Nomad Life - Day 28

For some reason, I woke up at 0400 and couldn't get back to sleep - I tried to pass the time with reading and puzzles.  Knowing my day was going to be a complicated mix of work and fun, I got on my computer by 0530.  An hour later, I took a break for a Physical Therapy virtual session with my PT, Baron.  Back at work again (0730), I made steady progress on my projects and, at 0815, I walked from the hotel to a nearby restaurant, Think Coffee (Devoe Street), because one of the desk clerks had recommended their breakfast burritos.  After getting one (0825), I headed back to my room to continue my telework day.  After finishing my breakfast, I can say that the burrito was, as advertised, quite good.  Like the other meals I've had in NYC, though, the food quantity versus the cost was kind of disappointing...  My work day paused just before noon as I had to pack up my bag and check out of the hotel (1200).  At the desk, I was relieved to learn that there were no additional charges beyond what I'd paid before arrival (reward night) - overall, I'd rate the Hotel Indigo Williamsburg very highly.  Next, I walked a short distance to Heidi's, although the large volume of traffic (coupled with long crosswalk delays) caused the less than 200 yard distance to take more than 15 minutes.  I managed to figure out Heidi's door buzzer system and was soon at her door - she was almost ready but I was able to meet her roommate ("Taz").  As a group, we talked about the things we might do while walking around in Manhattan and Brooklyn.  Departing from the apartment, we walked south on Marcy until we reached the MTA station for the J Line.  For the first time, I realized I could have been using my iPhone to pay for transits (via an MTA card) and that was much easier than charging my card the $2.90 fare.  We got on the next westbound train and I was pleased to see that it was elevated - this gave us some amazing views of the city as it crossed the East River on the Williamsburg Bridge.  We stayed on the train until it started a 90 degree turn towards the south and exited at Canal Street Station.  From there, Heidi used her phone to navigate us towards Chinatown, where I'd been told (by Chris C.'s daughter, Amanda) that we'd find "the best chicken in the world".  By 1300, we'd arrived at Pecking House in Chinatown and, after a bit of consultation about dietary restrictions and spice palates, ordered our lunch (chili tenders with ranch and chili chicken wontons).  The food was (again as advertised) quite good and we had a wonderful conversation during our meal.  By 1350, we were finished and started the next leg of our mission: to cross the East River on foot.  The route towards the southern end of Manhattan (near the Financial District, or "FiDi") was interesting and I saw lots of familiar sights (mostly from Television and Movies): the famous courthouse, the Freedom Tower, etc.  Once we started up the ramp for the Brooklyn Bridge (1410), the excitement (at least for me) was palpable.  There was definitely a sort of "crush of humanity" on the Manhattan side but, as we crossed, the crowds diminished - it seemed like maybe most people only walk about half way and then turn around.  Heidi and I continued east, though, and we were treated with amazing views.  My favorite part was seeing the Statue of Liberty but Heidi spotted the concert venue she'd be visiting in the evening - "Pier 17".  The weather was still quite amazing (70s, partly cloudy, light breeze) and I thoroughly enjoyed crossing the Brooklyn Bridge on foot - wow!  We reached the east side of the bridge by 1450 and started looking for a way to get to the park area that was located on the Brooklyn coastline below.  This wasn't easy but we were soon treated with some of the iconic views I've seen on TV/movies and asked Heidi to take some photos of me "pondering and contemplating."  With that "Jim task" completed (1510), we explored Brooklyn Bridge Park a bit more, finding the bathrooms and marveling at the huge number of restaurants, park benches and things to do.  We'd worked up a mini-appetite and I told Heidi it was a Coogan Tradition to not miss out on local ice cream.  She admitted she also enjoyed that kind of "exploring" - in agreement, therefore, we found a delectable snack at Van Leeuwen Ice Cream (1520) and got an ice cream sandwich (single scoop) for me and a double scoop waffle cone for Heidi.  It was perfect weather for ice cream and we enjoyed ourselves while sitting on a huge cleat (for ferry tie down) on the dock.  While watching boats coming and going, Heidi told me that we still had almost an hour of walking or taking the subway back to her place.  Since she was hoping to get started in her "going out preparations" at around 1600, this posed a small problem.  Fortunately, a solution soon appeared: we could take the East River Ferry!  Heidi told me she hadn't done that before but, as we got in line, her quick fingers downloaded the app and bought two tickets ($4.50 each).  Minutes later (1535), we started boarding the ferry.  Moments after that, we were motoring north towards her neighborhood.  I was surprised at the rough water, swells and rocking of the boat but they made excellent time to the first stop (South Williamsburg).  We had amazing views of almost the entire Manhattan Skyline and all the many familiar landmarks.  This ride capped off what had already been an awesome day and I admitted to Heidi that my first impression of NYC (formed in March 1988) had been wrong.  Maybe I needed several more decades of life to build a more positive impression.  This declaration made her quite happy, I think...  After exiting the Ferry at the North Williamsburg stop, we walked (10 minutes) back to Heidi's place on Marcy Avenue.  As our adventure was ending, I realized that I had been feeling a sort of euphoria and was constantly buoyed by Heidi's comments "that's the first time I've done that" as we progressed.  It was clear that she's still learning a lot about her new home but she was excited about showing me what she did know and sharing in some new experiences.  For my part, the day was a wonderful mix of the kind of exploring I normally do and a few savvy reactions on her part.  At 1630, I left Heidi's apartment (Marcy Street) and walked back to the Lorimer Street Station.  Boarding the L Train (using my phone to pay), I rode it to 14th Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan.  After walking through the tunnel, ended up getting on a "Bronx Local" (a 1/2/3 Line) train.  Apparently, I was very fortunate because they skipped many stops - one of them was Penn Station on 34th Street and, from there, I was able to make my way out of the subway and followed the signs towards the LIRR and Amtrak tracks.  Once I knew where the correct waiting area was, I bought a local beer (Strong Rope Pub Ale, Brooklyn) at Beer Table Penn Station (1715).  For the next hour, I relaxed in a quiet part of the station and watched young people practicing (cheer?) dances in front of big, reflecting windows.  As the departure time of my Northeast Regional (Amtrak) Train #148 approached, I made my way into the larger part of the Moynihan Trail Hall and tried to make sense of all the queues that had formed in the spacious building.  Since the track announcement was generally not made until about 10 minutes before boarding, everyone seemed to be guessing about where to stand and how pushy to be - I talked to one of the Amtrak staff and he laughed, saying "they must know something we don't."  In the end, my train was announced for Track 10 and, since no one was waiting at that queue when we started boarding (1835), I had a leisurely walk to the track.  I found the quiet car and settled in for my three (plus) hour ride out of the city - fortunately, I had plenty of room to set up my work computer (for a little more teleworking) and relax in the solitude.  We departed on time and, after crossing Manhattan and the East River (underground), we were leaving NYC behind us (1650).  Like I had during my inbound trip, I spent time watching birds along the shoreline (the train mainly hugged the coast of Long Island Sound) and spotted plenty of seabirds.  Otherwise, I focused on my computer.  At one point, I looked up and saw what appeared to be a reflection of our train on the window - but it turned out to be a local train that was matching our speed/direction!  It was very odd to be speeding down the tracks with people's traveling lives playing out only inches away; I found it interesting that no one in the other train even looked up to see me.  After about five minutes, the other train slowed for a local stop and we continued on toward New Haven.  Hearing that the dining car was going to close for the evening, I made by way there to pick up my dinner (snacks) at 2045.  A bit later, we stopped for our regularly scheduled engine swap (electric for diesel) in New Haven.  Throughout the journey, including this latter stop, we seemed to stay within about five minutes of the schedule - that was much better than the Vermonter has usually done.  Heading north, the quiet car became less so (rude, loud people) and the conductors stopped making the clear (and humorous) announcements to keep everyone in line.  I felt some relief, therefore, as we rolled into Hartford Union Station early (2145).  There was a bit of scrambling (to reach a car that was going to open the doors) but I managed to get onto the platform.  Kelly, who'd kindly offered to pick me up, was waiting and we were on our way back to Glastonbury (2155) - the drive didn't take too long and we were at her home by 2215.  We said goodnight (Steve was already in bed) and I quickly changed to go to bed myself.  Frankly, I was exhausted - for this reason, I skipped reading (but didn't forget Duolingo) and fell asleep before 2245.  What an amazing few days!  Not convinced I want to live in the Big Apple, but the city is definitely growing on me...