NYC 2010 Travel Journal: Expect the (wonderfully!) unexpected, especially in New York City

2010.04.22
Expect the unexpected

Keith Haring Bathroom Room 210

I love Manhattan. I don’t ever know where to start when I go there. There’s so much more than just a vacation. I always have people I want to talk about and stories I want to tell, in addition to the wonderful things I did and sites I saw. It’s so hard to know where to start. I am going to start with my unexpected experiences.

(For the record, I am thinking of this more as a travel journal. So, it may get a little bit windy, but read if you want, otherwise don’t! I should do this chronologically, but I am going to do it as I want to. Putting my stories in an order that seems appropriate inside my quite kooky mind)

One of my favorite things happened by chance the last day I was in Manhattan. Dennis and I were on our way to the Highline. We stumbled upon the Keith Haring Bathroom. I thought I would miss both the Highline and Room 210 on this trip, but we had a 7:30 p.m. flight so had all day to spend.

We got off the subway that morning, walked about two blocks and there was the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Community Center. I was shocked, because it was on my list of things I wanted to do there. That list had so many more things than I knew I would ever get to do that I thought I wouldn’t get to the center. We spent three of our six days in Lower Manhattan…but with a very specific itinerary. I love it downtown, but the last couple of times we’ve been in Manhattan, we have not spent much time there, because it’s so freaking crowded!! We stay uptown and as much as Manhattan can be: it’s more neighborhood-y uptown. I love it uptown...but, I digress.

We walked by, and I saw the rainbow flag. I saw the center’s name. I turned to Dennis and I said: “That’s where the Keith Haring bathroom is.” He was interested, but didn’t think we’d go in. He’s great and never complains, but a lot of the walking we did was because of me. I wanted to see the Highline, so here we were traipsing down to the Highline and I’m adding on extra site stops! The Highline ended at 18^th street and to his credit, he walked way farther than the end of that park. In total that afternoon, we walked from the subway stop - 14^th street to 42^nd - before we caught another subway. His ankle and hip and knee are all f’d up, but he keeps on trucking. Again, I digress.

I asked if he wanted to go in and he said it was up to me…but I felt like him: I was thinking we should get to the Highline. Hell, it would only be a few minutes to see a cool piece of Haring art not in a museum. I went in and asked the guy at the front desk if we could see the Keith Haring bathroom. He said it “Sure, it’s Room 210”. We walked up the stairs, and I was so excited, and opened the door…and there was a man in there with his computer set up, working away. Yes. I was surprised!!!

I knew going in that it wasn’t an in-use bathroom and was now an “art piece” of sorts, but had no idea I’d see a man working in there!! I thought the guy at the front desk would have at least told us!! It ended up being a very pleasant surprise actually. We talked for a few minutes….but, this bathroom. Wow. Dennis and I love Haring’s stuff, so we were into it…but it was a thing of beauty. I thought, when I’d heard/read it was not in use, I thought that it was still outfitted as a bathroom – with toilets and sinks, etc. But no, it’s completely empty, with the white bathroom/subway-looking tile, and then the entire top half is painted by Mr. Haring himself…(well, the guy had a fold out table he was using as a desk and it had outlets, equipped enough to handle his computer, apparently)

The gentleman working in there was out of work and was doing volunteer work for the center…a six week project. He was great, saying “I’m so lucky that I get to have this as my office, right?” Dennis and I both heartily agreed. I took photos. He asked where we were from and when we told him Portland, he told us he lived in PDX for three years. He lived in NE Portland!! He told us we were lucky to live in such a great city. I told him the same thing about himself!! He also thanked us for taking the time to come by and see the art/bathroom. It was our pleasure, certainly!!

It was awesome. I loved it. I loved that we stumbled upon it by accident. I love that there was a man there to talk with. I loved that he happened to know parts of Portland, Oregon where I live. There’s just something about New York City.

Zola.

Zola, and her Wisteria Waterfall.

We met Zola on the second day in the city. We were walking down 74^th toward Central Park West and a woman overheard us talking about the way we wanted to go (to show Janet, Dennis’ mom, the Dakota Apartments and Strawberry Fields) – we weren’t lost, just deciding to cross which street. She offered directions, then said “Come with me. I want to show you a spectacle. I want to show you a wisteria. It’s beautiful. It’s a spectacle.” She walked us about three blocks down and there was the most beautiful, full wisteria I’ve ever seen. The base/stalk was so thick, it was tree-like. Pictures of both Zola and the wisteria are here/above. She described it as looking like a waterfall. The cutest lady ever!! :)

We chatted with Zola. I asked her where she was from. Argentina. Later, I found out she’d been in NYC over 40 years or “longer than I can remember”. She was so cute and sweet and gracious. We didn’t ask for directions, but she gave us those and more. After we talked for several minutes, she turned around and walked back the other way. We realized that when she told us a few minutes prior that she lived on 73^rd street it was the other way on 73^rd. She just went that way to show us the “spectacle.”! New Yorkers. The best.

President Obama.

We saw the Presidential motorcade. I have never seen a Presidential motorcade. It wasn’t spectacular, but when you DO get to see the President’s automobile, it’s sort of cool to me I have to admit. Indirectly, you are seeing the President, right? You don’t know you’re seeing him, but he’s looking out one of those tinted windows. I’m SURE he waved at me.

(We were walking to the Tenement Museum, from the subway stop. Yes. Walking from the subway stop is a common theme here. I didn’t take one cab the entire time in New York. Dennis had Janet and Granny with him to go downtown to Ellis Island, but they also ended up in very few. I only rode one from and to the airport. Otherwise, we rode the bus once. It’s not an economic, or “I’m so New York, I use the subway” thing. It’s because there is no traffic down there underground. I guess that’s stating the obvious. It’s so quick!! I’m ADD, so I’m impatient. :)

Well, streets started closing off as we were walking. More and more police were gathering. They eventually put up barricades and wouldn’t let people cross the streets. Dennis knew exactly what it was, once I told him the President was in town. He had seen a Bush motorcade before. I won’t draw this out except to say that this was a fluke too – seeing this. Since Dennis told me it was uneventful seeing one, we decided to continue to the museum. We had to pick up Letterman tickets by 2:00 p.m. that day. This was about 11 or so. Well, we got to the museum and there are scheduled tour times. They don’t allow you to just walk through it yourself. The times didn’t coincide to allow us to get Letterman tiks in time, so we walked back (about a mile) to the same subway we took to get there and, hopefully, get to our hotel if we had time before the show.

We got back walking down Housten or Bowery or Delancey – one of those big streets in that part of town - right when Barack Obama came. Dennis pointed out his car, because it always has the Presidential flags. It was cool and something I didn’t expect to see on my trip…or ever, for that matter…and there are pictures to do the rest of the explaining on that one.

Expect the unexpected, especially in New York City…More to come. I think it will be food-themed. I had two very, very good meals there, but both different from each other (7-8 on a 1-10 scale). No spectacular meals there, and lots of just good food (solid 6’s). I took pictures of it all, though.