We left on the bus from Frenchtown at 6:00 AM Thursday morning New York bound, this would be Jonas's first visit to New York. He had arrived a week earlier and found his way to our house without any incident, by way of bus from JFK to Port Authority to Frenchtown. he had actually gotten an earlier bus, so when I drove to Frenchtown to pick him up I found him already there talking to some people and trying to call me from their cell phone. He had been there a few hours, but not to worry, he ate some tacos.
The ride to New York was smooth, and amazingly there was no traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel, even though it was rush hour. I figured well we'll get hit in the city, but again, a cab ride to Kent's place was a breeze. I later discovered why, it was the start of Roshashanah .
Our first stop after arriving at Kent's was to get some breakfast before a hectic day of walking and site seeing. A little cafe in the East Village sufficed our hunger pangs:) Next on the agenda was planning our day around East and West Village and deciding on Broadway show or Blue Man Group. Blue Man won!
First stop was Brooklyn Bridge via a walk along the East River. By the time we got to the bridge rain was coming down but did not alter our stride walking across the bridge. After a few attempts of making pictures of ourselves we made it across, stopping a few times along the way to take in the NY skyline.
We took the subway to Soho, next stop Burton to purchase a new backpack. But not until I bought some "fine" sunglasses on the sidewalk.
I watched a woman drop $1200.00 at Burton's and was temporarily reminded of the days I would do that, and actually felt a pang of jealousy. Only to be reinforced when I almost automatically walked into Molton Brown, and started smelling their great soaps, candles etc. It brought me back to the days of working for Heidi and David. I realized their and then that even though it may seem a bit depressing not to be able to buy the finer things (at this time) I have a much richer life without, and one the more finer things in life was walking along side of me!
By the time we left Soho to walk over to Canal Street the weather had improved greatly and our weekend was to get even better. Jonas was looking for a leather jacket or fake leather as long as it was cheap(those damn Belgians are almost as bad as the Dutch ;)) I thought we would be able to find something on Canal Street, but the only things to find there, are I love NY t-shirts, and fake designer watches, bags etc. So it was off to Broadway to see if we would have better luck there.
We entered gay mecca at Top Man Clothing. It was frightening, I don't think I had ever seen so many scruffy skinny men in tight bright colored clothing in one place. It was definitely entertaining. The store came with it's usual loud music and dramatic queens scurrying around carrying cheap clothing to dressing rooms in hope of finding that ultimate nightclub outfit that would make them stand out. They are so cheaply made that I doubt it would survive a night on the town. Jonas did manage to buy a, I guess pleather would be the right word, jacket for a 120 dollars. The clothes might be manufactured cheap and poorly, but lets still rip off the customer :)
My purchases were more of the classic kind, a pair of Levis ( which I have a sneaky suspicion that they're fake) and a fleece lined hoody from Old Navy ( with no sign of their name on the outside of the garment, which I love) I later discovered once back at Kent's place that the security tag was still on the hoody. Instead of going back to the store, the toolbox came out, pliers, hammer, the insistence of wearing bright yellow goggles, and loud banging which sent Mike the dog hiding under the bed.
On our way back to Kent's we stopped at Russ and Daughters to pick up some stuff for lunch, the usual suspects, chopped liver, white fish salad, coleslaw with herring in it, German potato salad, challah bread, and some spicy olives. Except for the potato salad, Kent revolted towards the rest! I'm surprised he let me store the left overs in his fridge.
The late afternoon was spent sipping cocktails on the veranda, I say sipping because that's what Kent and I were doing........Jonas on the other hand (well lets not go there) By the time we were ready to go to Blue Man Group we were feeling mighty fine. We walked over to the theater on Astor Place, via St. Marks place, my old stomping ground. Picked up the tickets and had to go pee, of course the theater bathrooms (known as comfort stations, as we later discovered) were not available until the start of the show. We ventured over to Starbucks where the one bathroom had a line about 10 people deep. I waited patiently while Jonas decided he would have better luck finding a patch of green in the neighborhood. No sooner had he left and I went into panic mode. "what if he gets arrested, or worse, he gets mugged or stabbed!" I was envisioning the phone call I would have to make to my sister, explaining how I lost her son. My panic deepened as the line shrank. When I was next to use the bathroom I seriously contemplated giving up my much coveted spot to start a full scale search for my nephew, until I turned and saw him sitting at a table savoring the scenes around him!
Blue Man Group.....what can I say, I thought it was mildly entertaining, Jonas loved it. Our seats where first row on the Mezzanine. People sitting in first 5 rows below us put on their suggested rain capes, why I'm not sure. There was no projectile paint or anything for that matter. Turns out when talking to other people who have seen shows with original cast, it was much more interactive.......perhaps according to Kent they got sued and had to Disneyize the show :) Jonas managed to retrieve a lasting souvenir(enough said) Once back at the apartment, more cocktails surfaced and more and more. That as far as this story goes!
The amazing thing about being 20 I had forgotten is the ability to bounce back no matter what kind of abuse the body got the night before. This was very evident Friday morning when we all woke to face a new day. Us forty some year old men moved slowly to avoid running into things or passing out, while the young one was spry and agile! For that I sent him out to get coffee, paper towels, and toilet paper(since we ran out the night before.....again enough said) We had a busy day ahead of us. Uptown midtown etc.
Our first stop was the Met, Jonas wanted to see the Vermeer collection, Kent insisted we see the Arms and Armour collection, and the Afghanistan Exhibition. Vermeer was amazing, the detail and lighting used is pure unadulterated talent. I was amazed at how real everything seemed. While photography was not allowed in this exhibition, that did not stop this old man from snapping away. We heard the security guard raise his voice after each click, to no avail. Finally the old man got so irate that he walked up to the security guard and threatened to slap him! We were hoping he would, purely for entertainment factor, but after some more heated exchange of words the old man finally left the building!
Arms and Armour cool! Even though I had proclaimed the night before that I would not go see that, I'm glad I did. We milled around for a few hours and saw some Van Gogh, some Modern stuff, and then to the rooftop to get a nice view of New York Skyline, amids a cool sculpture that takes up almost the entire rooftop garden.
After getting total censor overload it was time to make our way down 5th Avenue via a quick jaunt in Central Park. Even though the avenue was filled with people the lack of shopping bags signaled that people are still not spending, this was even more evident as we walked passed Bergdorf Goodman and I noticed a sales associate handing out $20.00 gift cards. What does that buy you there, perhaps 1 sock? Fret not, retail nirvana was about to reveal itself,
As we walked passed an ominous mat black building with loud music exiting the front doors I noticed in the corner off my eye a half naked man, as if some radar had gone off, my brain said STOP!!!!!! so I did, grabbed Jonas and said, "we need to go in there" pointing at the half naked man standing in the doorway. We had arrived at the new A&F store. As if their catalog isn't homo erotic enough, now they have to tease us with live versions of those ever so perfect models. I stumbled in to the store, pretending not to stare at this godlike creature, but I'm sure my mouth was open, and perhaps even some drool running down from the corner. I slowly traversed deeper into the depths of the store, hoping to get a glimpse of more scantily clad boys smiling asking if I needed help, as if! its darkness surrounding me, the music was pounding and the throngs of people surely there for the same reason I was, pretending to shop for clothes. I barely made it out of that store alive, I tried to get a picture of the boy out front (yes you could get your pic taken with him) but as I turned on my camera, he left to, I presume go on break. It was like taking candy from a baby......
At this time, we were both ravenous, I tried to concentrate on the job at hand, finding a place for lunch, but the previous distraction made it next to impossible to think of food, at least the conventional kind. Then a familiar site presented itself, red canopy's signaled Takishimaya to me. A wonderful Japanese department store, with a great little restaurant/tearoom downstairs. It was just nice and civilized to sit in a peaceful environment and eat some good food. Perfect to come to reality after that A&F experience. I had a nice chicken salad, and Jonas had a Bento Box.
After lunch our next stop was "the rock" at Rockefeller center, alas we did not go to the top.
We both agreed that $20.00 each was a bit steep, and we did kinda get a good view while at the Rooftop Garden at the Met.
Final stop of the day was Time Square, even though I would have preferred for Jonas to have seen it at night,but I felt he appreciated it's over the top grandness :)
We made it back to the apartment around 4ish. As we stepped out of the elevator I noticed enticing aromas wafting in the corridor. Opening Kent's door intensified the smells, I noticed Kent sitting on the veranda, rather tired looking. The "old" man had been slaving over the stove all day prepping his famous buckwheat crepes. Jonas and I finished off our Russ and Daughters left overs, took a nap and got ready for the night, dinner at Janneths, with Jen, us, crepe master Kent and Michael who showed up later with bottles of whiskey and tequila in hand!
The crepes were amazing, delectable morsels of flavor exploding in my mouth, it must have been the bechamel I made;) Just kidding Kent........of course the night was not complete without copious amounts of vodka and mixtures of whiskey and tequila, of which I am proud to say did not partake in (the latter one that is) The night ended with all of us on the roof of the building to get a guided tour and history lesson by Jen of the buildings and bridges in our view, which Jonas appreciated. And then there was the statue of Lenin, yes they have a statue of him on top of the building. This led us to strike numerous poses with him while camera flashes lit up the moonless night (yeah I know way to dramatic, but I'm trying to improve my writing skills)
Sleep!
Saturday, Jonas's last day:( He was leaving at 2pm in a town car to JFK, which was so graciously arranged by Jen. Just as well, it put to ease any worries I had of him getting to the airport safely. Not that I had any doubt he would.
A few more things to accomplish on this last day. A trip to the new Hollister store, which as you can imagine, I was VERY excited about, same concept as A&F. Just read the NYT article attached.
Enough said! Took the train uptown to see Flat Iron Building, then train back downtown to Wall Street. However, the announcer came on mumbled something and next we know we are going over the bridge into Brooklyn. We got out at the next available stop, as did a number of equally confused passengers. We all stood on the platform like deer caught in the headlights waiting for a train to come and take us back. About 20 minutes later, people started walking up the stairs, and little by little we all followed without a word or question asked. It was quite surreal, we all seem to know where we were suppose to be headed, like lemmings going towards the edge of a cliff. Then we saw the sign! Uptown Manhattan.....
The ride to New York was smooth, and amazingly there was no traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel, even though it was rush hour. I figured well we'll get hit in the city, but again, a cab ride to Kent's place was a breeze. I later discovered why, it was the start of Roshashanah .
Our first stop after arriving at Kent's was to get some breakfast before a hectic day of walking and site seeing. A little cafe in the East Village sufficed our hunger pangs:) Next on the agenda was planning our day around East and West Village and deciding on Broadway show or Blue Man Group. Blue Man won!
First stop was Brooklyn Bridge via a walk along the East River. By the time we got to the bridge rain was coming down but did not alter our stride walking across the bridge. After a few attempts of making pictures of ourselves we made it across, stopping a few times along the way to take in the NY skyline.
We took the subway to Soho, next stop Burton to purchase a new backpack. But not until I bought some "fine" sunglasses on the sidewalk.I watched a woman drop $1200.00 at Burton's and was temporarily reminded of the days I would do that, and actually felt a pang of jealousy. Only to be reinforced when I almost automatically walked into Molton Brown, and started smelling their great soaps, candles etc. It brought me back to the days of working for Heidi and David. I realized their and then that even though it may seem a bit depressing not to be able to buy the finer things (at this time) I have a much richer life without, and one the more finer things in life was walking along side of me!
By the time we left Soho to walk over to Canal Street the weather had improved greatly and our weekend was to get even better. Jonas was looking for a leather jacket or fake leather as long as it was cheap(those damn Belgians are almost as bad as the Dutch ;)) I thought we would be able to find something on Canal Street, but the only things to find there, are I love NY t-shirts, and fake designer watches, bags etc. So it was off to Broadway to see if we would have better luck there.
We entered gay mecca at Top Man Clothing. It was frightening, I don't think I had ever seen so many scruffy skinny men in tight bright colored clothing in one place. It was definitely entertaining. The store came with it's usual loud music and dramatic queens scurrying around carrying cheap clothing to dressing rooms in hope of finding that ultimate nightclub outfit that would make them stand out. They are so cheaply made that I doubt it would survive a night on the town. Jonas did manage to buy a, I guess pleather would be the right word, jacket for a 120 dollars. The clothes might be manufactured cheap and poorly, but lets still rip off the customer :)
My purchases were more of the classic kind, a pair of Levis ( which I have a sneaky suspicion that they're fake) and a fleece lined hoody from Old Navy ( with no sign of their name on the outside of the garment, which I love) I later discovered once back at Kent's place that the security tag was still on the hoody. Instead of going back to the store, the toolbox came out, pliers, hammer, the insistence of wearing bright yellow goggles, and loud banging which sent Mike the dog hiding under the bed.
On our way back to Kent's we stopped at Russ and Daughters to pick up some stuff for lunch, the usual suspects, chopped liver, white fish salad, coleslaw with herring in it, German potato salad, challah bread, and some spicy olives. Except for the potato salad, Kent revolted towards the rest! I'm surprised he let me store the left overs in his fridge.
The late afternoon was spent sipping cocktails on the veranda, I say sipping because that's what Kent and I were doing........Jonas on the other hand (well lets not go there) By the time we were ready to go to Blue Man Group we were feeling mighty fine. We walked over to the theater on Astor Place, via St. Marks place, my old stomping ground. Picked up the tickets and had to go pee, of course the theater bathrooms (known as comfort stations, as we later discovered) were not available until the start of the show. We ventured over to Starbucks where the one bathroom had a line about 10 people deep. I waited patiently while Jonas decided he would have better luck finding a patch of green in the neighborhood. No sooner had he left and I went into panic mode. "what if he gets arrested, or worse, he gets mugged or stabbed!" I was envisioning the phone call I would have to make to my sister, explaining how I lost her son. My panic deepened as the line shrank. When I was next to use the bathroom I seriously contemplated giving up my much coveted spot to start a full scale search for my nephew, until I turned and saw him sitting at a table savoring the scenes around him!
Blue Man Group.....what can I say, I thought it was mildly entertaining, Jonas loved it. Our seats where first row on the Mezzanine. People sitting in first 5 rows below us put on their suggested rain capes, why I'm not sure. There was no projectile paint or anything for that matter. Turns out when talking to other people who have seen shows with original cast, it was much more interactive.......perhaps according to Kent they got sued and had to Disneyize the show :) Jonas managed to retrieve a lasting souvenir(enough said) Once back at the apartment, more cocktails surfaced and more and more. That as far as this story goes!
The amazing thing about being 20 I had forgotten is the ability to bounce back no matter what kind of abuse the body got the night before. This was very evident Friday morning when we all woke to face a new day. Us forty some year old men moved slowly to avoid running into things or passing out, while the young one was spry and agile! For that I sent him out to get coffee, paper towels, and toilet paper(since we ran out the night before.....again enough said) We had a busy day ahead of us. Uptown midtown etc.
Our first stop was the Met, Jonas wanted to see the Vermeer collection, Kent insisted we see the Arms and Armour collection, and the Afghanistan Exhibition. Vermeer was amazing, the detail and lighting used is pure unadulterated talent. I was amazed at how real everything seemed. While photography was not allowed in this exhibition, that did not stop this old man from snapping away. We heard the security guard raise his voice after each click, to no avail. Finally the old man got so irate that he walked up to the security guard and threatened to slap him! We were hoping he would, purely for entertainment factor, but after some more heated exchange of words the old man finally left the building!
Arms and Armour cool! Even though I had proclaimed the night before that I would not go see that, I'm glad I did. We milled around for a few hours and saw some Van Gogh, some Modern stuff, and then to the rooftop to get a nice view of New York Skyline, amids a cool sculpture that takes up almost the entire rooftop garden.
After getting total censor overload it was time to make our way down 5th Avenue via a quick jaunt in Central Park. Even though the avenue was filled with people the lack of shopping bags signaled that people are still not spending, this was even more evident as we walked passed Bergdorf Goodman and I noticed a sales associate handing out $20.00 gift cards. What does that buy you there, perhaps 1 sock? Fret not, retail nirvana was about to reveal itself,
As we walked passed an ominous mat black building with loud music exiting the front doors I noticed in the corner off my eye a half naked man, as if some radar had gone off, my brain said STOP!!!!!! so I did, grabbed Jonas and said, "we need to go in there" pointing at the half naked man standing in the doorway. We had arrived at the new A&F store. As if their catalog isn't homo erotic enough, now they have to tease us with live versions of those ever so perfect models. I stumbled in to the store, pretending not to stare at this godlike creature, but I'm sure my mouth was open, and perhaps even some drool running down from the corner. I slowly traversed deeper into the depths of the store, hoping to get a glimpse of more scantily clad boys smiling asking if I needed help, as if! its darkness surrounding me, the music was pounding and the throngs of people surely there for the same reason I was, pretending to shop for clothes. I barely made it out of that store alive, I tried to get a picture of the boy out front (yes you could get your pic taken with him) but as I turned on my camera, he left to, I presume go on break. It was like taking candy from a baby......
At this time, we were both ravenous, I tried to concentrate on the job at hand, finding a place for lunch, but the previous distraction made it next to impossible to think of food, at least the conventional kind. Then a familiar site presented itself, red canopy's signaled Takishimaya to me. A wonderful Japanese department store, with a great little restaurant/tearoom downstairs. It was just nice and civilized to sit in a peaceful environment and eat some good food. Perfect to come to reality after that A&F experience. I had a nice chicken salad, and Jonas had a Bento Box.
After lunch our next stop was "the rock" at Rockefeller center, alas we did not go to the top.
We both agreed that $20.00 each was a bit steep, and we did kinda get a good view while at the Rooftop Garden at the Met.Final stop of the day was Time Square, even though I would have preferred for Jonas to have seen it at night,but I felt he appreciated it's over the top grandness :)
We made it back to the apartment around 4ish. As we stepped out of the elevator I noticed enticing aromas wafting in the corridor. Opening Kent's door intensified the smells, I noticed Kent sitting on the veranda, rather tired looking. The "old" man had been slaving over the stove all day prepping his famous buckwheat crepes. Jonas and I finished off our Russ and Daughters left overs, took a nap and got ready for the night, dinner at Janneths, with Jen, us, crepe master Kent and Michael who showed up later with bottles of whiskey and tequila in hand!
The crepes were amazing, delectable morsels of flavor exploding in my mouth, it must have been the bechamel I made;) Just kidding Kent........of course the night was not complete without copious amounts of vodka and mixtures of whiskey and tequila, of which I am proud to say did not partake in (the latter one that is) The night ended with all of us on the roof of the building to get a guided tour and history lesson by Jen of the buildings and bridges in our view, which Jonas appreciated. And then there was the statue of Lenin, yes they have a statue of him on top of the building. This led us to strike numerous poses with him while camera flashes lit up the moonless night (yeah I know way to dramatic, but I'm trying to improve my writing skills)
Sleep!
Saturday, Jonas's last day:( He was leaving at 2pm in a town car to JFK, which was so graciously arranged by Jen. Just as well, it put to ease any worries I had of him getting to the airport safely. Not that I had any doubt he would.
A few more things to accomplish on this last day. A trip to the new Hollister store, which as you can imagine, I was VERY excited about, same concept as A&F. Just read the NYT article attached.
back on the train, we got out on Broadway and Lafayette and decided to take the #6 to Wall Street. As we started to board I hear an announcement"next stop Brooklyn Bridge". "OK, that' it" I yelled. "we're done!" We made out way back to the apartment via Canal Street and then Moss Street, in China town. The street was bustling with people buying fresh fish, meats and vegetables. Almost every window adorned with Peking duck.
I was starving :) We walked briskly through the crowd towards Houston, and finally found our way there. A quick stop at Whole Foods (even though I have sworn to NEVER shop there again) picked up some sandwiches and back to the apartment, just in time to eat, freshen up and say goodbye to my Nephew. :(
I was starving :) We walked briskly through the crowd towards Houston, and finally found our way there. A quick stop at Whole Foods (even though I have sworn to NEVER shop there again) picked up some sandwiches and back to the apartment, just in time to eat, freshen up and say goodbye to my Nephew. :(
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