Greenwich Village & Harlem

From 1/25/10
Today I was totally aimless and I guess it reflected how I was truly feeling inside. I felt a bit scattered and needed to walk to get my mind together. I was pleasantly surprised when my friend wanted to walk with me and I guess I needed the distraction from the negativity that threatened to creep in. We ended up walking towards Washington Square Park. I have many memories of this place. I used to take clients there for a relaxing day out during the summer. There were always musicians performing, someone dancing, or just plain randomness in Washington Square Park. We would pass the hours watching teenagers try and fail skateboard tricks and watch people with their well-groomed dogs in the doggy park. This place is a people watchers' candy store. Being that it's winter, it was a little less festive but still a warm place to stroll through. I stopped and smiled at two toddlers dancing to the music of an acoustic guitar. I got so tickled because the little girl was really busting a move and encouraged the little boy to do the same. We watched as long as we could and then mutually decided to walk away because the "tick-tock" of my biological clock began to get louder and louder. LOL!


On our zig zag course, we ended up on 7th Ave and 11th Street (Mulry Square). There is a fence here with decorated tiles dedicated to the victims of 9/11.




I have stopped by this fence many times and don't think I've had a chance to look at them all. It's heart-wrenching looking at some of the tiles dedicated to 3 and 4 year olds that died on those flights. Not all of the tiles are dedicated to people who lost their lives. Some are inspirational quotes that give some sort of hope that peace will eventually become a reality. I feel that "Tiles for America" was a very unique idea and hope that it remains there for years to come.

After my friend and I parted ways due to the rain. I planned to head to the Bronx early but ended up getting off the the train at 125th St. 125th St. is like a 2nd home to me. I go there to get my hair braided at any of the 1,000 African Hair Braiding Salons. Let me tell you, my African sisters know how to hustle! If you are wearing a headwrap, a scarf, or have an Afro, they will pounce on you as you come out of the train station asking if you want your hair braided. It's a bit pushy, but hey, everyone's gotta make a dollar right? True story: One evening I had already decided I was going to the shop where I had my hair done previously. I went to the beauty supply store to buy hair for my extensions. An African woman comes up to me all cool and said, "Whoever was going to do your hair, I can do it better. You will not be disappointed." She shows me her little book of hairstyles she's done and it was impressive. She really had game,she helped me pick out the right hair cause she just KNEW I was going to give in. And she was right. Hahaha! Truly, I just respected her hustle and that's why she got my business. I loved the way my "Kinky Twists" turned out and I will definitely be a repeat customer.


I stopped in a few African craft shops to look at a few masks and statues I want for my apartment. I looooove the smell of these stores. It always smells like Nag Champa incense (my favorite). But then again all of 125th Street smells like Nag Champa incense due to all the street vendors selling what else?...Nag Champa incense!! Hahaha. There are street vendors every ten steps. Books, shea butter, jewelry, more shea butter, perfume, body oils, art, more shea butter, and black soap. You never even have to step INSIDE of a store. While in this craft store every time I stopped at a piece of art, the owner would come over and tell me the significance of this piece. He had to most beautiful complexion. His skin tone was almost blue-black and completely flawless. His salt and pepper beard was neatly shaped and he had the most beautiful accent. Shoot, I stayed longer just to hear him talk. And to top it all off he smelled like Nag Champa! I think I might have had a little crush! The statue above is about appreciating our ancestors. I appreciated that he took the time to explain each piece. I felt kind of guilty leaving empty handed, but he didn't seem to mind.

Have you've ever watched "Good Times"? You know with JJ and Esther Rolle? This painting reminds me of the painting they show at the end of the credits. I love love love that painting. I believe the name of that painting is "The Sugar Shack". I'm not sure if the same artist did this one as well. It certainly is the same style.
It's DY-NO-MIIIITE! Sorry, couldn't resist. LOL! I enjoyed browsing around the custom frame shop dreaming of how I want to spruce up my apartment, they sell some of the most beautiful art. Many of the prints are familiar but some are originals. I'm getting really crafty on getting people to let me take pictures in their stores. Usually just being nice works, sometimes I bend the truth just a little, and sometimes they assume I work for a magazine or something. But many simply give me the ok when I tell them I'm writing about the neighborhood.


I felt guilty for not walking this weekend so I power-walked (kinda) from 125th to 102nd on Madison Ave. Gotta try to reach my first weight loss goal of 50lbs! I think I ended up making a detour to Harlem for a reason. There are no coincidences in life. Being in that art store made all my creative juices start flowing and I already have a few ideas of some things I may want to paint. I need to just buy the darn paint! Why am I stalling?

Streets Walked
5th Avenue (14th Street-Washington Square)
Washington Square North-West 8th st.
West 8th Street (MacDougal-Greenwich Avenue)
Greenwich Avenue (Christopher Street-7th Avenue)
7th Avenue (Greenwhich Avenue-14th Street)
125th Street (Lenox Avenue-St.Nicholas Ave.)
St. Nicholas Ave. (125th-126th Street)
126th St. (St. Nicholas-Frederick Douglas Ave.)
Frederick Douglas Ave. (126th-123rd Street)
123rd Street (Frederick Douglas-Lenox Ave.)
Lenox Avenue (123rd St.-125th St.)
125th Street (Lenox-Madison Ave.)
Madison Ave. (125th-102nd Street)

My walking buddy is back!

From 1/21/10
My friend Jason and I went to see The Book of Eli. Wonderful movie. Totally not what I was expecting, but it was really good. Made me feel like I was lucky to have faith in God and to feel like I have a purpose in the world. My friend was down for whatever, so we walked decided to walk south on 2nd Avenue towards St. Mark's Place. St. Mark's Place hold a lot of memories for me. When I first got out of college I would go to this area for costume jewelry,good food, and just people watch with my friends. There's always something interesting to see at St. Mark's Place.


As I was looking at some funky shades. The owner of the shop began to get angry at me and my friend because we were taking pictures in the shades and not buying anything. He began to sing a little song. "IF YOU DON'T BUUUUUUY! YOU HAVE TO LEEEAVE!" I thought it was hilarious and purposely wanted to annoy him further so I continued to look at shades and take pictures. Tee Hee Hee. Incense, costume jewelry, all kinds of apparatuses to smoke ganja, body piercing, tattoos, wacky clothing stores, St. Mark's got it.

























My friend and I talked about some of EVERYTHING. Anyone that loves to talk can hang with me because I can go a mile a minute. We discussed life and all it's wonders and got all deep about relationships, love, music, religion, etc. Needless to say there aren't too many pictures because we ran our mouths the entire time. What a great evening. Ok...cutting this blog short, cause I wanna hang out. PEACE!! LOL!

Streets Walked
2nd Avenue (14th St.-Delancy)
Delancy turned into Kenmare
Kenmare (Chrystie-Lafayette)
Lafayette (Kenmare-Astor Place)
1/20/10 (35th Street 1st Ave-7th Ave)

Wanderlust

From 1/19/10
Today was another day when I planned to go home, and my mind just couldn't let me do it. I had a really nice long weekend and had been off work since last Thursday. I shook my booty at my friend Lydia's birthday party on Saturday (drank more than I should) and then hung out in Long Island with my friend Nicole for two days (saw Avatar, Awesome!). Needless to say, I didn't get enough exercise in and my body knew it was time to make up for it. I had no plan today and just picked a direction. I ended up walking south on 8th Avenue.


8th Avenue was eerily quiet. I mean, people were walking by and the streets weren't empty, but it was still quiet. No ambulance or police sirens. Even the cars seemed to be on some type of silent mode. I wasn't sure if I was noticing this because I wasn't listening to music or not. Haiti was heavy on my mind all day and my heart was feeling heavy. It's still hard to hear my friends talk about the family they've lost or still haven't heard from. But I believe in the power of prayer and haven't been going to sleep without asking God to please have mercy on them and to help them to keep faith. I quickly shook these thoughts out of my mind since it was taking me to a place I didn't want to be (what a luxury...huh?)

As I reached Bleecker and 8th Avenue turned into Hudson Street, junk food cravings began to punch me in the face repeatedly. Fortunately, I was absent-minded this morning and forget my wallet. I passed like 5 different chocolate shops and bakeries and it was killing me. By the way, I AM DOWN 44 LBS WOO HOO!! Living a healthy lifestyle has gotten easier and easier and is becoming second nature instead of a task. I pray that I reach my goal sometime this year. Hudson Street proved to be quite charming. I passed a lot of people walking their little lap dogs and just hanging out and enjoying the not-so-cold weather.
I made a four-legged friend over the weekend and I can't stop talking about him. He's a Yorkshire Terrier and his name is Cuddles. I think my friend thought I may kidnap him (OK...I thought about it LOL). Oh...how I wish I had the means to take care of a dog, but it wouldn't be fair. I'm not home enough, and their medical bills are ridiculous if anything happens. Like I've said in a previous blog, having a dog in NYC is like having a child. EXPENSIVE!


Once I reached West Houston, the neighborhood became less residential and more commercial. The lobby of an office building caught my eye. There were interesting pieces of art adorning the walls of the entire lobby (375 Hudson). I walked in to get a closer look. I tried to ignore the stares I got from people leaving their jobs. I'm pretty sure they are oblivious to the artwork in the lobby since they've surely passed it a thousand times. I'm not gonna lie and say the artwork was "great". I repeatedly thought, WOW people actually get paid to do this? I could do that myself. Shoot, a kindergartner could do that. But see the difference between me and the artist, is that they actually got up the nerve to complete it and call it ART. They didn't let someone tell them what art should be and just threw so crap on some canvas and said VIOLA!! LOOK AT MY MASTERPIECE! AND THE MASSES SHALL LOVE IT! And people eat that crap up, including myself. What would this world be without risk takers.

I had a great conversation with my father as I walked and was feeling like I needed to be around family. As I got closer to Chambers Street, spontaneity took over and I called my Aunt to let her know I was near her job. I walked over to Maiden Lane and my Aunt and I spent some much needed quality time as we traveled to the Bronx together. My Auntie has the ability to make a person feel like they are the most important person in the world at that moment in time and she made me feel so good about my weight loss progress. What a beautiful end to my walk.


Streets Walked
8th Avenue (14th Street-Bleecker)
Hudson Street (Bleecker-Chambers)
Chambers (West Broadway-Broadway)
Broadway (Chambers-Maiden Lane)
Maiden Lane (Broadway-Gold Street)

Theater District...Done!

From 1/13/10:
The weather was decent tonight. None of that wind that cuts your cheeks and takes your breathe away and makes your eyes leak ice water. I felt as if I could walk forever. I decided to take a new approach and tried to walk an entire neighborhood. I chose the Theater District. I zig zagged my way through the neighborhood instead of continuously walking on one avenue. Since I have no sense of direction, this was no easy task. I had to keep in mind that I had to walk from 8th to 6th avenue on 42nd, then 6th to 8th ave on 43rd, 8th to 6th ave on 44th...well you get the idea. I began to realize that this whole thing is a bit neurotic. But I really don't care! There is definitely a method to my madness. Or shall I say a method to my happiness!


As I passed by Port Authority. I noticed all the blank looks on peoples faces as they headed to catch their buses into Jersey and other areas outside NYC. It was similar to a herd of cattle being led to their assigned grazing areas. MOOOO! I know the hum drum of the commute can be a bit daunting. But I try to make mine as pleasant as possible. When I get on the subway, I have my music, my travel mug of tea, a book, or a notepad. I totally zone out and make my own little world. God forbid if someone tries to disturb my little internal utopia by:
*repeatedly hitting me with their bag
*talking way too loudly on their cell phones (and their breath smells like dookie *kids putting their shoes all over my pants cause they can't sit still
*guys trying to hit on me but never offering me their seat
*guys standing directly in front of me with ill-fitting skinny jeans
*obnoxious ladies popping gum
Okay, the list could go on and on. I guess it doesn't take much to disturb my little world. But I try my hardest to ignore it all. Some days are easier than others.LOL!

New Yorkers all have their methods of getting through the commute without committing murder. Me, I tend not to smile either. Not because I'm mad, I'm just not one to smile all the time (Great Grandma said only crazy people do that) so I am sure I look angry or have a blank stare while walking on the streets, but it doesn't reflect how I truly feel. "Smile, young mama" the old street urchins always tell me. But I am smiling...on the inside at least :)


As I passed the artists on 42nd Street, I tried to remember if I've ever had my caricature done. Wow, I don't think I have. I guess I'm a little scared to let them exaggerate the features that I may not be so comfortable with. I can see it now, me beating the artist upside the head with my pocketbook for drawing my nose from ear to ear, or making my breasts the size of watermelons, and making my cheeks so round and shiny I look like I'm gonna pop. Nah, I'm not going to sit through that kind of abuse. LOL!

As I shifted through the theater district I was reminded of all the plays I want to see. Like Memphis, Hair, The Lion King just to name a few. Most of the plays I've seen so far have been small productions and off-broadway. I want to be in a gigantic theater and experience all the ridiculousness of the lights, the music, the huge crowds, the whole kit 'n' kaboodle.

All this walking has caused me to reflect on my life and the decisions I've made. More and more I haven't needed music while I walk to drown out negative thoughts or to put me in the right state of mind. I'm no longer afraid to be alone with my thoughts. I must say this positive attitude gimmick really does work. I think I'll stick with it! My legs began to ache big time but I was determined to keep going. Before I knew it, I had walked almost the entire theater district!! I just have to remember to cover 7th Ave. (42nd-55th St.) on another day and I'm totally done with the Theater District! Feeling bouncy! Feeling good! Nope, I took no pics today. I was too deep in thought most of the time. Then, enjoyed a nice long conversation with the best brother ever!

Streets Walked
42nd st (8th-6th ave)
43rd st (8th-6th ave)
44th st (8th-6th ave)
45th st (8th-6th ave)
46th st (8th-6th ave)
47th st (8th-6th ave)
48th st (8th-6th ave)
49th st (8th-6th ave)
50th st (8th-6th ave)
51st st (8th-6th ave)
52nd st (8th-6th ave)
53rd st (8th-6th ave)
54th st (8th-6th ave)
55th st (8th-6th ave)

Streets Walked on 1/15/10
Park ave (32nd-33rd st)
33rd st (park 1st ave)
30th street (1st ave-10thave)
10th ave 30th-13th

Hell's Kitchen

From 1/11/10
To say that I'm stressed is definitely an understatement. Some things in my life are spiraling outta control and its out of my hands. Then I thought, what's the one thing I can do no matter what? I can walk it out! I totally needed to de-stress and bop my head to some Tribe Called Quest (still haven't updated my music).

So I got started with my usual routine before I left work. I filled my travel mug with hot tea (lady grey today...ummm) and a filled my water bottle with cold crystal light (pomegranate cherry). I have my handy map now so I decided to walk in Hell's Kitchen. I figured it was only natural since the devil reared its ugly little head over the weekend and tried to bring me down. So why not conquer Hell's Kitchen. LOL! Hell's Kitchen is roughly 9th-12th avenue 34th-42nd street and 8th-12th avenue 42nd-59th street. To this day, I still don't know why they really call it Hell's Kitchen. I hear the area used to be a little dingy, but that's about it.

Feeling quite geeky and a little touristy with my map. I realized that I've walked in so many different neighborhoods. The Financial District, Tribecca, SoHo, NoHo, Flat Iron District, Midtown South, Midtown West, Garment District, Times Square, Theater District, Chelsea, Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Murray Hill, Kips Bay, Alphabet City, Little Italy, and Chinatown. No I haven't completed each neighborhood in its entirety but I certainly plan to do just that.


I began my journey on 34th and 9th Ave. after about 6 blocks, I realized this was brand new territory for me. I don't think I've ever walked in this area in all my years living in NYC. Hell's Kitchen really wasn't "hellish" at all. I don't know what I expected. Perhaps a little red creature with a long tail and pitch fork stirring cake batter in a bowl on every corner? I don't know. The area was quite charming with it's dozens of Thai restaurants, pottery shops, and odds and ends stores. I went into "Ricky's" which was really random I know, but I've never been inside one. Ricky's doesn't quite makes sense. They sell costumes, hair and body products, quirky keepsakes, magnets, etc. I really couldn't figure this store out, therefore, I really liked it. I've seen plenty of Ricky's around the city. The prices for some of the hair and body products and cosmetics were a bit overpriced. But, the little gag gifts were hilarious. I found a shelf of fake pills (really candy) all labeled for crazy ailments. There was "Shake n Fake" orgasm faking medication, "No ONE Cares" The Pill for Chronic Complainers, "Sex Lax", "Bazoomers" cures ittie bittie you know whats and plenty of others that had me cracking up in the store. Oh my gosh! I'm totally gonna get the No One Cares pills. Imagine leaving those on someone's desk. And I would be bold enough to stick a post it on it with my name it. All in good fun of course. LOL!

Lately I've been obsessed with Asian people in surgical masks. All around the city, I'm seeing people of Asian descent wearing surgical masks and I seem to be the only one noticing or taking a second look. # of surgical masks seen today, 7. At first I was like...oh my God! What am I missing on the news? I haven't been watching much TV lately. I soon got my answer from a friend of mine a few days ago who happens to be Japanese. She explained that this is totally normal in Japan and most people wear the surgical masks when they are sick so they won't spread their germs. So they are actually being considerate of other people. I thought, why doesn't everyone do that? And would it be effective? My hilarious cousin was like "Nah, we are just a bunch of filthy dirty Americans". Are we? Ponder....

I continued up 9th avenue until I got to 59th and turned to walk towards 10th ave. Oh...this is where John Jay College of Criminal Justice is located? Hmmmm...okay. It was a very nice looking school. I thought it was in Queens for some reason. The area started to look more and more secluded which I don't like at all so I ended my walk soon after. I can't wait until we have more daylight and warmer weather. I bet I could walk for hours and hours. I used to say I loved the cold, but since beginning this walking routine it's been my enemy. It shortens my walks when I'm not really ready to stop. Lets see how much I complain once it gets really hot...oh joy!LOL!

On the way home on the train, a little old man who looked to be at least 70 yrs old asked me "Excuse me Ms., is my watch right?" it says 7:30. I told him it was the right time. He replied with a toothless grin "Awww....I must've been sleeping while I was downtown." I quickly assessed him and he didn't look homeless and he didn't smell of alcohol and when he was standing he didn't have the "heroin lean". The heroin lean is when a person appears to be asleep while standing up but their knees are bent slightly and they sway back and forth or lean dangerously forward and you just know they are gonna fall but they never do, say it with me kids, "The Heroin Lean". So I wondered if he was suffering with dementia or something. I didn't know if I should be concerned or not. But in NYC its hard to figure out when to offer help because people are just plain crazy and can hurt you, especially the mentally ill. So unfortunately we usually do nothing out of fear, not selfishness. I just said a silent prayer to myself when he exited the train that he got home safely. Ya know what, this walk totally cleared my head and my problems no longer seem so bad. Endorphins rule!!


Streets Walked
9th Ave (34th-59th Street)
9th-10th Ave
10th Ave (59th-34th Street)

Broadway's Many Faces!

From 1/7/10
I really didn't have any idea where I wanted to walk today. I walked towards Union Square for inspiration and ultimately decided to walk down Broadway but in the downtown direction this time. Let me just say the further downtown you are, the more interesting and quirky the neighborhoods are. At least that's what I've noticed so far.



I only walked a couple of blocks when I decided to go inside Forbidden Planet, to call it simply a comic book store would be an understatement. It's comic book culture. T-shirts, collectible dolls (sorry, action figures), DVDs, games, and of course comics and books. Not one child was in sight! Only grown men perused the shelves and had discussions on what collections they had at home (my toys are cooler than your toys). I was eventually expecting them to schedule a play date. Eavesdropping was actually becoming very entertaining Lol! So to the Star Wars, Justice League, and Transformer fans out there, I totally get it!













Not that much further down was Strand bookstore. It had been a while since I rummaged through the $1.00 used book carts. I used to get lucky every time I searched through those carts but luck seem to evade me today. Oh well. I went inside to search for deals and was immediately reminded that Strand was definitely no frills. It you want coffee, a comfortable seat to read, or even room to walk, this is not the place. They boast of having 18 miles of books. And that's definitely all you get. I lingered in the NYC section and found books about different neighborhoods in Manhattan and saw a few maps. Everything seemed to be priced so high, so I left without making any purchases but with good ideas for future walks.

The neighborhood began to change suddenly as I got to a sign that said welcome to NoHo. I believe that NoHo means North of Houston. Further down was SoHo(South of Houston). I can't even front, I just recently learned this. I thought it was some kind of Asian reference. LOL! If shopping for the latest trends in clothing is your goal, then this is definitely the area. And the prices were reasonable in most stores. I day dreamed about being able to shop in "normal" stores. I can't wait to say good bye to Lane Bryant and Ashley Stewart (big girl stores). I dream of the day I can go into ANY store of my choosing and pick up an outfit. Oh my...some of you just don't understand the luxury you have. These thoughts only gave me more motivation to walk further.


I found a nice outdoor shop called "The Village Shops on Broadway"(had a flea market feel to it) that sold handmade knitted hats, gloves, scarves, and sweaters. The
prices were great! They also sold the usual suspects like incense, jewelry, wooden statues, and art. Definitely gonna keep that place on my radar.


Soon I saw a place that was an old favorite. LUSH. It's a shop where they sell completely natural handmade soaps, bath salts, cosmetics, lotions, deodorants, anything for your body or hair. Walking into LUSH is straight up aromatherapy. Yes, they are a little pricey, but if you are allergic to EVERYTHING and have sensitive skin, I would say its worth it. As I took a picture, one of the employees
yelled "No photography!!" Dang...chill pill lady. But I already got my pics so I
didn't argue. The names of some of the "bath bombs" are cute. Bath bombs are basically these balls you drop in the bath tub and they sizzle and dissolve leaving the water scented with natural fragrances and essential oils. They make your skin really soft. One bath bomb was called "the happy pill" and it was shaped like a huge aspirin. The names of some of the products were so comforting.
"Blue Skies & Fluffy White Clouds" and "The Comforter" just to name a few. I got a free hand treatment (heaven) and a free sample of dream cream. I left with my hands feeling as soft as a baby's bum and didn't even buy a thing (I will be back next week definitely for that cream).




As I continued down Broadway, the neighborhood began to change again. It began to feel kinda of industrial or kinda like wall street, I wasn't too sure what was coming up. But once I saw City Hall, I had my bearings and knew the area. A sign jumped out at me "People with A.I.D.S. Plaza". Wow, what a way to label a plaza. Not very subtle is it? It was clear it was not about A.I.D.S. it was about the "People" affected by A.I.D.S. Or maybe I was making it deeper than it really was.

Random Thought: While I lived in Chicago. Some of the weirdest topics came up when Chicagoans asked me about New York. "I here you guys have no alleys!" This statement came up at least 10 times during my year in Chicago. I had never thought about it and I didn't know why it was such a big deal. But as I was walking, I realized we do have a few alleys, most are called lanes (i.e. Catherine Lane). Just so ya know. Oh and I picked up a free map. Can't believe I was actually gonna buy one....geesh.

As I came up on Fulton Street, I began looking for the train to head home and I noticed a big red crane. Then my memory was suddenly jogged and I was like "This is the ground zero area". I turned right toward Church Street and there was ground zero.




Construction workers were hard at work with bulldozers and cranes even though it was pitch black outside (but NYC is never truly pitch black). It had been some years since I had been in this area. The last time I was there, the gates didn't conceal all the construction work being done. You could blatantly see where the World Trade Center once was. It didn't seem like much work has been done over the past 9 years. It has crossed my mind every single time I take pictures of the skyline that our beloved Twin Towers are gone. I decided that this was the perfect time to go home before I began to obsess over the tragedy that affected so many of us....Sigh.

Streets walked
Broadway (14th-Fulton Street)
Fulton Street (Broadway-Church St.)