It's getting a little too warm for me to visit the city as Marian

 

The above map of New York City shows the density of Age 65+ residents in each borough.  And as an older transwoman, I figure that I should "act my age" and visit the NYC outpost of SeniorPlanet.Org for a 1 hour class on website building.  I didn't expect much, but it was a good excuse to visit the city and see an Off-Broadway play afterwards.

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The day started with the drip in my bathtub's hot water faucet becoming a steady stream of hot water.  This is something I couldn't fix on my own, and would need the help of our apartment complex's super whether or not a plumber needed to be called.  So, after I got dressed and on my way to NYC, I called our super and he agreed to come over sometime tomorrow.

Now that I got the process of fixing the leak started, it was time to pick up a sandwich that I could have for lunch before going into the city.  Because of this stop, I might have missed the train I wanted to take.  But I did catch a train that, with connections would bring me to NYC's in-person Senior Planet site at exactly 3 pm, including subway connections and walking.

When I arrived at Senior Planet, I wasn't sure of what to expect, save that the class would be a very light overview of website building.  And yet, I was surprised to find how little people of my generation understand about the internet and how things work.  So, I'm glad that places like Senior Planet exist, if only to provide technical scaffolding for those who didn't grow up around technology, as I did.  Since the lady at the entrance asked me to stop by her desk on my way out, I did so - and became a member.  We chatted for a minute (woman to woman) and she found my humor entertaining.  Now, if I go there again, it will be as Marian - as I want to live as much as my life as possible as a woman.  But I digress....

Next, it was off to Greenwich Village to eat.  After trying to find the Stonewall Historic site, I gave up after walking further than I wanted along Christopher Street.  (My back was bothering me, it was warm, and I had only a limited time to eat and travel to the theater.)  So, I walked back to the Ghandi Cafe for a "quick" dinner.  Although I ordered my old standbys, Samosas, Lamb Sagwala, and Onion Naan, I wasn't happy with today's meal.  I think that part of my reaction was predicated by the restaurant having its front window open and relying on ceiling fans to keep people cool.  This wasn't good enough for me, as I polished off at least a quart of water and a glass of Lassi to stay hydrated.  If anything, I'd bet that my taste buds were affected by my body's reaction to the warm weather.

Around 6:20, I was off to catch a train going uptown, and arrived at the theater with 15 minutes to spare before the show began.  I had good tickets for The Imaginary Invalid, an adaptation of Molière's classic comedy about love, greed, doctors, and deception.  One problem, my body's reaction to heat had me semi-conscious throughout the show, and I missed many of the jokes.  (I may go back and see this play again before it closes, weather and money permitting.)  But what jokes I did catch were funny, and actually got me to laugh (a rarity).

At 8:30, I was headed back to Grand Central and made it there with 10 minutes to catch the next train back to Croton. When I got off the train, I tripped on the platform and almost fell down.  But I was able to keep my balance and step onto the platform without harming my self.  Getting into the elevator, two ladies of my generation and I chatted for a second in the elevator.  When I came down the steps leading to the cab stand and parking lot, one of those ladies made sure to wait for me to come down the stairs - as if I were a typical woman traveling alone late at night.  It's nice to know that most people seem to be seeing me as a large, but overweight woman. 

 

 

 

 

A short trip to Queens

 

Queens, NY. In some areas, it is as congested as Manhattan Island.  In other areas, it has a lower population density than other suburban areas.  Today's mission was to find a parking spot in a moderately congested part of Queens, and then stay with RQS for a couple of nights.  

But first....

I have been going to the same location to have my taxes done for almost 50 years.  This doesn't mean that I have been going to the same business for 50 years.  For the first 48 of these years, I have used the same tax person that my parents used for their business.  When she retired, she recommended the person who took over the location and opened a new business of her own.  This was my first destination for the day.

To give you an idea of where I was going, Corona is a section of Queens that became predominantly Hispanic over the part 50 years.  It is much more common to hear Spanish being spoken here, and to find people who can't speak English.  I'd bet that a very large portion of the area's residents are illegal, and will soon be terrorized by the Orange Snowflake's crackdown on immigrants, legal and illegal.  Bur I digress.  For now, Corona is still a vibrant community, a region of New York City where I feel safe to visit in the day time.

Normally, it is hard to find a parking spot in Corona. Yet, I easily found one less than 300 feet away from my tax lady's office.  Although I put $2.00 in the meter for 90 minutes, I could have put in only $0.50 for 30 minutes - I was in and out of her office that quickly.  Then it was off to RQS's place.  And that's where the "fun" began.  Or, I should say, that's where I started having a  little bit of bad luck with traffic.

Cross-borough traffic in Queens is terrible, unless one is on a subway line that connects to Manhattan island.  It is easy to go from Flushing to Corona, Corona to Jackson Heights, and Jackson Heights to Long Island City before reaching Manhattan.  But, if one wants to travel from Ridgewood to Flushing, one either has to travel on the NYC Subway to Manhattan then change trains to reach Flushing, or take a bus that slowly winds through narrow streets to reach the same place.  There is no easy way to reach Ridgewood from Corona, and I had to fight Friday afternoon traffic to reach RQS.

A little over 1 1/4 hours later, I was in Ridgewood, and found a parking spot within 10 minutes.  And then, I was at RQS's for the evening. Unlike most trips, this one would be way too short.  I knew I'd be leaving on Sunday.  But, for the next 2 nights, I'd be with RQS.  And that was the most important thing to me.

A complete unknown

 

 

Last night, RQS and I went into Manhattan to watch "A Complete Unknown", the story of the early days of Bob Dylan's career.  Would I recommend this film?  YES!  The performer who plays Dylan gave an Oscar worthy performance.  

 

But first....

 

On Friday, I drove to RQS's house.  The drive took longer than expected due to the heavy traffic on the roads.  Instead of getting there by 3 pm, as I planned, I got into her neighborhood at 5, and couldn't find a parking spot to save my life.  After 20 minutes of searching, I had to leave her neighborhood to find a Mickey D's for a bio break.  And it was there I had unusual GI-Tract problems.  (I won't go into any details here, save that I could have been extremely embarrassed had I not found a rest room.)  Once done with Mickey D's, I drove back to RQS's place where it took me 15 more minutes to find an available parking spot - literally around the corner from her house.  From there, it was a short walk to her apartment, and a chance to truly freshen up for the night.  

Saturday came, and my stomach was a bit iffy.  We took it easy during the day, and after a dinner of leftovers, left for the movies.  (I still wasn't sure about my stomach, but my GI-Tract was relatively empty.  So it was worth the risk of being on the subway for 45 minutes.)  We arrived at the theater around 7:30, and proceeded to buy our tickets, bottled waters, and a package of milk duds.  It's hard to believe that with senior pricing, we paid $16 for 2 movie tickets, and $10 for 2 bottles of water and our candy. And then, we went upstairs to the small theater.  (It's hard to believe that a night at the movies could be this cheap - especially in Manhattan!)

 

8:00 came, and the lights dimmed.  I knew the story about Dylan's transition from Acoustic Guitar based folk music to Electric Guitar based pop music, but the way the story was adapted kept me interested throughout the film.  RQS asked  me a few questions, and I noted that Dylan's girlfriend was named Stacy in the film, while she was named Suze in real life.  (I have a copy of Suze Rotolo's memoir, A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties, about her time with the young Bob Dylan.) If you get the chance to watch this film, watch for the gaffe where they call the Stacy character Suze.  It's hard to believe how quickly time seemed to pass while watching the film.

 

Shortly after 10, we caught the train back to RQS's place for the night.  It may not have been the most exciting day, but it was a good one.

It ain't over until it's over!

Yogi Berra, the Rodney Dangerfield of Baseball.  A kind man who worked hard to excel at a game he loved - baseball.  Behind all the light hearted banter, he quietly earned 13 World Series rings, more than any other baseball player, living or dead.

Why do I mention this man?

To answer this question, I have to say that RQS and I went into Manhattan to see a documentary about this man's life, called: " It Ain't Over."  This documentary gives this great ballplayer his due, and gives the viewer an idea of what this man was all about.  It all started because his granddaughter saw 4 baseball players honored as the best living players at one all-star game.  Jokingly, she asked her grandfather: "Are You Dead?" And he responded, "I don't think so."  It then became her mission to see that her grandfather was given his due.

I won't say much about this movie, save one thing: SEE IT!  RQS, who is not a baseball fan, loved it.  

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After the movie, we stopped at a Halal food cart to get a couple of Chicken and Lamb combos, with some Falafel on the side.  Yum!  I won't say that it was good as the food cart near where I used to work, nor will I say it is as good as a place in her neighborhood. But I will say that the food was tasty, and worth what we paid for it before returning home for the night....