Game on!

 Much to my delight, there is a regular board game meetup in Forest Hills at a restaurant a short walk from where I am living. About a dozen people turned up tonight and I got to learn a new game. This will most definitely become my regular Tuesday night hangout going forward.

On another bright note...my Amazon package arrived after all! A good day all in all.

One of those days

Below freezing temperatures and gusty winds. 

Plus my favorite neighborhood pizza place is no more and the new one I tried was so-so. 

Then discovering that my favorite black jeans have a hole in them. 

Finally, a notice that my highly anticipated delivery from Amazon has arrived...only it hasn't, or if it was delivered someone must have stolen it.

Some days it's better not to get out of bed in the morning.

Aesthetics

Some photos of Queens Boulevard, the main drag where I live. Hard to get used to after 27 years in the beautiful city of Stockholm. The red brick, six-story residential buildings are typical of this neighborhood. Many have storefronts on the ground floor. New since I lived here are the green bicycle lanes...very convenient indeed.

Still, every once in a while you can run across Spring awakening:

There are parts of this neighborhood that are very lovely. I'll have to get on my bike soon and take some shots of Forest Hills Gardens.

Other than that, a relatively uneventful day relaxing at home. Oh, and a food run to the local supermarket where I bagged my own groceries much to the surprise of the cashier. 

 

Company in good company

We all went to high school together. All these years later, we still enjoy each other's company and today's was a very special outing to see a reimaged staging of the first Sondheim musical I ever saw...when I was in high school. The theater was packed, everyone wore masks and was required to present a vaccine certificate. 

On the way to the theater, we passed through Times Square, amazingly deplete of the usual throngs of people.

On the way home, I finally could renew my NYC library card. It's good for three years until it must be renewed again...which you can only do in person. Even during the pandemic. There are ways in which the US is soooo analog it just boggles the mind.

On the other hand, here's one more item for the "can't get that in Sweden"-list: unsalted tortilla chips...the best! No salt to hide the taste of the corn.

Plus ça change...

 Some things I appreciate about my old neighborhood:

• You can still get a manicure for $12 (though really $17 if you include the mandatory tip). Still, about one-third the price you'd pay in Stockholm. Nice to be able to make this a bi-monthly routine without going into debt.
• The large variety of food available, including potato perogies traditionally eaten with sour cream. Yummy!

                            

Recieved an unsolicited message from a woman who apparently used to live in the same building as my parents and I. She remembers them and the neighborhood candy store they owned well. That store was sold in the early 1980s so we are going back several decades here. It was very sweet of her to reach out and it warmed my heart to be remembered so fondly. 

And so it begins...

Woke up to a dreary, rainy and windy first day in my old neighborhood of Forest Hills. Dreamed last night that this move was a big mistake and wished that I were safe and cosy in my bed back at Ölandsgatan. Yikes!

Too late now...better get on with life. My childhood friend Joy and her husband Chris were here to greet me when I arrived last night. Joy and I have known each other since grade school (too many years to mention :-)). She has generously offered to let me stay in her apartment for as long as it takes me to move into my own place. 

Chris was busy making coffee when I emerged from my room. Off I went to buy milk and bagels. BAGELS! The real stuff. The day was already beginning to look up. Maybe this move wasn't a mistake after all?

A yummy breakfast and nice chat with Chris served to lift my spirits. Despite the lousy weather, today I managed to:

• Get a bike (see photo)
• Sign up for a local phone service
• Get a massage (my back is soooo grateful)
• Shop at my favorite grocery store

It's dinnertime now...more tomorrow.