DC-NYC Trip Log: Around New York, Above New York and Under New York
To read the previous entries (in reverse chronological order) click here.
Astoria, Queens
Like I said in the last entry, I didn't really do all that much in New York City. Having a toddler who needs regular naps and a stroller tends to slow things down. On Friday, we didn't really get that far past the block where Randi and Don live. But I wouldn't say it was really a loss. I got to spend time hanging out with Randi and Don (who, I remind you, I haven't seen in the flesh since March 2011). I got to see Song for the first time (even if Song wasn't all that fond of me). And besides, they live in Astoria, which is a lovely neighborhood. So even when we were taking Song out to the playground, or going grocery shopping, I managed to get some nice pictures.
I was a bit surprised to see a few examples of something i would usually find in Chicago - buildings those first floors are below sidewalk level. In the late 19th century, the Windy City raised its streets by about a floor to create enough space to build sewers, and a lot of the older neighborhoods reflect that. New York City, as far as I know, never did anything like it, so i wonder what happened here.
Don described this business as a word salad of potential Chinese restaurant names. He has a point.
Ever since the Avengers made shawarma a household word, I've seen eateries like this pop up in Chicago. I'm pretty sure this wasn't there last time I visited Randi and Don (or, at least, that it was under a different name), so I guess they're capitalizing.
I like this business just because of its New York Subway theme.
And this bit of graffiti was just amusing (at least to me)
During a walk on Friday evening, I was surprised to discover that Astoria not only has payphones, but that, according to Don, they were recently built. In Chicago, the few payphones that still exist are mostly on 'L' stations and major transit terminals.
Riding Above the City
New York City rapid transit system is a subway, but what a lot of people don't realize is that most of its trackage is actually located aboveground. Like Chicago 'L', it started out pretty much entirely elevated. It's just that all of the lines running through Manhattan were moved underground.
But outside Manhattan, you can watch the city from the height of the elevated tracks - and get some good shots in the process.
Oh, and here's the station that serves Randi and Don's neighborhood - the final station on the north end of the N and Q lines.
Well, we're almost at the homestretch. I got two entries left, and they're going to talk about the return trip. For the most part, they were written en route, so I will just need to fill in some text and add the pictures. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish them up in the next two days, by the end of the week at the latest.
Astoria, Queens
Like I said in the last entry, I didn't really do all that much in New York City. Having a toddler who needs regular naps and a stroller tends to slow things down. On Friday, we didn't really get that far past the block where Randi and Don live. But I wouldn't say it was really a loss. I got to spend time hanging out with Randi and Don (who, I remind you, I haven't seen in the flesh since March 2011). I got to see Song for the first time (even if Song wasn't all that fond of me). And besides, they live in Astoria, which is a lovely neighborhood. So even when we were taking Song out to the playground, or going grocery shopping, I managed to get some nice pictures.
I was a bit surprised to see a few examples of something i would usually find in Chicago - buildings those first floors are below sidewalk level. In the late 19th century, the Windy City raised its streets by about a floor to create enough space to build sewers, and a lot of the older neighborhoods reflect that. New York City, as far as I know, never did anything like it, so i wonder what happened here.
Don described this business as a word salad of potential Chinese restaurant names. He has a point.
Ever since the Avengers made shawarma a household word, I've seen eateries like this pop up in Chicago. I'm pretty sure this wasn't there last time I visited Randi and Don (or, at least, that it was under a different name), so I guess they're capitalizing.
I like this business just because of its New York Subway theme.
And this bit of graffiti was just amusing (at least to me)
During a walk on Friday evening, I was surprised to discover that Astoria not only has payphones, but that, according to Don, they were recently built. In Chicago, the few payphones that still exist are mostly on 'L' stations and major transit terminals.
Riding Above the City
New York City rapid transit system is a subway, but what a lot of people don't realize is that most of its trackage is actually located aboveground. Like Chicago 'L', it started out pretty much entirely elevated. It's just that all of the lines running through Manhattan were moved underground.
But outside Manhattan, you can watch the city from the height of the elevated tracks - and get some good shots in the process.
Oh, and here's the station that serves Randi and Don's neighborhood - the final station on the north end of the N and Q lines.
Well, we're almost at the homestretch. I got two entries left, and they're going to talk about the return trip. For the most part, they were written en route, so I will just need to fill in some text and add the pictures. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish them up in the next two days, by the end of the week at the latest.