On Friday we picked the girls up at school at noon and drove to New Jersey and met Debbie, Hayden and Spencer, last seen at Horseneck Beach in Massachusetts in late August. We shared a hotel room and splashed in the pool and hung out for the evening
Into The City
The next morning we said good-bye to them and drove into NYC and checked into a Super 8 in Astoria Queens. We then walked 6 blocks to the N Train and rode it to 8th Street and where we spent a bit touring the urban campus of NYU where Ambiana is interested in going to college.
It was a brisk bright blue sky day with temps in the 30’s. We walked through Washington Square Park.
I lived in NYC from October 1987 until May of 1988 and W4th St and 6th was were I lived
I ate oatmeal every morning at the Washington Square Restaurant
After walking around NYU for awhile we headed North and West towards the High Line but couldn’t pass a block without getting something to eat like these yummy empanadas…
…or these extrememly beautiful and delicious cakes!
We finally made it to the Hig Line which I last walked in the summertime heat of June. It was just as crowded now as then and we started at the Southern Terminus which I had not walked in June.
We walked the entire lenght of it up to Hudson Yards at 34th Street. There was some cool art work like these binoculars you looked through that then projected your eyes on a screen over the street below.
We kicked back in Macy’s for awhile using the bathroom and sitting down in the women’s shoe department on some comfy seats.
While the ladies checked out H&M I sat outside and watched the Golden Hour light climb the concrete and brick lined canyons of tall buildings.
Engrossed in watching the light while hundreds if not thousands of people passed by I caught sight of Nature in the midst of all the urban hustle and bustle. Even here in a place so overbuilt and densly crowded with humanity I was reminded that all is apart of the natural world and all one has to do is look to find it. No matter what we do to the world, however much we pave it over, the sun still sets, the birds still flock, the world is still there.
Shopping and sunset complete we waded into the caucaphony of Times Square to meet up with Mark, Ollie and Erika who are joing us for “Hadestown”. We watched four teens make a Tik Tok video, down the block was a full on concert in progress, all around us all streamed masses of people while overhead huge video boards proclaimed their wares and promoted the lates movie, tv show or musical offerings. It was all a bit overwhelming so we ducked out and found a bakery to sit in and indulge ourselves with brownies, cookies and croissants.
At 7:30pm we found the theater and were happy to get in out of the cold and rest our feet: total walked so far 8.8 miles according to the steps app in Ambiana’s phone.
“Hadestown” is by Anais Mitchell, acnative Vermonter and the show was first conceived 15 years ago with the help of Ben Matchstick who was the children’s librarian in Montpelier when Ambiana was 3 and would read books to her and others at storytime.
We were in the balcony. We bought our tickets on Today Tix and didn’t get them until today so we had no idea what our seats were. Mark both theirs on Seat Geek a few months ago and wouldn’t you know; we were seated in the same row right next to each other!
Meanwhile in Colorado
Gaelen and his girlfriend drove out to Winter Park Colorado 10 days ago to work in the rental shop at the resort and be ski bums for the Winter. It is full on Winter there.
Back in VT
It’s looking a lot like Winter in Vermont as well. The temps went from the 60’s to the 20’s overnight and we got 6″ of snow over the course of Wednesday and Thursday last week and with the cold temps it is sticking around.
JB has learned to use the cat doors and is in and out of the house all day. The snow does not seem to phase him one bit.
Levi was over last Sunday and he and Jakobi made cookies
