1-4) the requisite ferry ride to staten island

5-7) walk downtown manhattan

these are sister's new digs in queens

and that is my nephew cat, crazy eyes

the magical MoMA.

Chinatown.

i owe my faithful penpal kelly for recommending a walk on the highline.  it used to be an old rail line, but it's been repurposed as a public park, hovering above the streets of manhattan's west side.  it's smart and pretty, and there is even a winebar.  well played, new york.  well played.    

find the official website of the highline and friends of the highline, here!  

walking manhattan and central park
and comparative hotdog research
(gray's papaya beats cart hotdog)

this is an ode on bikeshares:

after breakfast in queens, we donned our helmets and headed to grand central station to rent big awkward blue bikes.  we biked around manhattan streets with stupid grins, then across the williamsburg bridge to meet brooklyn.  we travelled through the epicenter of the universe and stopped by allswell for lunch and beer.  then we biked onward, rebooted and beerhappy, to dumbo and the waterfront at brooklyn bridge park.  it proved impossible to look at the glorious brooklyn bridge and not bike across it, so we picked up one last blue bike and made the pilgrimage, weaving our way though throngs of bridgewalkers back to manhattan.              

it was the best possible first day in new york, and i will be planning all future vacations based on bikeshare options.  please, check out this fabulous directory of bikeshare articles.  or look HERE for new york specific information or HERE for minneapolis niceride!

the magic hour

sister's birthday yesterday

on the coney island boardwalk 

i have loads of new york photos to sort through, but i will leave you with these for now.

the finale first.  

this is the end of summer in minneapolis.  my lovely friend gretchen came to visit from texas a few weeks ago.  we rented nice ride bikes, roadtripped to lake superior, frequented my new favorite treat shop (glam doll doughnuts!), saw some local bluegrass and went out for coffee a hundred times.  when they invent teleportation, i will have coffee dates with gretchen every day, all over the world.  

yesterday i finished my waitress gig downtown.  the staff poured a pitcher of water down my pants, gave me hugs and sent me off into the world.  it's movin' time.  the leaves are falling, and things are happening.    

i leave for new york in about an hour, to visit sister in her big beautiful city.