Day 23- June 6, 2012

A rather lazy day.  I stayed home and sewed until about 4 p.m., and then went to the post office. 

I went to Selected Shorts at Symphony Space in the evening (I believe we wrote about an earlier visit to Selected Shorts where we heard Leonard Nemoy read).  Each evening has a theme. Tonight's was Objects of Desire- about things that people become obsessive about. Four good readers read, which included Amy Ryan (I remember her from Gone Baby Gone, where she played the mother of the kidnapped child. She also appeared in 20 episodes of The Office) and Kirsten Vangsness (who is the computer geek in Criminal Minds).  Amy read a story called "Dusk" by James Salter.  It was very beautiful and sad (I don't know why they chose to end the evening with such a sad story).   Kirsten read a story called "The Pony Problem," by Sloane Crosley. About a young woman who asked a few times if the gift she was getting was pony, and now has a huge collection of toy ponies to deal with.

  It is so pleasant to have a story read to you.  I recommend Selected Shorts.  I down load their pod casts, but don't know where to hear it on local radio.

Since it was a quilt day,  we are posting some pictures of our building (we will get into the apartment one day when it is clean).

Our building was originally called the Shively Sanitary Tenement, which is a much more interesting name than The Cherokee.  Mr. Vanderbuilt had an idea in 1906 to build a complex of apartments for low income families where at least 1 person had TB.  At that time, the treatment for TB was clean country air- and,of course, poor people couldn't afford to move to the country.  The complex was designed in 4 connecting building (the design reminds me of a 4-leaf clover).  Each building has 6 walk-up floors, and an its own inner courtyard.  There are stairs in each corner of the courtyard, and 4 units on each landing.  The design was intended to assure that there would be windows on both sides of each unit (our bedroom window is into the courtyard; we have 2 floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, which look out on the building behind us) so that there would be lots of fresh air.  They chose a location 1 block from the East River.

The experiment was not successful because people couldn't afford the rent, and one year after opening, it became a cooperative building.  It is an historical building, and is on a neighborhood tour this weekend (just the outside).

I especially like this building, first, because it is on a tree-lined, dead end, one-way street, so there is little traffic. The courtyard has bushes in large pots, and containers of hanging ivy hang down from the corners. It is very quiet and calming to come into after being in busy parts of the City.  The large windows give us the feeling of having at least 350 sq.ft. instead of the 325 sq. ft. we actually have.

 Our courtyard and stairs.  The second window from the bottom to the right of the stairway is our bedroom.

More of our stairs and courtyard.

The courtyard and stiars from our landing.

Looking up the stairs from the bottom.

Looking from the entry to the complex.  The first courtyard is where we live.  You can see throught to the other building and the entrance on the next street.

 We will try to catch up on Thursday and Friday this weekend. Al had a very frustrating experience with Google, so we are a bit behind.

Sally

I tried to go to Queens Rotary.  I checked the RI website and found the location and time of the meeting.  I looked at their website to see if there was any change to the meeting and none was stated.  So, I took an hour and half train and bus ride to their meeting.  They were meeting that evening.

But, it was an interesting neighborhood, so I enjoyed walking around.  One of my goals in New York it to see a lot of neighborhoods.  This neighborhood has a Sikh temple a block from the restaurant.  There were several Sikhs in the neighborhood and many Indian restaurants.  I found a grocery store that was more like one in Minnesota.  The grocery stores in Manhattan are on the ground floor of multi-story buildings, so they have big pillars in the middle and tend to be like rabbit warrens.  You have to search around to find things.  That evening I was going to go to taiko, but time got away from me so I just went for a nice long walk.  In the process, I found a bike repair shop.  So I can bring my bike in.  The rear wheel is seriously out of true.  I think Amtrak stacked in on its side with a heavy thing on top of it, because the wheel is seriously bent.  I also found a sunken area in Gracy park that is free from the constant hum of traffic in the neighborhood.  It was a fun place to sit and read for a while.  Sally had the camera, so no pictures.  Maybe in the future.

I am enjoying just walking around New York and seeing the different neighborhoods.

Al

Day 22- June 5, 2012

Two adventures today- one set of pictures.


We live 8 blocks from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The museum is 2,000,000 square feet, and has the largest footprint of any building in NYC. It has over 2,000,000 pieces of art.  Rather overwhelming. I have taken up going to the Highlight Tours as my own personal Art Appreciation Course. The tours are offered 3-4 times a day by docents.  Each docent chooses the pieces he/she will discuss, so each tour is different.    They always talk about things that I would not look at on my own (Roman statues, medieval art, a Syrian hall).  Anyway, on my Tuesday visit, I found that there was no memory card in the camera so I could not take pictures to include today.  I took extensive notes so will take pictures on my next visit and post them later.

We also went to a Yankees game with people from the Mennonite Fellowship.  It was Mary Ann's birthday celebration.  The Yankees have 2 senior days each month with $5 tickets.  The subway takes you directly to the stadium.  The stadium seats about 59,000, and has 4 levels.  It includes a place called Monument Park (see picture below).  The plaques are for the player numbers which have been retired.  Why is Jackie Robinson's plaque blue, and the others are black?  His number was retired from professional baseball; the others were retired by the Yankees.  There is a second display of plaques honoring players and staff (coaches, announcers,etc.).  The largest plaque (and center of the display) is Mr. Steinbrenner. There is also a museum, which we didn't visit because of the long line.

The Yankees permit you to bring in food and beverages.  I was told it is because of the religious dietary restrictions of some fans.  Nice for us, too- bring in a bottle of water and peanuts from home. Another nice feature is TV monitors in some of the higher sections.  We were in right field- with a tall foul line pole in front of us.  The monitors showed the pitches and replays of the important plays.

Seats were comfortable, and well-banked.  They also did a great job of putting in lots of women's restrooms- no lines.  Food included garlic fries- really garlicky. I found it surprising that a large order had only 350 calories, which made them doubly tasty. (There is a local ordinance which require food places to post the calories of their menu. I don't know the minimum number of establishments a company must have, but I have not seen the information in local restaurants, so assume that a company must have several locations for it to apply).

Oh, yes, there was also a baseball game.  Yankees beat Tampa Bay 7-0.  A blow out is not very exciting. The highlight of the game was the groundskeepers sweeping the infield in the 7th inning to the YMCA song, including dancing with their brooms during the chorus. 

I enjoyed this outing- we had an evening with some new friends and experienced a wonderful stadium.  And I would have the garlic fries again.

Al will probably tell you more about the game.

Sally

Sothby's Auction place is 4 blocks from our apartment.  I walked down to see what it takes to view an auction.  They were actually quite receptive to my question.  Everybody was dressed in very nice business clothing.  I was dressed in cargo pants and a t shirt.  Maybe they are used to have eccentric millionaires (which I am not, millionaire that is) comeing in, because they didn't seem to be put off by my dress.  Anyway, you give them $2,400 dollars on deposit.  Then you go to the auction.  If you haven't used any of the money to bid, they give it back to you two weeks after the auction.

I also had some phone calls with Bob Cardinal, a St. Paul Rotarian, and Bill Hueg, the artist making our Vision of Peace Statue for Nagasaki.  Things are progressing for our celebration of the statue on July 10. 

The Yankee game was at the new stadium.  It would have been fun to see a game in the old stadium, but the new one is very nice.  They have built several public use ball fields on the site of the old stadium.  The new one has very large concourses.  I suppose that the Twins stadium has such small concourses because they had to fit the stadium into the small footprint that they had.  Anyway, it was nice to not be so crowded.  Also, I think the seats are a little bigger, again because they could be because they had more room to make a bigger stadium.  The game itself was a yawner.  The Yankees scored two runs in the first inning.  Russell Martin hit a grand slam homer in the third inning.  That was pretty much the excitement in the game.  We were joking that Tampa Bay must have an A team and a B team and that they brought the B team.

Manny, Mary Ellen's boyfriend, is a professional umpire.  He used to do minor league but now does high school and college games.  It was interesting to hear him talk about being an umpire.  He knows the big league guys, but didn't give me any dirt on them. 

It is amazingly easy to get to the game.  I continue to appreciative of a working and extensive public transportation system.  We have not missed having a car. 

Al 

Yankee stadium from the subway stop

The concourse

Monument park

The grand slam home run

Manny, Mary Ellen, Al and Sally

Day 21 June 4, 2012

We had two adventures today. In the morning, we went to Jon Hus Presbyterian Church for volunteer work.  A little background on the church.  It is 3 blocks from us.  About 20 years ago, our former pastor (Heidi Vardeman)served as its pastor.  When we were here in June, 2011, Al and Amy visited the church (never expecting that within a year, we would be living 3 blocks away). At that time, membership had declined to 20-30 people, and the church had been transformed into primarily serving as a building for several social service programs.  There is a pre-school in the sanctuary (the pews have been removed), and there are other programs throughout the building.  One of the programs is collecting clothing from local folks and operating a free clothing store for homeless people.

Two things about the clothing service.  First, this is an affluent neighborhood- so the clothing is wonderful.  I did not see anything from Target or Kmart.  Second, the amount of clothing that was waiting for us amazed me.

Our task was to sort it, put it in size categories, and put it out in the shop for the clients. Five of us spent 2 hours working steadily to complete the work.  


In the evening, we went to a talk and book signing with Paul Krugman. I am a big fan of Krugman.  He won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2008, writes a column in the New York Times, and appears on This Week every Sunday morning.  He just wrote a book titled End this Depression Now!.

Assuming that many other New Yorkers (is it permissible to call oneself a New Yorker after three weeks, and still be a Minnesotan) would be as excited as me to see him, we arrived two hours early!
We were the second people there, and got front row seats (by 6:30, all the seats were filled, with people standing in the back). Fortunately, there is always a Starbucks in a Barnes and Noble store, and we are content to sit with a cup of coffee and a book. (Motherly wisdom I passed on to Amy was- Always bring a book- By the time her children are old enough to read,she will probably tell - Always bring an ipad or kindle. No, Amy does not have children. I am assuming that she will someday).

Krugman repeated much of what I had heard from him before, but it was fun to hear in person, and to get his book signed. He is short- which I expected-and wore stereotypical professor clothing- tweed sports coat and slacks).  He gave thoughtful answers to some rather silly questions.  (One thing I really appreciated from the person who introduced him. She announced  before his talk that people needed to ask a question, not give a speech.  After the first questioner started to do just that, the audience spontaneously said "What's your question"?  )

A few tidbits from his talk- He believes that we are in a depression because there has been no period since the Great Depression when over 24 million people have been out of work for over a year.  Government's reaction was to cut spending, which has resulted in lots of layoffs of government workers.  The stimulus was inadequate, and therefore, people say it didn't work. He pointed out that he had said it was inadequate at the time it was passed.  He proposes more government spending.  The federal government can and should borrow funds to do so.  We will need to pay it back in the long run- but the alternative of doing nothing now is worse.  The lack of employment and underemployment of young people will have long term effects on their lifetime incomes.  If asked most young people would prefer to have employment now and pay more taxes over their lifetimes. A simple thing that Congress could do is to restore state and local government aid- which would have the result of re-hiring teachers, fixing infrastructure and providing construction jobs, more firefighters and police, etc.  Congress probably will not do this.  He mentioned two things that will make this unlikely to happen in our current political climate.  First, we have a two party system and one of the parties is insane.  Second, when asked about the possibility of a revenue neutral bill passing congress; he responded that that would only work if the republicans really believed in deficit reduction.  He says that they only use it as a club, but have no real plan for deficient reduction.  They propose reducing taxes and reducing government spending on support education, the poor, and unemployed.  These are the expenditures that would advance our economy.  Without those expenditures, future productivity will be reduced and overall prosperity will be reduced.  Also, reduced spending on infrastructure will lead to long term harm to the economy.

Something to think about and discuss.  I find discussions about the economy discouraging- the issue is quite overwhelming,  the Republicans are unwilling to discuss raising taxes, and the Democrats are very hesitant to discuss reductions. 

Here are pictures of us working at the church and Mr. Krugman.

Sally

I want to add to the Krugman part of this entry.  Just as example, think about our roads.  They are deteriorating.  They are not as smooth as they should be.  This roughness increases friction and leads to higher gas consumption.  It increases wear on suspension and can cause tire damage.  Wouldn't it be better economics to pay a little more in taxes and have better roads rather than sending money out of country for oil and spending time and money with our cars in the repair shop.   Just an example of how we pay for a poor infrastructure.  Make no mistake about it, we pay; it is only a matter of how we pay. 

Al

Day 20, June 3, 2012

One of our interests in this 6 months is to worship at a different church each Sunday. First, Episcopal (Church of the Heavenly Rest); second Sunday Unitarian; and today, the Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship.  My  brother belongs to a Mennonite church in Paoli IN. I have made and donated 3 quilts to the Minnesota Mennonite Relief auction each year for the past 5 years. Next on the list is Riverside Church (if anyone reading this has a recommendation of a church , please share it). 

Our first venture of the day was to walk up 1st Avenue to 86th and then back home on 2nd Avenue.  We had found a good, inexpensive place last week to buy flowers, but couldn't remember exactly where it was- other than we knew it was somewhere below 86th Street.  Since we can't just get in the car and drive up the street to look for it, the only way to find the place was to go out and walk the street. We not only found the original place, but also found a second place where we got 2 dozen roses for $10.  As you know, I am rather frugal- but I also love having fresh flowers. So if anyone comes to New  York, I can tell you where to find cheap flowers (two other bargains are pizza at 1/slice and a pedicure plus manicure for 25).

Then we went to lunch at a nearby Japanese restaurant.  We have eaten out very little- I think it is a combination of 2 things- first, we have a fruit and vegetable stand on the corner so it is fun and easy to cook at home; second, we have been overwhelmed by the many choices.  So many that we just couldn't decide. We finally decided to just go where there are Groupons. Which has made the eatting out decision much easier- but still leaves ample choices.

Our next planned activity was the Central Park Zoo- walk over to the park from our home, see the Zoo, and then go on to church.  We had forgotten about the Celebrate Isreal parade on 5th Avenue.
A huge event- which seemed to have every Jewish group within 150 miles participating.  There was substantial security- the streets were blocked off a block from the park. Many cheering and happy people.  We ended up watching the parade (the zoo will be there anytime). 

The Fellowship meets at 5 p.m. in a Friends Meeting House. The Mennonite group was small- about 30 people. The Meeting House had no cross or other ornamentation, everything was painted a light gray- it was a very calming environment. The service didn't have a sermon this week- instead, there was a hymn sing- I enjoyed singing so many hymns from my childhood and a few new ones. (My request was Morning Has Broken- albeit that it was the wrong time of day). There was a long period of sharing joys and concerns. Many people spoke- I think the small group facilitated sharing. One of the members announced that her birthday is tomorrow, that she will be going to the Yankees game, and invited all who wish to go with her. As a bonus, it is Seniors night- with 5 dollar tickets. So we are off to the Yankees tomorrow night. The weather is cool this week, so I digging out whatever I can find that will keep me warm.

Today's pictures are from the parade, and the outside of the meeting house.

Sally

June 2, 2012 Day 19

Today, I  attended an event with both anticipation and anxiety- a meeting of the New York Modern Guild.  Anxiety because of my shyness around large groups of new people (I have at times spent 20 minutes in a restroom to avoid mingling in a large group of strangers). Anticipation because it is always fun to talk to quilters.

The meeting was held at the loft of Victoria Findlay Wolf, the president (Her blog is bumblebeans.blogspot, and is quite interesting), in the Garment District.  It was just like I expected- a full floor in an old 9 story building. The elevator takes you to her front hallway.  Both Victoria and her husband are in the art world, so the loft is filled with very large paintings (the kind I see in museums and wonder who has a wall large enough for a painting that is 5 feet  by 5 feet).   And lots of light- with two walls full of windows. The main room is at least 50 feet by 40 feet.

The group was about 47 women and 3 men.  I met many interesting women.  Two have written books- Anita Grossman Solomon and Rayna Gillman.  I have Rayna's book, Create Your Own Free Form Quilts- but, of course, did not know she would be there to have her sign it.  Her web site is Studio78.net-full of samples of her work.  Anita's website is makeitsimpler.com. I also met a woman who grew up near Albert Lea, and hope to lunch with her soon.

As with any quilt group, there was lots of show and tell. See below.

This quilt was made by her great grandmother in 1890.  She was born a slave.  A wonderful crazy quilt.

 This man (whose name I don't remember) made this quilt for his grandchild.

This quilt won a blue ribbon at a quilt show.  Her cabin is called Ramshead.

This is her second quilt.

 

This is Anita.  I plan to try this technique.  It is basically a huge  hourglass block.  The back of the quilt uses the remaining pieces.

This quilt uses a technique Anita developed to make square in a square quickly and accurately.

Victoria is at the edge of this picture.  This quilt top sizzles with color. The technique is simple- long strips. 

I had a great time. Plus there was free fabric (strips 2 to 5" wide)- since I brought only fabric I had cut out at home for projects to sew here, that was a special bonus.  I now have scraps! Unfortunately, the group does not meet in the summer, and meets alternate months the rest of the year- so I will be able to attend only one more meeting- in October.

After the meeting, I walked 10 blocks to the City Quilter- the only quilt shop on Manhattan. I recommend the shop to any quilter coming to NYC. They have everything.  I needed three Kona's to complete the blocks for a quilt I am sewing.

Lunch and then home for an evening of sewing. 

A few comments on living here- although I love the liberation of not having car, the trade off is that it takes 45 minutes to an hour to get to an event. Our subway stop is a 15-minute walk (it is possible to take a bus to the stop, but we usually walk).  Then there is usually a walk at the other end to get to wherever you are going.  Fine for retired people who have lots of time.  Good to have time to read during the ride. Must be stressful for employed people to spend a lot of time travelling. The subways are clean and air-conditioned.  We can get a monthly unlimited pass for $105- a single trip is $2.25, so it is a real bargain when we are taking at least 2 trips every day. The subways travel primarily north-south, so if you wish to go east-west, it requires a walk or bus ride.  The buses are fine, but often get slowed down by traffic.

Sally
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While Sally went to her quilt event I went to the Ed Sullivan Theater to try to get tickets to the Late Show with David Letterman. They opened applications for tickets at 10 in the morning. I filled out a form that put us into a lottery for tickets. We may get a call the day before the show if we get tickets. It could happen any time in June. Then I walked over to the theater where they do the Daily Show. I was three blocks west of the Ed Sullivan Theater, but that was about a half mile. Anyway, it is a shuttered building, which I assume opens up when they do the show. I realized I was two blocks from the Hudson, so I walked over there. There is a really nice park running along the Hudson. I walked up to Trump place at 70th and then headed home. On the way, I went into a super huge Traders Joe. I thought of buying some things, but there were about 50 people in the check out line, so I passed. I then walked across Central Park, one of my favorite things to do. Interesting things and people to see.

At second avenue, there was a street festival.  Street festivals here seem to be shutting the street for several blocks and setting up booths for people to sell food and things.  No entertainment.  Not that exciting.  So I went home.  I think I walked about 5 miles, but I took my time and had a good time.

After I got home, I needed to go to Target to get some things, so I got my bike out and rode up.  It is only about two miles and a pleasant ride along the East River.  So it was my day for both rivers.

Saturday night, we stayed home and rested.

Al

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Al didn't mention that he got us tickets for the Daily Show on June 28.  They give out more tickets than they have seats- meaning that we will need to arrive at least 2 hours before the show to line up for our seats.  I am quite excited about this event.
Sally

June 1, 2012 continued

On Wednesday we went to see "A Streetcar Named Desire".  It was an excellent production but also disturbing.  There are not so nice people in this world. 

On Thursday, Sally volunteered at our local library and went to see paintings by Mary Cassatt.  Al did laundry and read. 

Life is slower and that is just fine.

In a previous post, I talked about going to the Chinatown Rotary.  Here is a picture that Chinatown Rotary sent to its members. 

Also, Wednesday evening I went to my first Taiko class with Kaoru Watonabi.  It was a lot of work.  He really pushes you, but he is also a great instructor and a great guy.  I will definitely go back.

Tomorrow, I am going to get in line to get some tickets to see The Late Show.  Wish me luck. 

Al

Day 18- (June 1, 2012)

We have neglected the blog for several days. I will make an effort to go back and fill in the missing days.

Our adventure today was a trip to the Cloisters.  We took the train up to the Dyckman stop, the next to last stop on the A train, at the far north end of Manhatten.

After leaving the train, we climbed a hill, which took us high above the Hudson River.  The  view across the river to New Jersey is wonderful- all trees.  Rockefeller purchased the land across from the hill so that the view would not be spoiled by buildings or factories.  Unfortunately, he could do nothing about the traffic along the New York side, so we could hear the traffic noise. 

Rockfeller  and the Metropolitan Museum of Art established the Cloisters to house the museum's collection of medieval art. Now, the building and gardens are, to me, more spectacular than the art.  They obtained various chapels and cloisters from Europe which have been reassembled into one large building.  Each chapel or hall contains a specific collection.  The cloisters which are interspersed within the building are planted with medieval plants- many of which we have in our gardens today. 
Probably their most famous artwork is the collection of six unicorn tapestries- and probably the most well-known of tapestries is the unicorn next to a pomegranate tree and enclosed in a fence.

I enjoyed the walk above the river and the gardens the most.  I had the feeling of being back in a 13th century in the  chapels and halls- aided by the fact that people are very quiet as they walk through them.  They have also done a good job of not crowding a lot of pieces of art into each chapel or hall so you can really look at each statue or window.

The museum has an excellent gift shop.  I do not recommend the cafe.  The food was not bad, just a let down after being in a beautiful museum.

After spending a very cultural afternoon, we went to Men in Black 3- rather the opposite end of the entertainment spectrum.

Then a stop at the fruit and vegetable stand for supper ingredients. 


Here are some pictures.

Sally

We continue to enjoy New York.  I am surprised at how easily we have adapted to living in 20% of the space that we have at home.  Of course, we don't spend a lot of time in our apartment. 

On Memorial Weekend Saturday, there was an exhibit of some ships at the port in Brooklyn that we went too.  There were ships from France, Mexico, Finland, Canada, Japan, and the United States.  The French and Mexican ships were training sailing ships.  The rest were Navy ships.  One of Sally's favorite pieces of new knowledge is that the Finnish ship had two sauna on board.  The Japanese ship was a helicopter carrier.  The Canadian ship was the largest ship in the Canadian navy.  It was pretty small by US standards. 

Mexico's ship

Japan's ship