Who is Lutheranliar?
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If Nora Ephron and Garrison Keillor had a Lovechild, it would be Lutheranliar. Come for the stories. Stay for the, um, stories.
I didn’t get his name, but I’m betting it was ‘Tony’. He was the guy manning the gate that lets you into the waiting area to ride the tram back from Roosevelt Island.
One of my besties (hi, Laurie!) and I had spent a most marvelous time strolling around the Island, checking out the new monument to Mr. Roosevelt, the old Smallpox Hospital (where they used to quarantine the poor sufferers, bless their hearts), and even the new Cornell Labs (where they let us in, but only so far in; they have very nice light fixtures in their cafeteria).
Anyway, Tony and I got to chatting, as is my wont when dawdling with friendly strangers, and found that he used to work for a film editing studio where I would occasionally be involved in a TV commercial edit. Ah, the Six Degrees of City Separation!
But back to Roosevelt Island, figuratively if not literally. I hate to admit it, but it was my very first trip there. Which is pretty amazing, since I’ve lived in New York like a zillion years, and R. Island is really close by: it’s just one subway stop away, and the tram is about 8 blocks from me — and those are the short blocks, not the long crosstown ones.
What the heck, here’s another one. Cool, huh?
This garden is also really close by. It’s called the New York Botanical Garden, after all. But it was (and is) in the Bronx, which means, to me and many of my fellow Manhattanites, that it might as well be on the moon. I have, however, been to Staten Island. Twice. Once to get to the beginning of the New York City Marathon, which yes, I did in fact run — more than one time, even. And once to get to a lovely graduation party thrown by the parents of one of The Child’s Stuy High buds. But I have yet to ride the Staten Island Ferry, which is how you get to the Statue of Liberty. Which — nope — I have not been to yet either.
And Queens, the remaining of the Five Boroughs? Queens, we go to nearly every week, that is if you count zooming (er, crawling) through on the Long Island Expressway. But we have been to the U.S. Open (tennis, not golf) which is held in Flushing Meadows, which counts as Queens.
See you next week. I hope!
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Why not ‘Grape Nuts Arena’?
Eat. Or be eaten.
I grew up on Long Island, and we went into the city for meals and shows on special occasions, and school field trips, but we only went to touristy things with visitors. First time I took the Statue of Liberty cruise was when Neil and I stayed in Brooklyn for a week, with frequent trips to Hipster Williamsburg.
Ah, Lorna. You’ve got me beat. I still haven’t been to the Statue of Liberty! Since I wrote this piece, though, I added The Cloisters to my list of just-visited, even-though-I’ve-been-here-forever landmarks. I sure hope you and Neil had fun in Hipster Williamsburg (!) And thank you for reading!
We were debating going back to live there for a year, but he knocked me up instead. Isla is way more fun, though.
I need to get to Roosevelt Island and Staten Island some day. I lived in NYC one summer and visited countless times yet I’ve never been to either place.
R. Island has a super-fun tram, and Staten Island has an equally super-fun ferry (see the movie ‘Working Girl’ for proof). Tho I have, alas, not yet experienced it for myself. On my list for 2018!
I hope you have an amazing trip in the Amazon!
The Amazon, wow! I have been to the statue of liberty even though I live all the way up in Maine. It was raining the day we were there and we climbed to the observatory on wet stairways. At one point when I got discouraged and my legs hurt a college choral group starting singing patriotic songs in beautiful harmony. The accoustics are excellent and it was a memorable experience. Last summer I went to the botanical garden in Boothbay Maine for the first time even though my friends and relatives have been raving about it for years. It is so easy to miss treasures in our own back yard!
You are inspiring me to (finally) get it together and visit Miss Liberty! Fingers crossed there’s a choir in attendance to spur me on. In the meantime, here’s wishing you a lovely Maine T’giving!
Thank you! I will be feeding at the trough for hours on Thanksgiving day and my stretch pants are ready for inaction.
I’ve been to all boroughs except the Bronx, so sounds like I need to get myself there to see the Botanical Garden the next time I’m in NYC. I lived in Manhattan (briefly), but if I was to return to NYC I think I’d live in Brooklyn. I absolutely loved it when I stayed there this summer. Hope you enjoyed the Amazon river!
Piranhas get a bad rap. They don’t eat you… under normal circumstances.
Not unless you eat them first (!) Stay tuned for colorful detail!
I’m soooo confused! Or time traveling! I thought you were back today; yet this posted today and not last Tuesday – or….. is it last Tuesday already? holy caboli.
The African Queen trip is amazing, and so was the Chihuly exhibit when I saw it in the Missouri Botanical Gardens! Safe travels!
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