Aunt Bea Comes To Visit - Day 3

Sep 29, 2008

Bea was getting used to our house and the neighborhood. On a beautiful Autumn morning we decided to take a little stroll to nearby Prospect Park. One approaches the park through Grand Army Plaza. New York is not know for grand and open spaces. Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza is one of very few of those spces that define other great cities such as Paris. It's central attraction is the magnificent Soldiers And Sailors Memorial Arch, dedicated to the veterans of the Civil War. In its center is a the gracious Neptune fountain. Olmstead and Vaux designed Eastern Parkway which departs from the Plaza and Brooklyn's Central Library sits adjacent. And, of course, the northern entrance to Prospect Park beckons as you stroll through the plaza.

With all its beauty, however, it has been a remote and seldom-used gathering point for New Yorkers. Automobile traffic, almost non-existent when it was built, has emasculated it, surrounding it with an inpenetrable and hazardous barrier. That is all about to change as a consortium of public interest groups and city agencies have put their heads together to come up with a new design that will promote pedestrian and cycling access and encourage the public to enjoy the beauty of this majestic plaza.

Our walk takes us to Grand Army Plaza, one of NYC's few grand spaces. It's currently the subject of major renovation to make it more useable and accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. For years it has been underused since it's surrounded by a horrific torrent of car traffic.

Stacey checks out a proposal for redesigning the plaza. Each display shows a planner's ideas for re-inventing the space and making it more accessible to the public.

Stacey and Bea stroll through the various designs for renovation of the plaza.

After walking through the plaza we entered Prospect Park and sat for a while looking out at serene Long Meadow which, as its name suggests, is a lovely and popular field that attracts hundreds of people on a summer weekend. Now, on an early Autumn morning, it was quite empty. It's green lawn ran south, off into the distance.

Bea was impressed by the Soldier's and Sailor's Memorial Arch that is the anchor of Grand Army Plaza. The arch commemorates the fallen soldiers of the Civil War.

Enjoying the beauty of Prospect Park's Long Meadow ... and resting a bit.

On our way back we stopped at our usual haunt, Prospect Perk coffee shop to give Bea a flavor of our routine. Then back home for a rest. We would head back out again, this time by car, to visit Fairway market in Red Hook. We wanted to show Bea what's happening in these previously rundown neighborhoords as our borough reinvents itself with younger (and more prosperous) folks move in.

At our usual hangout: Prospect Perk on Flatbush Avenue.

We arrive at Fairway, an upscale gourmet supermarket, which has installed itself in renovated Civil War era warehouses, attracts customers from all over despite its remote location.

To see all of today's photos in a gallery , just CLICK HERE.

To see all of today's photos in a slide show, just CLICK HERE.

.

Aunt Bea Comes To Visit - Sunday, Day 2

Sep 28, 2008

It was supposed to rain all day today. But mostly we got clouds and a bit of drizzle. After a Sunday morning feast of bagels, lox and white fish, we hung out for a few hours and then headed out to Dumbo, Brooklyn's uber-hip, industrial chic neighborhood. We wanted to peruse the 12th annual Art Under The Bridge festival which was spread throughout the galleries that are emblematic of that neighborhood. Amazingly, we found a parking spot smack in the middle of the action and toured some galleries in one of the old warehouse buildings now converted to offices and galleries.

Bea takes a call from son Peter as we prepare the table for our Sunday breakfast.

Waiting for the lox, the bagels, the fish, the ....

On our way to Dumbo, Stacey and Bea pose for my camera.



We walked in and out of a few of the galleries - mostly out. A lot of the work was so avant that we were left figuratively far below the 9th floor that we were on. One gallery, however, caught our attention: Havana, The Revolutionary Moment (La Habana - El Momento Revolucianario) displayed striking photos taken by an American photographer,Burt Glinn, who found himself in the Cuban capitol as a young Fidel and his comrades took power from the dictator Batista who had fled the island. The sense of excitement on the faces of common people in the streets of that city fairly jumped from the pictures and transported this viewer to that moment in time. Exhilarating!

Bea and Stacey examine Burt Glinn's book of photos taken during the Cuban revolution at the Umbrage gallery in Dumbo.

After perusing some other galleries, we walked over to Brooklyn Bridge Park and a view of the Manhattan Skyline set off with the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. A farmers market was set up on the old cobblestone streets. A cup of coffee at Starbucks finished our excursion and we drove back home for a home-cooked meal that Stacey prepared. A very nice day in Brooklyn filled with bagels, art and good company.

To see all of today's photos visit my gallery on Smugmug: CLICK HERE.

To see all of today's photos as a slideshow, CLICK HERE.

--

Aunt Bea Comes To Visit - Arrival, Day I

Sep 28, 2008

After years of visiting the Schaffers in Deerfield Beach, Florida, my Aunt Bea finally has come to visit us in New York. And we are thrilled. Her darling Walter, her partner for nearly 71 years had passed away in May, just three days short of that anniversary. Stacey and I visited in June to offer our condolences but also to help boost her morale. We suggested at the time, never believing she would actually take us up on it, that she should come to New York for a while, leaving the Florida house and all its memories behind. We returned to New York and after a few more entreaties to come visit, she decided she would. And so now she's here!

Bea is my mom's sister and the last of her nuclear Kaplan family. She's a very young 93. My friend Wendy, our waitress at Sammy's Noodle Shop in Greenwich Village, which we lunched at after Bea's arrival at Penn Station on Saturday, remarked that she looked younger than her own mother who is 72.

Bea's son and daughter-in-law, Ken and Yong Hee, put Bea on an Amtrak train Saturday morning bound for New York. We met her and had lunch and then, on the way back to Brooklyn, stopped at Henry Street for a quick look at Bea's childhood home on the Lower East Side. She and her family arrived there when Bea was only two and departed when she was five so her memory of that place was fuzzy. My mother had remembered it with much more detail being four-and-a-half years Bea's elder. They lived in a townhouse that also housed a doctor's office. Next door was Lillian Wald's house, the founder of the Henry Street Settlement. Wald was one of those great early 20th century social reformers. Her organization offered succor and advice to struggling immigrants who, crowded into the Lower East Side's awful tenements, were the poorest of New York's poor. Down the block was a firehouse. The Kaplan girls and their friends on the block, my mother told me, each had a fireman who was their special "boyfriend."

At Sammy's Noole Shop in the Village, Stacey and Bea get ready to order lunch. (more photos - see link at end)

Arriving home we showed Bea around our brownstone, parked her in her own guest room, sat around and chatted for hours and then had dinner at Amorina, our little pizzeria around the corner on Vanderbilt Avenue. It was alive and crowded with the young families of our new neighborhood. Albano, the owner and our friend, stopped by the table and we chatted, picking apart last night's presidential debate and expressing distress over the McCain/Pailin ticket.

At home again we watched some old Sid Caesar Show of Shows on a DVD until Bea's eyes closed from tiredness. It had been a long day but a sweet one. We were very happy to have my aunt here in Brooklyn.

For a gallery of today's photos, just CLICK HERE.

For a slideshow of today's photos, just CLICK HERE.

--

Where In The World Is Matt Lauer, er Weinstein? PART IV

After a day of touring St. Thomas we headed back to the ship. It was raining again and we hopped in a cab for the mile or so back to the ship. We were in time for our 6 o'clock dinner and then strolled out on deck as the ship pulled away from St. Thomas. We'd arrive in our next, and final, port call - St. Maarten (aka St. Martin).

Meeting up on deck after dinner. Our ship was pulling away from St. Thomas for an overnight trip to St. Maarten, the Netherland Antilles.

A last look back at the harbor in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas as our ship heads for St. Maarten, an overnight trip.

A large and lovely theater, beautifully decorated with an art deco feel, was the backdrop for two evening shows every day. The show on the second night featured an Austrailian, turned American, trumpeter/dancer/singer who was quite talented. But for his last number he departed from his repetoire of Broadway shmaltz and jazz standards to perform a number he had written and that he was promoting - this turned out to be a "non-political" (not quite), brassy, bombastic and shocking phony patriotic appeal to "stand up for freedom." He demanded that folks in the audience support the troops and the veterans by "standing up for freedom." "C'mon! Turn up the house lights - let's see you stand up for freedom", he bellowed over and over. Stand up for freedom? Never mind, that over the past five years more and more Americans have soured to the Bush Iraq fiasco - a war he touted as fighting for freedom and justified by lying to Congress and the American people. A war that has tragically brought a premature and unnecessary end to more than 4,000 American lives and up to a million Iraqi lives. Never mind that Bush, while claiming to support the troops has slashed benefits for veterans so that we now can use a shameful, oxymoronic phrase that should have no place in our lexicon - "homeless veteran." Never mind that 8 years of Bush-O-Nomics with its greed-based tax cuts for the super-rich, no-bid contracts for the likes of Cheney's Haliburton, almost a trillion dollars squandered on an immoral war while profits for for Exxon and the other oil companies have skyrocketed - never mind that these policies have brought us to the precipic of the next Great Depression. Never mind that 7,000 Americans are losing their homes each and every day and that unemployment is growing so rapidly. Never mind that a great American city was left by our government to twist in the wind after it was inundated by Katrina. No, no, no - never mind all that - just you all stand up for freedom, OK? Stacey and I were angered by this pretentious appeal to people's genuine love of country so we just kept sitting while most all followed the pied piper and stood up. The pressure to stand was palpable. It's not easy to stick out by sitting down.

Dr. Samuel Johnson, the famous British author said in 1775: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." By this he was not casting aspersion on a real and genuine love of country, but the phony patriotism which so many, in all ages and countries, have made a cloak of while promoting their own narrow self-interest. As Clarence Darrow, the great American lawyer said, "true patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else." And Carl Shurz, German-born American general and U.S. Senator defined true patriotism thusly: "Our country right or wrong. When right, to be kept right; when wrong, to be put right." Certainly, there are so many wrongs in our great country today that urgently call out to us. Tuesday's night singer had it all wrong. Our country desperately needs its citizens to stand up, yes! But to stand and vocally speak out against their government when they see it committing so much injustice. To be silent, to go along, to meekly stand up and conform rather than speaking out in protest will lead us all to a tragic conclusion. Dissent protects democracy. Silence will surely allow it to be destroyed.

The other night's shows were better. Wednesday night we saw an ice show. Yes, an ice show! I couldn't believe it - this ship had an ice skating rink! And a wonderful international team of skaters put on a fabulous circus with skills that matched the great performances of the Olympics. Depsite the fact that the space was 1/8 the size of a standard rink, the skaters whirled about with incredible skill and agility. The highlight for me was an act of costumed Cossacks skating to Russian folk songs in full costume. A knockout!

Cossack skaters danced on ice to fabulous Russian folk songs. Fantastic!

Clowns on ice delighted the kids on board.

After the ice show we ventured up to Ellington's on the 14th deck for some cool jazz and a nightcap. Stacey peruses the bar menu.

When we woke on Thursday, we were in St. Martin. That island has dual personalites: the pecuniary Dutch side and the sexy/chic French side. But because of our short stay - we had to be back on board by 4:30 - we really didn't get to explore beyond Phillipsburg on the Dutch side where the ship docked. And that was a shame as there was nothing to do in that town but to visit a long, long street of shops. Not my cup of tea. Regardless, Stacey, Sallie, Mort and I boarded a ferry that took us downtown where we walked up and around. While Sallie and Stacey looked around some shops, we guys hung outside. After an hour or so of that we took the ferry back.

Mort and Stacey enjoy a light moment on the water taxi to downtown Phillipsburg, St. Maarten.

Matt and Sallie on the ferry to Phillipsburg. I finally get a picture taken of me.

Mort sits patiently while the women peruse the shops.

At a crafts market in Phillipsburg.

Pretty dolls all in a row.

A Cuban license plate in a Phillipsburg shop. No embargo down here.

Em, let me try this one on please.

Shoes, anyone?

We ventured back to the boat after a few hours, changed into suits and lazed around the pool until it was time to get dressed for dinner. Hours pass slowly and it's very relaxing.

The next two days, Friday and Saturday would be days at sea. I enjoyed those days most of all. One could hang out and do nothing or one could partake of the endless number of activities that were listed on the daily schedule printed by the ship's staff. There were art auctions, a Q and A with the captain, movies, gambling, rock climbing, ice skating, mini-golf, roller skating, swimming and hot-tubbing. Or just plain lazing around in any number of locations spread across the 14 decks. I found it very relaxing and, in the end, that's the beauty of a cruise - bring some books, lay back, breathe in the delicious ocean air and take it realy easy.


My legs and Stacey - hanging out at the pool.

A book is the way I will spend my day.

Reading a good book with the endless sea as your backdrop. Not bad.

Bored? Go for a walk on the jogging track on level 12.

Organized activites make the time pass. The crowd gathers for the belly flop contest. It was quite entertaining and the MC's comic jibes were quite amusing.

According to the MC, this guy was using a "butt pucker" technique which lowered his point score.

This guy seems to have the right attributes for a great belly flop.

On our last day, also a at-sea day, Stacey decided she wanted to try the rock climbing wall on deck 14 aft. Man, this ship was well equipped! It was blazing hot under the direct rays of the Caribbean sun. I tried to find some shade to hang out in as the staff prepared the climbing ropes and the athletes donned their shoes. I have to hand it to Stacey - she really tried and didn't give up until she just couldn't go any further. Each time she went a bit further, then would hesitate and come rapelling down. She finally made it about half way up to the top and then could go no more - she had no more strength left. She admitted that she couldn't imagine, up front, how difficult it was to pull oneself straight up.

Ready to rock and roll. Well, climb anyway.

"This is how you do it." Stacey gets some tips from the instructor.

And she's off, er, up!

And she's down!

Try again. This is not easy.

Good try, Stace! Next time you'll make it.

We had a wonderful week of relaxation, fun times and new friends. Our travel mates, Sallie and Mort were perfect and gave us the space we needed for alone time, yet were always there for the good company they provided. Our new friends and tablemates, the Edmonds, were fun and shared a lot of our values which endeared them to us. Their little girl, Meaghan, was charming, smart and well behaved. Our table really clicked and that doesn't always happen.

The week went very fast filled with activity, shopping, eating, drinking, touring, workouts and lots of R and R. Who could ask for anything more?

At our last dinner, the wait staff performed a farewell song. We were very impressed with the excellent service of the entire crew of 1200.

Our great waiters, Ashok (from India) and Juan (from Honduras).

Meaghan performs the hang-a-spoon-from-your-nose trick that Stacey taught her. How 'bout those dimples? See you again soon, we hope!

We were up very early Sunday morning, having packed our bags and left them outside our door the night before. When we woke, the Florida coast was visible outside our window. By seven o'clock we were walking off the ship and through customs. Our cruise had come to an end. We met Sallie and Mort and they drove us back to their timeshare in Orlando and then to the aiport for our flight back to NYC where we arrived around seven. While we loved the trip, we still favor travel that takes us to foreign lands and cities with culture and history to examine. But every once in a while, a cruise out on the open sea with warm temperatures and the smell of pure salt air is just the ticket to pass a stress-free week away from the worries and cares of these difficult times. Try it. You'll like it.

Stacey takes a last look at Mariner Of The Seas as we head to our car after deboarding at Port Canaveral.

Where In The World Is Matt Lauer, er Weinstein? PART III

By the way, did you know you can CLICK on any photo for an enlarged view. Then just hit "back" to return to the blog. - Matt

We left the Bahamas Monday night and sailed for St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands. Tuesday would be a sea day. We’d arrive at our next port on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, I woke very early and watched the sun rise and the moon set over the vast ocean. Words and pictures don’t do justice to the magnificence of the sea stretched out to the distant horizon. It’s hard to believe that as big as it is, humans have still managed to pollute it with waste and chemicals and kill off its life in increasingly perilous numbers. It just confirmed to me that our planet is indeed finite and needs to be protected with urgent action taken right now!

The ship’s decks were empty as I strolled about and watched as an imperceptible glimmer of light appeared. A few minutes later more light appeared, gently lighting the clouds. Very soon the water began to take on different shades of blue and green as the sun slowly rose above the horizon. I would glance the other way to look at the setting moon and in just those few brief seconds, as I retuned my gaze to the rising sun, an entirely new panorma greeted me. This rapidly changing tableau became a game that I played with my camera snapping dozens of photos as the scene changed from moment to moment.

Empty deck at sunrise. The scene changed every few seconds.

The moon's setting while the sun's rising.

The water begins to take on color. Fantastic cloud formations surround the rising sun.

Looking west, the moon is setting and the clouds are lit by the rising sun in the east.

The sun finally appears turning water and sky a crazy quilt of colors

A day at sea, it seems to me, is really what cruising is all about. Not everyone would agree with me - such is the infatuation with shopping, shopping and shopping. But to be out on the ocean without another ship in sight gives you an insight into the vastness of the sea and the minuteness of us humans. You can see approximately 20 miles to the distant horizon. All you can see is water and sky. No other ships. No land. Just endless ocean. Wondrous beauty!

Waking the next morning, we found ourselves on the dock in St. Thomas, the U.S. Virgin Islands. More properly, we were in Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the Virgin Islands. Our table mates, with whome we became quite friendly had arranged with a friend of a friend in Orlando for a driver to meet us and guide us around the island. That turned into a lovely day of sightseeing and beach-going. St. Thomas is a beautiful volcanic island with steep mountains and breathtaking views. Our guide, Ali, of Palestinian and Columbian parents, was pleasant and well-informed. He drove us in his “taxi” which was a converted, open-air mini-bus. Our first stop was Mountaintop. Its name describes it well. Up on top was a tourist shop and bar and a back deck with fabulous views of Magan’s Bay. That bay is considered to be the sixth greatest beach on earth according to National Geographic. It sure looked fabulous from our view high up on a mountain overlooking the bay and the Atlantic Ocean beyond.

~~~

We woke up Wednesday morning to find ourselves docked in Charlotte Amelie, St. Thomas. Charlotte Amelie is the capitol of the U.S. Virign Islands. We had breakfast at the buffet in the Windjammer cafe.

The Edmonds family had arranged to have a driver meet us at the gangway in St. Thomas. Ali took us around the island on a deluxe tour.

Ali drove us to the famous Mountaintop viewing station, complete with rear deck, tourist shop and bar (where the banana daiquiri was allegedly invented). Below is Magenn's Bay, rated by National Geographic as one of the ten greatest beaches in the world.

Here's Meaghan at Magen's Bay, St. Thomas.

Our guide, Ali, tells us about St. Thomas and how difficult it is for poor people to live on an island that has only one source of income: tourism.

Beautiful Magan's Bay, St. Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands - and the Atlantic Ocean beyond.

Meaghan loves the camera.

Homesick?

Meaghan leads the way back to the tour bus.

Just in case you've never seen a Virgin Islands license plate.

Our tour group (with your blogster in front).

Once upon a time, donkeys were the main mode of transportation on St. Thomas. Now just a few remain - for the tourists to gawk at. Here's Stacey, Ali and Samantha and, um, Monica Lewinsky.

A very nice little ass. (Sorry. I couldn’t help myself).

An achingly beautiful island: St. Thomas. Our ship in the harbor - on the right.

Sweet Meaghan.

From Mountaintop we made our way to Coki Point - one of the island’s beautiful beaches. For $20 we rented a couple of chaises and an umbrella and ventured into fabulously clear waters as tropical fish swam all around us. Our buddies had brought a supply of dog biscuits which we wetted and smooshed into small bits which the fish gobbled up a voracious frenzy. The Edmonds had brought snorkel gear from home in Orlando and they swam around looking at the fish and having a great time. Stacey and I hung out on the beach. And then it rained - a little bit a first; then a little heavier. We were glad to have the umbrella and our entire group huddled under it as we waited a few minutes for Ali’s cab to return.

The Edmonds family - snorkeling at Coki Point beach - super clear water alive with tropical fish. Left to right: Grandma Elizabeth, Meaghan, Samantha and Al.

Strange divers invent a new language: Snorkel Talk. Samantha and Al explore St. Thomas - Coki Point.

Stacey floats in the fabulously clear waters of Coki Point beach.

Coki Point beach on St. Thomas. Beautiful, no? Notice the thickening clouds. Eventually the rain did come.

Ali picked us up and drove us to downtown Charlotte Amalie. This was the end of our tour and the beginning of shopping - the main street was lined with endless jewelry shops to lure tourists to part with their money. But Stacey and I were hungry. It was 3 o’clock and we hadn’t eaten since the morning. So we left the rest of the group, perused a few of the shops and headed to Cheryl’s Café on the beach for a quick bite.

Afterwards, we headed up hill to the second oldest, continuously used synagogue in the western hemisphere. Unfortunately it was closed and we couldn’t go in. So back down again as the rain started up again. We grabbed a taxi and headed back to the ship.

Ordering jerk chicken sandwiches at Glady's Cafe on the beach in Charlotte Amalie.


Hot peppers decorate the bar at Glady's Café.

One of the oldest continuously used synagogues in the western hemisphere - established 1796. Camille Pissaro, the French artist, was born on St. Thomas and attended services there.

The old Sephardic synagogue in Charlotte Amalie.

Old narrow streets in Charlotte Amalie. St. Thomas was under Danish rule until 1917 when the U.S. purchased it for $25 million.

In my final post - St. Martin, Cossacks on ice, Stacey climbs a rock wall (now that's something not to miss!), &c. Then back to Brooklyn, USA. Please stay tuned. - Matt