was spent in NYC with the ever fabulous ms. j. there was subway riding, mermaid gawking, ice cream eatin' and a great walkabout.
Showing posts with label new york. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new york. Show all posts
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Monday, July 5, 2010
an ezerdly good time
6/23 and 6/24
after our walk over the river, the mister and i took our second nap of the trip to prepare for one of our most anticipated visits. i was FINALLY going to get to meet my old nervousness friend and maker of robots, ezerd!
ezerd is a bot of all trades. she is her very own galaxy of fun and mayhem. whether she is drawing robots or planning fundays you will be sure to get drawn into her orbit. i knew it would be like we had always known each other and i was right! the moment we trekked on over to the shed for our first meet everything fell into place and our adventure began.
disclaimer-i was still in the throes of stupid allergies so our adventuring was done slowly and most of it was chatting but i tell it was GOOD stuff. after a round of robot drawing in the shed, we headed on over to the tiny town of Kingston for a mini tour and a shopping trip that involved the mister and i roaming ezerd's place picking out artwork and t-shirts for ourself. it was hard to choose as everything was and is so awesome but through her generosity we wrapped up some fishies and a robot and were ready to roll on out for a wandering of another tiny town, this one called rhinebeck. we wandered and moseyed and moseyed and wandered and stopped for lunch at bread alone which was awesome even if they were out of peanut butter cookies. soon enough it was time to pick up mr. ezerd and we headed out to a stunningly gorgeous outlook and gabbed away till pub time. tonight would be mr. a-go-go's first foray into trivia night so off we went. after platters of fried food, and a round of beverages we were ready to roll. in between questions, the house band took requests from a fat white binder that smacked of a karaoke bonanza. mr. a-go-go spent a few moments turning the pages and snuck of to see the band. after a cheeky dedication of hungry like the wolf to his special lady friend mr. a-go-go was ready to play along (super cheeky mind you, it was the most obnoxious song he could find that we could handle actually hearing). most of our answers for the trivia were wild guesses and slight calculations which paid of when we came in second...whoo-hoo! it was dark out and time for bed so we headed back to Nico's.
the next day we met up with ezerd in new paalts where she drove us through the tiny winding streets until we reached (the town of) Woodstock. just a tiny little curve of street, woodstock certainly has more tie dye than yer average town, it is also rife with urban hippies (young folk) puddled about with their dog packs waiting for you to notice them and yes, i meant that to sound snarkish (heehee). we were too early to hit the little art museum but not too early to wander into the most fantastic tiny toy store ever. it was as small as a toy store could be and yet i think we were there for an hour or so with some bubble time thrown in which of course was exhausting so we stopped in yet another bread alone for some peanut butter cookies and something cold to drink (yay!).
the rest of the day was more chatter and drinks. awesome smoothies in new paltz, watching bunnies hop about a three hundred year old cemetery, examining crazy tree fungi and taking a great many jumping shots. we ended our adventure with ezerd and her mister with a nighttime dinner of breakfast in a no fuss diner and it was great. we're already formulating ways to battling snow to be east coasters or kidnapping the pair, their two cats, an enormous amount of robot art and box after box of fun toys and steal them all away to california. sigh. good people make for the best of friends and we are so happy to have two new ones! thank you my friends, both of you!
after our walk over the river, the mister and i took our second nap of the trip to prepare for one of our most anticipated visits. i was FINALLY going to get to meet my old nervousness friend and maker of robots, ezerd!
ezerd is a bot of all trades. she is her very own galaxy of fun and mayhem. whether she is drawing robots or planning fundays you will be sure to get drawn into her orbit. i knew it would be like we had always known each other and i was right! the moment we trekked on over to the shed for our first meet everything fell into place and our adventure began.
disclaimer-i was still in the throes of stupid allergies so our adventuring was done slowly and most of it was chatting but i tell it was GOOD stuff. after a round of robot drawing in the shed, we headed on over to the tiny town of Kingston for a mini tour and a shopping trip that involved the mister and i roaming ezerd's place picking out artwork and t-shirts for ourself. it was hard to choose as everything was and is so awesome but through her generosity we wrapped up some fishies and a robot and were ready to roll on out for a wandering of another tiny town, this one called rhinebeck. we wandered and moseyed and moseyed and wandered and stopped for lunch at bread alone which was awesome even if they were out of peanut butter cookies. soon enough it was time to pick up mr. ezerd and we headed out to a stunningly gorgeous outlook and gabbed away till pub time. tonight would be mr. a-go-go's first foray into trivia night so off we went. after platters of fried food, and a round of beverages we were ready to roll. in between questions, the house band took requests from a fat white binder that smacked of a karaoke bonanza. mr. a-go-go spent a few moments turning the pages and snuck of to see the band. after a cheeky dedication of hungry like the wolf to his special lady friend mr. a-go-go was ready to play along (super cheeky mind you, it was the most obnoxious song he could find that we could handle actually hearing). most of our answers for the trivia were wild guesses and slight calculations which paid of when we came in second...whoo-hoo! it was dark out and time for bed so we headed back to Nico's.
the next day we met up with ezerd in new paalts where she drove us through the tiny winding streets until we reached (the town of) Woodstock. just a tiny little curve of street, woodstock certainly has more tie dye than yer average town, it is also rife with urban hippies (young folk) puddled about with their dog packs waiting for you to notice them and yes, i meant that to sound snarkish (heehee). we were too early to hit the little art museum but not too early to wander into the most fantastic tiny toy store ever. it was as small as a toy store could be and yet i think we were there for an hour or so with some bubble time thrown in which of course was exhausting so we stopped in yet another bread alone for some peanut butter cookies and something cold to drink (yay!).
the rest of the day was more chatter and drinks. awesome smoothies in new paltz, watching bunnies hop about a three hundred year old cemetery, examining crazy tree fungi and taking a great many jumping shots. we ended our adventure with ezerd and her mister with a nighttime dinner of breakfast in a no fuss diner and it was great. we're already formulating ways to battling snow to be east coasters or kidnapping the pair, their two cats, an enormous amount of robot art and box after box of fun toys and steal them all away to california. sigh. good people make for the best of friends and we are so happy to have two new ones! thank you my friends, both of you!
trekking across the river
6/23 Walkway over the Hudson
Wednesday we got out of bed with a schedule. Nico, our host, is a working gal and had a full day of papers to push a presentations to make but she had the morning open to join us on a sky walk over the Hudson River. Way back in 1888 the cantilevered steel truss bridge opened to rail road traffic and carried many tons of freight and passengers 210 feet above the river until 1974 when a fire destroyed the tracks. After a year of new construction and revamping the bridge opened to foot and bike traffic in 2009. Now it's a unique hike flying high above the water and over a large chunk of riverside Poughkeepsie (about 1.28 miles worth). After our stroll with the dog walkers, bicyclists, and strollers Nico had work responsibilities and we had a date in Kingston, NY to meet Ezerd at the shed of mystery.
Not really so mysterious... Ezerd, who mrs. a-go-go has known online since 2002 (but never met in person, until now!), was waiting for us in a six foot square shed studio at the Kingston Library. The small building supplied by Habitat for Artists which places the sheds in public locations where artists can open the tiny studios and collaborate with willing members of the public. Ezerd had been invited to participate in the project and had spent the last several hours inviting library patrons to swap artwork with her.
Ezerd easily recognized mrs. a-go-go as we crossed the parking lot and came out of her shed to welcome us to Kingston. I'll leave the rest of this part of the story to mrs. a-go-go, so stay tuned for the wild ride through the Hudson Valley.
Wednesday we got out of bed with a schedule. Nico, our host, is a working gal and had a full day of papers to push a presentations to make but she had the morning open to join us on a sky walk over the Hudson River. Way back in 1888 the cantilevered steel truss bridge opened to rail road traffic and carried many tons of freight and passengers 210 feet above the river until 1974 when a fire destroyed the tracks. After a year of new construction and revamping the bridge opened to foot and bike traffic in 2009. Now it's a unique hike flying high above the water and over a large chunk of riverside Poughkeepsie (about 1.28 miles worth). After our stroll with the dog walkers, bicyclists, and strollers Nico had work responsibilities and we had a date in Kingston, NY to meet Ezerd at the shed of mystery.
Not really so mysterious... Ezerd, who mrs. a-go-go has known online since 2002 (but never met in person, until now!), was waiting for us in a six foot square shed studio at the Kingston Library. The small building supplied by Habitat for Artists which places the sheds in public locations where artists can open the tiny studios and collaborate with willing members of the public. Ezerd had been invited to participate in the project and had spent the last several hours inviting library patrons to swap artwork with her.
Ezerd easily recognized mrs. a-go-go as we crossed the parking lot and came out of her shed to welcome us to Kingston. I'll leave the rest of this part of the story to mrs. a-go-go, so stay tuned for the wild ride through the Hudson Valley.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
the a-go-gos go to the country
6/22 New York state, cows and weenies
if you missed the message about the dead laptop... well here's one of the results... this and several of the following posts will be sans photo. The machine has been fixed up with a new hard drive but the photos that didn't get uploaded to Flickr will be locked away until we can seek out a data recovery place in California. Until then, we'll all just have to use our descriptive powers and imaginations.
we spent a week hanging out with our old neighbor and friend in the in new york state. when we told people we'd be staying in new york and taking it easy they couldn't understand how that was possible. we had to clarify that we were in new york state, not the city and that we were parking it on a road equipped with cows, deer, bunnies, frogs, warblers, raspberries, currants, and the biggest ants i have ever seen...not to mention its very own corner graveyard. yup folks, we were in the country enjoying the critters and hanging out with friends.
our first day, nico, our host swept us away for a tasty-filling lunch at soul dog, a gluten free hot dog joint on the east side of the hudson in poughkeepsie proper. we feasted on thai dogs and cubanos and chili mac & cheese fries...yes, way too much but very tasty. after we stuffed ourselves silly, we hit the neighborhood for some groceries and a chill out day hoping my allergies might leave already.
we roasted up some cauliflower and whipped up a saute of shallots and cashews for our hostess as our plans to hit the drive-in that evening were dashed when the rain hit loud and flashy-like. after much cahooting and chatting we all hit the hay so we could be up bright and early-ish for a trek across the hudson river walkway.
if you missed the message about the dead laptop... well here's one of the results... this and several of the following posts will be sans photo. The machine has been fixed up with a new hard drive but the photos that didn't get uploaded to Flickr will be locked away until we can seek out a data recovery place in California. Until then, we'll all just have to use our descriptive powers and imaginations.
we spent a week hanging out with our old neighbor and friend in the in new york state. when we told people we'd be staying in new york and taking it easy they couldn't understand how that was possible. we had to clarify that we were in new york state, not the city and that we were parking it on a road equipped with cows, deer, bunnies, frogs, warblers, raspberries, currants, and the biggest ants i have ever seen...not to mention its very own corner graveyard. yup folks, we were in the country enjoying the critters and hanging out with friends.
our first day, nico, our host swept us away for a tasty-filling lunch at soul dog, a gluten free hot dog joint on the east side of the hudson in poughkeepsie proper. we feasted on thai dogs and cubanos and chili mac & cheese fries...yes, way too much but very tasty. after we stuffed ourselves silly, we hit the neighborhood for some groceries and a chill out day hoping my allergies might leave already.
we roasted up some cauliflower and whipped up a saute of shallots and cashews for our hostess as our plans to hit the drive-in that evening were dashed when the rain hit loud and flashy-like. after much cahooting and chatting we all hit the hay so we could be up bright and early-ish for a trek across the hudson river walkway.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
mermaids a-go-go & a trek through the east village
i "met" my friend ms. j seven years ago through nervousness.org and finally, finally, we got to squeeze each other in person as she was our hostess for our weekend in NJ. and we had a blast!
we arrived on a friday evening and headed out for a delightful dinner of indian food and a jaunt over to princeton for some ridiculously good vegan ice cream. ms. j, what was the name of that place again? seriously tasty! we didn't stay up too late chatting away as the next day was gonna be a dilly of a day. we were gonna trek into the city to gawk away at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade.
up bright and early the next morning we piled into our vehicle for the day and headed out to the Holland Tunnel. is it okay for me to mention that driving in NJ is not for us west coasters? i mean US us as in we a-go-gos...our home stomping ground was developed pretty late in the new world so we have wide wide roads that go all ways while the narrow highways in jersey made us feel like hamsters in a maze. so many turns and confusing round-abouts and fast, fast, fast speedsters. gosh i feel fogey-like. many thank yous over to ms. j for her mad chauffering skills. plus, she knew the pretty routes and they were P R E T T Y !
once through the tunnel we got a windshield tour of the small corner of Manhattan we were driving though. luck was on our side as we pulled into a streetside spot free of parking fees and time constraints. our next stop would be brunch and then the subway journey to Coney Island. we noshed on our pancakes and latkes and moseyed on down to the subway. i always imagined it to be more chaotic and loud and was delighted that i was able to grasp the how-tos involved (i'm not a well seasoned transit traveler or a traveler of any sort). the train came, we hopped on and after one transfer we settled into orange plastic seats for the rest of the ride amongst various paraders in pirate gear.
we lucked out and got a decent viewing spot behind to women who appeared to be in good spirits but ultimately snarked out at me when i got jostled up against them...i got a major earful from the one in a lime green tank top and tiger tattoo as my apology got carried away in the wind and glitter of the parade.
the mermaid parade reminded us a-go-gos of our own southern california doo-dah parade only with more glitter and fins. the best parts were when the paraders got into their roles and camped it all up. we were disappointed when the group of marie antionette marchers we passed before the parade began simply walked by as if they were shopping at the mall. their costumes were really pretty but their lack of enthusiasm kinda killed it for all three of us.
after a couple of hours we maneuvered our way to the cyclone, handed over $16 and went clackity clack all over the tracks. it was a wild ride and great fun but we still favor the giant dipper in santa cruz. did i mention i feel old fogey-like?
we subwayed ourselves back towards the car and then did some city wandering. ms. j guided us to another fabulous eatery and we wandered some more hitting up washington square park and the lomo store. i think i could wander the city for a week if not more simply to gaze about and snap photos of all the interesting bits i see. just drop me off and let me wander...
we arrived on a friday evening and headed out for a delightful dinner of indian food and a jaunt over to princeton for some ridiculously good vegan ice cream. ms. j, what was the name of that place again? seriously tasty! we didn't stay up too late chatting away as the next day was gonna be a dilly of a day. we were gonna trek into the city to gawk away at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade.
up bright and early the next morning we piled into our vehicle for the day and headed out to the Holland Tunnel. is it okay for me to mention that driving in NJ is not for us west coasters? i mean US us as in we a-go-gos...our home stomping ground was developed pretty late in the new world so we have wide wide roads that go all ways while the narrow highways in jersey made us feel like hamsters in a maze. so many turns and confusing round-abouts and fast, fast, fast speedsters. gosh i feel fogey-like. many thank yous over to ms. j for her mad chauffering skills. plus, she knew the pretty routes and they were P R E T T Y !
once through the tunnel we got a windshield tour of the small corner of Manhattan we were driving though. luck was on our side as we pulled into a streetside spot free of parking fees and time constraints. our next stop would be brunch and then the subway journey to Coney Island. we noshed on our pancakes and latkes and moseyed on down to the subway. i always imagined it to be more chaotic and loud and was delighted that i was able to grasp the how-tos involved (i'm not a well seasoned transit traveler or a traveler of any sort). the train came, we hopped on and after one transfer we settled into orange plastic seats for the rest of the ride amongst various paraders in pirate gear.
we lucked out and got a decent viewing spot behind to women who appeared to be in good spirits but ultimately snarked out at me when i got jostled up against them...i got a major earful from the one in a lime green tank top and tiger tattoo as my apology got carried away in the wind and glitter of the parade.
the mermaid parade reminded us a-go-gos of our own southern california doo-dah parade only with more glitter and fins. the best parts were when the paraders got into their roles and camped it all up. we were disappointed when the group of marie antionette marchers we passed before the parade began simply walked by as if they were shopping at the mall. their costumes were really pretty but their lack of enthusiasm kinda killed it for all three of us.
after a couple of hours we maneuvered our way to the cyclone, handed over $16 and went clackity clack all over the tracks. it was a wild ride and great fun but we still favor the giant dipper in santa cruz. did i mention i feel old fogey-like?
we subwayed ourselves back towards the car and then did some city wandering. ms. j guided us to another fabulous eatery and we wandered some more hitting up washington square park and the lomo store. i think i could wander the city for a week if not more simply to gaze about and snap photos of all the interesting bits i see. just drop me off and let me wander...
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