Moving on out … 🎶

I’ve already been back in Buffalo for 8 days but have been too busy to write about my June 20-24 NYC trip. I’ve been doing a lot of triathlon training including just in the last week; an 80 mile bike ride, a 3 mile Lake Erie swim, a hilly 4 hour Brick (🚴🏼‍♂️🏃🏻‍♂️ICK), and a hard/humid 10 mile run. I also spent a lot of this past weekend watching Le Tour de 🇫🇷, the European and ConCaf ⚽️ games and the Yankees. And this week I am working Monday AND Wednesday as Monday is the first day a new anesthesia group takes over at St. Joes Hospital (I am staying here as it is my preferred site and I don’t care who pays my per diem 1099 $). And yesterday Alex and I took Fifa for her first swim of the year (no other dogs were there but she had a good time anyway).

Also, sorry this is such a long piece of writing. I should have done a separate blog post for each day of my trip but …. Didn’t. Remember, the WordPress app for phone is free (despite them asking u to upgrade to paid if u want to WRITE) and the easiest way to to stay up to date and read the posts easily and at your own pace.

Last year I organized a Mets game at Citi field for my Albany Medical College Class of 1990 alumni.

It was very fun and to be fair I said we needed to go to a Yankees game this year. There were no weekends in July that the Yankees were at home and that worked for many people but Saturday June 22nd versus the Braves seemed good. With friends and relatives we had 16 people for the Mets last year so I bought that many tickets for the Yankees game right after they went on sale.

What was supposed to be a short, relaxing trip to NYC and Long Island was transformed a few weeks ago into also being a “moving” trip. Instead of flying down as planned I would drive down on Thursday (after working Wednesday) and help Alex move from Manhattan to Brooklyn on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and then we would drive home to Buffalo together on Sunday. They have a summer job here and then will return to Brooklyn in August.

My plan was to leave home at 7am Thursday and arrive in Greenwich Village around 2pm and then do a few trips with Alex but ….. they had to do their last WNYU.org radios show from 4-7 pm so ….they would help load the car but then I would be on my own getting stuff into the new apartment.

The 400 mile drive down was very smooth. There was 15 minutes of bumper to bumper traffic just before the Delaware Water Gap due to construction but otherwise smooth.

I just took two very short gas/pee stops and had no problem getting there in exactly 7 hours despite the Delaware Gap and then Tunnel traffic into Manhattan.

It was a gorgeous day but the heat dome had settled over the east coast and the temperature hit 90 by the time I reached the city.

I drove right past the Chelsea Hotel which has reopened. I read about it in so many books like Patti Smith’s “Just kids” , etc. and of course all the music…. Will have to visit soon.

I arrived at Stuyvesant Town at 1:50 pm! Alex was waiting at the curb with some stuff and then they made trips up and down the elevator and I loaded the car. It was a lot easier with the rolling box lifter and Alex’s “granny” cart.

Alex headed off to their radio show and I towards Brooklyn at about 3pm. The Waze app said it would be a 35 minute drive (for the 3.5 miles) but it took me an extra 10 minutes due to traffic approaching and on the Williamsburg bridge. It was frustrating as I could have biked it in just 15 minutes (or run it in 35 minutes!).

Of course there were no parking spots on Alex’s street but I found a good one on the main cross street , only a block away for $2 per hour.

As it was now 91 degrees and sunny it was nice to walk thru the hydrant sprinkler in front of Alex’s bldg on my many trips.

The first thing I brought in was the Air Conditioner and then set it up. The apartment was tolerably cool with both air conditioners and fans on.

Alex’s apartment was on the second floor but with the buildings 11 foot ceilings and the 8 steps from the street to the door it was a full two flights for each box. My iPhone congratulated me for the 43 flights I climbed!

I needed some duct tape for the edge of the air conditioner and there was a nice hardware store around the corner (also 2 grocery stores and 2 laundromats and SUSHI). It is clearly a Hispanic area and after paying the clerk asked me “quiere una bolsa?” I said “si, por favor” as I did want a bag 🙂

My friend James was going to come over after finishing work (psychiatrist) nearby. He was eager to help but arrived at 7pm, literally 3 minutes after I had finished bringing up the last box.

James is running for NY State Senate (he would be the 1st physician there) as a Democrat from Garden City. Donations are welcome …..

https://jameslynchfornystatesenate.net/

I gave James the keys to the car as I had done enough driving for one day! Even after 7pm there was a lot of traffic.

After a delicious meal at James’ cousin’s restaurant I said hi to James’ wife Tricia and spent some quality time with Ginger.

Sadly both their cats had passed away since I visited last summer. On that trip I slept in my van but since I had guest room this time I had looked forward to a snuggly cat.

I slept well after a full day but had to get up early to run as “the boss” wanted me to be in Manhattan early.

There was not much traffic and I made it into the city in about 45 minutes. Alex and their friend “A” were waiting at the curb with the mattress. I secured it well with some kayak straps while Alex, “A” and also “R”, Alex’s roommate the last 2 years, loaded up the car.

With so many people, it went quickly and then Alex and another friend “S” and me headed for Brooklyn. It took only 30 minutes!

With 3 people I was able to park at a fire hydrant right across from Alex’s bldg! We took turns watching the car and unloading as the other 2 people moved stuff and it took MUCH less time to unload the car than it had by myself. It was only in the 80s but there were already kids playing in the fire hydrant sprinkler.

We made 2 more trips back and forth over the Williamsburg bridge.

We finished up before 2pm and I headed towards Garden City….. it had taken about an hour the night before but EVERY road had traffic/accidents/etc. and The Waze App kept adding time and re-routing me. It took 1:45 to drive the 16 miles!

When Waze re routed me in Queens I got to see Queens College where my mom studied!

I was exhausted when I finally got to Garden City. James drove us to the beach!

Nickerson Beach is a Nassau County beach where residents can rent cabanas for the season. Nice to be able to shower and change there before leaving.

To the west of the fancy rubber path is a shorebird nesting area. There were Oyster Catchers and Terns with tiny chicks. The Terns were very territorial and would dive bomb (and even peck!) if you got too close to their nests.

It had been 90 in Brooklyn but was just 80 at the beach and there was a strong wind from the south. Swimming was only allowed in the 100 yards between flags where there was a lifeguard. I just swam for 10 minutes in the heavy surf and thick seaweed.

After 2 exhausting days it was VERY nice to relax on a lounge chair and have some deli foods James and Trish shared with me.

It was very nice to shower off the salt and seaweed in the private cabana and change into my clothes that I had left there earlier. I think I napped in the car a little on the way back home with James and Trish. We turned on the Mets game and Ginger proved she is still spry by leaping up and stealing one of my brownies before I could at all react! 5 minutes later she was snuggled at my feet.

Alex had a party at their apartment that night for “summer ween” as it was the first Friday night of summer. So a spooky costume party. I was not invited … :(((

As Alex had the late night party they did not need me at Stuyvesant Town until 10:30 am so I got to sleep late before my morning run.

It was already hot and humid by 6:30 am. I ran to a closed Catholic school that now has a town park with nice fields and a water fountain and ran hard intervals there.

On a Saturday morning it took only 40 minutes to drive from Garden City to Manhattan!

Alex and I got the car quickly loaded with the last load of stuff to be moved to Brooklyn and it took only 30 minutes to drive to Brooklyn. Our fire hydrant spot was available again and with the help of Alex’s friend “A” (who had bought me an iced coffee earlier!) we got the car quickly unloaded.

Alex and I drove back to Stuy Town and loaded the car with all the stuff they wanted to bring back to Buffalo as they had a job for the summer here.

It was officially HOT again but it only took me an hour to drive to Garden City.

I drove a little past Garden City to collect James from a charity event he was attending/campaigning at. It was an Eagle Scout project about combating anti-LGBT hate.

Only minutes after he got in the car the skies darkened and a pop up Thunderstorm started!

By the time we got to the house the skies were blue and the rain was steaming off the hot pavement! I took an hour nap before we had to head to the Bronx.

James found a small garage only a few blocks from the stadium, we walked past the courthouse where we used to park when my dad took me and my sister to games in the ‘70s.

I don’t think we got a photo of all 14 of us as someone was always off getting beer or food (my med school friend “CC” and his kid didn’t make it at last minute).

It was in the upper 80s but we were in the shade and it cooled after sundown and drizzled a little which was refreshing. I had 2 frosty beers in cool aluminum cups ($15 beer …).

The Yankees had lost 3 in a row…. But the crowd was enthusiastic!

It was free PR T-shirt day! Having just been there in March I am as very excited! All shirts were X-Large so I will gift mine to my friend Jaime.

After giving up a solo home run to the first batter, Judge hit a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 1st inning and the Yanks held the lead for the rest of the game!

As I only had 4 other Med School classmates (plus Alex, Tricia and Marina’s daughter) I reached out and filled the seats with some friends and relatives (and 2 of James’ friends from Beacon, NY).

Jerry also went to the last game at the old Yankee Stadium with my dad and wore the hat from it! I have my Dad’s, will have to remember to wear it next time thought it is a little grungy as I think it became a fishing hat for him 🙂

The Yanks gave us a lot more offense and won!!!

Leaving early with the Yanks winning is not an option as there is nothing as great as walking out while listening to Frank Sinatra.

Alex took the subway from Brooklyn to Stuy Town early in the morning and I said goodbye to Ginger.

Goodbye to Stuyvesant Town. Alex had a great 2 years there. A very safe, park like complex. James and Tricia lived there many years ago when Alex and their kids were young and we visited them many times.

I put on my Billy Joel collection and it started playing Miami 2017 (I’ve seen the lights go out out ….) as we crossed Broadway!

With no traffic Waze took us out through the Holland Tunnel and we made the trip home in under 7 hours even with two rest break stops.

And on TV that morning I saw that Hochul’s secret back room political deal of cancelling the NYC congestion pricing plan was now delaying the 2nd Avenue subway expansion also as the funds for Mass transit were now gone!

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