Saturday – January 19, 2013
The City starts slower on Saturday mornings. Fewer people are out. No one is rushing to get anywhere. The weather forecasters predicted a mild day so I had arranged to visit my son who lives in midtown Manhattan. CeeGee is working on a photography project so he wanted to visit several sites in New York to take photos. I’m always game to tag along on his obscure photographic adventures.
Spring in New York
The smell of curry filled the air when I climbed out of the subway station on East 28th Street. The neighborhood is now known as “Little India.” Off duty taxi cabs were parked along Lexington Avenue where Indian restaurants line both sides of the street.
New Exhibit at The New Museum
We strolled down the center of the new pedestrian walkway on 25th Street. CeeGee commented that the NYC commissioner of roads hates cars and has created many areas closed to vehicular traffic. “I love it!” he commented. “There are more bike lanes and pedestrian-only spaces in the city.”
Ceci Cela
We continued east on 25th Street almost to the river. Several hospitals in the area are still closed after they were flooded during Hurricane Sandy. CeeGee snapped his photos and we walked back to take a 2nd Avenue bus downtown.
Spectators
We got off the bus in the Lower East Side. This area has weathered many changes over the years and is currently becoming gentrified with new apartment buildings, brownstone renovations, and boutique hotels. As we passed one the these new hotels, we asked, “Who would have stayed at a hotel on Orchard Street just ten years ago?”
Marble Bag
CeeGee’s photographic destination was the Bowery Mission, which happens to be right next door to his favorite musuem: The New Museum. We ran into the museum for a quick peek at the work of the contemporary artist, Rosemarie Trockel. Three floors of the artist’s works demonstrated a wide variety of materials and phases of her expressive life.
Marble Styrofoam
CeeGee continued to take pictures of buildings and places we passed. We had a nice lunch in Ceci Cela, the French Patisserie on Spring Street. This tiny bakery has been praised for many years as having the best croissants in the entire city.
Retro Statue
Well fortified, we continued to Houston Street. We had to make a stop at Russ & Daughters to pick up a few delicacies, like white-fish salad, nova lox, and cream herring. Then we continued to our favorite Il Laboratorio del Gelato, for a refreshing taste of the best gelato in NYC.
Live Your Dream
I love “The City”. So much to do. So much to see. So much to photograph. So much to love!