Being near home, we decided to head back, hop into the grocery store, and pick up some items for lunch.
I love New York in Spring and Fall, even Winter. I do not particularly enjoy New York in summer, and today was one of those days why. It was already a hot and muggy 32 degrees, and we had to decide what to do. Walking amongst the sky scrapers would have been deadly, so we had first decided to go to the green and hopefully cooler Central Park. But the forecast had raised the spectre of thundershowers, and the air felt threatening.
Instead, we decided to walk amoung the nearby neighborhoods, where if it started to rain, we could duck quickly into a bar or restaurant.
If you like food, and I do, then this area is a pure joy. We past one restaurant that reminded us of Swartz's back home, and we will one day have to walk in and try their food. Nearby is another that has wonderful knishes, and a short walk further is a large modern food store with a huge selection of local produce. They had a beer section with rows upon rows of local and international beers, a huge selection of high end prepared foods, while another section had enourmous selection of cheese. We sampled a cheese, that we fell in love with, and later picked up on our way back home.
Once again we meandered down into Soho, looking into various shops. Once the mecca for the art world, now a shoppers paradise of fashionable clothing boutiques. Walking further South, we entered Chinatown. Filled with shops selling delicious looking fresh seafood next to gold jewelry shops that reminded us of Hong Kong.
We walked back up through Little Italy, packed with wonderful looking Italian restaurants, and came across an establishment we had discovered many years earlier. On one of our earliest trips to New York, we came across an old traditional looking taverna that seemed to step out of history. The old owner Tony stood behind his bar, and the old walls held pictures that included Reagan, Madona, Sinatra, Paccino, as well as various casts of movies such as Goodfellas. Hera had taken a photograph of it at the time, and printed it in our darkroom. A lovely black and white selenium toned print.
Several years ago, we again walked in, but the place was in transition, while today, it is a trendy watering hole. The bar and the layout is the same, but the photos are all gone, the walls are spruced up, and a little bit of history has been lost. Some photos in the windows are all that remain, of the traditional taverna that we once walked into.
By now, both Hera and I were soaking in sweat. Tired and exhausted by the heat, we made our way home early. Took a refreshing shower, rested, and had supper.
Usually I am quite good with upcoming events, but this time I completely missed it. 41 years ago, the police raided the Stonewall Inn at Greenwich Village, which soon erupted in a horibble riot. The year after, the first gay pride parade was held to remember the event. Today was the 40th Gay Pride Parade, the biggest in the world, and we missed it as we walked in the nearby neighborhoods.
After supper, we decided to head towards Greenwich village. We stepped out of our apartment and was greeted by wonderful music from a small band on the street for the restuarant a few doors away from our place.
As we walked, we passed several, children included, carrying their Gay Pride flags. We made our way and entered George Washington Square, where children cooled themselves in a fountain, musicians played, and acrobats entertained the crowds.
We continued walking towards Greenwich Village, and soon met throngs of revellers on the street. Many streets were closed off to traffic, and we followed the herd of people as we walked the tangle of streets that make this colorful neighborhood.
Again dripping in sweat, we slowly made our way home. Exhausted and soaked, we had to take another shower before bed.
Cheers,
Anthony & Hera
