Exteriors, Familiar and Not

Where to, next? Central Park!

Ms. C was keen to see Belvedere Castle, but alas it was shrouded in scaffolding and closed for renovation.

We checked out the reservoir, the lake, and the turtle pond (where yes, we saw some actual turtles swimming).

Another request: Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Why not, from Brooklyn? I don't think I've ever taken the subway to Brooklyn before, but Google Maps led us to the right station.

We made our way to the World Trade Center site.

To the North Tower Pool.

I know where to find Paul's name. This is not something I would forget.

We walked along the High Line, from Chelsea to the north end overlooking the tracks at Penn Station.

On to Grand Central, to admire the nearby Chrysler Building by day.

A day to reflect on the old and the new, on what is here and what is not, before heading home.

The Art of the Subway

I had passed through the station many times before this little fella caught my eye, perched on a beam overhead.

Was this a rogue artistic statement? [No.]

There were more figures dotted about, and a larger installation below a staircase.

The subway system has a budget for art, I learned. We had some fun on a tour underground with a bona fide subway railfan.

Sure, I'd enjoyed the fossil replicas in the station below the Museum of Natural History. And I'd noticed the full-sized mosaics of revelers in the passages near Times Square. But there is real history throughout the system. The original lines were private, and the tile banners in each station followed their distinct color schemes of their owners.

More importantly, each station had a theme (localized to the neighborhood, in some fashion) to help riders recognize their stops. Not everyone could read, back in the day.

The Statue of Liberty is just barely visible beneath the bridge in the design at the Chambers Street station. The white tiles lining the walls were chosen to counteract the subterranean darkness. Despite layers of grime, they still reflect a lot of light.

A beaver, at Astor Place. It seems lucky that these pieces have endured in situ—not having been pried loose and stolen, nor defaced.

Our enthusiastic guide led us to some uncommon sights, like this intimate view of the tracks curving out of a station. We were standing, comfortably, behind a railing on the platform (not, as it might appear, on the tracks).

He made sure that we passed below the Roy Lichtenstein mural at the Times Square Station.

(A Roy Lichtenstein mural, in the subway?!)

Oh, the things you see when you take a moment to look around!

Interiors, Unfamiliar

It's easy to be overwhelmed by New York, with endless options for places to go and things to see. Sure, I have my favorites ... but when I visit with friends, it's the unexpected finds I relish most.

Like The Church of St. Francis Xavier, tucked into a neighborhood near Chelsea. I'm sure the area looked very different when it was built more than a century ago.

How many commuters, bustling through the corridors of Grand Central, take a moment to gaze up?

So many years ago, I would stay at the Plaza— a single room was (dare I say) a bargain during the summer months. Today, we eyed the Palm Court.

We're staying at an “affordable” Pod hotel, where they have refined the art of packing the maximum number of rooms into the available space. (“Affordable” is relative, I might add ...)

We explored a few galleries at the Metropolitan Museum, but popped into the Guggenheim just to admire the building.

One of Ms. C's “must-visit stops” was, of course, the New York Public Library. With some planning, we could have enjoyed a tour. The Rose Main Reading Room was packed (and very quiet, despite the prevalence of electronic screens).

The building is a veritable palace of books (though the stacks are hidden away). Nothing like this would be built today. Nothing.

An exhibit presented the work of Anna Atkins, the first examples of photographs (of seaweed) in a book. Remarkable, and ... who knew? (Not I.) For those who will not have the rare opportunity to study the physical pages, the library has shared them online.

From cyanotype, to high-resolution digital, to ... whatever the future holds.

Scenes of the City

Autumn in New York.

Staying in Manhattan is an extravagance, but so worth it.

Surprises await around every corner.

Work has brought me here for a few days, and of course I've extended my visit.

The skyline is less familiar to me now.

A dramatic new tower has risen somewhere beyond the New York Public Library, but ...

Will it age as well as the Chrysler building?

Or St. Patrick's Cathedral?

It's a transitional season—holiday trimmings are beginning to appear. The Christmas tree is weeks away, but skaters are already circling at Rockefeller Center.

Playing Around

Was I visiting during the off-season? Or is it the Disneyfication of Broadway? The pickings seemed slim.

I landed first at an Off-Broadway revival, the musical Desperate Measures, which turned out to be hilarious.

The story was fresh for me, as it seems I have never seen (nor read) Measure for Measure.

Next up was the play at the top of my list, Come From Away.

Last year, I couldn't bring myself to see this one. My chest tightened and my eyes brimmed when the passengers discovered what brought their planes to Gander. It was a few blocks from here, so many years ago, that I saw Evita with Paul.

Taking a break from musicals, I scored a ticket to a preview performance of The Lifespan of a Fact.

Seated next to a woman who had partied at Studio 54 back in the day, we were both puzzled about the venue. Evidently it began as a theatre, and to a theatre it has returned. The play was thought-provoking and funny, up to the (abrupt) end.

Late in the week, my chief biking buddy Ms. C joined me for a few days. “Pick a play, any play,” I said.

Kinky Boots, said she. And I'm glad she did. J. Harrison Ghee as Lola was amazing, and I had no idea that the concept was inspired by a true story.

The architectural details in these old theatres, lovingly restored, are a treat in themselves.

But why, oh why, are modern musicals so over-amplified? The lyrics were clever ... when I could make them out.

Four plays in one week—a new record for me, despite the slim pickings.

New York, New York.

Wildlife Week

Commuting to work this week, no earlier than usual, I was surprised when a coyote popped out of some bushes and trotted across the road, heading in the opposite direction. It was handsome (well-fed) and not the least bit interested in me.

Then I was even more surprised when a second one popped out, following the first. I'd seen one, years ago, in the same neighborhood—but much earlier in the morning.

That was more than the usual wildlife for the week, but ... little did I know.

While the rest of our group today chose to head out on Calaveras Road, as far as they could (it's still closed near the dam), I chose to skip that part and head straight up Felter. If I were to combine them, I'd rather tackle Felter first—but that was not their plan.

I was thinking about the time I saw a bobcat sitting upright in a field along this road, and then ...

A bobcat darted across the road, about 20 feet in front of me! Slightly bigger than a domestic cat, with that distinctive bobbed tail—no doubt about it.

The air was clear, the cloud formations were interesting, the sun was shining. There were turkeys, quail, a snake, and one scrawny tarantula. The scenery looked like an oil painting, the way the light fell on the hills. I chatted with a guy at the summit on Sierra Road. He wondered if there were more vista points (not really). I explained that he'd see the Calaveras Reservoir if he kept driving, but warned him that the road is barely one lane wide, with many blind corners.

Descending back the way I came, I was grateful to be on one of the wider sections when a red Ferrari approached in the opposite lane. I wonder how his drive turned out? There are long stretches where two cars really cannot pass.

And there are times when a single car should not pass, like the place where I boldly took the lane and signaled, palm back, with my outstretched left arm. Because at that moment, a bunch of cyclists were coming downhill in the opposite lane. I pulled to the right when it was safe, only to be yelled at by the eco-driver in the maroon electric vehicle that I'm supposed to stay to the right. [Right.] If you can't safely pass me [3 feet, it's the law] I am going to help you understand that, by taking the lane. It's a pity that you had to wait 5 or 10 seconds to pass. [Seriously.]

A scenic 19 miles with 2,195 feet of climbing. I waved to the rest of the group when I passed them (climbing) as I descended.

Maybe I should have taken that right turn and finished Calaveras ...

Puzzle Pieces

Not too hot, not too cold, not too steep, but ... not flat at all.

It seemed like a good time to tackle the climb up Loma Prieta, via Mt. Bache. I felt defeated last time, and walked up the toughest section. Today I merely paused, and was surprised at how quickly my heart rate recovered. I've done quite a bit of cycling this week, and have not felt the tiredness I expected after donating blood last Saturday.

Slides have shrunken the roadway to a single lane in places, with no evidence that permanent repairs are planned, much less imminent. It won't take much to wash more of it away—other sections are nothing more than irregular chunks fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Bicycling over them is enough to make them rattle in place; driving over them must only accelerate the deterioration.

We had a clear view of nearby Mt. Umunhum, but Monterey Bay was lost in the haze.

Having tackled the hard climb, we moseyed through the redwoods along Highland Way. Some stretches have fresh pavement (!), some are cracked and crumbling, and two “natural” speed humps have formed and been marked with bright pink paint and “slow!” warnings—likely by fellow cyclists.

We enjoyed 3,485 feet of climbing over 37 miles on what was likely the last hot Saturday of 2018.