Christmas and New Year
623 wordsWe had a nice Christmas, marred only by a nasty cold on my part, and distance from friends and family.
We went to New York, staying in an apartment in Brooklyn’s trendy Williamsburg, which Debbie arranged having found an advertisement on Craigslist.
I didn’t keep a proper diary, so here goes from memory:
Day 1: Land at JFK, taxi to aparment, late, sandwiches from a deli.
Day 2: Breakfast at our corner bageleria, subway to midtown Manhattan. We separate so Debbie can shop. I cross the 59th St. Bridge on foot, then return by bus, wander down 2nd St. til my feet are tired, bus to SoHo, poke around a bit, find Christmas presents for Debbie, walk into the West Village up to the Meatpacking district, subway back to SoHo, and finally home over the Williamsburg Bridge on foot. Thai dinner in Williamsburg
Day 3: Long subway ride to Coney Island. By chance, we get to the beach just as a bunch of nutters (the Coney Island Polar Bear Club) are running into the icy cold sea, accompanied by TV cameramen. We move on to the Russian district, where we look at some Russian bookshops and food shops, and book ourselves dinner for Christmas day. Return home via Prospect Park (Brooklyn’s equivalent to Central Park - by the same designers), for a stroll. Snack at a cafe called “Prospect Perk”. Middle Eastern dinner at “Black Betty’s” in Williamsburg. Blander than expected.
Day 4: Christmas Eve. Huge filling burger brunch at Cozy’s diner on Broadway. Walk through SoHo, down to the Hudson river shore near the financial district. Bought a coat on the way home. Problems finding anywhere suitable and open for dinner. Ate sandwiches from the deli instead.
Day 5: Christmas Day. Walked over the Brooklyn Bridge - many other people having had the same idea. I’m not sure whether they were all tourists or whether this is a local tradition. Took a subway to Chinatown, and had Vietnamese lunch. Moved on to Midtown, to look at the ‘holiday’ window displays — but the crowds were out in force and prevented this. Ate cheesecake. Returned home for a rest, then struck out to Brighton Beach again, for Russian dinner at Primorski. As chance would have it, we shared the room with a Russian wedding reception. There was much dancing (not on our part).
Day 6: Overheard an American referring to Boxing Day as if it was a well known term. They are learning. Traditional day of jetlag — went to Union Square and thence South on Broadway. Bought some T-shirts then ran out of energy. Returned to the flat leaving Debbie to the shops. Mexican dinner at Bonito in Williamsburg.
Day 7: Returned yesterday’s T-shirts for a larger size. Found the police precinct near City Hall and donated my old coat to the New York City Coat Drive. Walked on to Pier 16 (a pier, not a shop) and had lunch at an Italian fishy place. Visited the South St. Seaport Museum, which exhibited many model boats, and a dead Irishman’s arm. For dinner, attempted Peter Luger’s Steakhouse without a reservation — fruitless. Instead, walked over the Williamsburg Bridge and into Chinatown, for a Chinese meal far cheaper than the steak we would have had.
Day 8: Lunch at a diner in Park Slope, then a stroll through Green Wood Cemetery. It’s big. It’s full of stone figures as seen in the Doctor Who episode ‘Blink’. Mae West is in there somewhere, but we didn’t find her. No zombie invasion began on this occasion. Returned to flat for final tidy, and left for the airport by subway.
New York pictures are on Flickr.
We got home in time to sort out a New Year’s Eve party, which was smaller than usual, but still fun.