Nannyland

After a relaxing night we felt recharged to go out and explore. I'm doing better at getting some work done during the day and I was hoping to continue this by finding a coffee shop to work from wherever we went. Since neither of us had been up that way, we started out for the Upper West Side -- the neighborhood between Central Park and the Hudson River. The neighborhood history is very interesting as it hosted the largest slums in the city until an extensive urban renewal project revitalized things in the '60s.

We hopped a train and took it to Columbus Circle, the area of town that we stayed in on my first trip here. There was plenty of activity around as people set out for the day. We wandered up the street next to Central Park and enjoyed the emerging blooms and greenery. Since we've been here it's getting slightly warmer every day and everywhere we go I get the sense that people are starting to awaken from, what I would guess, is a long miserable winter. After ten or so blocks we passed the American History Museum. Which looks like an incredible place that definitely deserves a closer visit.

From there, we shot into the neighborhood proper. It's a mix of gigantic apartment buildings mixed with occasional groups of brownstones. This is apparently a very desirable neighborhood to live as it's exceptionally clean and quiet. We immediately noticed the care that was taken on the sidewalks -- we saw several workers cleaning them with brushes, brooms, and even saw them jackhammering and replacing a sidewalk with only a simple crack in it. This is in sharp contrast to our area, where a layered collage of discarded gum decorates the pathways.

There is essentially no street activity in this area -- just the occasional nanny pushing around stroller. We only saw a few mothers actually doing this, which we found quite odd. Couple that with the absolute absence of any riff-raff and you feel like you've stepped into another world: Nannyland. Nannyland is basically free of any character whatsoever and seems to extend for miles in any direction. Broadway continues to have a spattering of shops, but if it weren't for that oasis I wouldn't have had any indication that I was in New York. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's a wonderful place to live, but there is not much here for the tourist to see. I found walking among the cold light grey buildings towering overhead mildly unenjoyable. Nannyland is also completely free of coffee shops -- I'm sure I could have tracked down a Starbucks on Broadway, but I've been trying like crazy to avoid it.

We did find a quaint cafe tucked into a little break in the apartment buildings. In back there was a really nice little garden, which allowed for wonderful views of the backsides of buildings -- which were curiously absent the whitewashed exterior seen from the street. No wireless access here, but probably the best coffee I've had so far.

After a relaxing lunch we continued through the neighborhood to the Hudson river which is lined by a beautiful park. Riverside Park was designed by the same folks as Central Park and provides the opportunity for a classic stroll. There are breaks along the park for different monuments, finally ending at Grant's Tomb around 125th Street. I wound up getting pulled into a two-hour conference call, which I took in the shadow of the Soldiers and Sailors memorial -- a beautiful rotundra of marbled columns. Other than having to listen and pipe up occasionally on my call, it was very nice to sit and enjoy the warm sunshine and the excitement of the occasional passing child (with nanny in tow).

After my call we followed the park to Grant's tomb and decided to get a closer look at Columbia. My first impression was like much of the day so far -- imposing characterless buildings. We looped around a bit and found the entrance to the historical part of campus, which opened magnificantly into a large inviting quad. This part was spectacular and reversed much of my earlier dislike of the area. Columbia itself is relatively quite and reserved, but I did notice that every professor-type had a beaming smile on their face and this is one of the few areas of the city where I noticed consistent eye-contact. Regardless, I'd probably choose to spend my $40,000+ a year down at the grittiness of NYU.

Leaving Columbia, we entered the Morningside Heights neighborhood. The guidebooks raved about the area, calling it one of the last remaining "genuine" neighborhoods on the Upper West Side. It did seem like everyone knew each other and there was very little tourist activity. I tried my best not to feel uneazy, but it was very hard to get over the feeling that we were trespassing. We had no incidents, but Laurie and I both felt uneasy -- we definitely picked up on an edge that we hadn't experienced in other parts of the city. I suppose it's our countrymiceness showing through and I'm sure I'll have much more to say after we tour Spanish Harlem. Even though it's uncomfortable I need to continue to explore -- especially where my background and skin color puts me in the extreme minority.

This reminds me of an appalling story where people were harrassed simply because of their contrasting appearance -- in Cortez, CO near my hometown. I guarantee if any of the jackasses waving Confederate flags and doing donuts in their trucks around a small group of travelling students had spent any time exploring Harlem they wouldn't have acted that way. It's important for us to step into others shoes whenever the opportunity presents itself. Only through these experiences can we gain insight into the lives of others and develop genuine kindness for each other.

At the bottom edge of this neighborhood Laurie found a great macrobiotic restaurant and we enjoyed one of the best meals of our trip. Wiped out from over 100 blocks of walking, even the inticing activities listed in Time Out could not pull us off the couch once we returned home.