Once again we were early risers, heading out to look for a coffee shop. We found one a few blocks away that had just opened, and despite the hot temperatures inside we sat down and had a couple of cappuccinos. We also ordered a bagel with egg, and the staff offered to squish a hash brown in there too – why not? I really enjoyed the coffee and bagel despite the copious amount of sweat I was losing.
We checked out of our hotel at 8:30 am and stored our bag at the counter, and then caught the nearest subway to do more sightseeing in the city. We started with Grand Central Station, and then walked outside to see the adjacent Chrysler Building, but it was too tall to appreciate from where we were. Other stops nearby were the lions in front of the NY Public Library, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, and then a few blocks more to Times Square. It was pretty humid, not quite as hot as Japan, but I was glad I brought a towel to mop up the sweat.
Times Square had changed quite a bit since I was there last. There are more screens and less neon, with major thoroughfares closed off to cars. We stopped in at the M&M shop to use their air conditioning, and on our way out I noticed a lot more street food vendors than I remember from before.
Next stop was the Museum of Modern Art, and we arrived just as they were starting to open. Before we went in we looked around the gift shop, and one staff recommended a particular elevator that was hidden away to get to the top floor quickly. After another ticket-taker (with a groovy retro suit and a huge Afro) let us in we took the elevator with a few other people and found ourselves on the fifth floor alone with The Starry Night, a Van Gogh painting that I have always wanted to see up close.
We saw a lot of other famous pieces of art including Monet’s water lilies, Pollock and Picasso, and since we were there early it was easy to walk around and pick what we wanted to focus on. A few hours later as we left it was a madhouse, but I understand since it was Sunday morning.
After the museum we could feel the day rapidly warming – so we headed north to see Central Park. We spent most of our time at the south end of the park which I hadn’t seen when I was there before. There were a lot of other people walking the park with us, and we stuck to the shade to avoid the worst of the heat. Near the center of the park we got to walk through the Minton Tiles in the tunnel leading to some fountains – this was a place that I had on my priority list. My computer’s start up image has been these tiles lit up in early evening, and even though we were there in the late morning it was still cool to see.
Leaving the park we went west looking for someplace for lunch. We picked out a restaurant called The Ribbon sort of at random, and were able to enjoy a brunch with prosecco, as well as their air conditioning. The restaurant had a pretty cool bar and the atmosphere was comfortable and relaxing – not too upscale.
After brunch we went to catch a train on Line A. One of my students gave me information that the new R211 train cars that my company is busy building are running occasionally on Line A, so we went down to the line to check them out. It was hot and humid down on the subway platform, so we settled down to see if we could catch my company’s newest product. Unfortunately the first train that came was an old one, but we got lucky with the second train and we could try out the new train car. It was already getting a little dirty but it had a lot more modern features. It was an odd feeling to be riding the tangible object that I spend (a lot of) time talking about with my students.
We rode the train to the area near our hotel and sat in the hotel bar sipping cold drinks and doing some journaling. After a while we started to get hungry again, and I suggested a Chinese place called Xian Famous Foods that was nearby. I had read the cookbook and I love dry flat noodles in Asian cooking, so it seemed like a perfect choice.
The restaurant was filled with Chinese people, and there wasn’t a seat available. The families who had finished their food were content to sit at the table and rest, while their kids watched cartoons on their smartphones. We had to share a one seat table, and then later we could stand up and eat at a counter. I didn’t mind, but it reminded me of how considerate local customers are back in Japan. The noodles were great – excellent size and texture, and we got out with lamb and cumin. The bad news was there was a lot of oil – chili oil everywhere which didn’t look very appetizing. I’d love to cook with these noodles – I’ll bet my version would be less oily and more fun to eat. All the chili in the oil got me sweating again – this was one of my sweatiest days ever, which is saying something considering the summers in Japan.
Off we went back to the hotel to pick up our suitcase, and then we caught the subway from the World Trade Center station. We entered from a different way this time, and walked through a beautifully designed shopping area, encased in a sort of white bony structure. We caught a local train towards JFK airport, where our next hotel was located. It took a long time to get there, but we were enjoying the chance to sit down and be under the air conditioning.
During the ride three guys came into our train car, set down a loud speaker, and started to do some dancing to try to drum up some money from the passengers. They had some great moves – swinging from the overhead stanchions and straps, and working the poles with a lot of upper body strength. Apparently this is typical for trains around here but for Kuniko it was some serious culture shock.
Finally we reached the end of the line, and while most passengers were transferring to the AirTrain to get to the airport, our destination was a hotel outside the airport. We decided to go up to the street level and catch an Uber to get there directly. As soon as we dragged our suitcase up the steps and got onto the street there was the sound of a lady screaming at someone, and all around us were derelict cars and shuttered businesses. Welcome to South Jamaica!
Our Uber showed up in less than 5 minutes, and while we waited I noticed that across the street was a police car sitting and one of the police officers was keeping an eye on us. I was halfway between disconcerted and relieved. The Uber driver was really cool and took us through back streets to get to our hotel. I would guess that about 50% of the cars we passed had some parts missing, and the houses were clean and oddly ornamented with chrome designs and gates. We were both glad we weren’t walking to the hotel.
Our driver dropped us off at the hotel, a Courtyard by Marriott, and we went in and got checked in. The area around the hotel looked a little risky, so we decided to stay inside. There was a restaurant/bar, but the vibe was a little sterile for us. There was a snack bar next to the front desk, but nothing really grabbed us and Kuniko noticed that there were no price tags – hmm…
Instead we went back upstairs to get relax with some reading, video games and journaling. The room was comfortable, a little bit of a tobacco smell that was lingering, and the restroom door only closed about 60% so we could listen to each other use the toilet. Luckily we were checking out early tomorrow to catch a flight to California.
