On our first day, we spent a few hours walking in Central Park. THE park. We walked through the rambles, saw Bethesda Fountain, enjoyed the man-made lake, musicians, the merry-go-round and Strawberry Fields, where the Imagine mosaic a' la John Lennon inspiration is tucked near the Dakota Hotel where he lost his life.
In the evening, we went through Times Square to Broadway, and saw "The Play that Goes Wrong." If you're a fan of British humour (yes, humour) Seee it. Run. it's hilarious and so worth it! Though the timing had to be perfect for it to be funny, so unsure if the touring show will be as good.
We had a great dinner at Turkish Cuisine in Hell's Kitchen before heading home.
On the second day we walked along the Hudson River, enjoying the beautiful views and enjoyed the city. We walked a bit in the Upper West side, a favorite place and where my friend lives. We met the doorman next door to her apartment building and had a great conversation with him.
We stopped for dinner at Buceo 95 and had an interesting experience. The food was great though our waiter had some opportunity for growth. I ordered a lamb dish and really enjoyed it. I couldn't remember the vegetables and asked my waiter, "do you know what this is?" He looked at me, and said, "I dunno." Then he walked away.
Wow, really?
My friend went to the bathroom and asked the kitchen, who was thrilled to share that they were butternut squash and pumpkin. I couldn't help myself and wrote on the receipt, "when a customer asks what's in a dish, it might be a good idea to find out." I did tip him, though, as the other staff did a great job and will get a portion. My friend said that I should have let it go. But that's just not me!
The next day we went to the Tenement Museum, which I have wanted to do for a couple of years. It's amazing, and I so recommend it. The museum is dedicated to sharing the lives of some of the families that lived in the tenement apartments in the lower East Side. The tour we saw, Under One Roof, opened in December and focused on post WWII families in one apartment in the 50s, 60s and the 70s. Our Educator, Kirk, was wonderful.
They found the remnants of three buildings at 103 Orchard Street in the museum building. We toured the third floor, which was a luxurious 900 square feet (relative to the other similar tenements of 325 square feet.)
In the 1950s the Epsteins, Polish Jews, Kalman and Rivka, with their two daughters, lived. The museum interviewed the oldest, Bella to provide stories and to recreate their apartment. Kalman and Rivka were refugees from WWII. Each lost spouses, and were Holocaust survivors, and they met and married in a refugee camp. They were lucky and had sponsors to come to America. Kalman's uncle and aunt, Jacob and Golda Epstein, funded their travel and provided them with jobs at their garment factory. There are several painted-over mezzuzahs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezuzah) on the door, likely from the Epsteins. Tbere were colorful walls of pink and green to provide a cheerful home. Bella had an Italian playmate in the building, but she wasn't allowed to eat at her apartment as her parents didn't keep kosher. She describes the smell of the 'exquisite red sauce' from memory so many years later.
They were the first family to get a tv in the building and had a record player. Bella shared memories of the music, and hearing Paul Anka made her feel American (note: Paul was Canadian!) Yiddish was spoken in the home so the family tried to stick to their roots, but also desired to become "American." They moved out in the early 60s to Brooklyn, then lived on Long Island until Bella's family recently retired to Florida, the sixth borrough. :)
Next the Valdez family moved in in the 1960s. They were from Puerto Rico. Jose shared about his single mother, Ramonita, who moved to the US with him and his younger brother. When they moved in the apartment, she had remarried. Kirk shared a school picture of Jose and the kids were all in suits and dresses. The mother was a garment worker and worked very long hours. Jose shared that his job was to come home from school and prepare beans for dinner, a multiple-hour task. Kirk speculated that this might have also been to require Jose go home from school directly. Ramonita moved back to Puerto Rico eventually but shared with Jose that she still felt like a New Yorker. Andres, Jose's younger brother, served two tours in Vietnam. Ramonita was the 'building mom' and kept an eye out for everyone, but of course, also knew all of what was going on.
In high school, Jose worked three jobs and was even the building superintendant at the age of 15. Ramonita used to throw parties every weekend, and music and food were important to her. These are ways to share and pass on culture. Andy now wants to talk with the museum to share some of his experiences.
Jose showed the Wong family their apartment, and they were the next to live there in the early 1960s. Mrs. Wong lives a few blocks away now, and moved from China via Hong Kong. She emigrated in 1965 with her four children. This was when the discriminatory law, Chinese Exclusion Act, passed in the late 1800s was struck down, enabling her entry. She worked in the garment industry, was a member of the union and she and her family were very proud of her work.
Mrs. Wong speaks English, but prefers Chinese and has her children translate. The only son, Yat Chung, shared how he was encouraged in school to select an English name, and became Kevin. The museum had a room set up as a garment shop with some really impressive multi-media to watch videos and listen to clips of the family and other Chinese immigrants sharing their experiences about the garment industry and their live in this area.
Lower East side:
NYC never fails to be blunt about her feelings:
That evening we went to our favorite Spanish tapas place in the Village, Cafe Espanol, for a great dinner. We then went to the Soho Playhouse to see Aussie comedian, Hannah Gadsby's show, Nanette. She is very funny, and there was a lot of really deep content in this that will have me thinking for a while about people's identity, and acceptance of others.
After the show was over, we took a walk through one of my favorite parks in NYC, Washington Square Park. There's always great street performers in this area and it's a nice one to walk around.
On my last day, we spent some time with a friend in her building and walked back to the park through a gorgeous grove of cherry blossom trees.
New York City always shows me a great time, and as always, that time is far too short.
