So it is finally here. January 12, 2013. Hard to believe that we have already been in New York for 100 days. We are busy moving our of our Casa New York and this afternoon we will be on our final flight home to Vancouver. A sad day in many ways but a happy one in others.

The last few days have been a whirlwind. We have been riding the subway to neighbourhoods we haven’t had the chance to visit. Sunday and Monday we travelled through Queens on the “F” and “7” lines, popping up at random stations and wandering the neighbourhoods to see what was there. We found areas much more like Vancouver, with a mix of apartments and single family residences with real lawns in the tony areas of Kew Gardens and Forest Hills. These areas were developed after the Queensborough Bridge from Manhattan in the 1920s and the introduction of commuter trains made commuting possible.

The “7” line is known as the “international express” and it doesn’t disappoint. At Jackson Heights we found blocks of Indian stores and restaurants and farther out the line were areas representing every ethnicity imaginable. At the end of the line is Flushing, home of the largest Chinatown in New York and one of the largest in the US. Walking the streets was like being in Hong Kong.

We visited Flushing Meadows – Corona Park, site of the 1939 and 1964 World Fairs and the home of the National Tennis Centre (and the US Open Tennis Championship). This is a 1200 acre jewel retained mostly as passive park. Also on the grounds is CitiPark, home of the New York Mets.

Long Island City right across the East River from Manhattan at 60th is a gritty area of warehouses and train yards and an increasing number of cultural institutions. It is also home to 5 PointZ a block of warehouse buildings that have been “painted” by some of the best graffiti artists in the world and protected. LIfe goes on in the area, seemingly blind to the artistry around them. Some of the work was remarkable, however it is a place that few tourists ever visit.

On Tuesday we took the “1” train to the end of the line at Van Courtlandt Park, another of the incredible parks legacy that has highlighted the development of New York. We walked “through” Washington Heights in two incredible tunnels carved out of the granite and connecting the neighbourhood to the “1” and “A” lines. Tryon Park is located in Washington Heights a residential neighbourhood with very mixed ethnicity. The park overlooks the Hudson River and George Washington Bridge to New Jersey and is home to the Cloisters. This neo-classical castle belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was constructed in the 1930’s with funding from John D. Rockefeller. It houses the art and architecture of medieval Europe, from the twelfth through the fifteenth century. We finished the day with a glass of wine and appies at the New Leaf Restaurant and a ride home of the “A” train.

On Wednesday we took the Metro-North commuter train north from Grand Central Terminal to Tarrytown – about 50 minutes north and a $18 return fare up the Hudson River. Metro-North operates a very frequent service up the Hudson (and on two other lines) making access to Manhattan effortless. It was a beautiful trip right along the river looking over to the escarpment in New Jersey to the west.

For those of you who know author Washington Irving’s tales (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle this is the area where they are based. The village of Sleepy Hollow is there along with its famous cemetery. We wondered around town, had lunch at the Sweet Grass Grill and heard the sound check for the Queen Revival Band at the local Tarrytown Music House that dates from 1887. A great excursion. Next time we will take longer trip here to visit some of the 1920s and 30s estates built by Rockefeller and other wealthy New Yorkers as retreats.

We finished the day with our last drinks and dinner at Seven where we spend a lot of time during Sandy and came to know the bartender, Kevin, who always took great care of us. We enjoyed a nice bottle of wine that Monika kindly provided a certificate for.

Thursday we had our last walk in Central Park. I wish I had taken the time to blog about this place because it is spectacular. The problem is there is so much to say it is hard to know where to start. We arrived when the park was in full leaf, watched the leaves change and fall and now we see it in its winter bareness. It is a remarkable place that you have to visit to understand. Our only regret is that we didn’t see it after a snowfall. Thursday nite we had dinner at Highpoint a local bistro where we have eaten many times.

Friday nite we joined took the “N” train from Time Square to Astoria in north-western Queens, returning to a great Greek restaurant we had visited earlier in the week. Penny’s cousins had recommended Bahari estiatorio for the best Greek food outside Greece and it didn’t disappoint. The restaurant hosted the final dinner with Penny’s cousin Theria with whom we have spent a lot of quality time while we were here.

This cousin thing is an interesting and scary reconnection after more than 30 years. When we arrived in New York, we connected with Theria and discovered that, of all the places we could have settled here, we are just 4 short blocks from her apartment! During Sandy, Theria was out-of-town but texted Penny to say that if we needed anything to go to Seven and find Kevin who would take good care of us. That text arrived as we sat at the bar at Seven, talking to Kevin. Too many coincidences! Thank you Theria, for embracing us and for all you added to our visit.

Lots has happened in New York during our 100 days here. Fall turned to winter; Sandy beat the crap out of the City which mostly thumbed its nose and moved on; the new building under construction next to our apartment on 21st grew from three floors to 14; there was a presidential election. Real life moving on in New York can.

What is more elusive from our time here are the things that have changed in us. It will take considerable reflection from a distance to fully understand them. We look forward to sharing these and our experiences with our friends at home. So for now, farewell Casa New York.

We want to get this up so there are no pictures for now. We will add some later today and update the blog.

Cheers
Penny and Ken