Revisiting America

I continue to meet people on our block. Louisa, daughters, and husband who drives a school bus, are in the basement apartment, displaced by a fire in their home several blocks away in which they lost everything. They're from Trinidad and she has a beautiful accent. The lady that manages our laundromat, Karen, is helping raise two nephews, ages 14 and 16, is having problems with her own health. She works very hard to keep the place clean and respectable. It's just around the corner, so convenient for us. On that same corner is a barbershop that is frequented by "hip-hop" stars. Some one told us that it's not unusual to see limos, all kinds of expensive cars parked there because they give cheap, good haircuts. Met a lady that works there who is going to cut my hair next week, which will be her last week because she's changing careers and will be based in Indiana, beginning her career as a cross-country truck driver. I'm so interested in one brownstone which is a music studio. They teach piano, voice, theory, violin, guitar, brass, drums, reeds, acting and modeling. Would love to meet the instructors. Wish I knew about the circumstances and lives of all the people in these old brownstones, which are well over a hundred years old.
TUntil then:he brownstones: thousands of them, most the old brownstone color and occasionally there is a bright blue one, or a chartruese one, and many are painted off-white. Most of them have black wrought iron railing along the steps, many have wrought iron doors in front of their wooden doors, some doors and windows with stained glass in them. There is decorative woodwork at the roofline, and even gingerbread trim on the roof. Many of the back spaces are planted with gardens and herbs.
So many people, and I'm still pleased with the politeness of everyone.
Saturday, the 14th, we stayed home, I made a huge crock pot of vegetable, ham soup, sorta cleaning out the refrigerator as I went. We shared with Roy, you've already met him. He called later in the afternoon to bring three college students from Mexico who were interested in renting our loft for the summer. They will be studying in Manhattan, computers and music. Very nice, polite young people.
Woke up to a rainy Sunday, but had already decided to go to church in town, rain or shine. We visited St. Patrick's Cathedral's 12:oo noon Mass, celebrating the Fourth Sunday of Easter with The Most Reverand Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York the Celebrant and Homilist. A beautiful service, pretty organ music, but most of all the beauty of the Cathedral kept my mind and eyes wandering all over the place. You really need to visit the Cathedral other than attending a service there so your attention can be given where needed.
Went next door to The Rock Cafe at Rockefeller Center for lunch, on the patio, under a canopy so we could watch the people and traffic as we ate.
Janie spent Monday at a clinic with an ear problem which they never did find the cause, but gave her antibiotics for infection.
Our computer crashed on Saturday, and with HP, over the phone, took off the back, took out the boards, and tried to fix it ourselves. Our next step was to send it back for repairs(free of charge because it is less than a year old, and is still under warranty. So, an executive decision sent us to Best Buy for this inexpensive Toshiba.
Wednesday, the 18th, Milton's birthday, took us to town to see "That Championship Season", with one of our favorite actors, Chris Noth, as well as Brian Cox, Jim Gaffigan, Jason Patric, and Kiefer Sutherland at the Barnard Jacobs Theatre. It was a beautifully written play, and acted superbly by these five men. Met Chris Noth's agent and hoped to go backstage to meet some of the cast, but it didnt work.
We have planned to visit CBS since we've been in New York, so finally Friday afternoon, in the rain, we went to the studio, hoping to talk with someone about our trip. They took our information, gave us a number to call, and to get out of the rain, and for coffee, went in Bobby Flay's restaurant, Bar Americain-very modern decor and we wished we could have sampled some of the dishes taken to tables, also wished he had been there. Anyway, we're hoping CBS will respond, and they just might.
Our next stop was a piano bar-restaurant called Tom and Toon's. Jordan Addison is the pianist and vocalist performing there. We met his parents while staying in Blowing Rock, North Carolina and said we would visit. We were so glad we did because he is truly an entertainer. We were able to visit and have our picture taken with him. Enjoyed a delicious meal too.
Tomorrow we'll visit the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church and hear the wonderful Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, I can hardly wait, then a Yankee's ballgame Wednesday, and Shirley and Marge are coming Thursday and we'll all be staying Manhattan until Sunday. We have quite a few things planned for their visit. Until then: