AYCJ Day 11, Friday in NYC - Oh the subways

Friday, Sept 17 - Day 11 in my 30 days of travel with JetBlue's AYCJ pass.

photos: NYC rooftop gardens and Sunset over Hudson River

It appears I'm a few days behind in my blogging, so I'll be sure there's a date at the beginning of each post to show which day I'm reporting on. Now let's see if I can catch up... Friday, Sept. 17, in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx.

Friday was a perfect example of how wonderful the NYC subways are .... when they are working. But when the subway that you are counting on is shut down for any reason, life in New York can be positively hellish.

My plan to move my 30 pound suitcase into Manhattan from Brooklyn began innocently enough. I had been staying in Brooklyn with my friend Todd, and he offered to help me move said luggage. This may be the last time he ever offers such a thing. The plan was take the G train to the E train, and a walk on the street to our target destination. There were stairs to maneuver along the way, but when we left the G train for the E train, it all went horribly wrong. The E train was sitting there, with subway employees saying that there was a sick passenger onboard the train, they were waiting for EMT to arrive, and there was no way to know how long it would take.

When this happens, there is always an alternative, but it's not always easy. We had to go up stairs to a street in Queens, walk down a block, across a street, and further up more stairs to an elevated track for the 7 train. A detour like this is bad enough, but with luggage... it's really not fun at all. Many people made this trek, others with luggage too, trying to get into Manhattan. I heard two women talking about the sick passenger, who said, "I don't know, he didn't look THAT sick to me."

In this situation, it would be good to remember that if we were that sick passenger, we would indeed be glad that the subway employees would wait with us until help arrives, but when you're trudging around to an alternative train station, and it's costing you time and aggravation, it's hard to stay in a generous frame of mind.

We finally made it. But it was hot and exhausting.

Later in the day, I joined my friends Maryann and Bonnie, at Judy's apartment near 14th Street to catch up, since we hadn't all been together for years. Judy wanted to have a little something for us to snack on, so she had a great inexpensive NY idea for appetizers. She went to her corner pizza place, bought a couple slices, brought them home, cut them in small bite-size pieces, heated them up, and voila! Snacks!

Her building has a fabulous roof deck, on about the 22nd floor. Living in NYC made me a big believer in roof decks, or roof gardens. Why don't more places utilize their roof space? We enjoyed the view as the sun set over the Hudson River. (well, over New Jersey really.) And though we didn't have a lot of time to spend together, it was great to see everyone.

Then Maryann, Bonnie and I walked to another subway and headed to the Bronx. About halfway there, that subway train stopped, they told us to all exit the train, and wait on the platform for the next train to arrive. I'm still not sure why. Must have just been my subway karma for the day. But we finally got to our destination. Bonnie and Maryann live in the same apartment building there, and we had a slumber party! I like the idea of a grown up slumber party, where you can eat chinese food, drink wine, stay up too late talking and laughing, and no one has to head home till morning. So that's what we did.

It was another full, fun day, in spite of a bit of subway drama. In NYC, you can't let little things like out-of-service subways stop you, you just have to keep going. That's why some days in NYC are more jam-packed and fun-filled than others.

AYCJ - Day 10 - New York New York

It's Day 10, Thursday, September 16 on my 30-day JetBlue All You Can Jet Travel Adventure. Today was Art and Italian food in New York.

I realize at this point in the trip that not only is my sleep schedule a bit confused, but my eating schedule is as well. When traveling one often does not eat the same foods one eats when home, so it will be interesting how 30 days of this works out. It's Day 10, one-third of the way through.

After sleeping in, at my friend Todd's place in Brooklyn, we both headed into Manhattan to MOMA (Museum of Modern Art). I was going to wait for "free day", which is Fridays after 4pm, but... Todd is a member, so I went as his guest and we enjoyed a wonderful Matisse exhibition. We walked around the entire museum, sat out in the Sculpture Garden for awhile, until the rains came. It was a big storm, wind, rain, and I heard that a tornado may have actually come through the city. We hid inside MOMA until it slowed to a drizzle.

About museums, I know some people don't think of going to museums when traveling, but what I like about them is that, if you're looking at an original painting or sculpture from a museum's collection, that is the only place you'll see that particular work. There are traveling exhibitions with works borrowed from other museums, but it's one of the few things left that is unique to a location. In most big cities, the major stores you see are all the same no matter what city you're in. It all looks like the same mall, no matter where you are. But Art and other Exhibits in local museums are mostly unique to that place, so that's why I enjoy finding interesting museums in new places.

In a museum, after walking around for awhile, you can get to information overload, where you're seen so much, it's hard to digest what you're looking at. At that point, I like to just keep walking and wander around the rest of the galleries, pausing when something catches my eye, for whatever reason. You can discover interesting works that way.

We walked around midtown, to the west side, and had Italian food at Amarone's on 9th Avenue. I love Italian food so it's always a good option for me. And a friend used to have his Christmas Eve dinners there when I lived in NYC, so I knew it would be good. Some pasta and wine, for a delicious end to a stormy day.

AYCJ - Day 9 - The People Ride in a Hole in the Ground

Day 9 - Wedneday, September 15, in JetBlue's All You Can Jet 30-day travel adventure -- more NYC adventures.

Photo: Staten Island Ferry, NYC skyline

This was a day when I'm better off traveling alone, because I walked and walked and walked all day long, covered a lot of ground.

Started with a nice breakfast in Brooklyn, with my current friend/host Todd, who is letting me stay at his place for a few nights. Then onward to the Brooklyn Museum. I wanted to see the exhibition for Abdi, who won the Work Of Art competition on Bravo TV, which I wrote about previously in this blog. There are about a dozen of his pieces there, I really like his work. Walked around the museum seeing their other collections, they have some interesting things there.

Got back on the subway into lower Manhattan, walked over to the Smithsonian American Indian Museum, a free museum that I always enjoy walking around and seeing what they have. Their main collection moved to Washington DC when the museum opened there, but they still have interesting collections.

As I walked outside, I saw the Staten Island Ferry... so I decided to take a boat ride. It's free, and takes about 25 minutes each way. You have to get out in Staten Island and wait for the next ferry returning to Manhattan, so figure about 1 1/2 hours to complete this trip. It was a beautiful afternoon.

After returning to Manhattan, I walked along the Hudson River, in Battery Park City, a lovely place for a walk in NYC. There's a lot of construction happening around the World Trade Center, apparently things are starting to progress on new buildings there.

Took the subway up to Soho, to a gallery that a friend recommended. It was almost closing time, but I walked around and looked at some interesting drawings. Then subway again, up to midtown, checked out what used to be the Revlon employee's store, for discounted cosmetics. It's now a store on 39th Street where they sell cosmetics, either last year's colors, or overruns I think. I looked around, but all I could think of was... more stuff to carry around! So I didn't buy anything.

For dinner, I went to Kennedy's pub on W. 57th Street. A good Irish Pub in NYC is a great place to go for dinner at the bar. It wasn't too loud in there, there was a spot at the end of the bar. I ordered delicious fish and chips and a beer, and had great conversations with others at the bar. It was a great end to a very busy day, and I was tired! You can stay in good shape walking around NYC, without even realizing it. Miles and miles and miles you can walk, and lots to see along the way.

AYCJ - Day 8 - the Bronx is up and the Battery's down

It's the 8th Day on my 30-day JetBlue All You Can Jet Adventure, and there will be several days in New York City ...

Photo: Statue of Liberty

Today I found my way to Brooklyn with my luggage for the next few nights of lodging. More subways, more stairs, but somehow I pulled through.

Then back to Manhattan for some karaoke action! A few friends, mostly from a singing class years ago, gathered to sing at Carrie's apartment. Reiko, Eleanor, Lydia, Carrie and I may have talked more than sang, but that's good too. And you haven't lived until you hear women of a certain age singing Tom Jones songs... It was nice to catch up with old friends.

Then I headed out and walked into midtown, by Rockefeller Center, and into Times Square. When I lived here, I used to occasionally walk into Times Square just to see what new signs and lights were up. It's so packed with people, I remembered why NYC residents rarely go near Times Square, unless they're going to see a show. You especially don't want to be there when the shows get out... in the early evening on matinee day, or any night around 10:30pm. The crowds are mind-boggling. But Times Square is a unique place, full of activity and energy. I quickly got to the point of ... okay, I saw Times Square... now let's get out of here!

I jumped on a subway to go from Times Square (42nd St) down to Union Square (14th St) and an express train was just pulling up. This is a wonderful thing, once you figure the trains out. The express trains only stop at the big major streets, so you can save travel time if you know what you're doing, and you don't see the street you want whizzing by as the train passes it! So the train stopped only at 34th Street, then 14th Street. I traveled 28 blocks in just a few minutes. The subway can be a wonderful thing... when it's working... and going where you want... and especially when there are escalators...

I learned today that Cosi Sandwich places have free WiFi. So, I've just finished my lentil soup, club sandwich, decaf and chips, and I'm writing this post. Tonight it's off to Brooklyn, then I have to figure out how to organize my next few days' activities. So much time, so little to do. No wait. Strike that. Reverse it.

AYCJ - Day 7 - New York New York, it's a wonderful town

Day 7 on the JetBlue 30-day All You Can Jet Adventure, and it's time for New York City!

Photo: Times Square

Taking the Air Train in from JFK to the E Train (subway) is relatively easy, I've done it before, and there are even several escalators along the way (hurray). A few places with stairs, but you can't have everything.

At the O'Hare JetBlue terminal, I met some other AYCJ adventurers, and we compared notes on where we've been so far, so that was fun to see what people are doing and planning.

I have loaded some of the photos from my camera to my laptop, but I have figured out one potential issue with blogging from the road. Finding WiFi locations where I can spend lots of time blogging, adding photos, etc. Currently... I'm at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue.... shhhh, don't tell them. Wonder how long I can stand here writing my blog, using their WiFi, before they ask me what I'm doing. I think this store location is open 24 hours... Can that be possible? There are 3 or 4 gazillion people in here right now, it's quite amazing... and loud.

But I'm in New York City, where I lived for 11 years, several years ago, so it will be a good time to see old friends and catch up. My first stop is with my friend, Carrie, who I met in a singing class at the Y years ago. She is graciously letting me land on her couch for a night. And tomorrow, we have an afternoon karaoke session scheduled, in her apartment. A few other friends will come by so that will be fun.

Tomorrow my plan is to stay with a friend in Brooklyn for a few nights. That means hitting the subway with my luggage again... (sigh)... such is the glamourous travel life I am leading! I could splurge on a cab I guess, but... trying to be frugal! And I just bought my MetroCard.

That's the first thing I did, right off the JFK AirTrain and I recommend it for anyone visiting NYC. Get an unlimited MetroCard. My 7 day card (good for 7 days from when you first use it) was $27, and it will be worth every penny. I can use it on any bus or subway for the next week, as much as I want. You can also purchase cards that deduct for every subway or bus ride you take ($2.25), but it's just annoying trying to keep track of that. With the unlimited card, just swipe and go. Swipe and go. Swipe and go.

May write more later. And I will be adding photos to posts one of these days. I don't think I can stand here typing much longer ... people seem to be stopping and looking over my shoulder... probably should go. Thanks, Apple. Hey, and thanks, Big Apple!

AYCJ - Day 6 - Chicago suburbs

Day 6 of my 30-day adventure using the JetBlue All You Can Jet Pass. A quiet day in the 'burbs.

Slept in for awhile, had a good breakfast at a local Northfield, IL diner, a nice walk around the neighborhood, laundry and a complete re-packing. How do things in my luggage get this messed up in only 6 days? A load of laundry and I start off fresh with all clean clothes! (hey that's a big deal if you're traveling for 30 days. I did not bring 30 days worth of clothes.)

We finish the day with more pizza... and champagne! A toast to my last day in Chicagoland. Thanks to my Aunts Mary and Maureen for being the fabulous hosts they always are. And to my friends MB and Bonnie, for spending a great day together.

Tomorrow morning I'm off to O'Hare Airport, where I will fly to my next destination, which is ..... wait for it.....

No really ... you'll have to wait for it. I'll tell you tomorrow... when I get there.

30 days of JetBlue Travel - Day 5 - the 'burbs

Day 5 of my All You Can Jet Travel adventure.

After sleeping in longer that I planned to, (needed it) spent some time in Chicago's northern suburbs, finding a place with WiFi, and figuring out why my MacBook doesn't always want to get its email. It's not very interesting, but when you're writing from the road, you are at the mercy of the technology. I have a hard enough time keeping up with it, and when it doesn't work quite right, it can be frustrating!

Other than computer issues, it was a nice relaxing day, ending with a fabulous Italian dinner.

We went to Washington Gardens, in the northern suburb of Highwood, IL. My two Aunts and I shared a few dishes, all delicious. Veal Fontina (with green pepper, garlic, oil, tomato, fontina cheese), Rigatoni Amatriciana (spinach, pancetta, cannellini beans, tomato sauce) for our main courses. And we split an appetizer that I forgot to mention as an all time, old time Chicago favorite: Shrimp De Jonghe. I spelled it right, it's not dijon and has no mustard anywhere near it. It's basically shrimp, butter, garlic and breadcrumbs and it's amazing. Shrimp and garlic are always a good combo. This is a great dish, and I don't think I've ever found it outside of Chicago, where it was invented.

Chicago's ever-changing sky has been fun to watch. Oh good, blue sky! Uh-oh, clouds are rolling in. Wait, no, it's blue again! Oh look, clouds... And this all in one afternoon! There have been some pretty clouds though. I'll be posting pictures of clouds and other things soon.

AYCJ Pass Travel - Day 4 - Chicago

Today, Friday, September 10, on the 4th day of my 30 day All You Can Jet Adventure, from the northern suburbs of Chicago, we headed south to the great Museum of Science and Industry, then west, for Italian beef!

Photo: Johnnies for Italian Beef, Elmwood Park, IL

The Museum of Science and Industry is in a building that was built for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It's a museum where you can play with stuff -- press buttons, turn cranks, make things happen. As a kid, this was always a fun museum, and it's amazing that it's still really good. We spent most of our time in the Storms exhibit. We made tornadoes and vortexes (there's a difference... but right now, I couldn't tell you what it is), caused an avalanche, watched lightning, waves, a tsunami, all sorts of stormy subjects.

We toured the Pioneer Zephyr, a passenger train from 1934 and saw exhibits about the human body (I tried to find which muscle in my shoulder I had likely sprained/strained/torn), computers, transportation, the environment. We didn't have time to see it all, but I ran around at the end of the day to take a look around at everything. For anyone who has been there before, the Whispering Gallery is still there, and the baby chicks are still hatching in their incubator. We missed the "Science Theater Show" called "Poop Happens" and well, maybe that's just as well.

Then we headed out west to the Oak Park area for the best Chicago treat ever -- an Italian Beef sandwich. For people not from Chicago, no, it's not a french dip, and no, it's not a Philly cheese steak. It's different. It's better. We went to Johnnies, a popular little spot. Italian Beef with sweet peppers, dipped in the juices, so the Italian bread is good and soggy with the deliciously seasoned beef juices. French fries. Homemade (at Johnnies) Italian Lemon Ice. Delish.

Another good day with lots of walking. So, even with all the beef and pizza, I should be losing weight..... right?

JetBlue AYCJ Pass - Day 3 - in Chicago

Photos: The Art Institute, and clouds over Lake Michigan

Day 3 of my 30-day JetBlue Adventure. Thursday, September 9, in Chicago.

Check-out time was at noon, so I decided to catch up on some sleep and sleep in! hurray! Because this hotel room was like an apartment, with a full kitchen, and a coffeemaker with coffee, I took the opportunity to save on some restaurant meals, and had picked up some essentials for breakfast.

The local 24-hour Walgreens seemed to have many travelers inside, picking up essential grocery items for their hotel rooms. I had some cereal in a ziplock bag (it was just going to go stale at home, and if I finish it, maybe my luggage will get slightly lighter!) With some yogurt and milk, breakfast is set! Check my email on the hotel's wireless system, and start packing up to move on to the next stop.

Does anyone else walk around their hotel multiple times, checking for stray personal belongings that are trying to stay behind? Everything out of the bedroom? check. Everything out of the bathroom? check. Wait, let me look one more time.

The Seneca Hotel and Suites was a good find. I had a one-bedroom apartment for a couple days, right next to the Hancock building on Chicago's north side. I found a Travelzoo deal of $109/night, which for a hotel in a big city, is a pretty good deal. I took advantage of the kitchen to save money on food, and save it for those days when I won't have a kitchen, or when I'm out with friends. They have a gym (which I never got around to using) and a nice rooftop deck (which I did enjoy). And when I checked out, they let me leave my luggage with them for the couple of hours I walked around, waiting to be picked up.

After yesterday's clear, blue sky, the morning started out clear, but the blue sky narrowed to a small strip of blue, which slowly moved out over the lake, pushed off by gray clouds. It was still nice to walk around the lovely Chicago lakefront though. It's not the ocean, but someone once told me they were surprised by the size of Lake Michigan. When they heard "lake" they assumed you'd be able to see the shore on the other side of the lake. But in Chicago, you cannot see across to Michigan. It may as well be an ocean (without the surfing).

Now I'm trying to figure out if you're on a lake shore, how far can you see across the water, to the horizon? How far away is the horizon? And how many miles is it, across the lake to Michigan from Chicago?

My Aunts Mary and Maureen picked me and my luggage up at the hotel, and we drove to the Art Institute. When I grew up in the suburbs, I spent some weekends with Mary and Maureen, in Chicago. We would go downtown to the department stores, or to the Art Institute. Their father (my grandfather) was an artist, a painter, so I had an early introduction to art. They also helped me develop my love for Chicago, and for cities in general -- So much to see and do, so much activity.

The Art Institute was wonderful, as always, and their new modern wing is beautiful.

We headed up to the northern suburbs, my next sleeping location, but stopped and picked up a pizza first. (Chicago pizza!) The first difference I find between Chicago and New York pizzas -- New York: pepperoni. Chicago: sausage. It was delicious.

Another busy day has left me tired again. Will I ever catch up on my sleep? Especially while I stay up late to write this blog? If I miss a day of writing, will the whole thing fall apart? Will I ever post any of the pictures I'm taking along the way?

JetBlue AYCJ - Day 2 - Windy City

Wednesday, September 8, Day 2 of my 30-day adventure, in Chicago

Photos: Millennium Park Bandshell, "the Bean" sculpture, and the view of the John Hancock Building, from my hotel roof deck.

A beautiful day in a fabulous city with wonderful friends. Decades ago, Mary Beth, Bonnie and I spent a couple years together as friends at Wheaton Central High School. Years have passed when we didn't see each other at all. And yet we can spend a whole day together with no plan, and have a great time. Walk, sit and talk, walk, stop and eat, walk, talk, laugh, talk, walk some more, drink, laugh, talk. That was our day.

What is it about old friends, that you've known since you were younger? Maybe it's that we all really know each other's history, because we went through it together. We know each other's parents and siblings, the houses where we grew up, hanging out together in high school. You will never have that with anyone you meet as an adult. So there's a common bond. An uncommon common bond.

We met at Millennium Park, just east of Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Today was a beautiful day, bright blue sky, a few fluffy clouds, slightly chilly in the morning, perfect temp later. Walked around the fabulous shiny silver bean sculpture, where I, like everybody else, took many pictures of cool reflections. Walked around the amazing Frank Gehry-designed bandshell, more photos. We walked to the Aqua Building, because I had seen a documentary about its design and building. More pictures. I'm a bit of an architecture fan I guess. I love when something is well-conceived and beautifully-built. And we later enjoyed the water fountain with the faces. I don't know what it's officially called, but anyone who has been there knows what it is.

We walked around the beautiful lakefront. We ate lunch outdoors, which in my view is mandatory on a beautiful day. And there may have been a margarita or two in there somewhere.

We walked down State Street, to Carson Pirie Scott, a department store where I worked for 6 months, right out of high school. I was the receptionist in their advertising department, back when individual local department stores had their own advertising departments. I thought I was so cool, at 18, commuting on the Northwestern Train in from the suburbs to the big city each day.

The Carson's building, which was built in 1899 (I just looked it up) is empty, like the bones of a dead carcass stripped bare. It was sad. Looking in the windows of the Main Floor where the women's accessories, purses and cosmetics had been, there were just concrete floors and the old pillars. I know things change, nothing stays the same, but this made me sad, maybe because I had some brief history there. And down the street, Marshall Fields is now Macy's. Every store is now Macy's. Is this really progress for us consumers... Okay, sorry, enough of sounding old and cranky. I'm just tired. (and maybe a little old and cranky...)

Mary Beth headed home, and Bonnie and I walked to my hotel, where we sat on the roof deck on the 17th Floor with a bottle of wine, relaxed and enjoyed the end of the beautiful day. And Bonnie did all this walking with one foot in a foot brace/cast/shoe device thingy (that may not be the official name for it). She tore the muscle in the arch of her foot. I may not have that exactly right either, but when she described it, all I remember thinking was... "OUCH". Between her foot and my shoulder, we were quite a pair. But what we lack in physical prowess, we make up for in determination.

Walking around on a beautiful day, in the city where I was born, and that I've always loved. Enjoying a rare entire day, catching up with old friends that I don't get to see often enough. That was a great day.