Let's Go Explore: Upper Montclair

As you may or may not know, I teach in New Jersey. Before I took this job, I hadn't spent much time in Jersey, and I definitely had expectations about the state before I started going there on a regular basis.

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I am happy to report that New Jersey, or at least the parts of it I see on a regular basis, is absolutely nothing like what I thought it would be. There are cute houses and pretty trees and adorable shopping centers - and absolutely none of my students are in the running to be the next Jersey Shore cast member. I've actually found all the people to be quite lovely.

There's one area that I pass by on the train that I've been wanting to spend more time in. It always looks like a picturesque little storybook town. Also, my grandmother grew up near this area, so I wanted to see the house where my father spent his childhood vacations. One sunny day, it was time to explore.

On the bus to New Jersey, I texted my dad to get his grandfather's address. I Google Mapped it to find out it's only a mile and a half from my school - sweet! Thanks iPhone! After class and my office hours, I walked down a pretty little neighborhood street, listening to my cousin's music and taking in the wind.

It was really cool to be wandering around in a neighborhood. Except for the few days I was in South Florida, I honestly can't remember the last time I was in a real, big houses, backyards neighborhood. And these were SOME HOUSES. As I approached the end of the street, I had this overwhelming feeling. I just knew I was getting close to my great grandfather's house. Apparently I had driven by this house when I was 6, and I saw a picture of it a year or so ago. But I don't think that was it. There was an air about this place. I knew it had history. My family's history. My history.

Once I saw/enjoyed/stalked the house, I made my way into the Upper Montclair town center. What a cute little area! Full of adorable shops and cafes. There were at least five stationary stores. One of my favorite things was this little alleyway that led to more stores.

But my absolute favorite part of town was this 4 screen movie theatre. I've seen it from the train a million times and I usually consider getting off and catching a film. It's just so cute! I mentioned it to my dad and he said "Was the movie theater the Bellevue? If so, your uncle stole a replica of the Bounty when Bounty on the Mutiny showed there in 196-whatever it was." Awesome.

Such a fun area to explore. I'm glad I got to play around a little bit on a workday!

(All photos personal unless otherwise credited)

Let's Go Explore. Explore. Explore.

It's spring break, and I've pretty much only done two things:

1. Read in coffee shops and bakeries
2. Wander, often aimlessly, around New York City

I'd say that in the last week or so, I've probably walked at least a half marathon if not a full marathon. It's starting to get sunny out, and that pretty much only means one thing: Exploring. Everywhere. Mostly the Upper West Side.

On Saturday, I walked down through the Upper West Side to Central Park. I apparently forgot that my camera was capable of taking pictures for a while. I then met up with Jungle K and some of her friends down in Union Square for some delicious upscale dining hall food at Vapiano. Yum! Then we wandered around Greenwich Village and SoHo for some people-watching and sightseeing. The highlight of this trip was, of course, Washington Square Park:

Sand art in Washington Square Park

Random piano player in the (empty) fountain of Washington Square Park

On Sunday, I walked down the Upper West Side again to check out one of the biggest flea markets in NYC, Greenflea. Miss M recommended this market to me a few weeks ago, and I've been dying to check it out. Every Sunday from 10 am - 5:30 pm (6 in the summer) on Columbus between 76th and 77th Streets, The Parents Association of PS 87 hosts the market to raise funds for the school. Education AND thrifting? I'm IN. There were a ton of delectable treats and fun finds. I didn't buy anything (except a samosa because they're irresistible), but I definitely want to go back. What a fabulous find! Then I sat in Magnolia Bakery with a latte, a White Chocolate Fudge Brownie, and a good book.

Before heading back uptown, and taking in the view of course.

The Cathedral never ceases to amaze me.

Random Peacock on the Cathedral grounds. What the heck? Not complaining.

Today and Monday I made my gym trips into mini walking trips as well, finding some more fun things to photograph in the Upper West Side.

An ad that made me cry. No big deal.

I will seriously give money to whoever can tell me what these creatures are.

This whole thing made me really realize just how marvelous this city is. Where else can you just wander like this? While on these adventures, I also saw Lin-Manuel Miranda, writer and star of In The Heights. It's been a pretty fabulous week. It's a shame that the second half of it must be spent in the library.

Anyone else go on safari this week?

Let's Go Explore: Midtown Manhattan

Hooray! My favorite segment is back! (It's my favorite because it involves me doing fun stuff)

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I commute to New Jersey to teach. I take the 1 pm train back and usually arrive in the city by 2 pm. I've developed all sorts of good and bad timewasting habits for my train rides - Facebook stalking, doing homework, Tumbling, grading papers, and catching up on NY happenings. Today, I was balancing reading a textbook and reading my iPhone, and one of my favorite blogs reported that 30 Rock would be filming at 30 Rock all day today.


ALL DAY?! That's a long time. Usually it's a few hour window, and you're lucky if you make it there in time with all the celebrity stalkers. Now, I knew it wasn't a guaranteed thing since the weather was iffy all day, but since my train would arrive in Penn Station (about 1.2 miles from Rockefeller Center), and I'm a bit stir crazy from a studious weekend, I had to take the chance.


Now before you read any further, I should tell you that I didn't see 30 Rock being filmed. It all but hurricaned this morning; I arrived in Manhattan during a dry period, but it was clearly going to rain again. I don't know how filmmakers account for this kind of thing, but I have a feeling they couldn't film outside today.


I DID, however, have a lovely hour and a half long excursion through touristy midtown (and I burned 200 calories walking & carrying my backpack around - bonus!). I started at the flagship Macy's, which is right across the street from Penn. I had walked by Macy's before, but I had never been inside. It's just like any other Macy's, except slightly bigger, much busier, and more spread-out. It's kind of like a Macy's-Mall-hybrid. OF COURSE they were having a sale, so I bought myself a little present.

A Betsey Johnson Panda Necklace! Swoon.

Then I headed over to Herald Square to see one of my favorite statues in the city, the James Gordon Bennett Monument, also known as the Bennett Clock. It features a lovely statue of Minerva, Roman Goddess of Wisdom, complete with two tireless workers to chime the bell and lots of owls.

According to the inscription, Minerva and the Bellringers stood atop Joseph Gordon Bennett's New York Herald building, tolling hourly from 1895 to 1921. In 1928, they were restored to their original location and continue to be officially maintained by the Parks Department. However, as of 1940, the statues don't actually hit the bell anymore - it's all an illusion (one that cost the city $200,000 in restoration a few years ago!). Anyway, I adore Minerva and her owls, so this is my favorite.

Then I walked up Fashion Ave to say hello to my good friends Patience and Fortitude at the NY Public Library

 (This one is Patience)

And finally, I ended my trip with a snack and a visit to Rockefeller Center, which was sadly empty, but always majestic. It will always be one of my favorite architectural spots in the city.

So much Greek mythology! No wonder Percy Jackson put Olympus here.

It started raining the minute I finished my sandwich, so I bolted to the B train and headed back uptown. All in all, a successful exploration! I found touring these touristy areas as a local surprisingly zen.


Do you have any places (no matter how touristy!) in your city that you can see over and over again and never tire of?

Let's Go Explore: Riverside Park

My To Do list for this week is pretty epic, but I'm refusing to let it get to me. As soon as possible, I need to switch cell phone plans, figure out where the heck my Apple iWork rebate ended up, AND find two long lost packages that made delivery attempts on Saturday before my mailroom opened. What's that, a cell phone company, technical support/customer service AND the US Postal Service? Maybe I'll go the DMV this week too, just for fun.

So this morning, after a failed trip to the post office to find my long lost textbooks, I decided I needed some kind of release. It's nice outside today, warmer than it has been, but not nearly as hot as it was last week. I decided to walk down to Riverside Park and see the Hudson, up close and personal.

Riverside Park stretches four miles along the Hudson River, from 72nd St to 158th St. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (of Central Park fame) in the late 1800s. I am constantly amazed at the park system in this city. The way the walkways accommodate the naturally hilly landscape just astounds me. Although I only saw a small portion of Riverside Park today, I look forward to getting to know one of my closest parks a little better over the next coming weeks.

And of course, I never go anywhere without my iPhone, so here are some shots of the park this morning!

Pretty trees on one of the walking paths

Trees along the soccer field, with the river in the background

Hello Hudson! And a soccer game going on

A lovely shaded pathway
Not pictured: a ton of people and puppies out playing today