Zumer in the City
A long year in the unknown stretched into a spring and summer of hope with vaccinations, some travel, copious time spent with friends and family, and plenty of time outdoors. After receiving my much-anticipated mRNA vaccine this spring, I was able to host a friend from California (who I know from HUC Cincinnati) for her second stay in the city. We then took an unforgettable road trip with stops in Baltimore (hello old Jewish Baltimore, the Harbor, and Fort McHenry!), the Historic Triangle (her first time in Yorktown and Jamestown, including a nostalgic ferry ride), and Durham (Elmo’s and Uni Pride) on the way to celebrate my grandmother’s 92nd birthday (biz 120! – though I love her factors of 23×4!). From North Carolina, we stopped in Asheville a couple nights, followed by a stop in Knoxville, TN to visit family, and finally Cincinnati to see friends, comb the HUC Klau Library Yiddish collection, visit the Archives, have a jam session, visit the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, and see professors. My dad drove back to Brooklyn with me (for the summer – we built a new kitchen!), including a stop in Williamsport, PA on the way for genealogy.
This summer included copious exploration with my dad and plenty of time with friends in the city. We walked the Williamsburg, Manhattan, & Brooklyn Bridges, visited museums (Tenement and MTA were highlights), heard LIVE MUSIC (including Sharabi, the Beary Brothers, Eléonore Biezunski and Pete Rushefsky, Calvin Johnson and Native Son). We explored the Brooklyn Heights neighbourhood places of Henry Ward Beecher, took genealogy walks, enjoyed bubble tea, dumplings, ramen, seafood, mofongo, pizza, bagels (of course), and ice cream. I made varenikes (pierogies), kreplakh, new flavours of challah, yellow velvet cake, Israeli breakfasts, and sabich. We went to outside KabShabs with the Wandering Jews of Astoria and finally visited the Bay Ridge Jewish Center. We went to the Greek Jewish Festival at Kehila Kedosha Janina, saw Merry Wives (the Public) at the Delacorte, went to more Shakespeare at Bryant Park, hung out on a boat at the 125th St. Hudson Pier, enjoyed Smorgasburg, took a tour in the Heights, watched Tribeca Film Festival movies, and battled the rains from Elsa on a short trip to Tarrytown to visit my aunt. We went out of town for Independence Day to visit cousins in the DC area, with a stop in Baltimore. We went to reopening block parties in the LES (Tenement Museum) and Corona (Louis Armstrong House Museum). My dad took several bike trails (Shore Road, Hudson Greenway) and enjoyed the Cloisters, Museum of Natural History, and the Met.
Last week I was fortunate to join the Worker’s Circle Trip to Yiddishland. My next post will include stories from an unbelievable, elevated week filled with music, fraynd, poetry, culture, memory, and hope. I will include some history of the Worker’s Circle and Camp Kinder Ring.
