Walking Tour: Chelsea

I like walking but anything faster than a leisurely stroll makes me a dinosaur. So it wasn't surprising that after day of walking all around The Village brought out the monster. Jason is hell-bent on tiring us today—he showed the Chelsea neighborhood on foot and brought us to all the areas he visited before Paul and I arrived the other day. Here’s a rundown of our day’s ordeal, er, itinerary:

McDonald’s: Again, for breakfast. Paul’s choice. He chose it instead of the cozy-looking lazy morning coffee shops. It was the worst breakfast I’ve had and I promise not repeat. It’s weird going to this fastfood chain for the second time when there are tons to try, like Chipotle. Unfortunately, Paul had ample e-coli warnings against Chipotle and would not dare dine at one during our stay. We could have at least tried Le Pain Quotidien.

There it is--the pretty building!

New York Public Library: Picturesque and pretty architecture. We explored the basement library first, where Paul decided to stay with a book while Jason and I went upstairs. I badly wanted to mimic Paul, get a good poetry book and put my feet up… But Jason wasn’t up for staying at the library and just walked around like a typical tourist. We left after a few minutes. I will come back without the boys, I swear.

Inside the library

From the library, we headed toward the park and came across nice brick townhouses in that side of Manhattan. I surprisingly love this area. 

What are these? They are pretty.

Some houses have markers that contain information on writers and the time period they stayed in the houses to work on books.

 

Basements are very common in Manhattan and NYC. Maybe because they do not worry about floods on rainy days. And maybe it's an effort to maximise space. Despite the large land areas in residential districts, houses and other establishments are vertical instead of horizontal.

Paul poses for Alab, again

Washington Square Park: This officially made me love pocket parks in NYC. We shot a video under falling yellow leaves with playing squirrels. And despite being a Monday, there were numerous visitors savoring the last days of autumn. 

Paul was eager to get good profile shots—Jason and I brought our DSLRs and made him our subject for the day. (I also like that the park is a stone’s throw away from NYU, my top school choice in case I take up creative writing in the east coast.)

Apart from the falling leaves, I also like the artworks in the park, like this unfinished statement piece in support of Paris. Though I think it should be "City of Lights" instead of "City of Light"--but then again, the artist might not be pertaining to Paris, which would make the sentence correct albeit, with a washed down message.

After tiring ourselves silly, we left the park to find lunch.

Some more pretty flowers

Benny’s Burritos: Our late lunch stop, which served nachos while we await our orders. I got a large steak burrito with black beans and rice—and it comes with frozen margarita! Oohlala! The order takes awhile to arrive but our host, Thalia, was very accommodating. We ended up taking snaps and vids of the whole waiting experience. 

When it finally came out of the kitchen, the heavens opened to bless our tummies. Mine had well done steaks chopped into thick strips—the most delicious burrito I’ve had in years. (And I don’t even like burritos.) The serving is big enough to share; I only finished 1/3 of mine and Paul, who always finishes his food left 1/3 of his. Would I come back? Absolutely! And will bring a good book with me too.

Some Bohemian store: We stepped in because Jason said she wants to get something for our officemate. We ended up just looking around and buying nothing because he deemed the item too expensive. I like the place, it’s bombarded  with bright colors, from Indian tapestries to small trinkets that suit a gypsy bohemian. In my head I know I can do those at home for art attack moods.

Jason found this polar bear for the Christmas tree, which was made in the Philippines! It's so cute!

Some underground comic store: Jason’s pick. There are obvious perks at being team leader for the second time. Paul didn’t go in, said he doesn’t like comics. I saw a Sandman comic book by Neil Gaiman. Mr. Cashier Man probably noticed and after I picked it up, looked at the price tag, and laid it back, crept through the small space and said: “Oh, I forgot to put this sticker on this book.” It was a 20% discount. I bought said book immediately.

Church at W14th: I like architecture so this church is an eye-catcher. The boys waited outside while I went in to offer a wish. It mostly caters to American Spanish locals.

The Highline: An old and abandoned railroad that was transformed into an elevated park. Paul, scared of heights, clung to Jason while we ascended the park. I like the idea and the views that came with the long walk. I think this area is more picturesque during the summers, where flowers are in full bloom.

For sale at The Highline

There are also artworks in the area--I like Manhattan for that. It's my first to see a physical graffiti and among those in the area, this is my favourite:

The Highline is surrounded by contemporary and interesting architecture, some are residential areas. If I'm living in Manhattan, I'll burn my money to live in a unit here:

Because it has this view:

Port Authority Bus Terminal: Where we bought Greyhound bus tickets; Paul for Boston while mine for Stafford, VA. I got tickets for $45. I was already in a bad mood because of too much walking.

Off-Broadway: Jason was supposed to watch Spring Awakening later today and while having lunch, Paul and I figured we can watch Avenue Q while he’s at it. When we arrived, I was too exhausted I just want to go home and lie down. We ended up going home, me in my bratty self (only happens when I’m tired and sweaty and hungry.)

I ate my burrito in Brooklyn, left another 1/3 and stuffed it in the fridge, where it will rest in peace. I slept in with aching calves and hamstrings. I eventually decided to go explore Manhattan at my own pace for the remainder of the trip. - 12/14/2015