1999 Visit to New York

August 18, 1999

I arrived in New York, late afternoon on Wednesday. I had a chance to speak to my brother Evan who lives in Toronto, while I was at the Toronto airport. After I arrived, Mom made supper, and we went to a amphitheater to see and hear a reading of a play by Noel Coward. The two actors were wonderful. The group does something different three nights a week. Sadly they have a very poor turn out. We later went over to Manhattan. On the way we met Annie, one of Mom's original friends here. She said that she had seen a concert by the river. So much is going on here.

We had a great time Thursday. From were we are we subwayed to Coney Island and back for $3.00 and one change on the way home. That counts when you are I am poor and Mom is 82. We had a lovely day, beautiful weather, we walked the complete board walk from Brighton Beach to Coney Island, stopped for lunch on the beach. Mom had a hot dog and coke, I had a hot dog, corn on the cob (great!)and an Italian ice (delightful). Jackie asked what an Italian ice is. It comes in those large gallon ice cream containers, but is finally crushed ice with fruit juice mixed in. At first it is very cold in your mouth, but as you eat it, the remainder turns into a fruit juice.

This computer is a lap top. Mom was losing her e-mails, (well she was deleting them). I hate the space bar, it doesn't always work.
Last night Mom wanted to go shopping, and we had dinner at Something Else. We went to Bloomingdales and found the perfume that Irene wanted. We met some of Mom's friends on the way home on the Island. We chatted by the East River for a long while. Very pleasant. We are just back from a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I wanted to see the Frank Lloyd Wright room. It was a room from the F. Little house in Wisconsin. It is very comfortable with lots of outside light. Enough for now. Becky

August 20, 1999

Hi everyone from the Big Apple --- I have to ask Mom why this city is called the Big Apple.

Last evening we had dinner with my sister and brother-in-law, Sally and Tony. They live on the west side of Central Park. Although they have a numbered street address, the entrance of their building is on Broadway. They work out of their apartment in computers and are extremely busy.

We had dinner at Oscar's, which is a restaurant in the Waldorf Astoria. Mom's says she likes it because it is a meat and potato type place, and not 'yuppie food'. Mom had roast chicken, Sally and I had chicken pot pie and Tony had steak. For dessert Sally had cheese cake, Mom had rice pudding and Tony and I had an ice cream sandwich. All was very good.

Saturday - Mom wore the wrong shoes and socks yesterday and had a toe injury. We decided to have an easy day. We went to the Farmers' Market and the Gristede's, the local grocery store. The Farmers' Market fascinates me. A group of Amish people come every Saturday from Pennsylvania. They bring fresh fruits and vegetables and bake goods from their part of the country. They also bring produces that they must buy, and sell cheaper than Gristede's like grapefruit. I felt their grapes today were expensive.

We came home, made lunch, ate it and rushed off to Pier 63 for a boat trip with the Circle Tours around Manhattan Island. It was cloudy, the ceiling was low. In fact we could not see the top 20 stories of the Trade Center buildings. The trip took us passed Mom's apartment building. It was a super trip.

The Circle Tour included a definition of The Big Apple. The Dutch used the words Cotton and Apple as a word for money and in New York there is Big Money, hence the Big Apple. The expression was developed in Harlem. I am sure that the expression was pushed by a politician focusing on tourism. Tourism is very important here. I couldn't believe how busy the Met was yesterday, just like the Statue of Liberty last December.
Personal stuff -- thanks for your responses. Sherry - I will be back at Medisys on Aug. 30. It will be like starting a new job. This post office thing is the pits. All MDS nurses or former nurses - Sheila Rigby is resigning. A few of us are having a farewell luncheon at Sheila's on Sept. 7. If you want to send a good luck message to her, you can send it to me, or if you are in Calgary, please come. Joyce, that includes you. We are going to remember the good old days!?!?! Ernie is starting Rover on medication. I hope we get a quick recovery. Tineke and Jackie - sorry, no time for lesson plans yet. Enough for now. Becky
Sally, Mom and I are planning to go to see the Gorillas at the Bronx Zoo on Tuesday. You might like to visit the Bronx Zoo at http://www.wcs.org/zoos/

August 23, 1999

Hi all - today Mom was rather quiet. In the morning, Mom slept a bit, while I started writing a lesson sheet for clicker training. It was a beautiful clear day. The options that we talked about were looking a needlework shops on Madison Avenue or taking a bus tour. The bus tour won. I won't say it was wonderful. At first we were sitting down stairs on the bus and couldn't hear anything. Then I pushed Mom to the upper deck. We sat in the very front, under cover. That was good, but Mom complained about the rough ride. The route was 3 hours long, but you could get off at any stop and catch a later bus. Mom started saying that she needed a ladies room. We got off at Battery Park at the south end of the island and had iced tea and iced coffee at Starbucks.
Then we got on another bus. Since it was late in the day, there were no seats on the top deck. This bus was more comfortable. We were coming toward the end of the tour, when the driver took the wrong turn. He was to drive to Columbus Circle. Some of the passengers were to meet a bus that was touring the upper part of the island, Harlem, the whole of Central Park, and Lincoln Center. The tour guide told the driver over the microphone that he made a wrong turn and suggested how he could correct this. He reminded the driver why the bus was to go to Columbus Circle. After much shouting, and some from the transferring passengers the narrator said he would call the home office, and left the bus. By that time everyone on the top deck came down through the bus and on to the street across from the New York Sheraton. Then the driver stormed off the bus. After quickly looking at the subway map we departed too, and came home by subway.

We had a quick dinner, and again went to the theater readings.Tonight we heard selections from Shakespeare's writing. The last actor was speaking about the moon, and a full moon appeared over the apartment building in the background. Tomorrow the zoo. Mom is tired, I hope she takes Wednesday off. I would like to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
I received an e-mail from Robin last night. Robin lives in Nebraska and saw Bluster show in Colorado. Bluster won her first American points!;

Sally gave Mom some video tapes. Last night we watched Fargo. Yes, Ernie, I will bring it home. More later. Becky

August 24, 1999

Sorry, I thought this message went out last night. For those who care, Bluster arrived home last night.

Mom and her friend Annie and I walked up to the north end of Roosevelt Island last evening. I said I could hear bagpipes. They thought I was strange, but as we walk they finally heard the bagpipes. I looked across the water to Manhattan and saw a figure on the other side. I looked through my binoculars and I could see the fellow playing the bagpipe. It is hot today.
Tineke and Jackie - the clickers just arrived, but without tabs. More later. Becky
-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 1999 5:17 PM
To: Becky Kinsey (E-mail); 'echofs@home.com'; 'Mary Woodward'; 'Jackie McGowan'; 'Kim I. Martin'; Sally Weaver (E-mail); Owen Lewis (E-mail); Levi Lewis (E-mail); Evan Weaver (E-mail); 'Carrie Ponech'; 'Maria Mercier-Brown'; 'Joyce and Rick Beaudette'; 'Alison and Richard Osborne'; 'Jo Turley'; 'Ethel Tomiyama'; 'Jackie McGowan'; 'Alane and Dick Chase'; 'Christie Zwick'; 'Sherry Johnson'; 'Sandy Livingston'; 'Tineke Schollardt'
Subject: Bronx Zoo

Hi - Another beautiful warm day. Eileen I believe I have forgotten you in every message so far. Sorry. I will send more later, but since you were too busy to come to New York, you will have to save the messages until later to read.
Mom and I met Sally at a bus stop on Madison. It was an air-conditioned express bus to the Bronx, with the first stop at the zoo. It was comfortable and fast, and left us at the zoo gate. We rented a chair on wheels for Mom at the park gate. Ask Sally, the chair was not as easy to push as a wheel chair. Most of the zoo is in a forest of a great variety of trees. You also see the natural rock outcropping on the landscape. The zoo is broken up into natural wild areas. Sometimes you would just see a group of animals together. Sometimes you could look at one group of animals and then another related group behind them, such as the giraffe, the dwarf mongooses, gazelles and behind the zebras. I was happy I had my tiny binochulars. But we missed the Gorillas. There were huge lines ups at the gorillas exhibit or the Congo. Mom couldn't see anything in the World of Darkness. Sally went through and said there were lots of bats. I enjoyed the flamingos, and the collection of large birds, the ostriches, emus, cassowaries and rheas. We had an easy trip home, plan to have dinner here. We hope to walk to the light house on the north part of the island, but still have the Stampede Parade and several movies to watch. Again, they say we will have rain tomorrow.
Sally, I replaced the missing activity bar. Yippee!
Christie - thanks for the vanishing cream joke. Abby, did Theresa get the marketing job?? Alane,yes I have seen part of the sights before, but years ago. A lot has changed, and it is fun to see everything again.
Becky

August 25, 1999
Hi --- We had a very slow start. Could Mom be tired? It was to be Brooklyn Bridge day, but Mom cried a bit. She wanted to do the needlework shops. We did both of them. They didn't have what she wants. So we had lunch on Madison Ave. at the Gardenia. We ate there in December. It is a small space. They serve you very fast and want you out quickly, so the new people can come in. Mom had an egg salad sandwich. She said it was tasteless. I had a Greek salad, which was good.
Then Mom asked, could we do the Brooklyn Bridge? So I said yes. Can you believe the subway we took landed right at the bridge?
We left the station and walked right on to the bridge. Ernie is quite correct, it is great! The side walk turns into a wooden broad walk and runs in the middle of the bridge above the traffic. Since Mom was with me, and she was scared, and she has no speed, I left her. The bridge is a mile across. The walk was wonderful, I could walk with some speed. I was forgetting what speed was. The views of Brooklyn, and back to Manhattan and out toward the Statue of Liberty, and then north up the East River and toward mid-town Manhattan were very clear. There were plaques identifying the views and explaining how the bridge was built.The walk is a mile, so I was back with Mom in 1/2 an hour.
Tonight we ate supper at the Trellis, almost the only restaurant on the island. There is a pizza parlor, a deli and a Chinese take-out, also agrocery store. There are about 8,000 people living on Roosevelt Island. Then we walked down to the water and watched and listen to a small band. That was relaxing. Now we are watching two baseball games and watching a video of the Calgary Stampede Parade.
Jackie and Tineke - I received the clickers without the tab. I received an e-mail from Laurie about two minutes after I received the clickers, saying the the clickers with the tabs were on the way. I hope I have something to bring home with me. Laurie has a pick up request on the first box. Hardly confusing. More tomorrow. I am looking forward to going home and having a rest. Becky

Thursday -- nothing is ever dull here. While we were out last night, you could see the clouds building up. It rained last night. I heard thunder too. I guess it rained harder than I thought.
I wrote Ernie early this morning -- We are having some flooding in Manhattan. It rained all night after 11 p.m. Nothing is moving on the south bound FDR (Eastside) Dr. From here I can see a person standing on the railing. They might be backing up or turning around to the north bound lane. It was the only story filling up the TV coverage. The traffic is starting to move again over on the drive - 9:46 a.m. Thursday.
Now evening - Mom and I actually did some work around the apartment this morning. When we went down to the lobby and we found that there was no subway service to Manhattan or Queens. After going to the cleaners we stopped at the public safety office and they said that the subway had just started. We came upstairs, and got ready to go into Manhattan. Mom just wanted to be in the middle everything. I warned her that we would not be welcome. Many people couldn't get to work. Service would be poor. I felt that we would be unnecessary people. No we had to go and watch the people.
Mom was thinking that we would have to wait for a subway train. One came, but it was the wrong train. It was probably circling around a wet track, or stuck train. The Q train came quickly. We went down to 42 St. We stopped for lunch. The restaurant did not have the soup of the day, because the soup maker couldn't get to work. So went the day. We walked and shopped. I got some small travel things - a poncho, umbrella, a clothes line and a laundry bag for Sheila. Mom brought a shirt for Ernie at Brooks Brothers. We stopped at deli on 59 St and picked up some bread and dessert.
Sally and Tony are coming for supper tomorrow night. I have to pack and organize tomorrow. I am flying home early on Saturday. I know Tineke is waiting for my lesson plans. The tabless clickers are on there way back to Arizona. I hope the clickers with tabs arrive tomorrow. Cross your fingers. I may not have any interesting news tomorrow. So more later. Becky

1998 ------------
Dec. 5, 1998 Hi -
we arrived in NYC this afternoon. Mom had dinner for us. My sister Sally came over to Roosevelt Island from Manhattan and installed e-mail for Mom. The computer is a lap top, with Windows 98. Now I have to learn the system and teach it to Mom.
Mom is thinking of Christmas shopping on Madison Ave. tomorrow. They are closing the avenue to traffic with a free bus running up and down the avenue. Sounds like fun and expensive. More tomorrow, maybe.
Tony, Sally's husband called on the computer and spoke to us through e-mail on a chat line. He has a camera on his monitor, so we could also see Tony. Unfortunately because of something missing on this end, Tony could not hear us. Sally had to type the responses.
Becky
Dec. 6
Hi everyone - I am in New York City with Ernie and visiting my mother. She lives on an island between Manhattan and Queens in the East River. My sister has given my mother a lap top computer for e-mail. Mom moved back here at the beginning of November. I hope to hang pictures, etc. This means that I can send notes from NYC.

Yesterday we arrived in NYC. Roosevelt Island used to be call Welfare Island, and has hospital for long term care, mainly of war veterans. About 25 years ago the island was opened for residences and new apartment buildings were built. Mom and Dad moved to Roosevelt Island then. The traffic is limited on the island. There is a grocery store almost across the road from Mom's. I hope that she will find life easier here. My sister Sally came to dinner last night with this lap top.

Sunday - 20 blocks of Madison Avenue were closed to traffic for shopping. Can you believe that we saw Wayne Gretzky. They also had street entertainers. We broke a coffee carafe of Mom's coffee machine, so we were able to replace it at Williams Sonoma after looking at Bloomingdales. We enjoyed a pleasant lunch at the Gardenia Deli on Madison.

This evening the three of us walked up to the north end of the island and saw the light house. Since Mom has moved away there have been sculptures added to both the landscape and the water. Although it was dark, we could still see boats going up the river, the tide coming in and the light house at the north end of the island. Becky

Dec. 7, 1998
Hi - today was a beautiful day in New York City. We decided long ago that we would go to Ellis Island. Mom's mother arrived at Ellis Island on the way to the United States. Mom says the story is that her mother was coming to the U.S. to visit her Uncle Steve (Stephen Stephansen). Her name was Johanna Marie Christina Stephansen from Denmark. She had a dreadful trip across the ocean and arrived at Ellis Island with the measles. She spent some time in the hospital there. She later met Alfred Jensen in Philadelphia, when he came over for business from Denmark. They decided to marry. But Johanna had such a bad trip, she would not return to Denmark. So Alfred returned to Denmark to sell his business interests and returned to Philadelphia to marry my grandmother.
We started this morning's adventure with a tram ride across the East River to Manhattan. From there we caught a bus to South Ferry. Then we caught a Circle Tours boat to both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Because of the great weather, there were many people on the boat trips. I was very surprised that the boat we managed to board held 1000 people. The trip was beautiful, and we enjoyed Ellis Island, with so much history in many displays. Because of the money needed for the restoration of the buildings, and beautification of the National Park, family's whose ancestors came through Ellis Island have been asked for donations for which the original person or family is mentioned on plates in a large circle outside the main building. If I have some good friends I might send pictures later on - on the net!! Any volunteers?
Tonight we are resting and going to have Chinese take-out. The weather is changing, the sky is clouding up and the wind is coming up. More tomorrow, maybe Becky

Dec. 8 - shopping at Bloomingdales
Web site for Roosevelt Island www.rioc.com
Hi - everyone --- today in NYC has been cooler and rainy. Ernie left us today to explore parts of Manhattan and a bookstore called Strand. He rode the bus down Fifth Avenue. Ernie took the subway from Roosevelt Island. Ernie found a book Elliott Erwitt called Dog Dogs. My type of book - all photos, no words.'
Mom and I went shopping at Bloomingdales. Mom spent the money, I watched and carried. Helen, Mom found a Christmas present for you. We had lunch in a cafeteria called ShowTime in Bloomingdales. For those of you that haven't been to 'Bloomie's' in NYC - it is a total world of its own. It is very large, a city block size and 7 floors. It seems to have smaller shops that we would recognize, but they are all merged together. 'Tiffany's' and their famous blue box was in high profile. The Christmas shop is very elegant. The furniture displays are something quite beyond anything in western Canada. The people watching was great. They were the 'typical New Yorkers', many dress extremely well, a couple of tourist, absolutely out of place. There were many shoppers, and lots of people pushing fragrances (mainly young good-looking lads in black suits).
There was a short article in the New York times saying the New Yorkers were not happy on how tourist were increasing the population in the City. Walking on the streets is crowded, the driving is like moving slowly through a parking lot. The landscape can change so completely in a couple of blocks. Mom and I are going out the grocery store again in a few minutes. We may visit the local hardware store too.
Becky
Dec. 9
Hi - all! thanks for your messages. I am still having trouble with the space bar and the address book and generally the lap top computer. I may send repeats of my notes when I get home. I am sitting here at Mom's apartment, near the window in the living room, beside the heater, looking out at the East River. The East River is affected by the tides off the Atlantic. At the moment the tide is going out. The river traffic is interesting, tug boats pushing barges, tug boats returning alone, Fast Ferries, luxury and sightseeing yachts.
This morning Mom and stopped to visit her friend Annie. They used to be neighbors before Mom left the Island. In fact Annie's son-in-law bought Mom's old apartment. They merged it with their own apartment and have lots of space with bare walls with a single painting.
From there we went Christmas shopping. We took the tram to Manhattan and walked over to Fifth Avenue. Jo, we stopped at the drug store and picked up Michael's vitamins. We stopped at Border's (a large book store) which didn't have a book on 'Clicker' training for dogs. We stopped at Burberry to see the new scarf in memory of Princess Dianna.
We arrived on Fifth Avenue at 57th St. We saw NIKETOWN in the base of the Trump Tower. We looked at the store windows for Tiffany's. By that time Mom was quite 'leg weary' so we stopped for lunch at the Trump Tower in the 'Garden', one story below ground. The whole area was walled in a warm reddish brown marble, with beautiful Christmas decorations. Mom said to be sure to tell everyone that we ate in the Trump Tower. We continued down Fifth Avenue. Passed Tiffany's we found a Coca Cola Store. Mom is a Coca Cola nut, so I forced her into the store. Every other tourist was there. There was an equal number in the Disney Store next door. We continued down the Avenue to Saks Fifth Avenue. We passed St. Patrick's church and saw the tree in Rockefeller Centre. The highlight was Saks, unbearably busy. We bought candy for Uncle Kurt.
Then we started walking home. We checked out many other shops. It amazes me how many 'mall stores' are on the main streets here. I think in our travels today I saw two GAPS stores, and probably two Banana Republics.
We stopped at the City Corp building and a Barnes and Noble Store. I found the 'New Beagle' and I showed Mom my name in that book as a breeder of Beagles in Canada. I still couldn't find the 'clicker' book. I am relaxing and writing this. Mom is making dinner and brownies for dessert.
Ernie spent the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park and he had lunch at Gray's Papaya and had two hot dogs and an orange drink for $1.95.
Becky

Coney Island
Hi from NYC - Today we gave Mom the day off and went to Coney Island. Mom is preparing for a dinner party tomorrow night. Tony and Sally are coming, Sally is my sister, and Tony is her husband. They live on the west side of Central Park. Ernie and I are going over in the afternoon to visit Zabar's and then on to Sally and Tony's apartment. Zabar's is a deli, but a deli that is well worth traveling to NYC to see.
Back to today. I think Ernie was getting annoyed about me trooping off with Mom everyday. We said before we left that we would go to Coney Island, on the ocean on a southern point of Brooklyn. Ernie and I have seen both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans since June. Remember we went to the National Beagle Specialty in June. We had another day of beautiful weather. From Roosevelt Island, Coney Island was one transfer and an hour journey on the subway. The trip out cost us $1.50 each. Coney Island is very sad. Mom says that people are now going to other amusement parks. Of course, this is December. On a hot summer day, Coney Island would have been worst that Fifth Avenue two weeks before Christmas. There is still a Ferris Wheel and other amusements in various parks. The beach was clear and beautiful. I doubt that we saw more than 100 people. Everything has a tumble down look.
As planned, we visited the Aquarium. That was fun. We could stand in front of an exhibit for a hour if we wanted to. We saw sharks, Beluga Whales, small fish, big fish, tuna, piranhas, dolphins, seals, sea otters, penguins and walruses. We saw the seals and walruses in action in the water and on the surface. There was one walrus with an attitude. Down below he would charge the glass and kiss it, or do a 'lip plant'. I was watching the walruses on the surface, and George swam over, and somehow placed his head within 18" of my face. I got trapped and I was sure he was going to spit at me or kiss me. He puckered up . . . and I heard a voice above and behind me saying, "George, don't do that!" I turned around and looked above to see his trainer.
On the way home we bought a coffee perk for Jo's brother-in-law. We stopped at Macy's and found it in the basement. We came home, took Mom out to eat, and have been working on the e-mail and hanging pictures this evening. More tomorrow, maybe. Becky
P.S. - If you haven't received a message everyday - please let me know at home - Error! Bookmark not defined. . I am trying to remember each and every name daily. I have no group mailing. I am still having problems with this program and lap top. Young Owen, since I added you to the list, your father may not be receiving the 'daily message'.
Hi -- we are actually back from NYC. Mom still doesn't know how to do the e-mail. Last night we arrived home about 6:30. Mom called at 7, I coached her for an hour, she called at 8:30, I coached her longer. Again at 9:15 she called and asked how to turn off the computer. Sally went over this afternoon and Mom received my message about snow in Calgary last night. But Mom still can't seem to master the e-mail. She thinks she has lost the network connection.

Dec. 11
Because Sally and Tony were coming for dinner, Mom stayed in on Friday and cooked. Ernie went out exploring on the south part of Manhattan. He saw the book stores and bought a pair of slacks. He also found an open air farmer's market. He found a book titled Gotham (a history of early New York). The second purchase was the Encyclopedia Britannic on computer disk for $14.95.
In the afternoon, Ernie and I went across town on the subway, just one transfer. We arrived at Zabar's about 3 p.m. on the Friday before Hanukah. Big mistake! Zabar's has the food on the first floor and the pot and pans on the second. We went upstairs to look and found a step stool for Mom. To move around the stop, you just stepped between people, or behind them when they moved in any direction. It was like being in a very crowded LRT car. The staff instead of shouting across to other staff, they communicated by walkie talkie. A gal noticed I was carrying the step stool. She told me it was a display unit, and she would order me one. I picked it up from a dumb-waiter. We also bought bread, cheese, coffee flavoring, coffee, and ground cardamom. I couldn't find any almond paste.
Then we walked further up Broadway to Sally and Tony's apartment. Although the address is 87 Ave. the building called 'the Montana' actually has its entrance on Broadway. The Montana is 26 stories high. I may be wrong with the number of stories, Sally may correct me. At about the tenth story the building sprouts two separate towers, one on the north and one on the south. Sally and Tony's apartment is on the 24 floor facing south, with views of 180 degrees. There is only one other apartment on their floor. From the living room you can look southwest to lower Manhattan and from the bedrooms you can look west toward the Hudson River. Very nice. We arrived just as Clinton started giving his short speech before the vote on the first Article of Impeachment. We all arrived back at Mom's about 6 p.m. for dinner and an enjoyable evening. . . and some more computer training.
Saturday morning we went to a farmer's market right next to the grocery store on Roosevelt Island. We bought produce and a wonderful pecan pie that was made in Pennsylvania. Later Mom and I went to the Barnes and Noble in the City Corp building to do some Christmas shopping.
Ernie had talked quit often talked of walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. He did that Saturday morning with in-line skaters, joggers, walkers, and other tourists. He said it was one of the best views in town. We were very lucky with the weather.
Mom was very anxious to have a Christmas tree. She was trying to find an artificial tree. We finally found a live Fraser Pine for sale by the Boy Scouts next to the farmer's market. Silly me, but I remembered the best time for Christmas shopping in Calgary was Saturday night. We checked at the Bloomingdale's ad and 'Bloomies was open until 11 p.m. on Saturday. There were fewer shoppers, so we watched Mom do more shopping. We flew home on Sunday. Becky