After a safe return from my hometown(s) in Texas, I found a new spirit of journey for my adopted city. Slim and I have taken to a new adventure every weekend and found sensational surprises along the way.
We returned to McCarren Park for a delicious picnic with friends. We laid in the sun and felt the warmth of spring creeping into the city. We shared stories, champagne, scrumptious snacks and a delivery of free Red Bulls sent us right over the edge.
Last Saturday we found a plethora of complimentary events around the city and made an adventure of our own.
We began at the MTA Transit Museum located in the Grand Central Terminal to view a free display of "WHERE NEW YORK BEGAN: ARCHEOLOGY AT THE SOUTH FERRY TERMINAL." The 'museum' part of the exhibit was smaller the the 'gift shop' portion, but it was a good way to spend part of our afternoon.
We walked from the Grand Central Terminal to the Main Branch of the New York Public Library to view a free exhibit of Voltaire's Candide. The exhibit is kept in a temperature- controlled room just off to the left of the main entrance. Through the lightly colored wooden door, was a room the size of our slight space on the Upper East Side with added vaulted ceilings. The exhibit brings together the history of the piece to the modern interpretations in an abrupt but informative way.
After our premeditated historical excursions through Mid-Town, it was time for an undesigned trip into history. Various subway lines throughout the five boroughs have been closed or sealed off when new tracks made their way into the city. Most portals are no longer accessible to passengers.
I heard mention of a City Hall terminal no longer in use on our 6 train at the last stop on the south side of Manhattan. Tales were such of grand ceilings, chandeliers and pianos (?) in the turn-around for the southbound trains driving to the northbound tracks.
The catch: Once the last stop is made at the Brooklyn Bridge, the conductor announces the last stop for the train and asks everyone to please leave the train. The announcement was made and it was decision time. Do we chance it? Yes.
We were on the car with two older ladies that sat down once the train let off all other passengers. We assumed they were in on the adventure. The train doors shut, and we thought we were clear. Then another announcement from the conductor for everyone to clear the train. The doors opened and Slim was ready to bail. The old ladies ditched us.
We were sitting very still and our eyes opened wide trying not to make a sound so the conductor wouldn't notice us. The doors closed, and we began our slow creep into the darkness. Success!
Once we started, we were on the lookout for the marvels that lay ahead. The opulence of the past. We spotted the "City Hall' stop underground and clapped and cheered for our victory. It was dark, so we did not see much in the way of shiny chandeliers or intricate murals. We felt victorious, none the less.
The train stopped.
Slim and I began to get nervous. Our eyes widened and we sat in silence. I had not thought this plan all the way through. What if they parked the train in a holding station for the rest of the day. There was nothing outside our windows but black walls.
Crisis plan in the making: We would run through the cars until we got to the conductor's booth and call for help. If no one answered, we would climb into the tracks until we got back to the last stop and crawl out. We still weren't moving.
Then the train started towards the uptown track. We were so relieved! What an adventure! I highly recommend this to anyone, anytime. While we didn't see all the magnificence of the forgotten stop, we were excited to know we were in a place others haven't seen in a long time. A hidden gem.
(I tried to upload photos but no luck. I am not happy with blogspot uploading photos option, btw.)
