68 years after Duke Ellington and his orchestra first recorded their signature tune, the A train still provides the quickest service to Sugar Hill in Harlem, and expresses south to zip us "home" at almost any time of the day or night. NYC subways are a little gritty but litter-free and hyper-efficient; the lines we ride on look much more like the Bay Area's BART than the dark and dangerous places some screenwriters would have you believe. Our cute little monthly passes allow us to take any NYC transit we want without fumbling around for silly tokens.
The squeaks and rumbles of the trains are as soothing as ear candy from the Duke or the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Incidentally, Dave's jazz quartet of bossa nova fame did an awesome cover of the A train song; visit youtube for their great 60s music video complete with black suits and skinny ties. Trains stopping in our borough take us uptown, downtown, crosstown, and of course they connect with other MTA trains which zip us almost anywhere worth going in between. Hmmm, it didn't take me long to get in the New York frame of mind -- clearly anywhere worth going has a nearby subway stop ;)
Our pad for the next 5 weeks is in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn -- just south of the Brooklyn Bridge, near the East River and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. Think brownstones, pre-war warehouses converted into swanky townhomes, tired Navy yards, dark corners where Italian hit men dump bodies, walk-ups, one-way streets, young couples walking hand-in-hand, and double-wide strollers that feature all-terrain tires and at least two massive cup holders.
Strollers here are typically driven by power-walking Brooklyn moms pushing sacked-out kids who are clearly bushed from too much stimulation and a general overdose of urban fun.
As expected, 17 seconds after arrival muy macho Andrea organized an "urban stroll" north and west, across the Brooklyn Bridge and through lower Manhattan, up and through Central Park over to the west side greenway continuing north and past Harlem. Clearly the A train is just a little too soft for her. This "stroll" ended up being over 13 miles, finishing at sister Katie's place overlooking the George Washington bridge for a scrumptous dinner. There's nothing like a wonderfully prepared meal in a gorgeous setting to cap off a 6-hour hike -- fortunately, K's boyfriend Duane loaned me a clean shirt, which allowed my fellow diners to enjoy the scent of their vittles instead of my overpowering manly aroma.
Andrea's college roommate and good friend Marg similarly lives in NYC, on the Upper West Side. Of course native friends and family make any town more fun, but they're especially handy in New York, where there is so much to see and do that these folks can help us prioritize. Winning activities are often the ones overlooked by "typical" tourists. For example, consider the Cambpell Apartment at Grand Central Station, which was originally the office of railroad tycoon John W. Campbell. In 1999 it was converted to a public space and bar, conserving most of its high-end vintage vibe without the waistcoat and pocket watch dress code.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is another prime example of an overlooked NYC destination. Entrance fees keep crowds to a minimum, and the 52-acre grounds host everything from Japanese cherry trees to local flora, lily pads, giant Koi, Italian "formal" gardens (behave appropriately), and most importantly a Brooklyn heritage walk with a bronze leaf-stone for each one of the gadzillion famous people born in our host borough. We passed Barry Manilow's leaf quite early in the day, affording us the opportunity to break into song thereafter at every opportune moment.
Williamsburg in Brooklyn still hops with creativity and late-night activities. On Wednesday we laughed hard with Jenny Slate, Saturday Night Live's newest cast member. Pictured here with her writing co-captain and "platonic life partner" Gabe Liedman, Jenny was hosting her "old gig" at a small restaurant and had me falling out of my free, front row seat (NYC is so easy to love). These two are "like watching your two favorite Jewish grandparents inhabit the bodies of 20-something New Yorkers rotoscoping their way through the American pop culture maelstrom."
Last night we met Jason (a former HP colleague) at the Park Avenue office of Booz & Co. consulting. Jason was ostensibly in town for a little training with Booz, but since he already knows everything, we expect it was more likely just to press the flesh with his Manhattan consulting brethren (and to grab a meal with us, no doubt). The ever-vigilant doormen at 101 Park Avenue passed a sigh of relief when Andrea and I stopped leaning on the office directory monolith and pestering them with questions and whisked Jason away on the 5 train (or was it the 4?) for yum-yum organic French-Caribbean fare in SoHo and a bottle of California wine, corkage-fee free. Did I mention that there is some good food in this town?
Former Club Med water-ski chief Jay is also in NYC, producing a commercial for Hunt's tomato products. Needless to say we crashed Jay's office in Greenwich Village to stock up on the free ketchup and bottled water that flows so freely in show business. Later we shanghaied Jay for an evening out by the Hudson River and connected for brunch with he and his wife, Danielle, who was in town for the weekend(!). Less than 10 days ago we discovered Jay, Danielle, and then Jason would all be in NYC during our time here. Our pals Jim and Venitha will be here soon, my pal Lara has her office in the Flatiron district...man, the serendipity of a big city that allows us to connect with pals so easily just kicks butt.
I should report on the headliner experiences we've gotten under our belts -- like "grandma style" pizza on Stone Street in the Financial district, the heartbreaking Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the free ferry to Staten Island, the Empire State and Chrysler buildings, admiring progress on the WTC site, our views of the Manhattan skyline at night from across the water in Brooklyn, etc. -- but you care little about these things. What you really want to know is "How far is it to Trader Joe's?" Relax, everything is under control -- TJ's is only a few blocks away, and with bicycles on loan from friends it's an easy pedal on cute little one-way streets. Three years ago NYC comitted to expanding its on-street bicycle network by 200 miles; we're using it -- to Coney Island and back, up Brooklyn's Shore Road park, etc.
Micro roasting of coffee beans in New York has gained a huge following, and peer pressure led us to visit Brooklyn's own Gorilla Coffee. After waiting in the 15-person line (hmmm, maybe there is a good reason the place gets Zagat raves), we speedily purchased a mix of 50:50 decaf and caffeinated freshly roasted Sumatran beans. Some ask if Gorilla coffee uses a similar bean production process to the weasel coffee we had in Vietnam. We're not sure, and since we haven't worked up the nerve to ask a gorilla, we are blissfully unaware.
The bistro chairs in Times Square are a huge hit -- excellent to grab lunch at a takeaway place and take a seat in the middle of the action. The pedestrian areas spill out beyond Times Square into nearby streets. When these areas get "pedestrianized," a lane or two of cars and busses are removed to make way for the bipeds -- the result is a reduction in street noise while maintaining enough activity to keep everything lively; nice. Now, if I could only get them to install electrical outlets in the street so I didn't have to carry around these extra laptop batteries...
Public spaces in NYC are some of what we love best about "living" here for 5 weeks. One of the newest creations in this category is the High Line park; old elevated train tracks and stations converted into garden walkways with native plants, benches, water features, and of course great views out over the city. 
Positively balmy when we arrived, and it's now growing colder. Soon we'll be wearing sweaters (gasp!). After 3 years in Singapore, walking downtown in a sweater will likely throw us into a foreign dissonance tailspin; we'll need to quickly find a restaurant that serves large portions of fresh mango and chili crab to regain equilibrium. No problem, I'm sure the A train can take us there.
