NEW YORK CITY
PHOTO ALBUM #1
by Patricia Lay-Dorsey
Thursday, May
27, 2004
Pat Kolon and I
arrived in New York City about noon on Thursday after having spent
Wednesday night in Allentown, PA. The trip from Detroit should
have taken us no more than 10 hours, but as navigator I was a
wash-out and took us a couple hours out of our way. Pat, our designated
driver, was a great sport and didn't let it dampen her enthusiasm
for our adventure. She drove into the city like an old hand, even
managing to change four lanes within a couple of very crowded
blocks. The hotel--the Westin New York at Times Square--was easy
to find, standing 45 stories above 43rd St. at 8th St. They let
us check in early, and we soon found ourselves in a most sumptuous
room. Our special thanks to Gretchen and Matt who arranged for
wedding group rates for their out-of-town guests. Our room was
also wonderfully designed for wheelchairs and scooters. And the
view out the window took our collective breath away. The bellhop
took a picture of two very happy Patricias.
By 1 PM we
had unpacked and were out on the streets walk/scooting south towards
Greenwich Village along Fifth Avenue. We had a 6:30 PM date with
my niece Carolyn Dorsey to meet at the Blue Note jazz club in
Greenwich Village. We planned to have dinner at the club and then
catch the 8 PM show with Taj Mahal, the blues legend. But first
Pat and I intended to see that part of the city by foot and wheels.
It was a warm
sunny day, the first in awhile for New Yorkers, so everyone was
outside. Smiles were everywhere. We walk/scooted by the New York
Public Library, the Empire State Building, and soon came to a
lovely oasis of green within the concrete and glass of the city.
Madison Square Park was full of people relaxing, reading newspapers,
chatting with friends, eating their lunches and simply enjoying
this beautiful day. It was also a day of planting for city employees.
Across the
street from the park was the Flatiron Building, made famous by
artists over the years. We followed our handy Streetwise New York
City map and turned down a side street toward Sixth Avenue. Once
there I had a nice conversation about scooters with a cane-walking
elder woman. Soon Pat and I started looking for a place to eat.
Not just ANY place, but someplace where we could find food we
wouldn't usually find in Detroit. We were thinking ethnic, but
by 2:30 PM, we were getting pretty hungry and a bit less particular.
When we saw a vegetarian restaurant, we checked out the menu in
their window. And although Pat is a fabulous vegetarian cook herself,
we were intrigued by the unusual choices offered. We went inside
to find a space filled with peaceful energy, very few customers
and a friendly staff. The full menu was extraordinary. Our server--a
dancer and actor--was most helpful as we salivated over every
single item on the menu and took forever to decide. While still
making our final choices, we ordered an avocado/lime/mint appetizer
recommended by our server. What a treat! As it turned out, we
had happened upon the 2003 winner of New York's Best New Restaurant
award. And was that award ever well deserved. We both agreed that
Gobo, especially on this quiet late afternoon, was a treasure
on every level.
Fortified by
good food and a lovely rest, we again took to the streets. We
made our way over to W. 3rd Street so we could check out the Blue
Note. But before we got there, we stopped to watch a rousing game
of basketball. We and everyone else in the neighborhood, I might
add. Pat and I especially appreciated that a woman was playing
with the guys, and definitely holding her own. There was great
diversity on that court--black/white, men/woman, middle-aged/young,
fit/not-so-fit. But the caliber of play was consistently good.
And, more importantly, they were all good sports.
The Blue Note
was a couple of doors away, so Pat went inside to verify our reservations
and the club's handicap-accessibility. She found that although
there was an exceptionally high step up into the club, they had
a portable ramp I could use. Our table was reserved because they
wanted it to be scooter-friendly, and they recommended we get
there early as Taj Mahal's 8 PM show was a sell-out. Even so,
we still had time to continue our explorations of Greenwich Village.
We walked by
the City As School alternative school, stopped to look at this
interesting old building and admired their murals. Pat then pointed
out the largest Ginko tree either of us had ever seen. We walked
down beautiful tree-shaded residential streets, some of which
had interesting shops on the ground floor. One such shop--the
Tibet Emporium--caught my eye, so we walk/scooted inside. I was
immediately attracted to a lovely beaded lapis and turquoise necklace
had been made by Sonam, the artist/owner. It was a little too
short to get over my head, so she offered to lengthen it. We agreed
to come back in a half hour. By the way, not only was the shop
special and the necklace just what I wanted, but Sonam was such
a peace-filled, loving person that I was delighted to wear something
she had made.
After we'd
picked up my necklace, Pat and I walk/scooted over to W. 3rd Street
via New York University. While there we saw President and Mrs.
Bush out on the street. At least it LOOKED like them! Soon after
we got to the basketball/handball courts, we met up with my niece
Carolyn. It was such a lovely evening that we put off going inside
until after 7 PM. But once inside the Blue Note we found ourselves
seated at a table with a wonderful view of the stage. We ordered
salads and appetizers and had a delightful conversation. By the
way, Carolyn had warned us thatthey packed them in "like
sardines" at this club, and she was right. Shoulder-to-shoulder
is what we were. And happily so, because once Taj Mahal came onstage,
the audience went crazy. And their enthusiam didn't flag for the
next hour and a half. What a charismatic showman and superb musician!
After the show,
Carolyn, Pat and I walked the two miles back to our hotel and
to the New York Transit Authority where Carolyn was to catch the
subway back to New Jersey, her home for the last 18 years. Luckily
they were kitty-corner from one another. We walked/scooted Sixth
Avenue and enjoyed hearing Carolyn's brief history of New York.
It's fun to be with a local. As we entered our hotel lobby, we
unexpectedly met up with some of my family who were in town for
Gretchen and Matt's wedding. It was a treat to see them. By the
time we got to bed, Pat and I were two very tired puppies. But
fortunately we knew we could sleep in as late as we wanted on
Friday.
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(click on
thumbnails to see photos in a larger format)
Friday, May 28,
2004
Pat and I slept
in on Friday morning and didn't really start our day until noon.
Our intention was to walk/scoot uptown today so we headed north
on Fifth Avenue. This trip was Pat's first opportunity to explore
the city, so we tried to notice everything, from frescos overhead
to brass grates at our feet. As had been the case yesterday, we
found New Yorkers to be friendly and helpful. The picture of the
two of us in front of the Atlas sculpture happened because a young
man in a business suit came up and said, "Oh, you need to
have your picture taken with Atlas, don't you think?"
After buying
a larger photo memory card in a camera store around the corner
from the Plaza Hotel, I felt more relaxed in my picture -taking.
It was nice not to have to keep going back and deleting shots
so I'd have room for more. And that freedom came in handy after
we'd crossed the street to the southern-most edge of Central Park.
Even though Pat had just asked that we start looking for a restaurant,
I lost all track of time after encountering a precious 19 month-old
named Ian. While his father Michael held Ian on his lap, his mother
Tanice and I entertained this wiggly little boy by singing four
of his favorite songs over and over, including "Itsy Bitsy
Spider" to which he knew the hand motions. Happily, the street
artist was both artistically gifted and quick, so Ian's charcoal
portrait was completed within 20 minutes.
After that
musical interlude, it really was time to find some food. Again,
we were rather particular about what we wanted to eat. After all,
we WERE in New York City! But somehow our choices seemed pretty
limited. Whether they were inaccessible, too mundane, or not the
kind of food we wanted, none the restaurants we passed seemed
to fit the bill. I mean, you can't do Subway or Wendy's in Manhattan,
can you? We walked east to Madison Avenue, then to Park Avenue,
Lexington Ave., and finally ended up across the street from the
Queensborough Bridge on Second Avenue and 60th Street. On the
corner was a neighborhood restaurant that had good vegetarian
options on the Greek-American menu posted in the window. We went
in, got settled at a table and, thanks to a friendly young woman
who lives upstairs with her grandmother, soon felt like we were
part of the neighborhood. By then I was just happy for a bathroom
and Pat was happy for a chair of any kind. The Greek pizzas on
pita bread satisfied our hunger, but more importantly, we appreciated
having a roof over our heads when the rains came, which they did
after we'd been in the restaurant about ten minutes. And they
were HEAVY rains! But things had cleared up by the time we'd finished
our meal. Pretty good timing we thought.
We'd looked
in our AAATour Guide at lunch and had found two small museums
were located not far from us. So after lunch, we walk/scooted
over to the National Illustrators' Museum on 63rd between Lexington
and Park. There was a portrait show on the first floor, but no
elevator so we were soon on our way again. Our next stop was the
Dahesh Museum of Art at 53rd and Madison Avenue, what the Tour
Guide described as a "hidden treasure." Well, it was.
But not because of its permanent collection of 19th and 20th century
European academic art; no, it was the exhibit of costumes, drawings
and set designs for the 1926 Metropolitan Opera Theatre production
of Puccini's "Turandot" that took my breath away. The
costumes alone were worth a trip to New York to see.
We took Madison
Avenue home, and did a bit of shopping for our loved ones--my
husband Eddie and Pat's daughter Emily--as well as engaging in
a bit of self-indulgence, for me anyway. I mean, where else would
I buy expensive almond moisturizer from Provence? Only in New
York.
After a pick-me-up
of fruit-flavored sorbet, we went back to the room to rest a little
and dress for the night. Tonight we had tickets to see Marian
McPartland at Birdland. I was VERY excited to see and, more importantly,
to hear this jazz legend whom I had grown to love through her
weekly "Piano Jazz" radio program that San Francisco's
public jazz station carried every Wednesday night. At almost 86,
Marian is up there with Oscar Peterson in terms of defining jazz
piano. She's lived and played in New York since her years at the
old Hickory House club in the 1950s. I am in awe of her.
Well, my awe
was well placed. Marian and her trio--Steve Davis on drums and
Gary Mazzaroppi on bass--were superb. And when she asked for requests,
I was first to yell out, "Skylark." I adore the way
she plays that song. And she obviously loved being asked to play
it. She said, "Oh, that's a WONDERFUL song." When I
said, "It's wonderful the way YOU play it! ", she quipped,
"How do you know? You haven't heard me yet." I answered,
"Ah, but I have. I've heard you play it on a CD." After
the show a number of people came up to thank me for requesting
that song. It was something I'll never forget. We stayed for both
the 9 PM and 11 PM show and Marian never repeated herself once.
I can't imagine how she remembers all the songs that must be sitting
in her head. Not just old stand-bys, but her original compositions
as well. But I must admit that after such a big day, Pat and I
were most grateful that Birdland was only a block and a half from
our hotel. We were home in bed by 1 AM.
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(click on
thumbnails to see photos in a larger format)
Saturday, May
29, 2004
I woke up early
(for me) because I was so excited about the prospect of this "family
day." My niece Gretchen's wedding was to be in Central Park
at 4 PM, so I had practically a full day to play with before then.
I tried to connect up with my sisters, nephews and Gretchen's
sister, Erin--all of whom were staying at our hotel--but they
were either still sleeping or already out sightseeing. After joining
my friend Pat for our complimentary continental breakfast, I started
off on my solitary adventure. It was 62 blocks--from 43rd to 105th
Streets--up to the Conservatory Gardens in Central Park where
the wedding would be held, and I intended to scoot the whole way.
Even Fifth
Avenue was not very busy this early on a holiday weekend morning,
but I decided to go up to Madison Avenue anyway. I soon encountered
a photo shoot on the almost deserted sidewalk ahead of me. It
was interesting to see how the photographer's assistant held a
golden metallic disk up to the sun in order to reflect a golden
glow onto the face of the model. Very New York!
From then on
I alternated between Madison and Park Avenues until I came to
56th, at which time I scooted over to Fifth Avenue. My original
intent was to take the sidewalk beside Central Park all the way
to 105th, but I soon found the cobblestone sidewalk made that
impractical. From then on, I discovered why a disabled friend
who has lived in Manhattan for years had warned me that curb-cuts
in the city are hit or miss. I saw LOTS more of New York neighborhoods
than I'd anticipated because of trying to find curbs I could safely
negotiate.
About 68th
and Fifth I turned into the park and started to explore this oasis
of green within the city. Not surprisingly, folks were already
out sunbathing and setting up picnics. There were also lots of
bikers, runners, walkers and rollerbladers on the street that
was blocked off to traffic inside the park. I was fortunate to
happen upon the pond where they race remote-control sailboats.
I parked in the sun beside the water and enjoyed the passing parade
of families, as well as the sailboat races and the ducks. I must
have stayed there an hour, reading and soaking up this beautiful
day. Off to the side I began to notice a line of people with telescopes
and binoculars looking across the pond up into the windows of
apartment buildings on Fifth Avenue. I scooted over and asked
one fellow what they were looking at. I knew he'd know because
he had a huge telescopic lens attached to a camera on a tripod.
He said they were looking at the nest a couple of red-tailed hawks
had built on top of one of the apartment windows. He said two
chicks were now visible in the nest. My husband Ed had told me
about these hawks--the latest darlings of NYC--after he'd read
an article about them in the New York Times. Cal Vornberger and
I talked and I soon discovered that he was originally from Detroit
and had recently changed careers from photo-jornalism to his passion,
wildlife photography. On
my way out of the park I stopped to listen to a Polish fiddler
and to watch children playing on the Alice In Wonderland sculpture.
By now I had
my eye out for a restroom, so was delighted when I saw the Guggenheim
Museum up ahead. I got in for the senior rate of $4, used their
restroom and went to the few exhibits that were open. I guess
they're doing construction or are in between shows because most
of the museum was closed to the public.
Once out on
the streets again I quickly found a neighborhood pizza parlor
where they sold pizza by the slice and even had my favorite juice.
As was so often the case, I again found New Yorkers to be helpful
and friendly. The pizza maker brought my order outside and even
offered to open the Odwalla juice bottle without my having to
ask. If you recall, it was opening an Odwalla with my teeth in
San Francisco that led to my getting two plastic-covered front
teeth three years ago!
After a leisurely
lunch, I scooted up Madison Avenue through quiet residential neighborhoods
into Harlem until I came to 105th, my destination. Over on Fifth
Avenue, I saw wedding parties and limos gathering near the Conservatory
Gardens, a favorite place for weddings. I found the ramped entrance
a block away, and was happy to arrive at the location of Gretchen
and Matt's wedding an hour before it was scheduled to begin. I
sat in the sun and watched children play in the fountain.
The photos
of Gretchen and Matt's wedding and reception are on my New
York Photo Album #2.
After the wedding,
my nephew Jimmy, his two boys--Ollie and Harper--and I took the
Fifth Avenue bus back to 43rd Street near the hotel. I was happy
to find that the New York City buses are totally scooter-friendly
and free for the disabled! When we got off the bus, Ollie became
my designated rider--he'd discovered this mode of travel the last
time we'd been together at my mother's funeral in November 2002--and
I took them up to the NYC Public Library to see the stone lions.
Spending time with my great-nephews was a highlight of my trip.
****************************************************
(click on
thumbnails to see photos in a larger format)
Sunday, May 30,
2004
Pat and I woke
to another beautiful day, our last in the city. We had plans to
take in the jazz brunch at the Blue Note at 12:30 PM, so were
packed up and ready to check out by 10 AM. The bellhop was obviously
busy with other folks, so we loaded my scooter Ona and my friend
Pat down with our luggage and took the elevator downstairs. On
the way we met a wonderful family from Orlando, Florida who offered
to help us with our bags.They even carried everything to the garage
across the street where Pat had parked Sojourner, my handicap-accessible
minivan, when we'd arrived on Thursday. As I've said, our experience
of people in NYC couldn't have been better!
We drove down
to Greenwich Village and happily found parking on the street.
We got turned around walk/scootingto the Blue Note, so didn't
get there until 12:30 PM on the dot. Pat worked a bit of magic
and got us in even though they were already sold out (a high school
class of 100 was in the audience). I had to negotiate a few tight
turns but it was worth it because our seats were off to the side
practically by ourselves. We were very close to the stage.
I wish words
could describe the magnificent music we heard for the next hour
and a half. Kiyoshi Kitagawa (bass) and his trio (alto sax and
drums) created magic in that crowded room. Kiyoshi never stopped
playing--except when his fellow musicians took their solos--even
improvizing on his standup bass between each song. And the brunch
was delicious too!
After leaving
the Blue Note, we walk/scooted around Greenwich Village for an
hour or so. We met adorable ice-cream-eating children (Zoe, Eli
and Hannah), Pat went to an inaccessible chocolates store to get
a box of dark chocolate truffles for me to give Eddie, we found
some funky jewelry for Pat's daughter Emily, I saw a dog that
looked so much like our beloved Timmy-dog, we encountered Rico
Fonseca--the artist who had painted the mural of musicians on
W. 3rd Street--and I bought a copy of his poem "The Fate
of Life," I got a mixed fruit smoothie, and we even found
a restaurant with a handicap-accessible restroom. The only problem
was with curb-cuts, or lack thereof. After going around the block
a couple of times, we finally had to ask two strong fellows to
pick me and my scooter up and put me on the sidewalk where we'd
parked our car.
Getting out
of New York was exciting and a bit nerve-wracking, but Pat was
a real champ as driver. Our drive along Highway 80--the route
I'd missed getting us on when we'd come from Detroit to NYC--was
scenic, not crowded and relaxing. The sun was setting over the
Pennsylvania hills as we stopped for the night in Clearview. Once
there, we had a late supper in a truck stop cafe where the waitresses
looked and acted exactly as one would imagine they should--"down-home"
friendly. After a good night's sleep, we got on the road again
and, except for morning rains, had a pleasant ride home. We pulled
into Detroit at 4 PM on Monday, May 31.
**********************************************
(click on
thumbnails to see photos in a larger format)
photos by Patricia
Lay-Dorsey , Pat Kolon and some kind strangers
New
York City photo album #2
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