Z is for

Zingone's--a greengrocer (and more) in my neighborhood.***

The photos tell the story--Fruits, veggies and groceries



since 1927.



An old-world grocery. It's the sort of store where people have accounts. And orders are called in and delivered. A small-scale, low-tech Fresh Direct.

But not really.

The second story in the Metropolitan Diary tells all you need to know about Zingone's. And this blogger says it better than me what Zingone's means to the neighborhood.

Nearly all of our Christmas trees have come from Zingone.



Thanks, Mr. Zingone!

***And that's it. My Ravelry ABCs are done!

Y is for. . .

Yiddish--the second language of NYC. ****

So many Yiddish words are in the mainstream--schelp, glitch, mish-mosh, klutz---

However, here in NYC, we bump our Yiddishisms up a notch.

Several years ago, a friend and I were walking along the street. We passed an acquaintance of ours who thought of herself as a fashion maven. But she was wearing a hideous outfit that combined stripes and a paisley print in a rainbow of colors. Our conversation, after the what-not-to-wear passed, went something like this:

Oy vey! What's that schamatta she was wearing?
I don't know. Those stripes and paisley were ungapatchka. Schlocky fabric, too.
It takes chutzpah to wear such drek.
She doesn't even have a bissel of good taste.

My friend and I then turned to each other and began to laugh. Here we were two Christian gals originally from the suburbs talking like we were raised on the Lower East Side.

For a few years I worked with a couple of people who taught me some of the finer points of Yiddish. I think this was their reference guide.



**** This ABC mishegas is almost over! I need to get Z is for. . . done by January 3rd. (MY 2009 ABCs focused on NYS/NYC stuff.)

X is for. . .

an eXcuse not to finish the 2009 ABC along?

This ABC Along on Ravelry finishes on January 3. I was doing fine till March. Took a seven-month stall and then began to pick up letters.

Now I'm stuck. Adding to the pressure is that I'm making the ABcs NYS/NYC-centric.

Could I do X is for Xmas decorations in NYC?



No, that won't work. That's the only photo I've taken of Xmas decorations in the city.

Could I do XL NYC? (eXtra large NYC)





Don't think so. I already covered that with V is for. . .

How about I write something about and take photos of x-rated NYC? But this isn't the 70s anymore. Times Square isn't the scary place it used to be with peep-shows, porno movies, topless bars and fleabag hotels.

Times Square has gotten so eXtremely cleaned up that tourists can pull up a lawn chair and sun themselves.





So that's not gonna cut it.

I think I should just x-out X is for. . . and move along to Y is for. . . .

W is for

water towers. ****





It's startling to look up and see these down-home looking structures. But New Yorkers need to flush their toilets and take showers! And our drinking water is so good, that people bottle and sell it.

The NYC water system dates from an 1800 aqueduct system that relies on gravity. At that time, people didn't live in buildings that reached up into the sky and so adequate water pressure could be maintained. But buildings got taller and taller and by the end of the 19th century, any building over six stories high was required to have a water tower.



And so it continues. The old water system works efficiently and fairly cheaply. There's 10,000 water towers in NYC! About a 100 or so new ones are made every year. Only two family-owned companies make and maintain the wooden and steel water towers-- and they've both been in business since the 1890s.







This fancy-schmancy building built a little house for its water tower. Can you spot it?



More information about the water towers here and here. And the history of the NYC water supply is here. I found this article about the building of a water tunnel interesting.

****Just X, Y and Z left! I think I may actually finish this ABC Along. My ABCs this year focus on NYS/NYC things.

V is for

New York is a VERTICAL city-- ****

Tall buildings



Tall monuments



Tall bridges



Tall people



**** I may actually finish this 2009 ABC Along! My ABCs this year focus on NYC/NYS stuff.

T and U are for

The Albany Times Union—my hometown newspaper. ****

Back before there were 24-hour news channels and the Internet, the newspaper brought the world into our homes.

In Albany, NY the Times Union—the TU was our morning paper. It was the first newspaper I ever looked at—not read—looked at. I remember lying on the living room floor with the Sunday funny pages—the comics—spread around me. I couldn’t read yet—but I made up my own stories for the cartoons.

As I got older, I read the TU every day. National, local, sports, home, society, entertainment—I read all the sections. In the TU. I learned about politics—local and national. High school sports results; Hints from Heloise, stories about world events, local reporting on fires and car crashes were all part of the daily read.



That’s a photo of my Pop reading the TU. Note also the TU on the table folded to the racing charts from Saratoga.

The TU was also the newspaper where my hubster worked for 17 years. He started as a copy boy, became an award-winning reporter and ended up as city editor before he left the TU for another paper. I didn’t know him during his TU days, but I knew his byline.

These days, I read the TU online every couple of weeks for the local news, the obituaries. The online edition also has a Fiber Arts blog that’s frequently updated. It’s a great source of information about the Capital District yarn shops, fiber events and knitting meet-ups. But you don't to be from the area to enjoy the blog--the several people who contribute to it write about and share their fiberly adventures.

****Still trying to catch up. My ABCs for this year focus of NYC/NYS stuff.

S is for

Street vendors. ****

Fake designer bags,


dirty water dogs,


books


and bling,


roasted nuts,


Middle Eastern chicken,


pies


and tablecloths--


All for sale on our streets!


****I'm a bit behind with the ABCs--but I'm getting closer. My ABCs this year focus on NYS/NYC things.

R is for

RIVERS. ****

Manhattan is a long, narrow island surrounded by three rivers. The East River borders the east side of the island and separates Manhattan from Brooklyn and Queens.

Separating New York City from New Jersey is the Hudson River on the west side of Manhattan.

And connecting the East River and Hudson River on the northern border of Manhattan is the Harlem River. It separates Manhattan from the Bronx. (And technically it separates part of Manhattan from itself. Marble Hill--though on the mainland--is part of Manhattan.)

And since we're getting technical--here's one for you geological nitpickers. The East and Harlem Rivers are actually tidal straits. But since they're called rivers--that's what they'll be for our purposes.

I could have sworn I had photos of the Harlem River--but I can't find them! Eight miles long with fourteen bridges. The wikepedia entry has a few good photos.

East River:

Taken on the subway crossing from Brooklyn to Manhattan:



The view from hubster's hospital window. Looking over to Brooklyn.



See that structure in the lower part of the photo? That's the Water Club--one of my favorite restaurants. And here's the view from inside the Water Club.



Hudson River:

Taken in northern Manhattan. The view is looking south.



At the 79th Street Boat Basin. You can see the George Washington Bridge in the northern distance.



Taken from a water taxi pier in New Jersey looking across to Manhattan.



Looking over to New Jersey from Manhattan:



The Hudson River flows north to south for 315 miles. Albany is on the New Jersey side of the river. That's Rensselaer, NY on the other side of the river.



The Hudson River begins in the Adirondack Mountains. This is the river at Newcomb, NY. That's about ten miles from the source of the Hudson's headstream in Lake Tear of the Clouds.



There was lots of celebrating along the Hudson River in 2009 since it marked the 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson discovering the river.

****Still trying to catch up with the ABC Along. My ABCs focus on NYS/NYC things.

Q is for

Quiet places. ****

Long Lake, NY in the summer



Montauk, NY in the fall



The waterfall park behind the Loews Lincoln Square anytime



My street when it snows



My apartment at night

P is for

Parking regulations! ****

Owning a car in Manhattan and parking it on the street is a full-time job.



We have alternate side street parking. One side of the street is "good" on Monday and Thursday--the other is "good" Tuesday and Friday. Wednesday is a free day in most neighborhoods. People double park on the good side during the no parking hours. They read, listen to music, sleep in their cars until about 15 minutes before the time is over. They then have first crack at parking on the bad side--which will be the next good side.



Got that? And don't forget that the good and bad days and times vary every few blocks.



And don't dare park by a school.



The pro parkers know all about free parking holidays.



And the smartest New Yorkers--like the hubster and me--don't even bother with a car. We rent one as needed. I'd have to give up knitting or cleaning and cooking to keep track of parking a car.

****Still trying to catch up with the ABC Along. YIKES! "Q" is next. My ABCs focus on NYS/NYC things.

O is for

Outdoor dining at sidewalk cafes. ****

Despite the narrow sidewalks, the pollution, the honking of car horns, the whoosh of passing busses, the rumble of trucks, the chatter of passerbys, the shifty looks of street people, the curious dogs -- any street in NYC can feel like a boulevard in Paris.

We've had some very spring-like November weather and New Yorkers, eager to prolong the start of winter, sat down this week to enjoy one more meal, another glass of wine.

Some of these photos were taken late morning when the light was good--but there were no customers yet. Believe me, they were bustling by lunchtime and all afternoon.










****Still way, way behind with the ABC Along. But chugging along. My ABCs are focusing on NYS/NYC.