February 2010 TRUCKER TALK
I (HEART) NEW YORK!
BY WRITER & DRIVER KIM GRIMM
I never thought I’d say this but, “I love New York!” My friend Pete and I made deliveries in New York City twice in September of 2009, and both times I had some downtime while we waited to unload. This gave me some time to check things out around this infamous city. I visited the normal places, like Ground Zero, but I also had some other adventures in the city that gave me a totally different outlook on both the city and the people who live there.
Sitting right in front of the United Nations building (where our deliveries were made), we were in a perfect place to people-watch. We watched people who worked there every day, people visiting from other nations, neighbors walking their dogs, and some people just on their way to wherever. Right across the street was Trump Tower (where we heard that the apartments rent for $30,000), and just a short walk down the block, you could look across the river at Long Island.
Talking with two guys working on the U.N. building (they are doing some major construction there), they reassured us that riding the subway was safe and pointed us in the right direction of a few must-see sites. Our first stop, which was within walking distance, was an ice cream shop called Serendipity that had just been featured on Oprah the week before (the guys told us that their frozen hot chocolate was the best). When we got there, we were surprised to find that it was a small place and that it was not very busy. The waiter told us that if we had been there a week earlier, the wait would have been over an hour. We didn’t have the frozen hot chocolate, but the peanut butter pie and the carrot cake we had were just as delicious! And the 16-block walk to get there and get back wasn’t bad for us truck drivers, either.
On the walk to the ice cream shop, we passed several restaurants, some of which had their menus posted outside. I was surprised at how reasonable most of the prices were. Yes, there were some that were obscenely expensive, but most were very reasonable. I had come to NYC with the idea that all of the food there would be outrageously priced – I was quite happy to find that wasn’t the case. We ate at the United Nations Café a few times and the food was great, the waiters were awesome, and the prices comparable to (or less than) some truck stops – and let me tell you, the truck stops couldn’t match the quality. On top of that, our construction friends gave us a card that gave us a 15% discount!
The next day, I walked to a little flower shop that was about seven blocks away. I bought a cactus to take home, and the nice Asian woman who ran the shop planted it in a little clay pot for me and wrapped it all up so it wouldn’t get damaged on the trip back. When I asked her about how the city had changed after 9/11 she said, “People used to take everything for granted and now they appreciate things more.” I think maybe my NYC experience might have been different nine years ago.
Comfortable shoes are a must in NYC. I don’t know how some of the women I saw could walk around the city in their high heels. One night we walked to an Amish Market that served yummy kiln-baked pizzas. I was surprised at how many street vendors there were around the city. You could buy bagels, hot dogs, fresh fruit, smoothies, pictures, t-shirts and just about anything else.
When you are walking from place to place, like many do in NYC, it can really deter you from buying big items or too much – when you know that you have to lug whatever you buy for 10 or 15 blocks, you tend to look for smaller things. I found one little shop to buy my few souvenirs and, while there, helped a man buy t-shirts for his nieces. The shop owner was very friendly and funny (and reasonably priced). And whenever I asked someone for help, most people, if they knew the city, were happy to point me in the right direction. Contrary to popular belief, most of the people in the city really were nice and helpful!
Based on what I had heard from some people and seen on television, I had a fear of riding the subway. I thought it would be a dark, seedy, dangerous place, but boy was I wrong. I walked about six blocks to the entrance of Grand Central Terminal. Once there, I asked a woman police officer which train I needed to take to get to Ground Zero. She not only showed me where to go, but she also gave me a map of the entire subway system that folded up to the size of a business card. Let me tell you, this place was incredible! With artfully-designed hallways, cool shops, clean bathrooms and nice places to eat, there was nothing scary about it at all – and the price to ride was only $2.25 each way (a cab would have cost me a small fortune).
I talked about my time at Ground Zero in a previous article (October 2009), which included a nice talk with another friendly police officer, lunch at a nearby café and a visit to a firehouse, but being in that part of the city (Lower Manhattan), takes your breath away. Its one thing to see the impressive skyline from across the river, but that does not compare to standing there in between all those giant buildings with all those people. Wow – I was clearly not in Wisconsin anymore!
I also took the subway to Times Square and then walked back to the truck. I bought two pictures of the city skyline from a young street vendor – one picture had the Twin Towers in it and the other had two beams of light, shooting into the sky, in their place. On the way there, I started talking to a man who was waiting for the same train. I made a comment about how the entire city has a basement underneath it (referring to the subway system). He agreed and then proceeded to tell me that the subway was originally started in 1904. I might have to do more investigating about that, which could make for an interesting story later.
I actually enjoyed all of the walking and sight-seeing I did in New York City, and I really enjoyed the people. I still have $4.75 left on my subway ticket and it’s good for a year, so I guess I’ll have to go back soon. The city has so much to offer. Every other time I was in New York, I was focused on maneuvering the tight streets in a loaded big rig, making my delivery and getting the heck out of there as fast as possible. But now that I’ve actually got to see some of the city and actually experience it outside the truck, I truly understand what those “I (heart) NY” bumper stickers and t-shirts really mean. I can’t wait to go back!