A New York Minute in a Week
Arlene and I had the distinct pleasure to visit new York this last week; a whirlwind ofsightseeingand visiting with friends that was simply amazing! Perrie and Mattinvitedus to come for a visit some months ago and we have been planning this trip ever since.
We spent our first 3 and a half days in the heart of Manhattan with our friend Michael, hisapartment being the perfect launching area for seeing the heart of New York City. The remainder of the week we spentwith Matt and Perrie on Long Island ("lon Gisland" as it's properly pronounced there, LOL), finishing up in the Hamptons. Yes, the Hamptons in the Hamptons as it were, though we hardly lived up to our Namesake as we do not own a mansion :~).
We did get a great picture of the gang on the beach there though...
The sight, sounds, and tastes of New York are more than I can possibly put into words, so I am sharing some pictures to give a small idea of our adventure. Thank you so much Perrie; your generosity gave us the adventure of alifetime!
Another reason I am writing this article is to give my NT friends the low-down on our gracious host Perrie. It's kinda surreal visiting somebody you mostly know fromOnline, e-mails, and phone conversations; I think we all were a little nervous hoping that all turned out well. Our mutual concern however quickly turned to a fast kinship. Perrie and Matt are nice and normal, making us feel comfortable and welcome. Perrie herself is EXACTLY the same in person as she is Online; she truly is and I wish I could describe what I mean....Perrie is not at all pretentious and her persona here on NT is indistinguishable from her personality in real life. The perfect host, Perrie and Arlene became fast buds, actually being alike in many ways; by the end of the week they were sisters.
Matt doesn't get a whole lotta play here on NT...he is just as big a personality as Perrie though and absolutely one of the coolest guys I have ever met. A virtual encyclopedia about all things Rock-and-Roll and Music in general, he is a gentle and giving guy with a genuine and generous smile. It was an honor to get to know Matt, and have no doubt that the short amount of time we visited, only partly revealed what a sweet person he really is. Matt is one of those guys who is real and practical; yet, is a thrill-seeker trapped in a husband's/Father's body. Maybe one of these days Matt, we can hit theracetrackor jet-skis together!
It was also an honor andPrivilegegetting to know Michael who hosted, and trotted us all over Manhattan. He did much of the research helping to plan our days and though being older than Arlene and I,outpacedus the entire time! A super great guy and a brother, many blessings to you Michael and thank you so much for everything!
Lastly a word about New York. It is hugebeyondcomprehending and the sheer mass of buildings andhumanitywere a shock even kinda knowing what to expect. The one thing I was surprised and impressed by were the people of New York. With a direct, even sometimesaggressivestyle, The folk of New York City we ran into were quite friendly and helpful and not one single time did Arlene and I feel even slightly uncomfortable or in danger. In short, New York City in our experience is one of the safest and funnest cities we have ever visited. Thank you New York!
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Regretfully you did not include Perrie's neighbor --- ME!
Next time.
Len; yes next time for sure!
:~)
Wow! Great pictures of a great vacation. I'm so glad you had a good time.
Thanks Feddy; it really was a grand time!
:~)
Wow Larry, that was some write up. I'm blushing. Really. I have to say that it not only wonderful having you and Arlene here, but such a sad moment for both Matt and I, to have to say good-bye. The time went too quickly, and you guys are just the best. We both agree that it felt like we had known you both forever and we fell into a groove like we were old friends. We can't wait to see you again soon. What a blast we had!
And I will get more chocolate Martini mix!
These pictures are amazing! You really got the feel of the city. Love that group shot. The Hamptons in the Hamptons!
Nice article and a great picture of the gang. It's nice to see NT being friendly and setting aside differences and enjoying one another, thanks Lar for sharing your trip and Perrie does look friendly. :0
PS- Lar where's your banjo?
Yup, we felt the same...a very cool deal! There is just no way to see everything; but, the sightseeing was secondary to the fantastic visiting.
Oh my, those were just too good; we will be having them again soon ourselves.
:~)
Thanks Arch!
Funny thing is, we had a spectrum of ideologies represented and got along just great!
Dang TSA stole it!
:~)
Someone I forgot to mention was Wally...
...a really fun cat!
Who thinks he is a dog!
Did you get to sample some of the uniquely NY cuisine ? visit the ethnic neighborhoods ? Most importantly visit my alma mater on the upper west side ?
Good writeup Lars . Thanks for sharing ...
Nice revue of your visit and real nice photo essay.
But New York City ain't got no authentic Philly Cheesesteaks ... still ... I guess it's fairly interesting.
Glad you had a good visit.
True....
....but we're still young!
:~)
Thanks; yeah we really did A. Mac and thanks for the coverage while Perrie was tied up with us...it was so much fun!
Aww! Wally is such a cutie pie!
He, he, he!
You guessed our strategy!
The last night there we had the gang help us put our adventure down on paper; it was based exactly on the things Arlene and I requested...all the frickin' great food!
:~)
...as you can see, it was all about the ethnic food!
Wally says he approves!
4 paws up!
Thanks Gene!
But actually Wally is the best part of New York
Actually Yes!
Wally is a big, big baby and much more of a cuddler than any other cat I have ever met. A SUPER friendly kitty!
:~)
They were awesome! We gotta go to a few places; but, yes, Perrie and the gang were the best part of NY!
Thanks Gene.
:~)
Hey... what's in the bowl next to that list?
Supper tonight...homemadeBroccoliand Mushroom soup.
yum!
:~)
btw...this is what Perrie prepared...
...for us the night we made our list...
...it was superb!
We sat around drinking nice wine and enjoying supper over conversation for about an hour. Nobody wanted to leave the table it was so dang good!
Wow that looks awesome! Perrie I'm comin' over!
LOL Larry!
Me and my granny glasses!
That does sound yummy!
LOL!
Great write-up and picts. And I'd have to agree-- a large part of the fun was just hangin' with you and Arlene & Matt & Perrie! (And Wally, who in real life actually has blue eyes).
Seeing the sites in Manhattan was fun too. (As most New Yorkers say "We never get to see the tourist sites except when folks from out of town are visiting"). Site seeing on Long Island was also great-- I had actually never seen some of those things before.
Thanks Feddy! You can come over any time you like!
Go ahead... laugh...
I'm an old bag, LOL!
Oh come now, you are one of the youngest gals of heart, spirit, and body I know!
Thanks Michael it was awesome; your hosting and touring skills are unrivaled!
We had a great time and I missed the asian fruits for breakfast this morning; those were a lot of fun and so very tasty too. I wonder if I could talk one of those food stand people into moving to northern Minnesota?
:~)
Hi Gene.
New York does have an amazing number of museums. We only managed to squeeze in one: The Museum of Natural History. A huge place, we only got to see part of it. (They also have special exhibitions. We went to the Butterfly Conservatory .)
That was photographic "red eye". Wally actually has blue eyes! (The breed is part Siamese). He is very friendly with a truly unique personality.
Mac,
Thanks so much for giving me the time to share with Larry, Arlene and Michael. I couldn't have done it without you.
Everyone was well-behaved ... only used purple four or five times.
Well, that's good to know. I like hearing that we have good citizens!
Really humongous and would take at least a solid week or more to see it all; though we thoroughly enjoyed it.
True. I have seen a few nice exhibits here and there at smaller museums over the years, but the larger ones almost always have a few great ones. Didn't get to the museum of modern art which looked very nice too.
Sure we got 'em (although I would imagine they aren't as good as the ones you have in Philly).
It looks like Carl's Steaks has the best ones.
I'd have to agree. The roast was fantastic-- as good or better than that I've had in expensive steak houses. The potatoes were unusually good as well., as was the Asparagus. The Tomato-Mozarrella-Basil appetizers were fantastic (a very traditional Italian dish, btw).
FWIW, the man on horseback i the picture of the statue is Teddy Roosevelt. He was really big on conservation.
You'remaking me hungry too late at night.
:~)
After eating my fill, I couldn't keep my hands off thosetomato appetizers;delicious!
A personal hero of mine.
Your making me hungry again!
Who has the wine?
I think we left it there...
...if there was any left.
Nope. We killed that soldier.
Here are the identifications of some of the features in the first picture: the NYC Skyline, looking North East from Empire State Bldg Observation deck. (If you look down and to the left of the red roofed bldg near the bottom, you can just barely make out the hair of someone standing nearby on the Observation Deck).
Manhattan is an island ( 4 of the 5 boroughs comprising NYC are on islands ).To the right of the picture is the East River . Near the middle of the visible part of the river is the UN Secretariat bldg . To the left of that, in the East River, is the beginning of Roosevelt Island, and the Queensboro Bridge (AKA the "59th Street Bridge" ). Across the river is T he Borough of Queens.
Near the middle top of the picture (with V shaped design and pointed tower and spire) is the Chrysler B ldg .
The tall dark-colored bldg just to the right of the Chrysler bldg is the Trump World Tower (a luxury residential bldg. It's diagonally across the street from the UN)
Near the top left, the bldg with the slanted roof is the Citicor p Center.
The bldg with the writing on top is the Met Life bldg. (It straddles Park Avenue. You can drive under it. In front of it is Grand Central Station ).
N.B: For various periods of time, some of the bldgs in the photo were "the tallest bldg in the world". For more info on NYC skyscrapers, here's a really informative page I just discovered: List of tallest buildings in New York City with pictures ).
That was just the picture of the skyline. Lots of detail there. But I forgot to identify all the other pictures.
#2: Matt, Perrie me, and the Hamptons at the beach at South Hampton . (This type of beach is found from the eastern part of L.I. all the way down to Florida).
Here's a typical South Hampton beach house:
#5: Detail of ornate facade of a building. (Directly behind it,with the balconies, is a much different style of architecture-- its a recently built residential apt building).
#6: Two figures flanking a window. Broadway, somewhere south of 8 St. There are many such building in NY. (Note the decorative swastikas). Visible in the window is reflection of another fancy facade directly across the street.
#7: Street vendors in Chinatown. Familirt fruits & veggies plus a few exotic ones. (Directly in front of the vendor are the red Rambutans. Behind that are Lychees. We had both of these for breakfast the next day, as well as a Dragon Fruit :
Description of picts, cont'd:
#8: Columbus Park , at the western edge of Chinatown. We crossed through it to Foley Square -- lotsa very impressive Court Houses & gov't bldgs.
#9: One of the Courthouses, this one is the New York County (AKA "Manhattan County") Courthouse.
#10 & 11: Two statues in Foley Square (in front of one of the courthouses?)
#12: Statue of Atlas in front of Rockefeller Center , across the street from St. Patrick's Cathedral . (One of the most impressive houses of worship in the western hemisphere, but wasn't photographed that day because it was totally shrouded in scaffolding.
That fruit was so different and so very tasty too!
The Rambutan was my favorite...
...can't tell you how yummy these are.
Thanks for the descriptions Michael; I could hardly remember what or where half of those are! I took about 375 pictures the week we were there and could have easily taken 4 times that...just not enough time. It's really difficult to capture the dynamic atmosphere and intensity on the streets; there is a charge, a vibe that is palpable.
Columbus Park was a special treat for a couple of reasons. First, it was Columbus Day! The second was the people. Many playing a game (what looked like Checkers sorta, but I'm sure wasn't) with between a couple or thirty people watching, and commenting about the match. Very talkative and animated. At one point we cameacrossa couple ofmusicians playing stringed instruments of some kind and a little ol' asian lady came strolling through the park and as she approached, she slowed and then stopped, to join in with singing. It was quite a cool moment.
In general, getting good shots of the buildings was difficult. Besides being enormous and my lack of skill, the streets are not big enough to stand back and get a decent angle/view. I ended up taking more micro shots attempting to catch my favorite thing about the architecture. Here is what I mean...
These are really neat pics Larry. I haven't seen all of your pics that you took when you were here. You did a better job of capturing the city then I ever did as a resident!
BTW, I still can't believe you ate that freakish fruit!
Will burn you guys a CD and send.
I'll try anything once; especially if it's food! The fresh fruits and pastries were fantastic. It was all so good and we absolutely adored the food ... oh my the Indian food was to die for, theCaribbeancatfish sandwich and beers at the Irish pub after Broadway....aaahhhhhh. Actually though it's getting chilly here, and does Kishka andKasha varnishkasever sound good right now.
How about the Italian food the first night...oh my that was awesome. And with the waiters out front vying for customers so cool!
The eats was great. I felt like we ate our way around the world. It did take me a while to recover from the Indian food. Talk about hot! It was so much fun doing your eating tour of NY!
I'm thinking we picked a good time to visit NYC; only a couple of weesk later...
How WONDERFUL! Great pictures!!!
I worked on Long Island a few times, and only made it into the city, once-- when I went to school at Princeton for a groundwater class. A bunch of us went it-- it was quite an eye-opening experience! Such fun!
I was there the night that Harry Chapin died in the car wreck, and heard the sirens... Oh my, poor man!
Thanks Dowser, it was a blast!
Wow, what a dreadful event to be around for...:~(
We luckily missed that bitch Sandy by a couple of weeks.
Good timing! I had power out for about a week-- no lights in bldg, water but no hot water, no elevator (not a problem since I live on a low floor). What was really strange was no street lights or traffic lights. Almost all local stores were closed. A few had generators. (but power was on in other areas-- nearest was a 10-15 minute walk away. Not all that bad for me, really, but quite an annoyance.
Larry's pictures are fantastic (a lot better than those I've taken
.) As you can see from them, there's a lot to see in Manhattan!)
I was just talking about that with Matt this week. He was planning a concert on LI for a benefit, which he did often.
He was such a big part of NYC like John Lennon and Billy Joel. It was a terrible loss and a terrible way to go... on the Long Island Expressway!
Better than the 8 days without power and snow to boot!
Hi Larry!
What great PICS!
I was raised in three parts of NY City and Long Island: 29 Van Dam St. in Greenwich Village, Port Washington, 60 Richards Road,on the tip of Long Island, just down the road a piece from Perrie in Roslyn, and Beth Page, where Tiger won one of his open titles. After WWII dad was replaced by a new President from France, and we went to Cleveland, where I finished two more years of grammar school and high school, and promptly fled Ohio for a myriad of reasons.
Later in my career I did biz in NY from several perspectives, my two employers, and then being self-employed. The employers: Max Factor, the company had a suite on Park Avenue, Shiseido, the largest cosmetic manufacturer in the world that gave me the most liberal expense account I ever had, and believe you needed it in NYC. Then, when I had my own biz, and NY was a necessity because most of my clients had their home offices there. When it comes out of your own pocketbook the cheese is a lot more binding!
I have never gotten used to the hotel prices in Manhattan, nor the cabbies, nor the sheer pace in the city. The last time I went on biz I had to interview a candidate, an exec. in New Jersey (pronounced new joisey), and then caught the bus back to the city. Coming out of the Terminal downtown, I was mugged and trampled. My glasses were smashed, and all I had was my airline ticket. No ID etc., etc.
I walked a gang of blocks to a dinner arrangement with one of my clients, and fortunately he and I had a very strong relationship, otherwise I would have been in the soup big time. My secretary at home told me that if I hadn't dressed like a "Rabbi" I wouldn't have been mugged which always has stuck in my mind. BTW, she was raised in Brooklyn...So, go figure.
The yoou took PICS brought back many good memories. Thanks.
Walkin Charlie
Hi Charlie and thanks for the compliment; but, really, I took a bunch of pics so was able to pick out a half-dozen that turned out alright. It was such a blast and Arlene and I will NEVER forget it...it was truly amazing!
:~)
Now you mentioned some of your past work history so I have to ask; what did you do for Max Factor? That is one big corporation.If you modeled for them, I want pictures!
Ok, first, great pictures.
Second, if that's you on the left with the curly hair, I'm jealous, I used to have hair like that when I was younger but I grew out of it.
Third, 10th picture down. Is it my imagination or is that statue's nipples showing?
Fourth, where is the 8th picture down taken? It looks cool.
Great photos and story Larry, what a great time you had.
My wife is born and raised ''Bay Ridge Brooklyn'' so I get to hear all about NYC on a regular basis. LOL
Vam Dam st. is where Kinky Friedman lives! At least that's the street address in his books.
Absolutely stunning photos, have no idea what the editorial copy mean.
What great photos, made me feel as If I was living
in New York again.
Thanks Wheel and sorry I missed your posting from a year ago!
That is not myself in the curls, I am theshort fellawith grey hair on the right. We are all jealous of Matt's hair....:~)
The statue in the 10th picture down became hard when she realized someone was staring at her breasts...;^)
The 8th is a shot of a small building in Columbus Park.
I haven't looked at these in a while. Man Larry, you did a great job of capturing the city!
BTW, that picture of all of us is Main Beach, East Hampton.
I can see a Pelican Rapids article coming now too Kavika!
Thanks, but it's easy when ya have the right tour guides!
Yup, I think that would be appropriate Larry.
Great article to revisit and remind ourselves of positive sights, sounds and relationships.
It was a great time for all of us.
Miss you guys .... we had such fun!
Thank you SP! I haven't looked at these in quite a while.
Interesting to see this article, which is a super NT history - I always enjoyed my times in NYC, whether it was 67 years ago, 60 years ago, 50 years ago, or about 40 years ago, the many times I've been there. By the way, we eat Dragon Fruit fairly often.
All the different fruits were a unexpected and delightful highlight :~)
Excellent timing to blow the dust off of the photos and trip.....It helped me start my Friday off right!
Thanks Larrry!
He did an amazing job and is a wonderful photographer. One of his little secrets.
Thank you Fly!
I believe it was SP that revived the article though, so the credit is due there :~)