Day Two: Negotiating NYC Subways..aka..Karen Goes to Harlem..

Monday's weather was forecast to be the only clear day of our stay, so we planned it to be our 'walking' day. Little did we know then that EVERY day would be a walking day, and that we would see no rain our entire time up there. So, after coffee and bagels we were off to master the subway and find our way downtown to the Staten Island Ferry. I had no idea we would use the subway as much as we did so I insisted that we only buy a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard and load it with $10.00 Well, let me tell you, we used that up in no time. So we ended up buying a 7-Day-Unlimited-Ride MetroCard for $24.00 each.

MetroCard in hand we caught the 1 (red) subway/train. I was somewhat concerned about getting the 'swipe' motion correct, but managed quite well, thank you. Once downtown we had no trouble finding the Staten Island Ferry--which is a free commuter ferry offering good views of the Statue of Liberty. Did you know that viewed from behind, the statue is actually striding forward? After getting off the ferry, we walked, and walked, and walked, and walked. We walked by Battery Park, Century 21 (shopping), the former World Trade Center site, Trinity Church, City Hall, and probably other places I'm not remembering. We took the subway to Brooklyn and walked along the Brooklyn Heights and then walked over the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan. We walked.

The only activity I had scheduled for Monday was the Tenement Museum tour. The Tenement Museum is on the Lower East Side. That tour was one of my favorite things on the trip. Our guide was great--he was the one who told us where to get the bialys BTW. If you're interested, the museum has an online site. After the museum (and bialys), we walked through part of Chinatown and had dim sum.

After Chinatown we decided to head back to the hotel, clean up and try and catch some music at Lincoln Center (Dizzy's Coca Cola). That's when Jim made his fateful remark about us doing so well with the subway. I just knew the fates would make us pay for that remark--and they did. We hopped on a subway hoping to go back to the UWS, and the next thing I knew we were walking through Harlem. Now I wouldn't mind going to a soul food restaurant, or a jazz club in Harlem IF I knew where I was going and had a cab drop me off and pick me up. One of my favorite stories is from "The Autobiography of Malcolm X," it involves sweet potatoes and NYC. But we were ridiculously lost.

We walked up out of the subway and the first thing I noticed were lots of policemen clustered around, and that the two of us stood out even more than normal. Did we head back down the stairs and try and catch a train going back into Manhattan? No. Why? I have no earthly idea. But Jim started walking and I followed....all the while thinking. Thinking that we shouldn't leave the area where the police were. Thinking those tall buildings all around us looked familiar--can you say 'projects?' When I mentioned it to Jim, he said to walk with a purpose. What the hell?!?! And then....and then....and then....he actually pulled the subway map out. Can you say 'tourist-target?' Jim actually asked someone who was sitting on a bench for directions. And the dude politely gave us directions.

I don't know if NYC's projects are different from those where I'm from, but obviously no harm came to us and maybe I should be embarrassed to admit I was frightened. BTW, on our drive back to the airport, our driver told us that Clinton's office is in Harlem. Who knew?

Anyway, by the time we finally got headed in the right direction, we were exhausted, so we ate at a Mexican restaurant somewhere along Columbus or Amsterdam Avenues and then just walked some more. Actually by then we were looking for me some flip-flops because my feet were killing me. If I had known everyone in NYC was wearing flip-flops I would have worn mine up there. It would have saved me lots of pain. Then we went back to the hotel to try and contact the kids and see what was left standing in our part of the world. We now knew where Katrina had decided to come in.

I'm not sure how to fit in the Katrina happenings with the trip happenings. I think writing this is actually therapy for me.

Anyway, on Monday I didn't get in touch with the kids until we were waiting for the ferry. My daughter and her roommates were in a closet playing Yahtzee. Trees had already fallen on their house and garage. The roof of the garage had fallen in on top of their cars. Trees were down blocking their driveway. That was all they knew from peeks taken during lulls in the wind and rain. I asked if they had mattresses and sofa cushions to put on top of them--they did. They were waiting on the eye of the storm to pass over and then the bad part. It wasn't going to be over for hours.

I called Baton Rouge and the boys said the roof of a shed was off and several sections of fence were down. But they thought the worse for them was close to being over. Odd now that they had already heard a rumor that a levee had broken in New Orleans. My sons in La. and my daughter in MS both lost power at 7:30 am Monday. Sounds as if a power grid was shut down.

By early afternoon Monday it was becoming difficult to get a call through to the kids. Later in the day I managed to get back in touch with the boys. They were thinking the worst was over for them and they were planning on starting the generator when the winds died down. Something I haven't heard talked about much is all the people who died from carbon monoxide poisioning. At least a couple of families died and many other individuals also. People were setting up generators inside their houses or outside, too close to an open window. So sad.

The girls were still waiting for the worse to be over.