Nomad Life - Day 27

A few weeks ago, Heidi (Eileen's daughter) invited me to see her new apartment in NYC - this was a wonderful opportunity for me to get a bit more comfortable with the Big Apple so I made plans (mostly using reward points from Amtrak and IHG Hotels) to squeeze in an overnight visit in the middle of this week.  Last night, I made sure to pack as best I could (totally different clothes than what I'd need when the car was near).  As a result, I slept well and ended up needing my alarm clock (0600) to get my day started.  Before getting ready, I did some reading and Duolingo.  Once I was able to get out of bed, I hurried through my morning routine and even had time to log on to my work laptop for some early morning teleworking.  At about 0700, Kelly and Steve joined me in their kitchen and Kelly made me another Taylor Ham, Egg and Cheese muffin for breakfast.  Mmmmm...  At about 0730, Kelly drove me (via some back roads and, eventually, I-84) to Union Station in downtown Hartford.  The drive went pretty well (I guess the city doesn't really have a big rush hour) and I was standing on the train platform by 0745.  Once onboard the Northeast Regional (Amtrak) Train #125, I settled into my seat on the "quiet car" and spent the next three (plus) hours teleworking.  Even though the conductors kept mentioning the sold out condition of the train, I ended up having plenty of room (no one ever sat next to me) for almost two hours of meetings online.  One thing that was really interesting about the trip was that it was much earlier in the day than the Vermonter comes through the Connecticut Valley and Connecticut Coast.  The New Haven engine swap (diesel for electric) went very smoothly and we stayed within +/- five minutes of the schedule.  As a result, we rolled into New York Penn Station right on time (1120) and I was soon moving up the levels of the Moynihan Train Hall.  Before this trip, I'd managed to find my Metro Card and, when I checked it at one of the kiosks, found that it still had money - this helped me to follow some Google Maps commuter directions without much delay.  I first got on the 1/2/3 Train, bound for Ferry Port, and took it to 14th Street.  At this stop, I got off the subway and walked (through an underground tunnel) to find the L Train.  As I approached that platform, I again (it had worked for my first subway stop) caught a passing train and rode it under the East River and into Brooklyn.  When I exited the Subway at Lorimer Street (Metropolitan Avenue), I realized that the lodging reservation I'd made was actually immediately above my head!  It was only about 1200 by this point and I doubted that the staff of the Hotel Indigo would allow me to check into a room so early.  However, I was completely wrong - not only did they get my checked in, they gave me a wonderful King Suite with a nice view from my window.  I quickly got back online and resumed my teleworking - until I realized I should get some food before my next series of meetings began.  Quickly checking with the clerks again, I got some recommendations for local food and practically ran across the street to find lunch.  Fortunately, the place I ultimately picked, Montesacro Pinseria, was not too busy and I was able to sit at the bar and order the lunch special: Arugula Salad, bread and Taglierini al Ragu di Agnello (pasta).  Watching the bartender, I thought it might be good to add a glass of the house wine - that turned out to be a good choice because it ended up being my favorite kind (from Sicily): Nero d'Avola!  Food and service were excellent and I managed to finish quickly and return to my room in time for my 1300 meeting!  For the next several hours, I worked from the hotel and charged myself up for some late afternoon fun.  At 1630, I wrapped up my telework day and headed downstairs to the lobby of the hotel.  Heidi arrived about five minutes later and we started a nice walk on the Brooklyn waterfront (along the East River).  It wasn't too many blocks from the Hotel Indigo to the water's edge but the coastline wasn't a continuous section of trails.  Instead, there were multiple opportunities to duck down to wharves and then duck out again.  From the Williamsburg section of town, we walked north to Greenpoint over the next hour or more.  The weather was awesome (light breeze, still 70s) and lots of people were out with their dogs.  From a few locations, we got great views of the Manhattan Skyline and bridges to/from that borough.  Heidi told me about her life in Brooklyn, her time with friends and her "shiny new" job that was supposed to start on the following Monday.  I was very happy to learn all of this information and it validated many decisions she'd made during the previous two years.  Everything would have been completely perfect, except for for a series of phone calls I began to receive about my replacement laptop (for work).  Instead of delivering it to the address I'd provided, FedEx decided that there had been some sort of mistake and tracked down a different Jim Coogan in the town of Glastonbury.  When that poor fellow expressed confusion ("I'm not expecting a laptop"), the phone tag began.  It was difficult to conduct the conversations about the whole situation without the tracking number or other details and I started to lose hope that I'd get my shipment before I moved on from NYC and Connecticut.  With help from our IT department, though, the matter got (mostly) cleared up by the time Heidi and I finished our stroll.  By that point (1800), we were getting a bit hungry and started trying to decide what to get for dinner.  I spotted a little pub called the Kent Ale House and, since Heidi was agreeable, we sat outside the restaurant for our meal.  I had a great view of the city (with the sun shining brightly behind Heidi) and the food (BBQ pork sliders, salad, turkey club sandwich and sweet potato fries) we shared was excellent.  I also sampled a pint of their house Pilsner (good).  While we were eating and having a great conversation, the sun dipped below the horizon and the temps dropped into the high 50s.  Fortunately, I'd brought a fleece pullover and that came in handy for the rest of our walk back towards Heidi's apartment.  Along the way, we found some interesting buildings (including an Orthodox Church).  The city by night seemed quite pleasant, with lots of people playing sports in a nearby park, strolling casually along the sidewalks and enjoying quiet meals in quaint establishments.  With all these visual cues, it was clear to me why Heidi had wanted so much to move to NYC and to choose Brooklyn as her new home.  The highlight of the whole evening turned out to be when I visited her apartment - it was the perfect size for living, was well decorated and felt very much like a home.  By this point (2030), it was getting late for both of us - so, we walked back towards the Hotel Indigo (stopping to look at a few more points of interest) and then said good night (2100).  Back in my room again, I wrapped up a small work task and then settled in for some light reading and Duolingo.  I hadn't meant to stay up past 2200 but didn't actually turn off the light until about 45 minutes later.  As I drifted off to sleep in my King Suite, it was hard not to be thinking "life is good!"