Wednesday morning was sunny and cold. I got up and formulated my plan for the day while I showered, then called J. to see if she was interested in lunch and, oh, would she mind if I ditched my bags at her place after I check out of the hotel? She had to leave in the early afternoon for another commitment; but she not only anticipated my request, she graciously offered me the keys to her apartment and her MoMA membership card to entertain myself after lunch. Free admission to MoMA!

I did not, however, need to be out of my room until noon, so I headed to the coffee shop on the corner for a bowl of granola and a big cup of coffee. Then to Chelsea Market, which made me giddy. Food food food! If I lived in the neighborhood, I’d probably spend a stupid amount of time (and money) here. As it was, I got hot chocolate mix to take home from Jacques Torres and wandered up and down taking pictures and gawking into shop windows for nearly an hour.

Back to the hotel to get my bags and check out. I headed for the M11, one of the first on, and made the half hour trip uptown to J.’s. I left my bags in her apartment and she and her dog took me out to see Central Park and Tavern on the Green (sadly bankrupt and closed now, Christmas decorations still hanging in the windows).

We dropped the dog off at her apartment again and then walked to Vynl, a diner-type place with menus sandwiched between record covers and serving delicious homemade chips.

J. pointed me in the direction of MoMA before departing and I passed an extremely gratifying hour there strolling through photography collections and Monets and finally into the Tim Burton exhibit (no flash photography in the museum, and no photography whatsoever in the exhibit, unfortunately … of course, the picture below is of an object in the atrium with a “Do Not Touch” sign next to it and clearly, someone isn’t paying any attention to that).

It was extremely crowded, but I am glad I had the opportunity to see some of it while I was there. It’s made me really consider getting a membership to the Art Institute – it’s nice to see art an hour or two at a time, instead of cramming in as much as possible because I want to get my $20 worth. I don’t care what I’m looking at after an hour or two. A friend describes this as ‘art fatigue.’

I digress. Back to pick up my bag at J’s and leave the keys with her doorman. I got to the avenue, and I did not even have to raise my hand to hail a cab – one spotted me as I reached the corner with my bags; he slammed on the brakes and was out of the car opening the trunk and putting my bag in, almost before I knew it. And to Penn Station we went. I checked my suitcase in just 5 minutes before deadline and boarded the train 15 minutes later with an overpriced bottle of water, a few books and my knitting.

I won’t regale you with the full details of the trip home. The essentials:

• A family occupying the seats around me was boorish and poorly behaved for most of the trip
• The car steward was terrible – the most unfriendly I’ve ever had on an Amtrak train
• The scenery – lovely; I’d like to make the trip again in the summertime when it stays light longer and see more of upstate New York.
• I finished The Sirens of Titan.
• I loved eating in the dining car; I treated myself to a full dinner there in the evening, and in the morning had coffee with a lovely woman who’d boarded the train in Erie and was on her way to a christening in Naperville.
• The seats are large enough to sleep in and I felt surprisingly well-rested when I arrived at Union Station and met Dan for breakfast Thursday morning.

I love train travel – yes, it takes eons longer than a flight, but you travel without hours-long lines in security, unreasonable baggage restrictions and fees, headaches from altitude changes and dehydration, mis-routed luggage, long flight delays, bad airport food … there is no need to put your seat and tray table in the upright position or turn off your electronic devices, no turbulence, no impossibly tiny bags of “snack mix,” no theater act about emergency procedures … and you get large comfortable seats, lots of legroom, changing scenery, the chance to have a cigarette or get some air in every state you pass through, and (usually) excellent stewards. And there is something very old-timey and elegant about it. I love it. Even with loud-mouths sitting 2 feet away.

See? Every time someone else took a picture of me on this trip, I looked ridiculous, deranged or just awful.

* * *

I thought for certain I’d find traveling alone to be lonely at some point – I do like time to myself, but I was sure before leaving I’d feel stranded or just sorry I didn’t have a companion for dinner. I enjoyed my companions when I had them, but I also liked my snug little room and having time to read or knit during my down hours. I’m so glad I did it and while I like traveling with Dan, I think I’ll be sprinkling more solo trips in between our vacations, too.

Full-on vacation album – look at all 200+ if you dare.

Tuesday was bright, sunny and cold. I showered and then hopped on the M14 Crosstown and headed to breakfast on the Lower East Side. Mom put me on to Clinton Street Baking Company after watching an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay (right?); so I decided to find out if the blueberry pancakes were really that great.

The service – not stellar. I’d say probably the worst service I got on my trip, and that includes the waiter at Cafe Gitane that spent 5 minutes making faces at his reflection in the cash register. Also, it is cash only – I found a $20 bill hiding among my receipts in my wallet or I’d have had some embarrassing explaining to do; I did not see “Cash Only” posted anywhere in the restaurant or on the menu, but maybe I missed it.

Photo from Let Her Bake Cake; click picture to visit her blog with copycat recipe

The pancakes, though … delicious. Really. Light, fluffy, great texture. The blueberries were very fresh. And the melted maple butter is the perfect topping – I hate ordering pancakes for breakfast and leaving with a mouth coated in sticky-sweet and a sugar high. But it was just the right amount of sweetness on the pancakes. Beautiful.

Right after I booked my hotel & travel for this trip, I bought a ticket for the Statue of Liberty, with Crown access; buy in advance – the morning time slots were already sold out when I purchased mine almost 2 weeks ahead of time. Crown access is still very limited since its reopening.

So I had time to kill before heading to Battery Park for my 1 p.m. ferry. I wandered down through Chinatown, walking vaguely in the direction of the Brooklyn Bridge. Chicago’s Chinatown is fairly sleepy – restaurants and shops arranged along Wentworth and another cluster north of Cermak. New York’s is big, bustling, busy. Delivery trucks rumble around, traffic is pretty intense … mid-morning all the shops were open and the restaurants mostly closed. I sat for a few minutes in a small park, taking it in, before wandering toward Police Plaza and City Hall and the courthouses and government buildings just west of Chinatown.

On to the Financial District. I meandered a bit and stumbled across the World Trade Center site. There is not much to see – it’s a fenced off construction site right now, though there was an address on Vesey posted on the fence, where if you were inclined you could see a preview of what’s to come. And near my hotel, the Ground Zero Museum Workshop is tucked in among the designer shops and meatpackers.

From there I happened into the World Financial Center and took the opportunity to sip hot chocolate and sit down.

The last sighting of that umbrella.

Then out the other side to gape at the Hudson as I walked through Battery Park City to Battery Park. I got to Castle Clinton, collected my reserved ticket and went through the airport-style security required to board the boat, and then off we went.

I checked in with the park ranger in the visitor center and got my orange bracelet to get into the Crown. I paid my $1 to stow my bag (you’re allowed your coat and camera for the climb – nothing else) and got in another security line. This one involved puffs of air (new to me) and a metal detector.

And then into the Statue.

I checked in with yet another park ranger (you’re instructed to stop and see at least five to gain entry to the crown). And then I was on my way. The climb up the pedastal is a piece of cake. When you reach the top of the pedastal, you show your bracelet to yet another ranger who lets you into the stairs up to the top. And that’s where you will have problems if you are claustrophobic.

There are two spiral staircases – one for those ascending, and one for those moving back down. The stairs are *just* wide enough for one person. There are a few narrow landings where you can stop to rest and, if you’re me, try to capture just how narrow those stairs are with your camera.

You climb and climb and then suddenly, you’re in the Crown.

Then there is the descent. This is where you will have problems if you are afraid of heights or falling. Going forward down those steep stairs is frightening. I am not claustrophobic, nor afraid of heights, but in all honesty, I found the descent really terrifying. Just as I teetered on the verge of a full-on meltdown on those tiny stairs, I spotted the ranger sitting down below at the top of the pedestal. I paced the top of the pedestal for a bit, trying to get myself together and then headed to the exhibit.

I was still very scatter-brained so I just took pictures of a ton of stuff in the exhibit, hoping to appreciate and enjoy it later when I was not still thinking about the tiny steepness of those stairs.

I was pretty tired by the time the ferry for Ellis Island showed up; I got off at the Island, wandered a little, took a few pictures, had some tea, and then got on the very next ferry back to Battery Park. Subway back to the hotel. Then subway to Midtown to meet T. for drinks at The Ginger Man. One too many drinks and a stop at the deli near the hotel later, and I was in for the night.

Monday was a bad day for pictures. It rained. Not, like, a few sprinkles. It was pouring rain from the time I woke up until 3 p.m., with high winds that overturned several cars on the bridges around the island. I, of course, had not packed any waterproof shoes. I took almost no pictures, since trying to handle camera and umbrella in high winds and heavy rain would likely have ended with my umbrella skittering up Broadway. Advanced apologies for this extremely text-heavy post.

Breakfasted at Cafe Gitane – in the first floor of the hotel – where they charged me $2.50 per cup of coffee and breakfast consisted of toast with avocado, lemon juice, olive oil and chili flakes for what I would ordinarily spend on an omelet and hashbrowns. Charming restaurant, delicious food, but yikes.

photo via Flickr, user CherryPatter

Headed north to the Fashion District. Where I was totally overwhelmed by the selection. I grew up on Jo-Ann Fabrics. I thought it was great when I moved to Chicago and had Vogue and Fishman’s and Rainbow fabrics right at my fingertips, but Chicago’s got nothing on NYC.

I popped into Paron’s on 40th and the staff were wonderful – very friendly and helpful and when I go back again, it’s definitely a stop I’ll be making. The prices were good but it was my first stop and I did not really know what I wanted to get.

Next stop, Elegant Fabrics. Huge. Enormous. This is when my brain started to overheat and sizzle.

photo via Pesky Cat Designs; click picture to visit

Then on to 39th Street. The whole block was like a fabric mall. Every shop selling fabric or notions or special fabric (an entire store selling nothing but neon fabrics!). Soaked and overwhelmed at this point, I conceded defeat and headed south on Broadway to The Strand.

I stopped along the way to duck into ABC Home where I seriously considered splurging on a beautiful tea set.

Across Union Square to The Strand, where I scored a photography book on libraries (called, aptly, Libraries) and a paperback volume of short stories.

My feet were squishing in my shoes at this point and the rain showed no sign of quitting, so I headed in the direction of the hotel, stopping for an omelet and salad at French Roast before wringing out my pants and setting my boots under the radiator to dry.

* * *

Rain stopped and I left to tour my way down Bleecker, through the village and SoHo and on to meet J. on the Lower East Side.

"Welcome to Greenwich Village"

I popped into Purl SoHo (very tiny shop by Chicago standards) and bought yarn for a hat (and found out yarn, fabric & zippers are tax exempt in New York if you’re using them for garments). I mosied down Spring Street and stumbled past Evolution – very cool and very creepy.

Most excellent graffiti on the Lower East Side

Across the street to Cafe Bari for a latte and a rest (it’s a long walk) before getting to Economy Candy on the Lower East Side. Dark chocolate covered pretzels were excellent, and I picked up a couple packs of Black Jack gum for nostalgia’s sake. J. bought some excellently fresh spice drops.

Brooklyn Bridge from the foot/bike path over the Williamsburg Bridge

We headed over the Williamsburg bridge on foot and to Caracas Arepa Bar (get the La de Pabellon) where it was happy hour and I enjoyed my first rum Manhattan. Then back for the evening on the subway and out for a nightcap at WXOU, where a collection of regulars and neighborhood folk made for good people-watching from my bar stool.

* * *

A disappointing day in pictures, but I covered a lot of ground on foot and loved it. Especially once I got some dry pants & socks on.

I’m back today from 3 days in New York City. That means it’s time for another series of posts about me. I mean, my vacation.

I flew out on Sunday. Generally speaking, I hate to fly. Not because I have anything against being in a plane, but because the hours before and after being in the plane tend to be very unpleasant and tiring, ending with a splitting headache and a pressing need to nap.

You  may think I am making things up when I tell you that I arrived at Midway and breezed through security (thanks to my strategically packed bag), boarded the flight and took off right on time, had an entire row of seats to myself, and then landed 20 minutes early, arriving at the baggage claim just as the bags started rolling out, with mine at the head of the line … I then walked outside to the cab stand and was on my way to Manhattan less than 10 minutes after touching down. In fact, sometimes I think I made that up. And I’m a little sad because I feel like I used up my good flight karma in one shot and now I won’t get one like that again for a long time.

I checked in to my hotel, an old boutique number currently being renovated. It was originally built to house sailors on shore leave, and they’ve kept with the nautical theme and rooms the size of a ship berth. It works if you’re 5′5″ and traveling alone as I was – it’s kind of a step up from a hostel, and as a solo traveler, it was the only way I was going to be able to afford to stay in Manhattan.

Taken while crammed into a corner behind the door. That's the entire room. I shared a bathroom with private toilet and shower stalls down the hall with the rest of the floor.

After unpacking a few things and turning in a circle once or twice to touch everything in the room (I think I estimated the dimensions around 5 1/2 by 7 feet), I headed out and walked north to see what Chelsea had. And I ran right into the stairs for the High Line! High Line Park was built/is being built on the remains of an elevated rail line. Great design and equally excellent views. It’s a lot of fun.

Chairs on rails

Statue of Liberty from the park

Empire State Building

End of the line.

I walked around Chelsea a while longer before stopping at Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee for a sandwich (New York bagel! – was very fresh and delicious) and getting in my obligatory post-flight nap.

After that, I went to wait in line for the free UCB show ASSSSCAT 3000, which I got a ticket to, along with about 150 college students. College students because old farts like me have a hard time standing on the hard pavement for an hour in the cold and would rather just pay the $10 for the earlier show and then go to bed early. But it was sold out by the time I planned my trip, so I put my standin’ legs on.

I got to see Mike Birbiglia as guest monologist (!!!1!!), this (very funny) chick from CBS as a guest improviser, and two regular cast members – one male, one female – in a wrestling match. And I got to do it all while sitting down, which is more than I can say for the intrepid dozen or so who got standing room at the back of the theater.

Back to the hotel to get ready for Monday …

p.s. I love my new camera!

Thanks everybody – it’s been a long wait but not unpleasant. And I think I got about the best-case scenario for ending my stint as an unemployed bum. I am very ready to go back to work again.

I’m sitting around waiting for the UPS guy right now. I’m afraid I’ll miss him if I shower or leave the apartment for even a second, so I’m still in my sleeping clothes. I already missed him twice this week – this is the final delivery attempt, and I need my new camera before Sunday.

Sunday?

Yes, Sunday.

Sunday I am finally fulfilling my 2009 goal of “Take a trip by myself.” Better late than never, and I hope worth the wait. I don’t start my new job until next month, so I am taking a few days in New York City next week. I’ve never been there, and I’ve never vacationed by myself before, either.

I’m starting to assemble the essentials. I stopped and bought books for my trip¹. I have a little notebook, and a little guidebook, and a new wallet that’s a little more practical than my underpants bag². I’ve reserved my ticket for the Statue of Liberty. I have a long list of things to do (most of which involve eating or walking around and staring at things) and no set plans for when to do them. And I am crazy-excited about all of it.

Nothing says "I'm not really a tourist" like a guidebook.

So after this big spasm of “omg, I am finally going to have money again!!!!1!!” spending, I’ll be getting back to the projects at hand (neighborhoods, and the Ravelympics are starting soon!).

* * *

¹ I forgot to mention that I finished Spook Country in my last post … meh. It’s probably really good if you’re into sci-fi, but I had a hard time caring about the characters; if sci-fi could write real characters with depth, I’d have a much better time reading it.

² I don’t know how to explain “underpants bag” other than “it’s a little zippered pouch that resembles underpants, looks like something a 13-year-old girl with a love for Hello Kitty or unicorns would own, and functions as my wallet” but that still sounds weird.

¹ I forgot to mention that I finished Spook Country in my last post … meh. It’s probably really good if you’re into sci-fi, but I had a hard time caring about the characters; if sci-fi could write real characters with depth, I’d have a much better time reading it.

2010 shows up and I disappear. Not because I haven’t been doing anything, but because I am so.tired. Between volunteering and job interviewing and stressing about job interviewing, I haven’t had a lot of time to sit down and tap-tap-tap at my keyboard. Nor have I had my head together enough to make coherent thoughts come out of that tap-tap-tapping. There is lots to update on:

1. I FINALLY finished Everybody Knows.

I decided instead of the collar to improvise a short-row hood. It’s a little weird-lookin’, but my hatred of seaming is great and I prefer weird-lookin’ to seaming.

2. I got tired of not having a hat to wear with my coat and black & white accessories (I have a brown hat, but brown with black & white? c’mon.), so I whipped up a hurricane:

I knitted the ribbing twice as long as the pattern calls for so I could cuff it and keep my ears a little warmer. It’s a bit snug – I think I’ll go up to bulky yarn and a bigger needle size for my next one.

3. As you can see from my pictures, my camera is failing. I think this weekend that I will order a new one. This is possible because

4. I got a job. Finally. In fact, I was offered two jobs and had the luxury of choosing between them. I am happy with my choice and feel like the one I had to turn down will do fine without me and may be a good contact to have going forward. I’ll be starting 2 weeks shy of my layoff anniversary. It’s not been a bad year, all in all, but I’m happy to be getting back into it and moving back onto a road that’s closer to where I started out on my career path than where the last detour dropped me off (please excuse the poorly crafted metaphors).

There is more, but I am exploding with the shopping possibilities that accompany an income right now. New camera! Travel! Boots! Cute shoes! Yarn! More yarn! Fabric! That’s all that’s going on in my brain right now.