Just a Little More Halloween

Soho and The Village

So it's Halloween (or All Hallows Eve) today. And apparently NYC takes Halloween seriously. It's awesome. I've had waning enthusiasm for the holiday since I think most people in California who aren't going to a skanky Halloween party have stopped trying as hard and there's been less participa- tion by kid friendly neighbor- hoods (a sentiment Irwin echoed today). But New York... I saw people in costume all day, everywhere. Working, shopping, playing, chilling. I saw kids trick or treating ALL DAY. Not only at residences. Almost every store participated. I saw kids going from store to store all day and by the end their pillow cases were loaded. I don't envy the parents of those kids. They have about a month or two of serious sugar fiending. They've got a parade in The Village too (which Elizabeth! was in). I saw the police out in droves (seriously at least 60-100 per block) blocking off the street in preparation for the parade. How do they find that many people to be police and still have there be civilians in this place?? At first I thought maybe it was a prearranged Halloween Joke where a whole company dressed up as the Police barricading themselves into pens made with those "Police Line Do Not Cross" fences. But no, they were actual police. On every block. In groups of 60-100. It was insane.

I met Elizabeth! today at the corner of E17thSt. and Broadway. We decided after ogling the pastries at the patisserie to instead get some food at the green market in Union Square across the street.








We got some Havarti cheese, a home made spinach and cheese in pie crust pasty, a brown roll, and some apples. We sat on the steps in the sun and ate it. It was wonderful.






















Afterwards I wandered east to look at some cafes. I'd recommend both highly. They were wonderful. Very different though. I saw a ninja and a wolf man along the way. Among other things.


































































Atlas Cafe and Bakery is this tiny hole in the wall place with pretty red walls and mismatching tables and chairs that all go quite well in the little space. The walls are covered in chalk boards listing their extensive and extremely inclusive menu. They're very vegetarian and vegan friendly, though they also have really good non-veg food. They were also playing great middle eastern music while I was in there. I ordered a salad which came out promptly and was delicious and I watched the people come and go, and some of them sit inside and some of them sit in the little fenced in piece of sidewalk that had four tables and various chairs. If you ever find yourself on Second Avenue between 4th and 5th streets and you're hungry or even just want a drink, they're delicious, they have food for every mood, and it's all really reasonably priced. If you're not around there but want to try their food, they apparently have free delivery. Go figure!

Housing Works Used Book Cafe is awesome. It's part really amazing used books store part cafe. Or a really awesome bookstore with a cafe who's tables and chairs are scattered around it in alluring places, like the walkway in the loft that has a nice view of the store and the street. Very top notch people watching or studying or hanging out place. I'm super excited about it. If I had money and didn't have to worry about carrying too much stuff, I'd probably spend a lot of time and money in there. I'd go in there to journal and write people post cards about how awesome it is and how they should go there too. *laugh*

Anyway, I might have found a non-creepy person to give me a ride down to Florida! Apparently he and a super friendly German Shepard are on their way down to Fort Lauderdale to go kayaking and snorkeling! Sweet. So hopefully I'll be heading south in a few days.

After Central Park

This man's job is to watch cement dry... And to keep people from writing in it while it does. But still. He sits there and reads. This is his job.

I just thought this was awesome. It looks like the model in the poster in the window is looking at the wigs on the cart. "Oooohh! What if I had hair like that? My agent would never allow it!"

Free nitrogen, anyone?
These were just sitting there across from Radio City.













I was caught taking pictures of people by this kid. hehehe. look at him! I was totally busted.


Ummm... pseudo- bicycle? I don't know what on earth this is. A collapsible bike I guess... he had it over his shoulder one moment, the next moment he was riding down the street on it going slower than the foot traffic.

More from Central Park

Sunbathing in the park. The kids behind them have a skateboard and a soccer ball you can't see.


A little girl stretching at Wollman Skating rink. Trump apparently has bought the place up or something. I dunno, but his name's all over the place.










This kid was learning to skate. It was really cute. And that woman (his mom?) caught him every time.



This couple was really sweet. They were just talking on the bench in the sun in the park on a Tuesday afternoon.


This old woman cracked me up. She was dressed all stuffy and had a dower expression on for most of the time, but I watched her and she smirked and she pointed to leaves and had people pick them up for her, then she carried them around like a bouquet. She put on a good show of being crabby but she was definitely a kindred spirit. (Ok, anyone getting what character this reminded me of? I know Mom or Aunt Mary or Aunt Sara or my girl cousins would know.)

I liked the way these people were hanging out on a sunny patch of lawn near the pond. It was a comfortable sort of lounging that made it feel like a weekend, even though it was only maybe twenty yards from a busy midtown business/shopping part of Manhattan.

These two cracked me up. I don't know if this woman was the kid's mother or grandmother or babysitter or neighbor or just some random woman... I have no clue. But there they were sitting together on a park bench reading a book together. Her with her cigarette and him with his snow cone. She was reading out loud to him from some shopaholic book or something or other (anyone recognize the pink book jacket?) and unbeknown to her he was raising his eyebrows in a "you've got to be kidding me" look over her shoulder, but he was listening just the same.

I just liked the look of this old man and his new paper.







These summer dresses in the winter display cases were drawing a lot of looks from the passers by. This is the first window I passes upon leaving Central Park.

Central Park Is A Pace Apart

I walked from the 33rd Street PATH Train station to Central Park today. Once I got there it was really quite relaxing, but the way there and back...
New Yorkers are big fans of the "If you see an opening, take it" mentality, whether or not they actually fit in the opening. The "Stratford Weave" has really saved my shoulders (Thank you Chele!).
Cigarette ash swirls in the spaces between people stopped at traffic signals. No one else seems to notice as they look for gaps between the cars in oncoming traffic. It looks like snow, already dirty before ever touching the ground.

A girl sitting on the monument to all Seafaring someones or other.





A View of midtown from The eastern end of Central Park.







Seabou. A 33 year old bike-taxi "driver" from West Africa. He's apparently here on a one year work permit or something. I He spoke somewhat fragmented English with a heavy accent, but he was pretty friendly and was able to give me directions.

The Carousel in Central Park. A ride is only $1.50! And it's an antique. All carved and painted by hand and everything...

A chess game going on at the House of Chess and Checkers. I stopped here to write some post cards and have a arrange to meet my cousin Elizabeth! for lunch tomorrow in Union Square at a patisserie.

More of Manhattan