A Gorgeous Tuesday

So here I am, a stranger in a strange land, wearing jeans, a short-sleeve tee shirt and no coat. New Yorkers are still bundling up in their parkas and scarves, so I look pretty strange taking my 'paseo' dressed for spring. Cut to the afternoon...now I know why New Yorkers are dressed up. The weather changed pretty rapidly and it is quite cool outside. I'd still rather be cold than wear a coat.

This takes me to Thursday. Move the car by 11:30 day. The system in New York is that you have certain times when the street sweepers and/or garbage trucks come down your street. These times are scheduled and you must move your car to accommodate them. There is a whole science to this and it takes a while to get it down. Parking in NYC is not for sissies or idiots. Now I'm going to take back that last pronouncement. I personally feel that many (too many) of the people who drive, and therefore park here ARE idiots. This is easily observable on the street where you see cars parked with absolutely no regard for the amount of space left between one's own car and the car in front or behind. Also, cars frequently are left five feet away from the crosswalk line; not enough space to park another car but way more space than is necessary. Thus, a line of cars might number four where six could have been parked. In the city, this is criminal negligence. (In my opinion.) Want to see me turn bright red? Talk to me about the parking public. I have had to search for up to an hour for a parking space. That day it was because NBC was filming Law & Order and they marked off six or seven blocks for their trucks and trailers. One time they blocked off the entire length of Central Park North for a movie. During those times the murder rate probably increases due to people being angry-they're just hiding the data.

Parking strategies:

First of all, you must know that there is a schedule. Parking evacuation goes according to this schedule. Monday/ Thursday or Tuesday/Friday. Nothing has to be moved on weekends (unless there's a parade or a filming) or on Wednesdays. Also, no moving cars on holidays or snow days. (consult you NYC DOT website for more information.) The times vary from place to place and have a span of one and a half hours when cars cannot be parked.

If you're in an 11:30-1:00 Monday/Thursday spot, move your car at 9:30 to an 8:30-10:00 Monday/Thursday spot and if the street sweeper has gone by, sit in your car with a book or crossword puzzle until 10.

If you are on the 8:30-10:00 Monday/Thursday side, you can move your car over to the other side of the street and double park until 10:00 and then move your car back at 10:00. However, if you are parked on the other side and someone double parks beside your car, don't expect to get out and drive until 10:00. You must know on which streets this is the custom, so as to keep from being hemmed in for a couple of hours.

If you had to move your car at 10, just go to Fairway (the grocery store with a parking lot AND bathrooms!!!) and shop for an hour, then return, park if the sweeper has gone by, and sit there until parking is legal again. Don't forget your Sudoku book.

If you get a good parking spot, either take the bus or change your plans so as to not move your car unless absolutely necessary. This also saves on gas.

Always note where you left your car. It takes a lot of walking if you have to go searching. So far, my range of parking spots has about a half mile radius, or 25 different blocks.

Okay, I'm a bit calmer now and you probably have stopped reading, so I won't go into any more parking strategies, laws or irritations. Anyway, I have to walk down to the elevator and go to the laundry room to get the clothes out of the dryer. Next post: people who do three months worth of laundry at once and take up the whole laundry room for the whole day!

Weekend Madness

So, this weekend started much the same as the previous weekend. Last Saturday, I went to my car in order to drive out to Warwick to pick up an antique German clock I had left at a repair shop. My car was not where I had left it! It had been towed to the NYPD impound lot at 207th. I had to pay to retrieve the car at 34th. $185, thank you. I couldn't get the car out until Monday, so I had to change plans and stay in the City. This Saturday, I started to drive my car (again, to Warwick) and a squeaking noise greeted me from somewhere near the front wheel. Pretty soon, it sounded as if I were dragging sheet metal under the car. I called my trusty USAA insurance company, they sent a tow truck and promptly delivered me to the Toyota of Manhattan dealership. I had a good cry while waiting for the tow truck, but the nice tow truck guys cheered me up and I decided to save the day by seeing some of the sights down where the dealership was, 45th and 11th. I bought a ticket to see The King's Speech and had Memphis ribs at Virgil's near Times Square. The food and the movie were both great. Especially the movie!

Today, Sunday, I went to church and then went to the Met, which is just two blocks from church. They were having a special exhibition of Paul Cezanne's series of drawings and paintings about card players. (see picture above) I also saw an amazing mosaic from Lod, Israel, that has never before been displayed. It was beautiful! (see a small section below)



Finally, I visited the multimedia exhibit titled Guitar Heroes. Oh, I love my sons; all three are guitar players. I walked across the park on this beautiful sunny day and rode the M10 bus home to Beth and Brandon's to see my grand babies. Tomorrow, I get to pick up my car at the repair shop. Next weekend I'll try again for that trip out to Warwick.