On Saturday, the day before my Montauk trip, I took a long walk from Bushwick, Brooklyn, up into central Queens. It was a perfect walking day, cool but not cold, with a bright blue sky. The leaves are changing on many of the trees, as you can see from this photo, shot in Ridgewood, Queens.
I'd never been to that part of Queens before. It was pretty, with quiet streets and nice townhouses. There are some big cemeteries in that area, and they give the area a parklike feel, with all the grass and trees.
I mentioned Edie Adams the other day -- I stumbled onto a great video clip of her on YouTube. It's actually very touching, and if you're a fan of "I Love Lucy," you'll definitely want to watch.
When you wander, do you take a map or do you really walk wherever your feet take you? I love to wander, although it's mostly in a car. Some of the best places are those you never planned to see. Getting lost and then getting found can be a lot of fun (if you're not in a big hurry).
ReplyDeleteIt is touching! (The vid.) How sweet - and I love her lacy dress.
ReplyDeleteAll things must pass away as George Harrison said. What a wonderful send-off Edie gave to the I Love Lucy show.
I have always been quite fond of walking in cemeteries... in some communities they are considered parks for the living - of course some are more conducive to strolling than others.
ReplyDeletewhen people come to visit me in cleveland one item on my 'must see' list of attractions is the park view cemetery - it is so beautiful, life affirming!
thanks for the vid link....beautiful all around - song, voice, and of course lovely edie - rest in peace....
Poignant; her singing gave me chills. It's a shame Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball couldn't surmount their difficulties.
ReplyDeleteI've never spent much time in 'the outer boroughs'; nice to be able to stride along!
B: I usually don't take a map, but I look at a map beforehand just to figure out the main streets and where the subways are, etc. Sometimes I have to ask directions -- like on Saturday, at the end of my trek, I'd accidentally passed the subway station and had to ask to find it. But I have a very good sense of direction and memory for maps, so usually I do pretty well on my own.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely. I tend to get the general picture in my head and then just ad lib. I want to know just enough to be able to recognize a main street if I get lost. I too have an excellent sense of direction.
ReplyDeleteFor me a GPS takes all the fun out of navigation!
I love such foot bound wanderings. One of the things that makes me love where I live is leaving the city, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin, and then taking the bus back home.
ReplyDeleteI remember that clip of Edie Adams. I remember seeing a documentary about Desi and Lucy where Edie discussed that performance and that she was oblivious to the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Arnez were soon to split, and this was their last episode as a couple. It was touching in that she was singing about something that was long gone between the red head and the Cuban, and soon she would lose her husband. Now all four are gone.