most part. Subway and a bit more walking close to Battery park – J. was looking for something at one market but did not find it there. We found nice park area close to the tip of the island, nice views of New Jersey, Immigration museum and even the statue. Hudson river and so many blooming flowers. Subway up and over to Astoria for Czech (late) lunch. The waitress from Slovakia, it was fine food but unfortunately nothing great (that might be life). Bus home and time to relax.

FRIDAY: J. worked (better day). School and monkey business. Relatively pleasant day. The High Line Park (close to Penn Station) – stretching between 14^th and 30^th street on elevated train track. It is really cool park except all the people, it was really crowded. http://www.thehighline.org/about/maps

SATURDAY: We picked up the car from the garage and hit the road at 8.19. Trying to avoid toll bridges, we took Queensboro Bridge (the only bridge without toll from Manhattan). Bunch of traffic (felt like a lot for Saturday morning). The drive was fine, nothing spectacular to see. Very visible change from “real” city of Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn to “suburban” city of the rest (less public transport, strip malls etc.). Rockaway and Long beaches. We stopped by Breezy Point Park – walked along the beach, saw New Jersey, a lot of mess, many shells, and enjoyed the breeze and ocean. Most of the streets were closed by gates and guard – strange. There were really nice parts but overall it was a bit strange and not beautiful, unfortunately. Driving along the “beach”, many properties, subway line, boardwalk, oh so many cars parked there. Oyster Bay town – bay park (nice, boats), the town kind of strange. Planting Fields State Historic Park. http://www.plantingfields.org/ The mansion (we did not tour) and really nice grounds (greenhouses, flower beds etc.). Very pleasant. Old Westbury Gardens. http://oldwestburygardens.org/ Very similar set up, the mansion that we toured (interesting), grounds and wedding going on there. Tired. Home. Drive was fine, there was some horrible traffic in opposite direction. Toll bridge: 7.50 dollars each way. What the hell …

SUNDAY: J. worked. Nothing special.

NYC - 1

August 26^th – September 1^st 2013

It was incredibly hot and humid, mostly humid though. Very unpleasant to be outside. SATURDAY, SUNDAY. J. had the weekend off. We tried to do some walking and exploring but it was not really nice. We went to Union Square Farmer's market – pretty good, a lot of flower, a lot of artisan products, a lot of homeless, a lot of mess. We wandered the streets around and it would be interesting … the humidity was horrible though. We felt done but there was plenty of time in the day so we took a subway to Costco (there is one in Manhattan). It was very strange – parking garage for six dollars, huge building (five stories) on river (almost, there is a road). Costco was on first floor (it was nice to see “normal prices”). We were not prepared (no bags) so we had to carry the stuff in the box. Bus and subway. Day over. Washington Square, art fair, dog park, homeless, mess … even worse humidity than yesterday. Wandering around for a while until we did not feel well. J. had to get some more clothing for her job and I went home. Looking forward to nicer (normal) weather.

Another early morning with the same routine. FRIDAY. Slower morning, nothing special. We are in New York City and it is normal (well, at least for me). We got some groceries on Sunday but it was not the greatest experience. Obviously, the prices are higher here, for some stuff it is not too bad, for other it is horrible. Big can of coffee for 15 dollars. Deli meats, sausages, cheeses are extra pricey. Also, it is harder to carry the groceries back to the apartment. I made a run to CVS (96^th street). There were several other grocery stores that I was checking. Unfortunately not much luck there – one was smaller with decent prices. Another one had probably 100 different types of cheese. I guess you can buy pretty much anything you want to, it just may cost you more (or much more). Go home, unload the backpack and go down to 72^nd street. One more store, nice, packed and pricey. Trader Joe's – very similar size to its other stores (only on two levels). Pretty much the same prices and products (really nice to see that in the middle of Manhattan). And like the first time – there was line for about 8 minutes to check out. And there was probably 15 cash registers working. There are pros and cons to everything in life. Go home. Another hot and humid day. Some reading and sorting. Not much afterward.

5.30 am alarm clock's noise. J. had her first training work day starting at 7.00 am. Kind of dark outside. Nothing special really. My two classes started. I took a walk in nearby St. Nicholas park (long and narrow). Nothing special, really. J.'s sister had her third baby. THURSDAY. Subway system is really great. It is old and it shows. Crumbling walls and floors, peeling paint, dirt all over the place. Yet, the cars are running often and on time. So it is really great (at least where there is subway). Slow and easy day. I went up to the hospital to meet J. after work. Columbia hospital is huge network of buildings (covering several city blocks), connected with sky walks and actually looking like a maze. The entrance is probably three hundred yards from the subway stop. A lot of people, somewhat chaotic. Subway home, already dark.

Slow morning, J. had a computer training in the hospital (5 local subway stops, about 8 minutes). WEDNESDAY. Sorted and cleaned the rest of our stuff, put some away (after finding some space). Another hot and humid day. Finally normally looking place. We have four windows overlooking 8^th Avenue, quite messy street. There is a lot of mess on streets and sidewalks (normal neighborhoods, poorer ones). There is a subway stop about 100 yards away (pretty nice). 7 day subway (buses also included) pass costs 30 dollars. Walked across Central Park, tourists, runners, mothers with babies, homeless, bicycles, horses, pretty lively. Hot, humid and very cloudy. Few rain drops. Much nicer area, almost no garbage on streets. The subway running in the middle of Manhattan (north-south), walked along for a while (many many shops). Rain. Subway to 125^th street and walked across (east-west). Heavy rain, got home completely wet. J.'s day was fine, she saw the unit. Normal evening.

We slept in and around 10.32 am took subway to Brooklyn to visit Czech store. Store found – few things got, not as special as one would hope. Things do change over time. TUESDAY. J. did not have any training this day. Few more stops on subway to find a Czech restaurant in Astoria and have a lunch. We could not find it, hot and humid. Learned that it closed and there is a bar now (sucks). We walked for about ten minutes to another Czech/Slovak restaurant – just to find is does not open until 3.00 pm. Go home. Not much after that.

J. had her training at two locations (Midtown and Uptown) – it went fine. MONDAY. Still unpacking and sorting (someone else house make it difficult as it is furnished and decorated and full of their stuff). Sorting and cleaning documents. Visit to TIMES SQUARE (2 stops, about ten minutes on subway) – busy, full of people and a lot of construction. Hello Kitty is Mexican (I saw her speaking Spanish on Times Square). 23^rd street subway stop was extremely stinky. South Ferry stop – I saw the Statue of Liberty from the Battery Park, walked around a bit and then took subway back to Harlem. Hot and humid. Even hotter in the subway. Well, more less settled in.