Toward the end of my NYC time, I met a German woman who was spending an entire month just in the city. I would never be smart and patient enough to plan travel that concentrated, but as I was (reluctantly) leaving the next day, it was suddenly sounding pretty great to me. Though I only had five days there, I did make the most of it. During my Brooklyn time, my friend S and her son L joined me at Spumoni's and we got two generations hooked on their pizza (see L's tomato-sauce covered cheeks for proof).
S and I also went to a taping/show/occurrence (not sure what to call it) of The Moth at the Brooklyn venue The Bell House. The topic was "swagger" and some of the stories flopped, but several were completely terrific, making for (all in all) a great evening out.
One the east side of Manhattan, I met up with S, whom I used to babysit for in college, and who is now a Zumba instructor. She sweetly treated me to one of her classes, didn't laugh at my uncoordinated attempts to follow along, and we caught up on the past ten years over a post-zumba smoothie.
While in Manhattan, I stayed with Peace Corps Madagascar friends M and B, whose Chelsea apartment was a perfect home base for random forays everywhere, including...
...a swing by Zuccotti Park (much lower key than when it was all over the Occupy news)...
...on the way to a visit to 9/11 Memorial site...
...with much blue sky where buildings should be, but a front row seat to seeing the spire added to the top of the new Freedom Tower (toward the right side of this picture--spire cut out of the pic...sorry!).
I also walked the beautiful High Line park...
...had lunch at the apartment of my college roommate, S...
...took a fieldtrip to Jackson Heights in Queens...
...and later to another far edge of the city, Brighton Beach...
...before walking from there to Coney Island.
On what was generally a rainy visit, my last night in the city was a strikingly beautiful one. The sunset was spectacular, and I happened to be on the Brooklyn Promenade, making my way to Brooklyn Bridge Park, so I could have gotten to enjoy it all from a better vantage point.
My Peace Corps Morocco friend known as Banana Shoes had suggested I meet up with him and his girlfriend, N, at the Celebrate Brooklyn free concert with Big Sam's Funky Nation at the park. What a setting.
And what a city.
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