Sugar Hill and beyond

We had such a nice early start but less than thirty minutes into our 620 mile drive, a blow out! Hadn't had one of those (except on my bike) since I  was a teenager. And it wasn't even the suspect tire. What to do..what to do. Curse the fates? Cancel the trip? AAA showed up within a half hour and put on a temporary but our early start meant that we'd have to wait for a tire store in Toledo to open. Two and a half hours later, we were on the road

New (to us) Goethals bridge crossing the Hudson. Used to be a scary bleak too narrow structure

 NJ party bus to NYC with loud music, flashing colors was by our side for most of our traffic jam

we will try to ignore the rash of anti-Semitic attacks that occurred during my stay but maybe that is the Brooklyn way. Thanks to the Orange Asshole who encourages this

Adorable grandchildren of Steve's cousin. The smaller one was Frida Kahlo for Halloween which I had posted 

Tasteless 'shot' dispenser we found in a party store

One of the many light photos I took in the Dyker Heights neighborhood

Of course it was raining when I walked around too but hopefully it cut down on the usual crowds

I liked the bamboo

map of the 71 endangered bird murals I could find in Harlem, mainly in Sugar Hill, if it weren't windy, pouring rain, cold and getting dark

But crazy lady that I am, I found some of them

How many times have I run up and down the Coney Island Boardwalk? Countless but on this day twice, an even five miles

The beach

we were going to try a new Italian bakery. Too popular on New Year's Eve with a line around the block and we were afraid our old stand by would be similarly crowded so no rainbow cookies for you. Cherry cheese knishes though...

names of Brooklyn places crack me up. This is near my in-laws. Other favorites: Appetizing, Very Modest, 80s Tea (the latter I want to try, very good reviews for rolled Thai Ice Cream)

Leaving Brooklyn under the Esplanade on the BQE minutes before we almost met our death. We rounded a sharp corner and had a second to slam on the brakes for a car parked in the middle of the lane. Could not move to the left lane then and for the next 5 minutes. Drunk? Heart attack victim? Not amused. As I noticed the situation before Steve, I see it as another time I saved him during the trip. Fifteen minutes later he didn't notice a red light with cars coming right at him. Saved him again by my front seat driving, which generally goes unappreciated

last non blurry photo of Manhattan which we could not leave without getting lost for the umpteenth time. When will we be able to do this flawlessly? I did it myself driving with a person unfamiliar with the place

You must take the "A" train
To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem
If you miss the "A" train
You`ll find you missed the quickest way to Harlem
Hurry, get on, now it`s coming
Listen to those rails…

Instrumentals by Duke Ellington

I do have to agree with the ninety year old  lyrics, the A train is the fastest way to get Harlem. From the reaches of the southern part of Brooklyn (not to be confused with South Brooklyn which is actually in the north)to the 145th street stop..one hour which included a transfer from the nice clean computer this and that bestowed F train to the dirty crowded A train.  You could not do that in a car especially towards rush hour when I made my trip, in under 2 hours. Actual distances mean little in NYC. I ran from the south into the Bronx and then back down to the bottom of Central Park in less than 4 hours during the marathon so I suspect we are only talking about 10 miles as the crow flies. As in everything there, seems much longer. One reason that the trip was fast, helpful too that  my transfer went perfectly, is the A train is express for most of Manhattan though I had some anxiety whether it was going to stop where I wanted to get off.

What am I doing up in Sugar Hill when the last you found me back in tundraland though in a warm spell so I was able to get in one more long bike ride? Steve's cousin and best friend has metastatic cancer. Not news to us but they had to stop treatment and will never be able to resume it so the tumors are progressing fast and he just entered hospice. As dire of straits my friend 

Debbie was in, his cousin is much worse, unable to get out of bed and barely can eat and breathe comfortably. Steve wanted to say goodbye and was going to take off that day. I said I'd come too if he waits a day (Maya duty yet again). Throughout the trip I kept repeating 'good thing I came or....."

Yeah, he had no idea that we had a spare (one that has very limited use)or where it was hidden though he said maybe he wouldn't of had a flat if he didn't drive over whatever (though what did he drive over, who knows)if I wasn't in the car. I do know he wouldn't have discovered that the EZ pass was in the trunk, not on the windshield until he needed it in the second hour. Or fourth hour as it turned out)

And the weather was warm. Driving through the Pennsylvania mountains can be treacherous if there is ice (a bit coming back but the salt trucks got to them) so we had a wide window and no more Maya duty for a while. And until we hit the usual awful traffic of Staten Island, it was smooth sailing. Had our really good lunch in the good Italian place in Du Bois, I did my puzzles and Duolingo, he listened to what he wanted. I did drive about 100 miles (much more on the way back). Bonus, a good parking spot in front of his brother's though he was loathe to leave it. Took a lot of convincing so we could go out one day. Why didn't we take our new much more comfortable car? Not a chance. Cars routinely get banged up even while parked. I would never think to pull in my side mirrors while parked but a necessity there.

Brooklyn is interesting. The first morning, my sister in law and  I went to Prospect Park, a half sized Central Park. The main road is closed to cars with separate lanes for bikes and another set for runners/walkers. Arrows go in both directions though 95% of the runners ran counter clockwise even though they go up the steepest side of the hill (160 feet according to my iWatch altimeter) I ran clockwise for more than 2 circles so over 7 miles. I hadn't run that much since before my surgery. Back in the 80s when I first was running there, the east side of the park faced some scary neighborhoods so most of the activity was on the west side. The east side has since gentrified but still much more crowded on the west side.Then on to Coney Island Avenue to get 'real' bagels fresh at the Appetizing store.

On to hospice in this very bleak Brooklyn industrial section. His cousin's two children and their children were there (he also has 3 stepsons). We spent the afternoon there. He was able to talk and smile. It was a good visit. At the time we thought maybe him being put in hospice was a mistake (he seemed unclear about the rules) but 2 days later, we returned and it was obvious that he won't last much longer . And on that day he was totally miserable. Our visit was probably more draining than helpful though this time his wife was there so it was a break for her.

Brooklyn has lots of Italian neighborhoods with lots of Italian restaurants. Their absolute favorite has closed down but there are plenty of alternatives. We had a nice dinner and then on to see Christmas lights in nearby Dyker Heights, a place known throughout the country for best lights ever. Lots of crowds even though it had started to rain. They all waited in the car following me around as I walked. Pictures (a small sample of many) above.

It rained all night and most of the following day. It was only drizzling when I ran up and down Ocean Parkway but the puddles were impossible to avoid. Avenues named after the alphabet come off the parkway along with a few big streets like King's and Bay Parkway In 2 miles, the whole alphabet is accounted for so lots of pesky intersections to deal with. Usually I am dealing with slow moving walkers and bicycles but the drizzle cut down on that at least. And less cars as it was the holidays though it was pointed out to me that they are Christian Holidays. My sister in law was teaching school on New Year's Day. But that's not a religious holiday is it? Christian new year from a Christian Calendar. New Year's was back in September..

While they were otherwise occupied, I went up to Harlem by myself hoping to sight see before meeting up with my niece who has her own health battle. I had my Audubon mural map loaded on my phone. The rain had returned along with lots of wind. I was wearing a not so stylish rain parka but since I needed access to my phone (to take pictures) I didn't button it up and became soaking wet. It was hard to find the murals with my foggy glasses and obstructed view with this huge hood (at least my head kept dry). I stopped in a coffee shop to regroup and pee. Most of the murals were on Broadway which I was walking up so I did find a fraction of them. I knew approximately where my niece lived as I stayed there the year before) but failed to remember the exact address. All the buildings looked the same. My sopping wet fingers and phone were not cooperating. I called her twin sister by mistake who did not pick up. Finally got a hold of the right sister who told me the address (right next to me) but then didn't tell me the apartment number so I couldn't get in. Got in through a delivery person and guessed correctly which apartment it was. I wanted to take her out but given the weather and her now more frail health, she stayed inside and had cooked us dinner. It was a nice visit. She lent me some sweatpants as mine were still drenched. Trains run less frequently late at night so my journey took longer. People ask if I was scared walking around Harlem at night. No but this very long deserted dark industrial area in Brooklyn under the train I walked down with junkyard dogs growling at me did. I walked as fast as I could. I could have gotten off at another safer stop. Lesson learned. Get off at P not N. The house is on O.

More running the next morning this time on the Boardwalk. Bought some Chinese pork buns at one of the many Chinese bakeries Lunch at his brother's favorite Bahn Mi shop. Another hospice visit and an early New Year's Eve night as we got up before dawn to avoid Manhattan traffic. A good visit.

Now just waiting for it to warm up a bit more for  my bike ride.