Another weekend in Queens

 

Although the above picture was taken in Chinatown, RQS and I spent most of the weekend at her house.  Sadly, this was a weekend spent as Mario, as my brother was coming over to eat with us this past Sunday. 

But first....

The weekend started off with a drive to Queens.  There was a little more traffic than I expected, but in the places that are normally backed up, traffic was moving.  So, I made it to RQS's place a little faster than usual, getting to her place before the sun went down.

Saturday came, and we had originally planned to go to Midtown Manhattan to visit one of the venues opening their doors for Open House New York (OHNY) weekend.  However, this conflicted with "No Kings" protest weekend, and RQS didn't want to be anywhere near any of the protests.  So we decided to take the subway to Chinatown and have a bite to eat.

We got off the subway at the Chambers Street station (one of the ugliest and poorest maintained stations in the system) and walked upstairs and saw these policemen in a relaxed mood.  It seems like the "No Kings" demonstrations went off without any problems, as every policemen we encountered seemed to be enjoying themselves in the beautiful weather we had this Saturday.  On our walk to Chinatown, RQS and I spotted 20 policemen on bicycles casually riding back to Police Headquarters, looking like they had an easy day on duty. (Later, we found that there were no incidents related to the protests.  This was good, as I seriously considered that the Orange Snowflake might create some "False Flag" trouble.  If the protesters were Anti-American, as the corrupt administration in DC claims, then count me in as one.  But I digress.)

Eventually, we made it over to Mott Street and made it to one of the better "Noodle Joints" in town - Wo Hop.   It's not one of the restaurants I'd usually eat at, as I prefer Szechwan cuisine over Cantonese.  But both RQS and I wanted a change of pace on this visit.  That left us with a big question:  Do we go to the original Wo Hop, located in the basement, their upstairs dining room, or Wo Hop Next Door?  Well, we chose the upstairs dining room, as there were no lines.  (Later, we found out that both upstairs and downstairs dining rooms share the same kitchen.  So, while we had no wait to get a table, people had to wait to eat downstairs.)  Both RQS and I enjoyed the food.  Yet, I think that next time we are in town, we may try another noodle joint.

After our meal, we explored Chinatown a little, and took the subway back home for the night.  We got in our share of walking for the day, and we had another day of good food ahead of us on Sunday.

- - - - - -

Sunday came, and we took our time getting out of bed.  My brother was coming over in mid-afternoon, and we would be proceeding to Rockaway Beach for dinner at a "Red Sauce" joint.  (Note: Red Sauce Joints are old style Italian Restaurants.)  He arrived about an hour late, and we made the 45 minute drive to the Rockaways. Rocco's of Rockaway Beach is a Red Sauce joint that was well worth the effort to get to by car.  Just around the corner from the end of the subway line, it could have been a regular place for us to go - if we didn't have to make 2-3 subway transfers to get there.  But it was the perfect place to go with my brother to celebrate his birthday, as it gave him a chance to talk about his problems if he felt the need to do so.

We sat down to eat, and had a leisurely dinner.  About 2 hours later, we were finishing off our meals, and I was tasked with the drive back to RQS's place.  My brother's legs were hurting him, and he needed a break before driving back to his house.  So, I took the "long" way home, and we bid our farewells for the evening.  I feel sad for him, as he's in the early states of separating from his wife, and he doesn't know the half of what he's in for over the next few months.

- - - - - -

On Monday, I had a hard time in getting moving.  I had to go home and take care of editing the co-op's newsletter, as well as catch up on things at my place.  Although RQS will be up here this coming weekend, I will still miss having her next to me for the next few days.
 
 

A nice day with RQS, taken down a bit by medical news

 

No, I didn't eat any Hot Dogs today.  But I did eat some Chinese/Shanghainese Meatballs with RQS today. And then we went to Governor's Island for Open House NY and the Billion Oyster Project.

But first, I'll start at the end of the day.....

On our way home, I received a text message from my niece once removed (we're of the same age, give or take a few years.)   She told me that my cousin has pancreatic cancer, and that he will be moved to hospice in a few days.  This was not good news for many reasons, one of which was that I intended to get information from him regarding our mutual grandparents.  (I guess this is the least important thing now.)  So I will switch my ID from my female wallet to my male wallet and drive to Poughkeepsie to see him one last time.  

So now, with the better part of the day....

I got up early and dug out one of my fall/winter dresses from my closet.  Given that the overnight temperatures were in the 40's around here, I had to dress for two seasons - and neither of them that well. Luckily, I had a small day pack, in which I could stuff my denim jacket in case I needed it.  Yet, even with this dress, I felt a little bit warm - especially later when walking around Governor's Island.

RQS and I met at a Michelin rated Dim Sum joint near Penn Station: Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao.  We feasted all too well - both of us were stuffed by the time the last of our 6 dishes arrived.  As much as I enjoyed the Soup Dumplings (their specialty), I enjoyed their udon noodles even more.  This is a great place to eat, and well worth the money we spent for the meal.

Our next stop was Governor's Island.  We took the 7th Avenue local to South Ferry, and made it to the Governor's Island ferry in time for the 2:30 shuttle to the island.  While waiting in line, both of us noticed a large number of Orthodox (and some Ultra Orthodox) Jews taking a day trip to the island.  Both of us commented in our own ways - are you sure we aren't on the ferry to Williamsburg?  (I also made a comment that I was reminded of J.H.Marx's (Groucho Marx's) reputed remark (which he denied) when chatting with a woman with 10 children - "I like my cigar too, but I take it out once in a while.") 

Once on the island, we walked to the Billion Oyster Project, (one of the places listed in this year's OHNY open houses) where the guide was describing their organization's function and telling our group about their efforts to restore oysters to NYC's marine habitat.  Although they will not be eaten, due to the pollution in our waters, they will help the region clean up its waters.  Unfortunately, the guide wanted to lead the group to the other side of the island - and we gave up after a 1+ mile(s) of walking.  At that point, we returned to the ferry and returned to Manhattan.

All too soon, our day ended.  I'll have to make preparations to see my cousin now, because he may not be back when I return from my upcoming cruise.

A visit to the Onderdonk House in Queens, NY

 

Each year, Open House New York (ohny.org) sponsors a weekend where the public is given free access to many historical sites in New York City.  Today, RQS and I went to see one of these sites, the Onderdonk House in Queens.

- - - - - -

Given how things have been this week, I decided to spend a single overnight with RQS.  Although I arrived at her place on Saturday, it was a little too late to do much of anything that day.  But on Sunday, it was a different matter - we got out of her apartment around 1 pm, and were over at the Onderdonk house by 2:30 pm.

Normally, RQS would not have traveled alone to this place, as it is in an industrial section of queens, and the nearby neighborhood is a little sketchy.  However, with me by her side, she felt comfortable in making this trip.  

Although we ended up taking the wrong bus to get home, there was nothing that an Uber couldn't fix. We decided to go to a nearby restaurant for an early dinner, then go back to her place afterward.  I was feeling very tired, so I left her place early and drove home - trying to stay awake on the drive.  

Once home I had to deal with a GI tract issue, and I became glad that I was seeing the doctor in a couple of days.....

If I had known it would be rainy, I'd have made other plans.

I had reserved this day for a long postponed dinner with TCL.  Although she has been vaccinated and has had a booster shot, she's still a little reticent about dining indoors.  So, we ended up cancelling things for today.  

- - - - - -

If I had known that TCL would cancel our dinner, I'd have gotten up at a normal hour AND made it to NYC to see the Automania exhibit at MoMA.  This was not the case for today.  And I'll miss the chance to see the classic cars on display, one of which I've had the pleasure of driving (A VW Beetle.)  There will be other interesting exhibits on other future days, so I'm not crying too hard about this. I'm glad that I started to do a load of laundry before receiving TCL's call.  I can't complain about wasting a day when I found other things to do in place of my original plans.

 

Right now, I'm looking for a way that I can squeeze in a visit to one of the places on the list of OHNY's 10/16/21 - 10/17/21 open houses.  It is an interesting list, and well worth taking the tie out to see one of the architectural gems on the list - such as La Guardia Airport's Marine Air Terminal.  (By the time this is posted, this event will have ended.  So I hope that my readers get the chance to attend OHNY's event in 2022.

- - - - - -

When I look at my October calendar, I see that I am busy most of the month - especially on weekends. Recently, someone said that she was considering meeting me for coffee.  One problem.  If she had called, I was across the river dealing with issues -or- seeing the new James Bond film at the time.  Again, it was a case of not having enough hours in the day to do what I want be done.

Wasn't it Mickey Rooney who first said "Life is Short?"

 

 

Dinner with a friend

 

This is a quick entry, as I need to take care of cleaning up my bedroom.  Tonight was dinner with the former student clinician who helped me work on my feminine voice.  I hate to say it, but my face still gives me away more than my size or my voice. But this isn't much of an issue if I'm treated with respect.

- - - - - -

I decided to wear a unitard (body suit) with the buttoned top over it.  This would make it a little easier for me to go to the bathroom if needed.  It's a very comfortable outfit, and something I may wear (with a little modification) as the weather gets warmer.  If I'm going to live in the world of women, shouldn't I have to deal with some of the problems women deal with on a regular basis?  I have two more tops in a similar style (different prints/colors) that I can wear with the unitard, and will be doing so in the future.

My friend mentioned that she'd like to visit the women's restroom in the Borough of Manhattan's president's (title?) office during the next Open House New York weekend.  I figure that we will be going into the city together, then going to the loo together.  This time, I'll be sure to get some great pictures from the bathroom stall's river view window.

Hopefully our stars will align to do more things together in the future.  I'm also hoping that things work out for her and her boyfriend, as I'd like an excuse to buy another formal gown in a color I am comfortable wearing.