Friday, January 07, 2011

New York City and its big balls (pt. 1)

Okay, where do I begin?

First, let me say that my title photo is the perfect image to express how I truly see NYC.

It’s a city with BIG balls. Which is why I love it so.

Second, my legs are still killing me because I walked 41 blocks, two times. That’s 82 blocks! And thank god it was blistery cold because it kept me moving. I stopped once to eat lunch, and another time to grab a cup of coffee and a muffin. Other than that, I walked around like a pinball on speed.

Tuesday night when I got home, I felt like I had just participated in a triathlon while running through mid and upper Manhattan. My legs felt like stone, my feet burned, and I was physically exhausted.

However…..

Anytime I spend the day in The Big Apple, I come back feeling charged with bolts of creative electricity. The second my shoes hit the pavement, it’s as if something in the ground fills me with a euphoric energy.

And no matter how much time goes by without returning, perhaps even as long as a year, whenever I arrive it’s like I never left. I always feel at home, moving and grooving with its thriving pulse.

It is a tremendously populated city that moves at a unison pace. But trust me, once you’re there, the pace becomes delightfully contagious. Because it pulls you in and gives you energy.

I also find true New Yorkers to be friendly, approachable, and very helpful.

I’ve decided to share selected photos and stories of my trip, over a period of three posts. I took MANY pictures. So many, I had to change the batteries!

I didn't get down to Greenwich Village to visit The Leather Man like I had planned (tee, hee). The next time I go back, I‘ll spend the day in the west Village. Manhattan Island is massive, so it’s hard to see everything in eight hours.

Today, I would like to share a few photos of where my love affair with this city began. Here is where I lived, four out of the five years I resided there. It is located on 65th Street, between Madison and 5th Avenues. We only paid $280.00 a month back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I don’t even want to THINK about what it’s going for now.

Most of you will recall a post I shared last year about how I use to sometimes throw my cats' poop out the window; landing in the tenants' balcony below my apartment.

Remember that post?

Well, THIS is the apartment I did that in.....

My partner and I lived here together. That was so long ago, yet seeing this place again brought back so many vivid memories. I actually got a little emotional standing here; remembering. It felt very therapeutic.

The apartment building didn’t always have the green shrubs in front. That’s new, and I really like the addition. I think the building has since turned condo or co-op.

Also, the bottom street-level apartment (to the left) was not always an apartment. It use to be a tailor shop. How things change!

And before walking away, I was curious to see if any of the present tenants where throwing cat feces out their windows.

So, I looked down at the pavement….

Holy cat poop, Batman!

Have a super-pooper weekend everyone!

X

*Stay tuned on Monday, when I will share my traveling experience on the Mega Bus, and various images of exciting locations throughout NYC.