Trying to take it easy...

The coffee on this trip has been terrible. We've had some that have been weaker than tea, stronger than tar, bitter or watery or flavourless - it's all bad. This morning's discovery of the Puerto Rico Importing Company in the newly-opened Essex Market, and the subsequent perfectly poured cappuccino that followed were only bettered by the accompanying conversation with the barista and his apprentice. And it was a great way to start the day.

We find ourselves in this corner of the city, the Lower East Side, to learn about the history of immigrants and the tenement houses of the 19th - 20th century. The Tenement Museum offers fantastic guided tours through actual ruined and restored buildings, some lovingly brought back to the state they were in when last housing families, pre-1930. We tour the apartment of a Jewish tailor, who worked out of his home in the 1890s, and learn how the stigma of "sweatshops" we imagine today are not what they started out being. These people, often accompanied by 2 or 3 employees, would create garments for department stores in their parlour, the largest of 3 rooms in their homes. The apartments measured about 325 square feet, and could house up to 12 people at times, so running a business inside one was quite the feat! What's even more amazing are the layers of history on the walls and floors and ceilings of the tenements. There have been 22 layers of wallpaper discover in some rooms, and the wooden railing to the central staircase is original, preserved with the oils of thousands of tenants' hands, and now ours, too. It gives us a renewed interest in the buildings we walk past now on the neighboring streets, wondering about the stories of those families, what shops or business were run out of their buildings, what history their walls might hold.

One family that still runs their business, 4 generations later, is the Russ family, specializing in smoked fish, so our next stop is Russ & Daughters, for bagels and smoked salmon. The Russ family was exceptional for the time, since keeping business in the family was common practice, but rarely passed on to girls. Currently, it is the grandson who is owner of the shop, and with a new cafe open a few streets away from the original location, this family business will keep going strong, especially if their smoked fish stay this delicious! Sitting on the grass in Tompkins Square Park, snacking on our bagels, we watch the city happen around us, with a greater appreciation for where it has come from and how it has grown.

When planning this trip, I mapped out a few walking tours in the Lower East Side, marked off a whole slew of places to eat at, foods we needed to try. Sitting in Davey's Ice Cream shop, pouring over the map with a scoop of pistachio in hand, we realize that we are too stuffed to eat anymore, feet too tired to walk very far, heads too foggy to appreciate it all. Yesterday was a long day, with a lot of walking, and between Mario's old injuries and my new ones(hello blisters!), we might be better off cutting our losses and taking it easy. So back to Essex market we go, for one more delicious coffee to keep up our stamina, and then it's a comfy ride on the subway to Central Park to recharge our batteries in nature. 







We laze on a rock next to the Pond, taunting ducks and chasing turtles for an hour, feeling refreshed again. Then, it's back to the bus to New Jersey, but not before picking up a whole cheese pizza from the same place as last night, and for less than the price of the transit tickets! Delivery, anyone?

Oh, and we get off at the right stop today, too, thank you very much.