Point of view (ing)

Liam trying a different view from under his houndstooth

New York State of Mind

Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a Flight to Miami Beach
or to Hollywood
But I'm taking a Greyhound
On the Hudson River Line
I'm in a New York state of mind
.......Billy Joel

This LiamLicks is not one story, but a few little ones. And they deal with POVs, points of view (yes, a Food Network term)


1-Governors Island
Most of us have heard of Governors Island. In my mind it harbored an idea of a place like all those islands around NY that are military, or too small for humans, or home to prisoners, typhoid Mary, or monuments.

This island is a 4 minute free ferry ride from Manhattan, a half mile from the southern tip of Manhattan island and separated from Brooklyn by the Buttermilk Channel. Here is a map so you can see where we are. the red marking is on Governors Island.
http://www.govisland.com/html/home/home.shtml
North is Manhattan and right is Brooklyn. Viewing Manhattan and Brooklyn, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from this island sort of gave me a feeling of real aloneness, of solitude of being a voyeur on another world, of feeling lost. Is this how the losties (TV show Lost) felt on Hydra Island? is this how the Survivor contestants feel on Exile Island?
Or to really metaphor it to a huge extent -is this how the astronauts feel about earth as they look down from space? Earth is small, they are big.

Same here on Governors Island. We on GI feel huge looking out at the miniature Statue of Liberty and the toy size Staten Island ferry. The buildings on the tip of Manhattan resemble plastic monopoly pieces. An illusion, the mind knows, yet we feel so big, it is dizzying.
And Brooklyn is so close when you are on GI.
Brooklyn is never close, but it is within touching distance from GI or so it seems. I think if I walk across this cruise ship and come out the other side I will enter Red Hook, Brooklyn for sure
And here on GI can we sit peacefully and gaze upon NYC and absorb none of the frenzy. From our point of view there is only the serenity. We are not part of the happenings downtown. We are observers until we ferry back and plunge into the swarms of people and traffic and noise. But not yet. Now peace.
GI has its own beach! Really, look, see the palm trees and sand and the Smothers Brothers were born on Governors Island if you have never heard of them, they were considered quite subversive in the late '60's for comments and stances that now seem mild. Read it here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governors_Island
2-Ferry back to the Battery
The plan on the way back is that I will learn how to write poetry. Yes, you heard me. My friend, a retired teacher, writes poetry and has volunteered to teach me. This plan is set to happen on our return trip to lower Manhattan. I know I said it was a 4 minute ride, but with loading and settling and turning the boat around and all that we knew we had about fifteen minutes. My friend has a hard copy LiamLicks, last week's edition http://liamlicks.blogspot.com/2010/09/strangers-in-light.html and we are to use this, to pare it down from prose to a poem.
We get our seats. I am in my best student mode and my friend in her teaching posture. Teacher friend searches for the LL printout.
Where is LiamLicks? Bags checked, seats, pockets- I check my camera for the photos I have taken to see if it has been captured in any of the shots. No, but the pix give us the answer. The hard copy was out during the trip to GI. We all know what has happened, It was put down on the bench when a fellow passenger snapped our photo. It must have been left on the bench when we disembarked. Oh no! my lesson lost. I will not be a poet today!

Then a different point of view emerges- Someone might have picked up LiamLicks, I might have a new reader, if it is a family, I might have several readers, if the entire group passed it around I might have hundreds. The printout has the blog site on it, surely that is going to happen. My blog followers will balloon into the hundreds, Anderson Cooper watch out!

So what did we do? accessed LL from my blackberry, did a mini lesson at the Spice Market bar,
while I dreamed of all my new readers.


3- Starbucks in Penn Station
before our trek on the #1 to the downtown to the ferry, I petitioned my companions for a addiction stop at Starbux for my latte. In this Starbux they ask your name (we Leos love that, but I say it all the time) and then you are announced and boldly go and retrieve your drink. I have told y'all (practicing for seeing the Neelys on Sunday, next week's blog) that I have changed my name-I have been Kara, Grace, Liz, and Carol. I am Carol today on the way to Governors Island. In next pic, see latte in my left paw and the spot where hard copy LiamLicks was left next to me
I was gifted with another POV-this one about my name- at my home Starbucks in New Hyde Park. My barista asked my name, not for the cup but just so he could address me- regulars earn that respect. I told him. "I am Carol" I asked, "you?"
"I am Josh." I said, "Great name, a young person's name." I added, "Carol is an older person's name. There are no young Carols."
Josh looked at me with a mischievous look and said "It was a young girl's name once." I laughed and thought what a charmer.
Yes, another point of view. I like it. Young Carol. Yay for all the old Carols who were once young.

So POVS- points of view, another way of viewing from different places, through another's eyes, from a "lost" experience.

This day, on this ride, I found some different points of view.
and all it took was
a latte on a ferry
a lost Licks
a newly discovered island
a stunning October day
dear friends

Is that a poem?

Dogs not allowed on Governors Island, only pigs
Liam waits

Woof, Woof

Strangers in the Light

Liam licking a latte in the backyard September light

Strangers in the night exchanging glances
Wond'ring in the night what were the chances
We'd be sharing love before the night was through

Frank Sinatra

Starbucks
If at home I go to the same one every day- in New Hyde Park. It is not sitting friendly as I have mentioned in previous posts. There are just a few round disk-top bistro tables and not enough chairs to pair with them. Sometimes I can sit and sometimes I just keep moving. But they know my name and my drink. That is enough.

Twice though, I have been the victim of space intrusion. Both times I had secured a table.
My items had been carefully positioned-my BB, NY Times, latte.
My table now. We regulars respect this.
It is Starbucks culture.

However, on two separate occasions strangers have joined me.
How did this happen?

Incident #1
Early Summer 2010

I secure a table, set up my items for a stay- usually about 45 minutes. The crowd on line is eyeing those seated, judging their chances for seats. I am reading and texting and drinking, never making eye contact with those on line. Tacit message to all that I am not anywhere near ready to leave. I hear a voice above and look up-A young woman is holding a sandwich, a drink, and has positioned her face an inappropriately close distance to mine. I hear "Are you using this seat?" "No, I am not," I reply. She plops down. I am shocked. What, we are now a couple, sharing lunch! "You are sitting with me?" I ask incredulously. Space intruder-"I'll just be a little while."
I don't think so, not with the amount of food you have and the books and papers you are juggling and the imploring gaze you are bestowing on me. She is directly opposite me. I put up the NY Times high- I knew there was a practical function for its physical length-a paper shield. As I lower it to turn the page, I see that she is staring at me, eating very slowly and barely sipping her drink. I am not relaxed. Every time I lower the paper I see her face and she seems closer, inch by inch she is taking over more and more of the tiny table top. I could be forced off by the time I get to the op ed page,.
A table by the window opens up, I gather my things, glare at my seatmate and move. She just nibbles and stares.

Then one of the regulars comes in. Hi's all around. "No seats" he announces loudly. I motion to him, and mouth silently "yes, there is a seat, sit with her, she wants company."

And this may be the start of a beautiful friendship. I hear the entire exchange-she is a lonely summer school teacher, away from home, recently boyfriend-less, not liking her school or her job. The regular listens, murmurs sympathetic encouragement, finishes his latte and wishes her well. They pack up and leave together. Nice for them.
Am I a matchmaker?

Incident #2
Wednesday, September 29, 2010

I wait on line. When I enter there are no free tables. I decide this will be a hit and run, no sitting or reading, a latte at home. My drink is announced and I turn to leave. However, during my wait the situation has changed. There now is an empty table with 2 chairs. I sit quickly, tables are tough to come by.
I spread out my stuff. I am answering a text when I hear it "Are you using this chair?"
I answer truthfully "No." I am not one to put a bag on an empty seat to ward off people.
To me this question always means that the asker will pull off the chair to another table.
But no. Fooled again. Man sits down, facing away from "our" table-profile to me. I am as steaming as his coffee. And I know it is steaming because he has a topless cup without a sleeve. I have never seen anyone sit, walk, or leave Starbucks with a topless cup, and very seldom with a sleeveless one. No one ever throws away the top- it keeps the heat in and prevents spillage- and the coffee is too hot to hold which is why they have sleeves. see next pic- cup fully dressed with sleeve and top
Only Liam drinks topless, usually sleeveless and he is just licking latent cold foam

I decide that this time I will not give up my ground. I will wait this out. Topless/sleeveless man has a cell phone on which he is ostensibly viewing messages. But there is no screen visible. Really. The monitor is black. He is using his thumb to slide the screens but they are not lit. What kind of act is this? Every now and then he looks around. Not at me but at others. He drinks very slowly. Is this topless cup a weapon? A diversion? Will he toss it in my face?

Two tables open up, he does not move.
A young man near the window has witnessed the entire thing and is smiling and shaking his head in disbelief and also relief. See, he has a laptop, No one ever tries this move on a laptop person.

I read the entire NY Times, lucky today they have the Dining section. I drink my latte. T/S/Man continues to sit sideways, using his phone keys to view nothing-perhaps this is a new advanced phone where you communicate by staring at it. I am not going to win this. I have now stayed longer than I wished.

None of the articles I have read have penetrated to my brain, My latte is cold. He has won the table.

I gather my things. I get up, he does not glance up, On the way out, I say to laptop guy, "I think he is a serial killer." He laughs and goes back to his laptop.

I keep turning around as I walk to my car. T/S Man never moves. There are now many empty tables but he is frozen to the spot.

What have I learned?

1-That if I want to be solo, I must remove any extra seats from my table.

2-That the question "Are you using this seat/chair?" does not necessarily mean that the person is taking it to another table; another possibility is that the asker will use the chair to join you and encroach on your hard sought solitary time.

3-That I am very social while waiting on line, walking to and from the parking lot, yet not so once seated. I ruthlessly want my own my space-I crave and value my right to sit by myself, just for a bit.

I bring the latte foam remains in my cup home for Liam. He runs to the back yard to be by himself.
I let him be

I know how he feels.


Woof , woof.

Northport via Northern Parkway

Send in The Clowns-Stephen Sondheim

Isn't it rich?
Are we a pair?
Me at last on the ground
You in mid-air.
Send in the Clowns

Isn't it bliss?
Don't you approve?
One who keeps tearing around
one who can't move.


Our third annual Ladies lunch at the Northport Spa-like home of a friend took place this Tuesday. September means cooler weather, no swimming (thank goodness) and traveling in a new car, Ford Focus Sawyer. Liam always part of the group, the only male member. I packed as if we were going on a long trip but in a sense we were- any trip on Long Island can be as short or long as the conditions are on that day-traffic, accidents, road work, storms, tornadoes-anything goes now. Liam waits for trip to begin
There are 3 of us in the front seat, Me-the driver, Liam, balancing on the console, front feet on the lid, back legs on the back seat and my friend in the front passenger seat. I soon realized this might not be pleasant for my friend as Liam's licks and kisses are unpredictable. Could be just a brief tongue flurry at the outset or an intermittent display of deference and respect throughout the drive. I have never had a passenger with Liam so I had no history to guide me. I had what I though to be quite the clever idea, I put up the lid to the console, thereby blocking Liam's paw rest and forcing him to be a backseat passenger. see next two pix front view-my view and from back seat-Liam's view Was working fine for a bit until Liam took a leap of faith. Well Leaping Liam decided he had had enough in the back seat and leaped over the console lid, ending up sort of in mid air, his head and nose on the controls and back hanging off the console top. The position could not be held, so he completed his maneuver with a final squirm into my lap while I freed his legs from their midair position. Yes, a 35 pound dog in my lap on the Northern Parkway at 60 miles a hour. My dear friend was very calm. And I stated a little obviously "this will not work" Liam is no lap dog, even at home on the couch at zero miles per hour. I have often seen cars on the shoulders of the road and now I was to become one of them. I pulled onto the shoulder-actually Sawyer took a little leap of his own to get up there, pulled the console lid down, got Liam back in his shotgun position, glanced back at the road, found an opening, hit the gas heavily, popped off the shoulder and roared back on the highway. Liam did not lick either of us again.
We arrived in Northport in great time.

The next 6 hours, we had an Oprah-like outdoor luncheon, by the poolvividly colored salads, luscious fruit and veggies, presented and plated like paintings, cheeses, breads, roast beef and my favorite condiment mayo- and a drink popularized by the barefoot Contessa on Food network- California tea-iced tea and lemonade served on an artsy mosaic tray Our host also made sure our table was directly in line with her autumn blooming bush with its sweet, powerful perfumy fragrance gusting to us on the occasional breeze

next pic- bush on the left and Liam strolling by.

Liam chased rabbits
Leaped joyfully, performed his famous triple leap. 3 in a row on one foot-would get a 9.9 at any Olympics.
Spent a lot of time in mid-air, and I have none of those pix.
Only have the Liam lounging after leaping
sitting with us
carefully exploring the pool perimeter
and waiting patiently with his bag while we wrapped it up for a good 45 minutes I'm ready
Will they ever stop saying goodbye?

Going home.

We start out humming along the uncrowded north shore roads, exit to the highway, then to the parkway. And then it all changes within a heartbeat into a New York rush hour drive. Setting sun just peeking below the sun visor for most drivers, forcing eyes shut, impeding progress and slowing traffic to a halt many times. Folks stopping too suddenly and others not getting on the parkway properly add to the adventure.

What my friend and I never mention is "the elephant in the room." Our version though is "the dog in the car."
What we have is Liam panting heavily, right between us, mouth open, short shallow breaths like a woman in labor (at least in the films I've seen) Neither of us mention it. We keep talking.
I know Liam is very upset. But what can we do? We are traffic embedded.

One hour, another half hour, another 15 minutes. Liam is huffing and puffing all the way. We reach the exit, I drop my friend off, the delightful day not affected by the rides either way.

Liam and I arrive home.

What happened?
Does he not like Sawyer?
Was the traffic too upsetting?
Last year we drove home in a semi- tornadic rain storm with huge hail balls, a blackout sky and Liam hid on the floor, as the lightening struck all around us and cars careened in all directions.

The year before he was just puppy and slept in the back.

Now he is a big boy and will not be shut out of anything. But growing up opens up scary things.

My solution- More rabbit chasing and mid-air leaping at our gathering to tire him out.
Some more rides in Sawyer to reduce the newness and accelerate the acclimation process to my new car.
Maybe some music while we ride.

Any ideas readers?

Liam is listening

woof, woof

Train Trekking

Did Liam have a hard day waiting for our return at night?

A Hard Day's Night Beatles

It's been a hard day's night
And I've been working like a dog
It's been a hard day's night
I should be sleeping like a log
But when I get home to you
I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright

The idea to travel to Stirling New Jersey by LIRR and NJ transit began after our recent trip to Arlington Va or maybe with my brother-in-law's trip to Washington D.C. Ours by car, his by Amtrak. Ours a stressful, on edge, stop and go, scenery challenged, bridge/tunnel/tollbooth nightmare while his- a scenic fast relaxing speedy zoomin passenger friendly trip along the coast.
We vowed the next time a trip involved New Jersey we would try the train.
The event presented itself Labor Day weekend, 2010. A housewarming at my niece, Liz Nikol's, new home in Stirling New Jersey, the Sunday of Labor Day weekend.
A gathering of family and friends much anticipated and advertised. see next pic-men working on poster for the event

So our group is Paul, me, brother-in-law, niece. Not Amtrak though-LIRR, NJ Transit. All this planning required much googling. I am addicted to Google directions. who isn't? You get the address, then you can spy from above, look into people's yards, pretend you are in a car and virtually drive along the streets. Here a map of the route from Mapquest, Paul prefers it to Google.



We come up with two options-

Trip 1
drive to Brothers house, pick up brother and nephew
drive to niece's house, park in driveway and pick up niece, let off nephew
walk to Bayside train station, take train
arrive at Penn
embark on NJ Transit to Summit NY
transfer to Stirling train
walk 11 minutes to niece's house or be picked up by her dad (another brother)
Time: 3 1/2 hours

Trip 2
drive to brother's house Bayside, pick him up
take Cross Island to GW Bridge
Route 80 to 78
to Stirling-
1 hour 20 minutes -24 hours depending on traffic, construction, accidents, non EZ passers

We go for Trip 1.
Sounds crazy, but not really. The trip will be in 6 parts, and we are mobile in between each part and not prisoners in a car on a bridge. We left Liam at home; no dogs on the trains, so he watched and waited at home.

We start out at 11:04 AM from New Hyde Park, NY.
Two parts done, this is part 3- arrive at Bayside LIRR on foot, pic next Bayside LIRR around 12:10 Sunday September 5 a clear, cool, jacket on/ jacket off type day. Next Penn Station NY NJ Transit, see pic- the sign on the wall to the right warns "no sitting on steps" Our train is 1:10 PM

Then one hour later our transfer at Summit NJ At 2:10PM and 10 minutes after we arrive at Stirling, 2:26 PM Paul waving to Liz's Dad, another Nikol brother

We were in touch with Stirling during every leg of the trip through modern technology of blackberry texting between Liz and me
our blackberries united at her Stirling home Mine is in green, of course

We leave Stirling at 6:24PM.
How the train trip enhanced my life:

1--I learned about a town where many Broadway stars live and where they are now making a mini Theater district. It is East Orange NJ.
You've heard of actors honing their skills in off Broadway and in summer stock venues, well here we go-East Orange, New Jersey has its own theater district. Who knew?
http://www.sopacnow.org/
and that night on the news, they did a piece on it. What serendipity. See video clip below.

http://bit.ly/9e2MkS

2-In town of Stirling, there is a charming, saloon type hotel restaurant with a wonderful modern eclectic menu. Walking distance from the Stirling Station
And it has a history. read if you like.

www.thestirlinghotel.com/

3-At each stop going home, groups of scantly dressed teenage girls boarded the train. I thought, Wow, they all went to bbq's in New Jersey. At each small town, their numbers swelled. Mini reunions, as they boarded the train. Excitement in the air. Oh, they are not ending their day, but beginning their night. They are all going to Penn Station, to NYC to party.

4-I read the entire, NY Times, a magazine, some chapters in a book, answered all my emails, FB and Twittered.

5-At Penn, we were told that all the trains were delayed due to a fire in the tunnel. The station begins accumulating travelers at a rapid pace. With no trains moving out, it was not long before Penn was packed.
Should we take a subway to Queens and bus it. Should we wait it out?
We debated and waited.
After 40 minutes, fire conquered, the trains began leaving, track 16, then 17, then 19, 20; ours must be 21. No, the announcement comes- track 13. We are near track 21. I whip around, take off, slither through folks, ducking. making myself smaller by turning sideways, while hundreds race with me towards the hole to the stairway. I arrive with the elite runners, in front of the pack
I am still able to outrun most people.
I never would have known that had we been stuck in our car on the GW Bridge.

6-The final plus, there were restrooms at every point. No worries.

Liam waited at home, looked after by Rosie and Shady's Mom. Not such a hard day's night for one dog. He had some blanket friends a lick of a latte and some quiet time

We arrived home about 9:30PM.


Woof, woof