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NOTE: Link to NYC photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/mkfmick/NewYork_December2007

Monday, December 3

Depart Wichita approx 10:45 a.m.

Connect in Atlanta

Arrive Newark approx 5:30 p.m. via DL 1172

Step-by-step Guide to access public transportation, Newark Liberty Airport to Manhattan, for less than $12 (NOTE: Allow 1-1/2-to-2 hours for this itinerary⁾:

·         From Airport to Newark Penn Station via NJ Transit

o       Purchase at automatic vending kiosk

o       Amount: $7.75

o       Ticket will be used two times:

§         Once for AirTrain from airport to Newark International Train Station (this ride is less than 10 minutes)

§         Once onboard NJ Transit train to Newark Penn Station (this ride is perhaps 10-15 minutes)

·         From Newark Penn Station to Manhattan via PATH train (NOTE: you can stay on this train directly to the southern end of Manhattan (World Trade Center), or change trains to ride into midtown Manhattan)

o       Purchase at automatic vending kiosk

o       Amount: $1.50

o       Board the PATH train. Don’t worry, from Penn Station the train only goes one direction.

o       To go to midtown Manhattan…

§         Disembark train at Journal Square (still in New Jersey)

§         Transfer to midtown (yellow route) PATH train. You simply get off the train (which is on Track 1) and wait for the midtown train (which will be on Track 2). The two tracks are within 15 feet of each other.

§         No additional ticket or transfer is required.

§         Watch your stops. They are not announced but there are signs identifying the stations: on Manhattan the stops are Christopher, 9^th, 14^th, 23^rd, and 33^rd Streets.

§         Transfer to subways at any of the Manhattan PATH train stops. Plan ahead: at Christopher St you can access the Blue Line only; at 9^th St you could access the Blue, Red and Orange Lines; etc.

·         From PATH train to New York City Transit (subways/buses):

o       Purchase at automatic vending kiosk

o       Ticket is $2 for single direction ride or $7 for an all-day, unlimited ride pass on all subways/buses)

I got of the PATH train at its 14^th Street (and 6^th Avenue) stop, then took the L (Gray) Line to its 1^st Avenue stop. When you climb out of the ground, you’ll need to get your bearings. I need to proceed north to my lodging; if you can spot the sign for Beth Israel Hospital, that way is north.

I have arranged to stay at Menno House (www.mennohouse.org) located in the Gramercy Park area at 314 East 19^th Street. Occupying an historic old brownstone, Menno House provides affordable housing to Mennonites performing social services in the city and to other long-term residents (mostly students). Three rooms are available to transient guests like myself at a modest charge of $60-$75 per night.

It’s after 8 p.m. by the time I walk from the subway and check-in. My room is clean, spacious, has an old marble fireplace, and ceilings I guess to be 12-feet high. There is a sort of bunk bed arrangement, although the raised platform could easily sleep three people. The shared bathroom—down one floor—is immaculate, a minty green in color, and decorated like a Restoration Hardware display.

I waste little time before heading towards nearby Greenwich Village in search of sustenance. Famous Joe’s (at 7 Carmine Street; Carmine @ 6^th Avenue) is recommended for pizza-by-the-slice which I find to be thin, crisp, and good.

Arthur’s Tavern (57 Grove Street; Grove @ 7^th Avenue) is an intimate old neighborhood bar I’d been to before (see blog New York City—January 2003) to listen to live music. The Grove Street Stompers play Dixieland jazz every Monday at Arthur’s as they have for 35 years. Except for the cornet player/vocalist, no one in the group would need to ask twice for the senior discount. The trombone player looked like the twin brother of the actor Richard Griffiths (Harry Potter movies; The History Boys). The cadaverous piano player (and group leader?) gazed nowhere but down at his keyboard, his inanimate features all shadows. There is no cover charge; beers are $6.

It’s been a long day. After two sets, I return to Menno House for a short night before starting all over again.

Tuesday, December 4

My alarm was set for 6 a.m. and I’d showered, shaved, planned my day, and was onto the streets of New York before 8.

First I returned to an old favorite—Ferrara, a pasticceria and espresso bar doing business since 1892, located in Little Italy (200 Grand)—for pastries and a latte. Their delicious selection is artful and a trifle expensive. But can anything beat their cannoli (“Crispy tube-like shell filled with sweet ricotta cannoli cream”)??

I returned to the Gramercy area and the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site (http://www.nps.gov/thrb) located at 28 East 20^th St, only a few blocks from Menno House. When built (at a cost of $25,000), the 5-story brownstone was in a suburban setting with an expansive backyard. There are interesting interpretive displays featuring aspects of Roosevelt’s varied pursuits and accomplishments, and the National Park Service conducts frequent guided tours of the old mansion. Teddy Roosevelt, the 26^th president of the United States, is the only person ever awarded both the Medal of Honor and the Nobel Peace Prize. Interestingly, his son was also awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in World War II.

Christmas was only three weeks away, so I took the train to Rockefeller Center to take in the site in its holiday finery. The elegant tree was there, of course. Skaters glided on the rink below. Pedestrian walkways and the streets and storefronts along 5^th Avenue from Rockefeller Center to Times Square were festooned with decorations.

I decided to visit another old favorite for lunch: Papaya King on the Upper East Side (179 East 86^th Street @ 3^rd Ave). I made a misstep or two in getting to the estimable old dive. Once there, though, I joined the queue waiting to order and eat elbow-to-elbow at the few stand-up counters facing the busy street. Hot dogs, great fries, and wonderful fresh fruit drinks make Papaya King worth a stop for an inexpensive meal. (NOTE: There are other locations in the city; see www.papayaking.com .)

My day was closing in on me as I headed back to Midtown and the New York Public Library—Humanities and Social Sciences Branch located at Fifth Avenue and 42^nd Street adjacent to Bryant Park. What a great building, inside and out! Enter between the iconic lions fronting Fifth Avenue and marvel at the grand interior resplendent in its seasonal decorations. Library lovers will cherish time spent in the ornate Rose Main Reading Room. NOTE: Even out-of-towners can obtain a library access card almost immediately which can be used to utilize the library’s computers and Internet access and, presumably, to check out items as well.

At a little after 5 I took the train to 34^th St/Herald Square near Madison Square Garden. The Kansas State University Alumni Association arranged a pre-game get-together at Stout, a contemporary bar located at 133 West 33^rd Street. Inside the expansive interior, perhaps a couple hundred young professionals were enjoying their brews, packed as tight as the rush hour subway cars rumbling below the streets outside, maybe right below this bar. In addition to the after-work crowd, there were 100 or more K-Staters sporting their colors, mixing before tonight’s basketball game. I didn’t know anyone, felt kind of isolated, and would actually have preferred to have spent another hour at the library.

Madison Square Garden is catty-corner from Stout. I entered the facility and was seated well before tip-off of the first game at 7 p.m. My Wildcats played Notre Dame, a team I loathe even more than K.U. (Sports are great for allowing one to nurture these irrational and meaningless animosities.)

The Garden was not half full for the double-header featuring four fine teams. A lot of NBA scouts were no doubt in attendance to see several first-round draft candidates. K-State didn’t play particularly well. They fell behind by double-digits, pulled back to within two points, and finally lost by a score of 68-59. Notre Dame’s Kyle McAlarney—a gym rat and local favorite who played high school ball on nearby Staten Island—hit a 3-pointer that put a dagger in our hearts that we never overcame. Notre Dame deserved to win.

K-State’s coach—Frank Martin—is a piece of work to watch during a game. Describing him as intense does not begin to do justice either to him or to his bench demeanor. He looks and dresses like a wise-guy holding court at a back table of a Little Italy restaurant. It didn’t look like anyone on the team was having much fun. I hope I was wrong. (I’ve come to a very different perception of Coach Martin since December, but his glowering visage during games is certainly intimidating.)

 The second game matched USC (University of Southern California) and Memphis. Each team featured stellar freshmen—O.J. Mayo for USC, Derrick Rose for Memphis—that have pro scouts drooling. USC was ranked #14 and Memphis #2 going into the game, so there was good reason to stick around for it even though it’ll be late by the time it’s over. Like it wasn’t going to be late enough as it was, the game went into overtime before the favored Memphis Tigers finally defeated the Trojans 62-58.

It was nearly midnight by the time the second game ended. It took another hour to get back to Menno House, which I had left 17 hours earlier. I barely mustered the resolve to brush my teeth before falling into bed well after 1 a.m.

Wednesday, December 5

I woke at 7:30, just a short time before my alarm would jar me awake. I met and talked with Adriana, a young Kansas woman who lives at Menno House. She is the sister of a co-worker of mine at U.S. Airways, Amy Bellar, who first told me about Menno House. (In fact, Amy and her family would be arriving here tomorrow for a short visit to New York.) Before we concluded our conversation, I asked Adriana to recommend someplace nearby for breakfast. She didn’t hesitate before suggesting a little café, Mud, located an easy walk south of Menno House on 2^nd Avenue.

The morning was cold, overcast, with occasional hints of snow. Gramercy is an interesting neighborhood in which to walk, loaded with shops and restaurants, schools and churches. I had no trouble finding the café.

Mud is located on 9^th Street between 1^st and 2^nd Avenues. It is cozy and inviting, very narrow, with counter seating up front and a few tables toward the back. There may be outside seating available for more pleasant days. Aged brick walls, wood floor, and tin ceiling perfectly complement the interior.

As you might expect from its name, Mud serves up oversize mugs of good coffee. There are a number of breakfast choices starting at $5.95. The menu describes “Almond crusted Sourdough French Toast with a hint of Cinnamon served with Fresh fruit and Maple Syrup.” Pretty good, but I’d take the sizable fruit portion on the side rather than on top of the French toast.