Saturday, August 2, 2014

Up North

I'm lucky. Through blogging I've gotten to meet many wonderful people. Today was another gem.

I spent the day with Aimee who, in addition to having a cool name, is one of the most interesting people I've ever met. She's smart, talented, informed about numerous subjects, and a pleasure to be with. We talked for six hours non-stop and it felt like five minutes. Aimee showed me Troy, an industrial town whose heyday was a century ago. Now, it's decaying while some struggle to revive it. We enjoyed the old buildings, chic boutiques and Farmers' Market on a lovely day that magically avoided rain in its forecast.

We had lunch in an exceptional restaurant on par with any in NYC. My Egg's Benedict was topped with blackened catfish, an addition I've never encountered before. Scrumptious.

Life is rarely all good, however. The ride up was challenging. I got soaked in two heavy rainstorms -- but that wasn't the worst part. The hardest section was an hour of stop-and-go traffic on the dreaded Cross Bronx Expressway. Everyone in New York knows this road to be the most congested in the city but I foolishly chose to endure it. In 85-degree heat in full motorcycle gear. I literally sweated off ten pounds. And my left hand, which had to pull in the clutch constantly for an hour without relief, ached something awful. But as bikers say, it was still better than staying home. And if it was the price to pay to meet someone as amazing as Aimee, I forked over the tariff and consider myself lucky.

11 comments:

  1. Sounds like an amazing day (except of course for the Cross Bronx Expressway). Hope you have photos to share with us.

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    1. When I get home, Lynn. I'm typing on an iPad now.

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  2. Sounds like an awesome day! I always love meeting fellow bloggers.
    xo
    styleontheside.com

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  3. Blogger catch up's always sounds so amazing and I always get a little jealous!

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  4. "It's better than staying home." Why did I not know this? Brilliant.

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  5. Enduring roads like the CBE is awful. The price us riders have to pay, though. Glad the visit was worth it.

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  6. You've had a bunch of awesome meetups lately! I am sorry it poured on you though!

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  7. My eggs benedict was with blackened catfish sound AWESOME!

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  8. yikes...i can imagine the toll on your hand in that traffic...same as with a stick shift car. my leg would totally cramp up in traffic, but i just loved driving standard.

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    1. Same problem. And I love manual transmission, too. Gina has it.

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  9. Hahaha...I love that. "It was better than staying home." I've never heard that before!

    Sorry about the rough commute. I don't have AC in my vintage mustang. I usually just roll the windows down and it's perfect. But there have been times when I felt like I was baking (and was soaked in sweat!) during a long drive. Ugh....

    xo

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