Studio Ruthe

Day One - New York City

The thing about living on the 28th floor is the lightning is right outside, not above you. Fifteen minutes ago I returned from a short walk. It was still hot and very humid, felt like walking in water. Now the skies have opened up, thunder is almost continuous, lightning is right here and lights from the cars reflect off large pools of water.

I arrived in NYC very early this morning: about 1:30 am, after an extra long trip on the Mega Bus, the one that advertises fares as low as $1. It wasn't the price that I found so enticing: it was the wi fi. I had this idea I would be able to use my computer throughout the entire trip. It didn't work that way. I was able to get connected, but through most of Pennsylvania there was no internet access. (Not much phone access, either, when you get right down to it.

The bus had trouble leaving Pittsburgh because of some kind of demonstration so we were most of an hour late before we really got started. The bus was OK for a bus, but trains are better: more leg room and walking space.

Now for the price: I've been planning this trip for a long time. When I first looked at the bus, I could have booked the round-trip for $3 ($1 each way and 50 cent service charge each way). By the time I made sure Renee wouldn't be here (so I wouldn't be walking in and waking her at 1 am), the price had gone up: $8 for the entire trip. Then Julia called and said she was making a birthday party for David and herself on the day I was leaving. Would I postpone my departure. Sure. That cost another $5. Then Robin asked why I wasn't coming home in time for Shabat dinner, Charna would be there. That change cost an additional $15 or $16. I think I've spent about $30 for these tickets: still a big bargain.

Ah, but we're not finished. Steve wants to come to Julia's party and Charna would like to come to New York (she's still in Chicago). I think Robin and Steve will drive, Charna will fly from Chicago, and we'll all go back in the car. Fine with me. I'm not sure I want to get back on that bus.

After a very late start, I spent most of today walking around the city. Work on the Second Avenue Subway still has the neighborhood torn up. I went to the Center for Book Arts and saw two great shows. Mage, you would have liked the poetry books. Not chap books, but wonderful ways of combining words and graphics. The other show had several pop-up books and other books with cuttings. They have artist talks on the next two Wednesday evenings. I may try to get back there. I took some classes there while I was living here. Wish I could do it again.

Roxanne's Birthday Party

I've been in a number of classes with Roxanne, but we really got to know each other when she showed up in my blog class, and I realized she was one of the most good-hearted people I have ever met. She and her husband are both amazingly kind and well-intentioned. When I found out that Roxanne had never before had a birthday party I knew I had to attend, even though I had two other places I was supposed to be. I arrived late, but I got there in time to sing with Roxanne and was pleased that I managed it.

I'm on my way to New York tomorrow and will be there about two weeks. I've already made plans to meet with friends and go to exhibits. Of course, I'll be posting from there.

Back to the big city and cell phones, traffic and noise

This is our last morning in Door County. It's been a great trip. Not only have we all been productive, 

we went to a wonderful play (Tom Stoppard's Heroes) visited two spectacular gardens and spent some time at Kathy's house in the woods. Only Sandy, Jan and I came up this year; Sue couldn't make it. Kathy joined us part of the time, but she hasn't been well and didn't have energy for all of it. So this year it was three of us and Anita, our hostess.

We went back to the Garden Door, the master garden we visited last year, but the really spectacular treat was Overbeck's, a nearby private home and garden. This is a living work of art; the garden and the house being embellished with mosaics, stained glass and carved wood in amazing, tasteful ways, not at all exemplified by that website. 

Between the book workshop last week and art camp this week it's been the best two weeks I've had all year. Nothing like a little stimulation to make me forget all of my health problems. My week in Chicago should be equally good.

Today I am Wonder Woman

Grace, no wonder I loved you from the first moment I saw you. No one else is perceptive enough to understand that I am Wonder Woman. It's nice that someone finally figured it out. From the time I first found the WW comic books I wanted to be Wonder Woman. I wanted to look like her and have her powers. I'm sorry to say the only thing we had in common was dark hair, now that's gone also. I hope you had a good nap.

I often feel like lying around and reading all day (mystery stories); occasionally I do it. But I have this feeling I have a choice about how I grow old. For me, reading all day, getting a cat, stopping my tutoring or not going to classes would be actively embracing old age. I'm not ready yet. The cat has nothing to do with getting old, but I'd have to find someone to take care of it when I travel. Stopping traveling has a little to do with getting old and a lot to do with the difficulty of getting on an airplane. Enough deep thinking. Thanks for your comment.

Exercise and ears

I have lost patience with everything. Last night I turned off NCIS in the middle; I didn't care if the whistle-blower got killed. I can't seem to plan a trip to Israel. This is a country I'm familiar with, although I haven't been there for 20 or 25 years. I don't know where to begin. How much worse than planning for Japan could it be? This morning I can't get through my blog list. I don't know if this is winter doldrums or my brain is finally going. I'm going to exercise. Maybe I'll be able to concentrate when I get back.

I got in a good workout, came back for lunch, then went to a hearing aid place. I've been putting this off for some time. They gave me a good hearing test, a sales pitch about new aids, and readjusted the old ones, now six or seven years old. I'll probably get new ones, soon, but I decided to think about it and also to see whether the adjustments helped. I really hate these aids because they block my entire ear canal. I always feel like I'm up in an airplane with stuffed ears. The new aids don't do that, and supposedly offer more options for better adjustment.

One of our dinner guests on Friday night thanked us for helping test his new hearing aids. He said they were great. I never realized he was wearing aids. He actively took part in the conversation and never asked anyone to repeat. I have to find out which aids he bought. They range in price from $6000 down to about $1500 for a pair. The audiologist thinks I should get the top of the line, of course. Considering I can hear most things without the aids, I am loathe to spend the money. There are so many other things I want.

Mage, thanks for your inquiry. I am feeling fine. If this was a cold, it hasn't lasted even the usual seven days.

New York photos

On the way to NYC, taken from the train with raindrops on the window

 

From Renee's window. The snow and the flag made me think of Grandma Moses.

Memorial wreaths in Battery Park

Merchant Marine memorial

On the train home. Snow is gone but will come again.

Travel day

The train ride in winter has a hypnotic quality--all the black tree trunks and branches against the white snow. The mountains stand out more; I tend to forget that Pennsylvania is so mountainous.The train was half hour late, not unexpected in the aftermath of a snowstorm. But they do seem to be maintaining it a little better. It was filled--every seat was sold for at least some part of the trip. The days of having two seats and lots of space are gone.

I didn't want to wait at the cab stand at Penn Station (it can be a very long wait) so I got on the subway and went to 53rd and 3rd, the only place with escalators to street level. No cabs were stopping there; at times as many as six people were trying to get a cab on that corner. Finally walked to 1st Ave., where I got one immediately.

Streets are relatively clean here, but corners are filled with dirty slush. There are big piles of plastic garbage bags waiting for pickup by trucks being used for street clearing. The joys of living in New York in winter, but I love it anyway.

Flying, or not, and listening

I have a $250 certificate from United Airlines that will expire next month. This was my booby prize for that terrible trip home from Japan last year. I hate to let it fade away, so I've been trying to figure out some way to use it. Truth is I haven't wanted to get back on a plane. Our recent flight to Chicago was OK, but I think this was unusual luck. I have to complete the round trip before December 19. I'm still thinking about it, but the only way I can use the certificate from Pittsburgh is to make at least one plane change before I get to my destination. They won't let me use it on any non-stop flight. I can go to New York, making a stop in Chicago, or Atlanta. I just can't see doing that in December. It would probably be easier to drive. I'd like to go to New York before Christmas; I'll probably take the train. With any luck I'll never fly United again.

I often listen to podcasts of the Brian Lehrer show from WNYC in New York. Here he is interviewing Bernie Sanders, an Independent Senator from Vermont, who has sponsored a bill to deal with those "too big to fail" financial institutions, and also talks about our healthcare mess, including a unique take on the death panels. He's probably the most rational senator I've ever heard. Too bad there aren't more like him.

Pittsburgh and points west

I went downtown to the scene of my terrible accident and found it all changed. I had this terrible dislocated feeling: was I dreaming; did I dream my fall; how did they manage to totally change the area in slightly over a month? I know I didn't dream it. I have the bills to prove it: $50 copay for the ER, $25 copay for the plastic surgeon, badly scratched glasses for probably another $225, finally a notice that I will have a $100 copay for the ambulance. That's what motivated my trip downtown. I want to threaten to sue the city for their bumpy sidewalk. I wanted evidence of the bump. Alas, the sidewalk is completely torn up and now sits behind Jersey barriers and a wire fence. Here's a Google satellite photo showing the area where I fell. It's not an ordinary corner; I could not have mistaken it for another place. The red arrow marks the spot. I tripped on the red brick paving. I was heading toward the busway. You can't get there today. It's completely blocked off and a small sign directs you to another corner to get the bus.

On to better things--I'm still cleaning up the details from the Chicago trip. Finally looked at my photos; I'm not too happy. On my first weekend I stayed on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. That weekend was the air and water show. We could see it from the apartment. Sunday the weather wasn't very good, but Saturday was beautiful. There were lots of boats, many sailboats, anchored out in the lake around the harbor. The beach at North Avenue was so full I don't think another person could fit there. We didn't stay for the show but went down to the Art Institute. The first thing we saw was a 21st century lemonade stand: bottled water and cookies. I think the kids were doing a great business. We saw a wonderful show of gilded Japanese folding screens, then looked at the newly opened modern wing and walked on the connecting bridge to Millennium Park. Here is a marvelous fountain where children play. It reminds me of the Art Institute's famous Seurat:  A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. This is Saturday on Michigan Avenue.

On Sunday we came back down to the Cultural Center where we attended an opening for several of my artists friends and saw a show of contemporary Chinese art.

Monday through Saturday we were up in Door County in a wonderful house on Lake Michigan. Our hostess, Anita, made us very much at home and always had wonderful things for us to look at while we ate all her great food. Here's one of her great table settings. Raja has more, and some wonderful pictures of our trip, including the Garden Door and the lake.

My photos of the Garden Door were mostly details: water drops on a spider web;


the lotus pond;

planting in old purses

I forgot what this is, but I like the look of it against the sky.

Sitting at that dining room table I spent lots of time looking at reflections. The water is behind me but there it is in the glass. On a day the waves were high it looked like the water was flowing around the trees.

On our last morning the lake was gray and dull; sad we were leaving.

Sweet home, Chicago

I said I was always a bit nostalgic here. It's bad this time. The weather is fine, the city is beautiful, everything seems great. I know it's no better than Pittsburgh and I would be very lonely without Robin and Steve. Actually, I've already seen all of my cousins except for one who is scheduled for tomorrow night. I'm not sure what I'll do on Wednesday, which is supposed to be my last day. There is certainly more to see and do, just nothing that seems pressing.

I got quite a few comments on my healthcare post. I'm pleased so many people came to read it. I'll try to answer some of the comments as soon as I return home. While I'm traveling I've been working on a variety of computers, mostly very slow. Sometimes keeping the blog is agony, like right now.

As I drove to Chicago I was listening to a book on CDs written by a guy who sold fake Salvador Dalis. Of course, the whole thing was about money. Finally, somewhere near the far end of Ohio all that money talk penetrated my consciousness and I realized I had forgotten money. I took $400 from the ATM machine Tuesday before I left and put it away at home. So there I was, no ATM card, no pin number for my charge card and $60 in cash, $10 of which would be promptly paid to the Ohio toll road people. I started thinking about which of my relatives I would hit up for cash, but it wasn't necessary. I charged gas and restaurants on the Door County part of the trip and my companions paid me in cash. I shouldn't have any trouble getting back to Pittsburgh.

On one of my first driving trips to from Chicago to New York we were stopped by a state trooper on our return trip. I don't remember whether it was in Indiana or Ohio, but it was a scam. We looked very young and he had us. Hauled us off the road to a justice of the peace who wanted $50--a huge sum in 1955. With four of us in the car we had only $35 all together, and he took it. We had to stop for gas and something to eat and forced the gas station to take a check. By the time we got back to Chicago we were down to 88 cents, less than a quarter of a tank of gas and one tire that needed repairs. I haven't thought about that in many years.