We had a really hard time getting up this morning. There was a big commotion out on the sidewalk in front of our apartment about 2:00 or so. Conrad thought it was someone rapping real loud but I thought it was an argument. I did hear a woman yelling "That's enough" several times. Plus, we have a couple guys upstairs who leave about 9:00 or so every night with a guitar and a saxophone and come back about 2:30 or 3:00 and slam the doors when they come in and are real heavy footed. The apartment next to us has an iron gate in front of the stoop and someone over there stays out late and bangs that gate and then we can hear him going up to the second floor. I guess the steps are right on the other side our bedroom wall. But, we love it here and just try to "Keep Calm and Carry On"!!
Our first stop this morning was the Staten Island Ferry for a FREE ride to Staten Island and back. It was still a little hazy when we went but we had great views of the Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey skylines on the way over but were on a different ferry coming back and it didn't have the outside decks and open on top that the first ferry did so I was a little disappointed.
Manhattan on the left, Brooklyn on the right and Brooklyn Bridge between
Then it was on to the Lower East Side for a self-guided walking tour. We followed a suggested walk from one of our books. It was pretty quiet in the areas were in today. We saw where some of the best traditional Jewish cuisine can be found in NYC. It was about lunch time and Katz's Deli was our destination. It opened in 1888, when the neighborhood was dominated by Jewish immigrants. I'm sure all of you remember it was the deli used in "THE" scene of When Harry Met Sally! Well, that scene must have been filmed in the middle of the night because there were hardly any people in there in the movie. The place was jam-packed but we were able to walk on in. I stood in line while Conrad found us a place to sit. As you walk in, each person is given a ticket. That ticket has to be turned in when you leave whether you eat or not. When they give you your order, they write the price on it. If you don't have a ticket when you leave, you will be charged a minimum of $50! We saw that the sandwiches were huge so we decided we would split one. We had a corned beef sandwich and it came with 2 huge pickles. That sandwich was $15.25!! We didn't see the line where you could get a drink so we just decided we'd get a drink somewhere down the street. When we left there, the line was all the way down the block to get in! A guy at the door counted how many went in and how many went out to keep it even! Oh, they only take cash too. I guess you paid for the experience and it was well worth it. Conrad thinks the corned beef sandwiches are better at Oaklawn!!!
This is the outside and just a few of the people waiting to get in!
This is what $15.25 will buy you!
This is how crowded it was! Notice the round sign at the top of the picture.
Then it was on with business. We saw several really old synagogues. Stores down in that area were really pushing leather jackets. The old buildings though were what held our interest. Brent had told us that it is cheaper to live in this area and now we can see why. I think a lot of the buildings were old tenements that have been changed in to apartments and refurbished more to today's standards. Most looked to be 6 story walkups and so many had clothes hanging out on hangers on the fire escape to dry. Unless they had a washing machine, and I'm sure they didn't, they either had to hand wash that stuff or haul it downstairs to a laundromat and then haul the wet clothes back up 6 flights! It makes you really appreciate what you have.
If you look real close, you can see laundry on the top floor on the first fire escape.
Our last area was the old part of Chinatown - where everyone seems to live in the area and very few tourists. It was really interesting. We stopped by one bakery where a lady had a table out front with a sign that said "Rolls - 2 for $1.00" so we decided to get a couple. I asked her what was in them and she said "$1.00". I asked again and got the same response so decided that was all the English she knew! So, we bought 2 and shared each one. They were really good. To get back to the subway, we had to wander through the commercialized area of Chinatown and fought our way through the throngs of people.
We stopped at a real grocery store that is across the street from one of the stops on our train and bought the stuff to make a pot of chili. Well, there isn't a pot big enough to make a pot of chili so I made it in 2 batches - one in a large saucepan and one in the skillet! It was good and we were excited to have some real food I cooked! We've been having salads if we eat here or cheese and crackers. We have enough for a couple more meals. (We don't have an oven - only a microwave and a gas stove top.) We still had to stop by the little deli on the corner near us for some milk, beer and diet coke. Conrad went in while I stood out on the sidewalk with the groceries. The man who works there asked Conrad where his wife was and he told him I was waiting outside. He asked where we were from (it's very obvious we don't live in this neighborhood) and he told him Arkansas. He asked where that was and Conrad told him in the middle of the country. The guy said "the Middle East?" and so Conrad told him no, it was near Texas! The guy understood that. We think he is Mexican. He's a really nice guy. He first called me Mama when I'd go in there but lately he's been calling me Baby! We seem to stop there almost every day. His prices are about the same as the grocery store.
Well, it's bedtime here so until tomorrow....
Conrad and Linda
No comments:
Post a Comment