magical moment

I’m walking back home after dark. Stars are peeking out overhead, the air has that autumn nip, and the wind dance up and around us. I stroll past one of the old churches, look through the beautiful stained glass windows to see medieval-style chandeliers. The choir is singing, and the night fills with glorious, warming song.

Life, Delivered

You can get anything delivered in this city! The pharmacy will fill your prescription and deliver if you’d like. (Probably for a price though.) People even get groceries delivered, from Fresh Direct. Although, pre-marinated steaks and ready-for-the-BBQ skewers seem more like ‘catering’ than ‘groceries’ to me!

So far, we’ve had delivered:
- 2 desk chairs and 2 plain chairs
- a file cabinet
- 2 tables
- a wardrobe
- foam mattresses (3)
- a year’s supply of tissue and toilet paper
- filing supplies
- a set of knives
- a set of screwdrivers
- spice bottles
- take-out food: Chinese, Thai, Indian

We’re getting catalogues delivered to us to peruse and entertain. We can order gun-cleaning supplies from Cabala’s, an iPod from J&R, clothes from Eddie Bauer, a gross (that’s 144 items) of plastic frogs from either Oriental Trading Company or Kipp… It’s a whole world of mail-order goods out there I’d never before experienced!

I’m thinking of ordering candy and yarn next. (Two different companies.) And some picture frames eventually. Right now, instead of getting the pieces of wood I didn’t get at the Home Depot in Long Island City, I’m home waiting for a mis-delivered box from Staples. Hope it comes soon!

Home Depot does Jekyll and Hyde

There are three Home Depot stores within about 5 miles of where we live. Two are on Manhattan, and the other is in Long Island City, which is not a city, but a neighbourhood in the borough of Queens. (Confused yet?) The Home Depots on Manhattan are more 'do-it-for-me' places, rather than 'do-it-yourself', and hence don't have anything as basic as lumber. As I'm planning to build much of our furniture, I needed some lumber. Nothing fancy, just some plywood and 2'x2's. So off I trek to Long Island City. This is the first time I've headed to a different borough solo.

After a couple of successful subway transfers, I get off at what I believe is the correct stop. Of course it isn't. I wander around lost for a bit, not really knowing where I am, what kind of neighbourhood I'm in, or even where on my map I am! (The streets were confusing where I chose to get off the subway.) Amazingly, the subway agent guy was helpful! (This is unusual in NYC, as I'm finding out.) He not only told me this wasn't the Home Depot stop, but he also told me where the closest subway stop was, and which subway line I needed to be on! Hurray!

I get off at the correct stop, wander into a drug store to ask for directions and the friendly people there help me out! It feels suburban here in Queens, at least at this subway stop. The streets are quiet, like everyone's gone to work or school (in Manhattan, most likely) and people are slower and friendlier. Phew!

The Home Depot is easy to find from the directions, and I head straight for the lumber area. I've taken the time to draw out the sheets of plywood and what sizes I'd like them cut up into, to minimize the number of sheets I need. Still, I'll end up getting 9 sheets of plywood and a sheet of melamine-covered particle board (each 4 ft x 8 ft). It isn't like I can lift a sheet of plywood by myself, so I search for someone to help me out. Lumber Guy 1 (LG1) agrees reluctantly to help me, but first I need to get a lumber cart. He can't tell me where to find one though. Hmph. So I wander the store for a few minutes until I find the right type of cart, and find LG1 again. He starts pulling off sheets of plywood and putting them in the cart, and seems incredulous that I want all these sheets cut!

We wheel the cart over the the lumber cutting area, where Lumber Guy 2 (LG2) is stationed, cutting lumber. (Imagine that.) He finishes up the cuts he was doing for another customer, and turns to me. I tell him I want all these cut up, and start to show him my diagrams. LG2 mutters something about needing lunch, and how he's been here since 6 am and how it's ridiculous I want all 9 of these sheets cut. He gets LG1 to do the job. LG1 says he hasn't had lunch either and the two of them wander off, still mumbling about how ridiculous I want all these sheets cut. Umm.... isn't cutting lumber their job? What difference does it make that they'd have to cut 9 sheets for me, instead of 9 sheets for 9 different people?!

I finally find another person, Lumber Guy 3 (his name is actually Barker). He's obviously a new employee, and although older (60-ish years old) he patiently cuts all my pieces for me. He's not the most experienced, and isn't too careful about the sizing, so my pieces are not quite the exact sizes I wanted, but they'll do. (I think.) It takes about 2 hrs to do all these sheets, and I let other customers in who have only one or two cuts to be made.

Aside: While getting these pieces cut, a stranger comes up to me and asks if I need delivery. I say ''maybe" and he hands me his card and tells me to call him when I'm finished. I inform him of my lack of cellphone status, and he says he'll come back later. I don't expect to see him again, but he shows up just as my last cut is completed, and offers to help push the carts (I've got 2 carts of random pieces of plywood now) to the check out line. He says he'll deliver the pieces for $80, which is significantly cheaper than what Home Depot quoted me, so I agree. His buddy is also around and helping with the carts. He says he'll bring the pieces up to my apartment. I agree to that too. (I thought "delivery" meant "to my door", but apparently not for these guys. Whatever.) So I find myself riding home with two strange men who speak almost no English. I would never do that anywhere else, but it just seems like this is how things are done here!

I end up not getting the 2'x2's from the Long Island City Home Depot, because the lumber guys are surly and annoying and I've had enough.

A few days later, I venture to the 23rd St. Home Depot on Manhattan. They don't have lumber, as I said earlier, but they do sell paint. I'm asked by three different employees if I need help with anything before I even get to the paint department. The first employee even helps me find a shopping cart! The woman, Jocelyn, at the paint center is new, but is competent and conversational. We discuss my choice of colours, and she's just as excited about them as I am! She informs me that one of my colours is what she's planning to do with her room, and says that sponging on a gold or silver over top would be quite pretty. I agree, but that's too much work for me! We joke around some more while she processes my order, and offers cheaper solutions for primers. While my paint is being mixed, I pick up a few hardware items, and again, staff is helpful and friendly and knowledgeable! Finally, a place in this crazy city has employees who work! What a concept!

I pick up my paints, try out the special escalator for shopping carts, and manage not to lose anything from my cart! It's overflowing (my cart) so I head to the 'home delivery' checkout area. There's no line up! What? For a city known for its go-go-go attitude, there are line ups everywhere! That's because hard work and efficiency aren't part of the job description. So I'm shocked. TWO employees help me check out and get the forms processed to have my stuff delivered. They're friendly and efficient. Wow!

As with most large stores I've been to here, there's a door guard who inspects your bags, or at least looks at your receipt before you're allowed to leave the store. The guard at this Home Depot laughs and jokes when I hand him my receipt, "You paid all this money for a piece of paper? You must be rich!" He gives me a pat on the shoulder and laughs again. For the first time, I leave a shopping experience with a smile on my face!

The Fifth Avenue Scene

You probably haven't heard of the humble and quiet Fifth Ave of NYC. As if! The brashness and gaudy look-at-me-I-am-rich aura oozes from every sidewalk crack and building brick! We decided it might be interesting to walk down it on Sunday.

Fifth Ave actually forms the eastern border of Central Park, and we're west of the park, so we decided to walk through it. It's a lovely time of year, where the trees have turned colourful and squirrels hop back and forth collecting acorns. (Aside: the eastern gray squirrels seem not to have the persistent chatter of the wester red squirrels. The gray ones are slower too.) Central park has many winding paths, which is lovely for a walk, but difficult if you want to go from Point A to B quickly and efficiently! After a few extra turns and twists, we made it to the eastern side of the park...

... only to discover this was part of the New York Marathon route! It was crowded with both spectators and runners. Probably 4 hrs into the race, the runners we saw were mostly walkers and looking rather tired. Still, it was impressive and moving to see the dedication in these people! Much garbage was created though; marathon sponsors had given out placards for fans to write "Go Mike" (or some other name), blown-up tubes for making noise were everywhere. Racers received a foil wrap for warmth and a bag of goodies upon finishing. One of the bottled water companies had a 3 storey blow-up bottle at the edge of Central Park! (and a collection of Japanese tourists taking photos of this large water bottle!)

The race then weaved into the park at Mile 24, following it to its southern edge and along to the finish line. We walked along side the route (there was no crossing the route) for a while, and were able to pass underneath of it at one point. This took us out to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where I have a membership and can go and hang out any time! Yay!

I've only been during rainy days though, and hadn't realized the number of artists' stalls set along the sidewalk near the museum. Most were cheesy "NY scenes" for tourists, but there were some really cool photographs and paintings as well!

Along Fifth Ave and Central Park there are only apartment buildings. However, this is the most coveted address in Manhattan, where I suspect the apartments go into the 10's of millions of dollars or more! Uniformed doormen were ushering the wealthly into cars or carrying packages into the building. And EVERYONE has a purebred tiny dog-like creatures. (It's hard to call it a dog when it's the size of a squirrel or rat!)

South of Central Park the famed stores begin. Name brand everything is available for a hefty price. People are 'well-heeled' and carrying bags to show off their spending. And tourists. You can tell the tourists by their cameras, shorts or fleece, sensible footwear and the 'caught in the headlights' look on their faces!

We wandered into a Build-A-Bear workshop. If you dont' know about this store, here's the deal: You pick a stuffed animal skin, fill it with 'love and hugs and friendship' (from the stuffing machine), add sounds to it, and then buy it outfits like tuxedos or sports teams' shirts or beachwear or pajamas. It's cute in a crass kind of way!

Unfortunately, we missed the other toy store, FAO Schwartz. Guess we'll have to find it another time!

The outrageously priced stores end some 20ish blocks later, somewhere near the Empire State Building, and the Avenue becomes somewhat normal again. We did walk by a crazy-looking family: the father looked like a mobster, the son an uncomfortable heir, the daughter a 14-year-old trying to look like Paris Hilton, and the mother with so much plastic surgery she looked truly plasticized! They weren't too impressed with my teddy bear backpack either.

Maybe next weekend we'll try Park Avenue! (the next coveted address in NYC!) (and by 'coveted' I mean expensive!)

Boo!

Last night, we went out to the famed Halloween parade. The subway system had been invaded by aliens, gypsies, Harry Potters... Creepy! We left the subway station at 14th Street, and followed the witches and devils and other ghouls to 6th Ave. The parade route was already crowded, at least 6 people deep. Police officers were everywhere, with barricades set up to prevent people from spilling onto the streets.

Although we had a fairly good viewing point, we thought we were quite early, and wanted to push our way north a few blocks. But one block later, we hit a snag and were pulled and pushed in the stream of people. Finally, we settled by the 14th St intersection, and managed to push our way onto the street. Here, it was only 4-people deep. I had a view of the street, as long as those in front of me were positioned just so.

All sorts of whoops and hollers heralded the parade onto our block. A 20-ft diamater orange balloon was tossed from the parade's head into the crowds of people, and tossed back! Then the floats and walkers rolled by. Giant snakes could be seen above the heads of those in front of me, scads of Marilyn Monroes and skeletons walked by hand-in-hand. But, being short, mostly I just saw the shoulders of those in front of me. After about 30 minutes of craning, we decided to leave the parade and wander to the Strand.

The Strand Bookstore boasts 18 miles of books. It is a huge place, indeed, with so many discounted books that you're bound to find *something* to take home. We have decided to limit our visits to only once per month, so we don't acquire too many books!

Leaving the Strand, we wandered a few blocks, admiring/gawking at all the costumed partyers! It seems the most common 'costume' for women consisted of being scantily clad and wearing either wings or a headpiece! So much flesh! I guess I've never been anywhere so warm for Halloween! (It was probably 15C downtown, and warmer in the more crowded areas.)

It was truly an experience to be so crowded and among so many costumes! Next year, we'll show up earlier... or maybe we'll be in the parade!

For more photos, check out this site:

this site.