A trip to "The Egg" that almost ended in a disaster.

Today, we drove from Croton, NY to Albany, NY to see a performance of Paula Poundstone at "The Egg".  This theater is one of a modernist group of buildings near the New York State Capitol building that were commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller (if I recall correctly) to spur development in this area.  Anyone driving to Albany will see some beautiful old buildings near this complex, as well as this complex.  It's too bad that there is an economically depressed area near this peaceful area.

But first....

RQS had forgotten some of her diabetic supplies at home and wanted to buy some to keep at my place. So, we drove to the local CVS, where RQS had problems with the person working the pharmacy counter.  RQS wanted to buy her supplies at retail prices, as her insurance wouldn't cover an early purchase.  The woman behind the counter had no idea of what she should or could do, as all she knew was how to push buttons for insurance coverage purchases, and not for "full price" purchases.  RQS was getting frustrated, and I decided to fill the car up with gas while RQS was trying to get things done at CVS.  Well, it took a supervisor to fix RQS's problem (I should say that the problem was with the inexperienced counter clerk), and RQS was out of the store shortly after I returned from the gas station.

We finally were on our way to Albany at 3 pm, and got there around 6 pm. (We had stopped nearby for dinner before arriving at the Egg.) The theater was scheduled to open its doors at 7, not 6.  So we decided to relax near "The Egg".  In the upper picture, one will notice a bench near the entrance to the Egg.  We sat by tables near this entrance.  And this is where the "Almost Disaster" once happened.  The following email to the office of the commissioner of police describes it best:

My partner and I drove to Albany, NY on July 25th to see a performance of Paula Poundstone at The Egg. We arrived early, and we were sitting outside on one of the nearby benches. Around 6:30 pm, a youth came up to us and asked us to help him take a picture of him and his cousin. We both were a bit suspicious, as he was posing in a way NOT to get his face in the picture, but to get a small shot of his cousin on his phone. (The weirdness of this caused us to both be concerned that something bad was going to happen.) While this was going on, another person on an e-bike was riding around the area. Both of us thought that a "grab and snatch" operation was being attempted, and we didn't give either of these people (both happened to be black, if that helps you identify them) the chance to make us victims.

Please note that we were very lucky. Others may not be lucky in the future. Hopefully, there is something that can be done to make this area safer for the public.

Thank you

We were lucky.  I'd hate to deal with Albany police AND try to get my car started so that I could go home.  Even worse, I had over $500 in my handbag (as well as some credit cards and keys for both my car and house), as I had just gone to the bank for my weekly cash expenditures.

Shortly after this almost disaster, we went inside the theater and waited for the Paula Poundstone performance.  She was funny (as well as very political), and worth the 2 1/2 hour drive to see her.  The show started a little after 8 pm, and ended around 10 pm.  Due to road construction near the Egg, we ended up crossing the Hudson, forcing us to take local roads back home.  I was very grateful to have made it home by 1 am, as both RQS and I needed a long delayed  bio-break, followed by a restful sleep.

A Clothes Horse on a Long Trip

I used to complain to my late wife about her being a clothes horse. Now, I find myself as much of a clothes horse as she was.  Unlike my late wife, I have the assets to refresh my wardrobe much more often than she did, and can afford to do so.

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Yesterday, Vicki and I drove upstate to Flax's annual barn sale. This means that I would need to be awake 4 hours earlier than normal for a weekend day and ready by 9:00 am, so that we'd be at the barn sale by 1:00 pm.  Both Vicki and I were on time for this long drive.

Given that I do not have a typical female body, I knew that I had to wear a garment to the sale which would allow me to try on clothing, but not strip down far enough to advertise this face.  So, I chose to wear a unitard under an airy duster.  But this made it awkward for me to take bio breaks.  To deal with this, I decided to carry a change of clothes I could wear after leaving the sale.

Neither of us had breakfast before the drive, so we stopped at a deli on the outskirts of Cold Spring for a bite to eat.  This is not something unusual for me when out for a long drive.  And we needed this stop, as we were feeling hungry again several hours later when we were nearing Flax's sale.  At least, there was an open rest area along the way where we could both take a bio break and pick up some nuts to sate our hunger until we were done with Flax.

Arriving at Flax, we saw a small factory with a large parking area.  On part of the parking lot was a tent 300' x 100' where pallets of clothing were available to be picked through in boxes 3' x 3' x 3' organized only by size.  If one wanted anything, one would have to sort through the contents of each box in one's size and hope that there was something interesting in the box.  At the entrance, we were greeted by several friendly people, and as usual, Vicki chatted them up a little before going into the tent where Flax's garments were for sale.  Once inside the tent, it was calm, but organized chaos - women were dressed in clothing which allowed them to try on other clothes without having to strip.  I was not out of place.

Flax's staff was both friendly and helpful.  One of the ladies I met mentioned that her mother worked there, and that she didn't know how good a value these sales were.  Another lady offered to help me find some dresses in these boxes, and found 4 which I ended up buying.  Vicki also got help and found several garments she could wear in her new size. (She has lost 1/3 of her weight on her diet, and I am still not used to seeing her this thin.)  By the time we paid for our merchandise and left the tent, it was close to 2:00 pm, and both of us were ready for something to eat.

Now, this is where a tickle of frustration came to me....

Vicki knows that I have traveled upstate often enough in my life to have a mental roadmap of how to get home from the NYS Thruway.  Yet, she punches in her home as a destination before driving home.  This is not a bad thing when we are driving from the middle of nowhere.  But it is a bad thing when she is driving me home.  I said that I know a nice Japanese restaurant in the Albany area that we could try.  Arriving at the restaurant around 5:00 pm, we settle down and have our first real meal for the day.  Both of us chose "bento box" dinners - and they were yummy!  I'd certainly go back to this place if I were in the Albany area again.

Leaving the restaurant, Vicki again chose to use the GPS for directions home instead of listening to me.  I drove the same route home often when I hung out with a Polyanorous group in the Albany area.  So I should know the best way home.  Instead, she chose to follow the machine's directions and take the long way home - but not on the thruway.  (Remember, she punched the code for directions to her home, not mine.)  An example of the GPS giving bad directions was in the Albany area, where it told her to take one exit, then make a U-Turn to get back on the same road.  It didn't know how to tell her how to deal with several successive forks in the road.  Yet, we still made decent time, switching away from heading downstate on the Taconic Parkway to using US 9 to reach my house.  Even though we hit some traffic in the Poughkeepsie area, we made good time. Yet, I could tell that she was getting tired because of her decision to trust the GPS (and spend more time in her drive) than directions I could have give.

It was a 4 hour drive up to the sale, and a 5+ hour return from the sale (exclusive of dinner).  Would I do it again?  Maybe.  But I know to insist that Vicki ignore the GPS when I have a better idea of how to get to a destination than it has....

 

A day trip to Albany

 

The above picture of the Albany, NY Government Mall is a good example of why cellphone cameras will never completely replace the traditional camera - the compromises in lenses used in cellphones tend to result in image distortion that cannot be corrected.   

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Today, RQS and I decided to take a drive to Albany to visit the New York State Museum for a change of pace.  She had heard that some Berenice Abbott pictures were on display, and this was the perfect day to drive North and see them.  So, we started the day with a filling breakfast, and started our trip North. The drive was uneventful, save for my GI Tract issues.  (I won't go into any detail here, save that it delayed our arrival at the museum.)  Even at 80+ mph (people tend to have lead feet on the NYS Thruway), it felt like a leisurely drive.

Arriving at 3:30, we had 90 minutes to explore the museum, and we focused on the modern history of the state.  Of course, there was the now permanent exhibit for 9/11.  But we focused on finding the Abbott pictures - and were underwhelmed when we finally saw them.  Too few were on display to have made this trip worth it for the pictures alone.  Yet, the trip was worth it for the permanent exhibitions which included the contents of a Chinatown store, a barber shop, an early 20th century school room, and more.  Unfortunately, we missed going to the Carousel on the 4th floor, as it shuts down an hour before closing.

All too soon, we had to leave the museum for home   Next time, we'll get there a bit earlier, so that we could have a longer visit and see the whole museum.

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One thing of note: The museum had an exhibit of olden wedding dresses.  If I were to get married again, I want to be the one wearing the dress this time....

It's a holiday weekend!

 

I'm not sure if my readers have noticed this, but I usually am a couple of weeks behind in my published posts.  The reason for this is that I don't want to give away my current location when I travel.  By doing this, I can always play catch-up with my posts when I return.  Hopefully, this explains why I gave this entry its title.

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Some quick thoughts on how I expect things to go:

RQS is coming up later today, and my place is a mess.  That's OK for now, but I have to clean it up a little before she gets here.  I'm not sure of how I plan to dress when she arrives.  But if I'm wearing trousers, it may be a surprise for her.

Sometime this weekend, we will be going to either Shoprite or Stew Leonard's to buy some live lobsters while they are on sale. My refrigerator is already filled to the gills, and I don't know where I'll put the lobsters while I'm waiting for the water to boil in which I'll cook them.  

I'm tempted to take a drive up to the New York State Museum (an exhibit is pictured above) over the weekend.  Saturday may be the best day for this long drive, as we can take our time going up to Albany and coming back to Westchester county in the evening.  Unlike my last long drive to the North Country, I plan on avoiding speed traps by taking slower routes on this trip.

Sunday may be a day spent nearby, where we may go to see a movie.  The third movie in the Equalizer series interests me, only because of its leading star.  With that being said, I'm not sure if I want to see another "action" film.

And Monday, RQS and I will be going to Yonkers to spend the day with the Game Night crowd.  RQS is usually busy on Thursdays, and would rarely see these people   But she was there once, and enjoyed being with these people.  So she's thinking of making them a dessert this weekend.  At least, it will not require the use of my oven....

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As you can tell, I didn't have much to say about my life today, save for my plans for the weekend.  Later on, I'll find out whether things went according to plan....