Central Park

There were lots of places on this trip that will stick with me, but my strongest memory (this is being written 5 days after getting back) will be of my early morning walks in Central Park. I'm always up well before the others, restless and in need of coffee. Each day I wandered a different route and kept finding new spaces and features -- and I never even made it north of 79th Street, so I never saw two thirds of the park. Every morning the roads were filled with runners and bikers and the paths had their share of dog walkers and strollers, but I could still find quiet places and lonely trails.

One of the things I liked most about the Park, compared to so much of the rest of the urban jungle, was that there remained some semblance of the original landscape. The topography has been modified, the lakes reconfigured and enhanced, and the vegetation heavily managed, but at least there were hills and valleys and trees and outcrops of glacially scoured metamorphic bedrock.

Despite my different paths, every day found me at the little bakery concession at Mineral Springs, next to Sheep Meadow. It was a pleasant place to enjoy coffee - cool and quiet, but still bustling with folks out for walks, meeting up with jogging partners, or reading their NY Times over coffee. The social scene was fascinating, particularly the canine one, as all the dogs seemed to know each other and were always excitedly greeting friends and renewing acquaintances. I'm not a dog owner, but I thought that if I were a dog owner, or if I were a dog, I would much prefer Central Park to the tyranny of Seattle's strict rules and off-leash war zones!

I took hundreds of pictures in Central Park of trees and fountains and bridges and shorelines, but most seemed to be taken of skyscrapers rising above lawns and trees and lakes. Something about the stark juxtaposition of nature and city, the dramatic architecture, and the blue skies was compelling.

Washington Square Park

This was M's second visit to the neighborhood today, since she wandered down here while D and were at the baseball game. We came back in part to check out NYU and in part so D could hustle some chess games. He played a while in the park, then tossed a disc with some other guys in the only grassy area available, then headed off to the tables on Thompson Street to play some more chess till long after dark. This is a lively neighborhood with lots of character and M&I spent an hour walking around, occasionally checking back to see if D was done.

The piano in the park was part of a special project (Play Me, I'm Yours) that placed keyboards in public places all over the city, inviting people to stop and play. I passed one in Central Park and there was one in the middle of Times Square.

The Highline

They've taken the old elevated railway line that ran through mid-town into Chelsea and turned it into a park. I guess they're still working on the northern sections, but this stretch between Gansevoort and 18th was both nicely done and heavily used. It runs right past - practically through - Chelsea Market. Which by the way, used to be the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) and where in 1912, the first OREO was hatched.

The Bronx

From D's perspective, the main point of driving 8000 miles was seeing the Yankees play the Mariners in the Bronx. We picked the one game of the series that the Mariner's did not win, which was perfect as far as D was concerned. The new stadium looked great, although my memories of the old one are hard to separate from the miserably hot and humid conditions in 2003 when we were here last. Today was absolutely perfect.

The grandstand is surrounded by flags commemorating all 27? World Series Championships the Yankees have won. The woman next to me asked me, innocently, I think, how many flags that that we had in Seattle. I wasn't sure how to answer.

We were in Chicago a week and half later when we learned that George Steinbrenner had died.

Norma's

One of our best memories of our 2003 trip to New York was breakfast at Norma's and this trip we came back not once, but twice. The two most expensive meals of our trip! Norma's is downstairs at the Parker Meridien and although the hotel was beyond our station, we had no compunctions about visiting the restaurant. Everything is good, although we did not actually try the Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata.

Times Square

Once we had settled in, we headed off in search of food, which we found at the Carnegie Deli. If you pay $15 for a hot pastrami it is only fitting that it is piled this high! Some place else we found cheesecake, and then we wandered into Times Square. Which as most people realize is not a square. Nor was it empty, quiet, or dark. Eventually Devon headed back to the room - why waste a perfectly good wall-mounted flat-screen TV - and M&I went to Promises, Promises.

57th Street

It was easy enough to find our way into Manhattan, drop M&D at the door, and then drive a few blocks to the parking garage. The hard part was having to take the rocket box off the car and somehow load it and all its contents inside the car so that the car itself would fit in the garage. So much for not looking like a flustered tourist. At least we wouldn't have to think about it for three days.

Our hotel was on 57th Street, between 6th and 7th, just two blocks south of Central Park and practically across from Carnegie Hall. The room was actually a suite, so D got his own room and his own TV. Not bad for a relatively inexpensive place. We were on the 8th floor, looking out the back (north) side, so not much of a view. The subway is close and Norma's is just across the street.

Philadelphia

We sped through Michigan, stopping briefly to walk around the University of Michigan and to visit a beach I wanted to see between Toledo and Sandusky. The restaurant we wanted to check out in Sandusky was closed and we ate in some generic family place with a sundae bar near the freeway. Despite D's urging, we didn't swing by Cedar Point for an evening of roller coasters.

We spent Day 7 on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I insisted on a detour through Pittsburgh, since I like the city - history, rivers, recollection of nationals with D in 2004. D still begrudges the place for the Steelers' performance in the 2006 Superbowl. We drove through quickly - with lunch in the University area at the Original Hot Dog Shop (one of many places we tried from the Stern's Road Food book, which traveled in the library with all the AAA guides).

We made it to Valley Forge to visit Cousin Ann (M's side) that evening - after dinner at the King of Prussia Mall (largest mall in the east??). The next morning we drove into the City of Brotherly Love, found a perfect parking place, stood in line to see the Liberty Bell, and headed for New Jersey.

Straits of Mackinac

D got the driver's seat for the drive across the bridge. Wasn't this featured in his 2nd grade science fair project?

There's something about the Upper Peninsula that made me think we were in Canada, or at least that crossing the bridge was a return to the lower 48. We drove into Mackinaw City to find Dad coffee and wound up with a glazed donut D could have hung around his neck (at the Mackinaw Bakery, I think).

Yesterday and today included lyrics from three songs on my Road Songs playlist:

-- The searchers all said they'd have made Whitefish Bay if they'd put 15 more miles behind her (Gordon Lightfoot). We'd have made Whitefish Bay if we'd put 80 more miles behind us last night and it hadn't gotten dark.

-- Took a bead on the northern plains and just laid that power on. 12 hours out of Mackinaw City, I stopped at a bar to have a brew (Bob Seger). He must have been going the other direction - 12 hours would be Grand Forks - there's a Starbucks there, although I guess that's not what he meant.

-- It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw. I've gone to look for America (Simon and Garfunkle). Four days from Saginaw - could be just about anywhere. We were counting cars on the New Jersey turnpike in two.

Grand Marais

We followed the back road up to Grand Marais and the Grand Sable dunes. I was afraid we'd run out of daylight, or find the missing bugs, but as it turned out there was time to hike down to the falls and to drive out to the dunes and the bugs never showed up. D ran (slid?) down the bluff (they call it the log chute, based on its historic use) and had the beach and Lake Superior all to himself for ten minutes before he started the long slog back up. M & I stayed on top.

We had dinner at the Lake Superior Brewing Company before climbing back into the car and leaving Lake Superior for the not quite so great lakes to the south.

Pictured Rocks

I expected the bugs would keep us from Pictured Rocks, but as it turned out the gray weather was a bigger obstacle. I suspect that clear skies and sunshine do wonders for this place - turning the waters blue and lighting up the rocks. The coastline itself is spectacular and reminded me in many ways of the beaches on Georgian Bay near Tobermory - although these beaches are sandy, not cobble.

We drove out to Miner's Castle and to the beach just around the corner (where M & D sat in car while I went out to the beach). I was blown away by the lack of flies and mosquitoes - I had expected a war zone.

I need to come back someday in late spring or early fall with more time and a kayak!

Marquette

Despite clear weather inland, the lake was still covered with fog when we got back to it in Marquette. The city is fixing up its old industrial waterfront and looks like its doing its best to keep the old buildings. I liked the old ore loading pier (blue skies and a blue lake would have made a better backdrop). We had lunch at a little beach just north of town, where D & I tossed the frisbee and Michele talked with Bev on the phone.