August 26th – September 1st
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 (96th 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 72nd 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 8th 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 125th
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). 23rd 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.
