Day 10: NYC with the Silvermans

Day 10: June 9th, New York City. I spent the evening of the 8th at Joan's apartment on Central Park North where we enjoyed tea, listened to music, and watched a little TV. I came back pretty late from visiting with Vijay, and honestly, I really felt awful as I was heading back on the subway. I was really pushing too hard and hadn't given myself any time to recover.

After waking up the next morning, I thought I was feeling a bit better, and Joan noted that my eye looked a little better. I also wasn't coughing incessantly as I had been the night before. I was hopeful that my health problems were behind me, but this was not to be the case. Joan left around 11am to attend graduation at the school where she teaches. I took the afternoon to relax a bit and write the previous blog entry. Joan is packing and moving out of New York, so she doesn't have an internet connection, but I still was able to author the entry on my laptop. Later that afternoon, after finishing the blog entry, I made my way to Society Coffee in Harlem, a short walk from her apartment, in order to upload the blog entry on their wi-fi connection. On the way there, I came across a gas station in which every single car fueling up was a yellow NYC cab! It was definitely an unusual sight, but not so unusual here in NYC.

As I enjoyed a tasty white hot chocolate at Society, I received an expected call from Ken Silverman, a good friend of my deceased brother Bill. Ken & I have remained in touch over the years and I was very excited to be able to visit with Ken and his family here in Manhattan. Ken is on the production team for the touring company of the broadway musical Wicked. Recently, Ken flew with his team in a chartered private jet to promote the show in 21 cities in ten days. I met up with him while he was in Schenectady and was invited to the promotion at Proctor's theater. It featured some of the actors performing scenes from Wicked. Also, when the promotion was over, I followed him to the airport where I got to sit in the pilot's seat of the Hawker 800 jet and chat with the pilot.

Ken gave me instructions as to how to make my way to 190th St. station on the Hudson side of the island, which is just about the end of the subway line up there. He lives on Ft. Washington right near Ft. Tryon Park and The Cloisters. So, I boarded the subway at 116th St. to catch the C to 168th St. where I could change to the A to 190th. Just after I entered the station a B train went by, but I didn't get on board, since I was waiting for a C train. 15 minutes later an empty C train went throught the station, but didn't stop. Someone on the platform threw an empty plastic bottle at it in frustration. 20 minutes pass and no trains at all! Thankfully, I had a subway map on my iPhone and realized that I could have taken the B after all and changed to the A at 145th St. Finally, a train arrived, but it was a B. I hopped on with this new knowledge and began making my way north. It was nice to be able to be resourceful in such an unfamiliar setting. Unfortunately, there was no cell phone service underground, so there was no way to alert Ken that I was going to be late.

I found Ken waiting for me at the subway exit, but not before heading out the wrong exit which put me in a different part of town with a tall rock face between me and where I wanted to go. I had to go back in to the station, take an elevator to the top, and Ken was there waiting for me. Ken didn't complain about the wait and took me on the short walk to his place. Before we got there, I heard voices from several stories up. No, it wasn't a jumper. It was Tara and Jasmine yelling down for Daddy from the sixth floor!

I spent some wonderful time with Ken and his wife Leah and go to know his lovely daughters. Ken asked if they'd like their new uncle Joel to read a bedtime story, but no, they wanted daddy, so he obliged. Next, they were tucked into bed and I could hear Ken singing a song to them in their room. What a great dad!

As it got later, I began to feel a little bit out of sorts again, this time, the sore throat that I had suffered in Newport returned, but with a vengance. I bid the Silverman's farewell and headed back to Joan's apartment. I stopped into a deli right around the corner from Joan's, and they were still making sandwiches at 11pm. I picked up a sandwich and a pint of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food. The first thing I did when arriving at Joan's was to gargle with hot salt water, which provided a little relief. Next, I sat with Joan watching "The Italian Job" and began to eat my sandwich. My throat was so painful that I would wince at every swallow! Even the ice cream, which I thought might be soothing was painful to eat. I thought that weather and mountains would be the biggest impedements on this trip. I did not expect health to be such a major factor. I was frustrated because I thought that my illness was about to put the trip on hold. I went to bed early, hoping for my throat to heal overnight. Unfortunately, the pain prevented me from sleeping a wink that night. I finally managed an hour or so and got up around 11am. My plans for Day 11 included flights to Pittstown, NJ and Philadelphia.

Day 9: Long Island, Bridgeport, Poughkeepsie, New York City

I ended day 8, Sunday, June 7^th, in Long Island with the Spaeth family. That evening , we had a little jam session: Pete on lead guitar and vocals, his son Jonah on bass, and I sang harmony. Despite not having played together in quite a while, we sounded great. We’re ready for the next gig. After that, we hopped into the hot tub for a nice therapeutic session. I have been battling a cold since Martha’s Vineyard and the hot tub came as a welcome relief.

During the day on Sunday, I had noticed my left eye bothering me a bit when we went to the Martha Clara Vineyard. That night, it really began to become irritated. I spent much time trying to see if there was a foreign body in my eye, only to discover that I have viral conjunctivitis. This, in addition to a cold, bronchitis, and sore throat that I’m battling. After a restless sleep, I got up early so that I could continue the trip. There was much planned for Day 9.

The itinerary for Day 9 called for breakfast in Bridgeport, CT, lunch in the Poughkeepsie area, and dinner in Manhattan. The plan was executed without a hitch. I began by flying VFR from Mattitituck, Long Island to Bridgeport, CT. I told everyone to meet at 8:30am. I arrived at 8:20am.

I was to meet up with members of the Northeast Pilots’ Group (NEPG) , a flying club I belong to that has members scattered throughout NY and New England. The group maintains a calendar of fly-in events through which we all meet up throughout the year. Typically, these trips are within the confines of New England, NY, or NJ, but sometimes extend as far as Maryland. The group was formed in CT, so there are several members near Bridgeport who were able to come out to join me for a sendoff breakfast. Pictured
here, from left to right is Roger Ameden, Tim Dillon, Ed Haddad, me, Julia Ryan, Clark Burgard, and John DePalma. We had a great breakfast at a restaurant close to the airport. It was really great that so many came out to be a part of my trip that morning, even though many had to rush off to work afterwards. The NEPG is a great organization and I’ve met a great bunch of new friends there. Yes, this is the third time I’ve seen Ed on this trip. If he could, I think he’d join me for the whole trip.

After spending some time chatting with John DePalma at the Bridgeport airport, he decided, I needed a new hat to replace the old worn out Martha’s Vineyard hat I was wearing. Despite my old hat having a certain sense of character, he figured that a cleaner hat with an airplane on it made more sense.

The next stop was Randall field, 06N, located in the town of Middleton, NY. I took off for Randall to meet up with a longtime friend from RPI who I haven’t seen in quite some time, perhaps ten years.

I knew Mike Djirdjirian (pronounced deh-jeerian) from the amateur radio club at RPI, whose call letters were W2SZ (pronounced Whiskey 2 Sierra Zebra, or Whiskey 2 Stuck Zipper). I had once been the President of the club and he was the Vice President. The club had a ham radio shack, which was housed in a building on Sunset Terrace behind the Houston Field House. In the “shack”, we had shortwave, VHF, UHF, and satellite ham radio gear. We also had several towers and antennas, including a 120 foot tower with some massive directional antennas on top. The club also participates in a national UHF/VHF radio contest from atop the highest peak in Massachusetts, Mt. Greylock. The group is headed there to participate this weekend, as they have since the 70’s. Mike lives in Wappingers Falls, NY and now works in Middleton for a company that specializes in industrial UPS’s. It was good to see him after all this time and we discovered that we share a passion for sushi. He’s also very much into snowmobiling and ATVs. Note: take a look at my left eye in the photo with Mike.

This marathon session of flying was by no means over. Luckily, I had filed an IFR flight plan from Randall to Linden, NJ, my gateway to Manhattan. In deciding which airport to land at in order to access Manhattan, I found that Linden was the best choice for me. Obviously, I didn’t want to land at either of the big three airports: LaGuardia, JFK, or Newark, because I would be charged outrageous landing and parking fees. The jet traffic and congestion doesn't bother me; I've landed at Philly International and Honolulu International before. Teterboro is considered a good destination for general aviation, but they too have high fees for keeping your aircraft there overnight. Farmingdale on Long Island is another choice, in which you can take the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) into town. Linden only charges $10 / night to park the plane, which is surprisingly inexpensive, considering that you probably can’t park you car there for less than that. The NJ transit train will take you from Linden to Penn Station in 35 minutes for only $6.50. This turned out to be an economical and convenient option. Here, you can see my airplane parked in Linden, NJ.

New York airspace is busy and complicated. By filing IFR, I let the controllers navigate me via their preferred path into Linden. There were some special procedures for approaching Linden, that I was unaware of, but the controllers briefed me before I got close to Linden. The problem with Linden is that it is only about 5 miles to the southwest of Newark and is right in the approach/departure corridor for their largest and most-used parallel runways. Controllers vectored me to the south of Linden and turned me north to approach Linden, following a published GPS approach. Their non-published procedure required that I had to have Linden in sight 4 miles from the final approach fix and that I had to cancel IFR while still in the air. I am assuming that the reason for this is that if I had to execute a missed approach procedure, I might interfere with traffic for Newark. I was able to land there, and actually landed in parallel with a helicopter that was landing on a taxiway. Linden is also a busy heliport and it appears that the major New York TV stations base their helicopters here, or at least refuel here. My official welcome to Linden and the NY Metro area was banging my head into my propeller while placing wheel chocks on the front wheel. Several people have commented: “At least the prop wasn’t turning at the time!”

I was met at Penn station by another RPI friend, Joan Bomfim. She has been living here in NY for the past three years, teaching chemistry at an exclusive high school on the upper east side. I caught Joan in NY just as she is packing her bags to head back to the Boston area. She has graciously let me stay at her apartment while I’m here in NY, but she’ll be on her way to Boston in a week.

Soon after meeting up with her, we headed out to Rosa Mexicano to enjoy Mexican fare with Nick Maddix, another friend from RPI. I know Joan and Nick from the ham radio club, and Nick is also a pilot, although he hasn’t flown in a while. Nick is a technology entrepreneur and also a popular DJ at some local clubs. He has developed software called Anagram, which intelligently parses email messages, websites, or documents to automatically extract contact information and appointments. For example, if I emailed you and simply said: “Meet me at Rosa Mexicano next Thursday at 9pm for half an hour to discuss your project”, his software would parse that and automatically place an entry in your calendar from 9pm – 9:30pm on next Thursday’s date that would say “Meet Joel at Rosa Mexicano to discuss your project”. He has now ported this powerful software over to smartphones such as the Blackberry and iPhone.

We all had much to catch up on. I discovered that Joan and Nick happened to be moving from Boston to New York around the same date three years ago, so they were able to share a U-haul to bring their stuff out. Unfortunately, life gets busy and they hadn’t really had a chance to see each other in some time, so it was nice to be the catalyst that brought them together before Joan left town.

No, Day 9 was not yet complete, although my dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, pink eye, and the propeller-induced gash on my head were all telling me that it should be. I had scheduled a meeting with yet another RPI friend, Vijay Battu, at 10pm. Vijay actually grew up in Troy and attended RPI as part of the six-year biomed program. This involved two years of biology and sciences at RPI and four years at the Albany Medical College. Vijay now has his own practice in Manhattan as an ophthalmic surgeon. Three years ago, he moved to an amazing penthouse suite across from the United Nations building. His balcony features an almost 360 degree wrap-around view of the entire city. We had a great time catching up and he enjoyed some of my card tricks. We used to play poker at RPI, but after seeing these card tricks, I’m not sure he’ll ever play poker with me again. When I return from this trip, Vijay said that he might be brave enough to take a flight with me!

Now, it’s midnight in Manhattan, I’m still wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, it’s raining out, and I need to find my way back to Joan’s. Despite not really feeling all that well, I decided to give the subway system a whirl, since there were stops close to Vijay and Joan. Joan told me which trains to take, and I also just downloaded an iPhone app with the New York City subway system maps on it. The only snafu was that the “S” train, which is a shuttle between Grand Central and Times Square shut down at midnight. The “7” train runs the same route, so I hopped on that, then changed to the “2-3” train and got off on 110^th – Central Park North. A short walk later, I arrived at Joan’s. Pictured is the platform in Times Square still bustling with people at midnight. Interesting that everyone in the foreground is looking away from me.

I really want to continue on this journey, but I need to get well. Being a little bit under the weather and doing all of that in one day was draining. By the end of the day, I was feeling pretty ill. It seems like my eye is better today (Tuesday) and I’m not coughing as much. I’ve spent this morning and afternoon at Joan’s apartment relaxing and writing this blog entry, which has given me a chance to recharge a bit. At 6pm, I will be meeting up with Ken Silverman, a close childhood friend of my brother’s. Ken is now a broadway producer, dealing mostly with broadway touring companies. He now works on one of the touring companies for Wicked, an amazing show based on the Wizard of Oz. More on that later.

Day 8: Aquebogue, NY (Long Island)

Day 8: June 7th, Aquebogue, NY. I spent today with some of my best friends: The Spaeth Family. I met Peter and Donna way back in 1984, freshman year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Pete was my neighbor in our dorm, Hall Hall. Isn't that a ridiculous name for a dorm? Anyway, we became instant friends even before classes began and have been close friends ever since. We worked together at a company called InterScience in Troy, NY after college. Pete & Donna spent some time in Troy after college, but then returned to Long Island where they had two wonderful kids: Veronica and Jonah. I am Jonah's godfather. Despite the
distance, we have kept close, and the airplane has made that easier. I can't remember the last time I actually DROVE to Long Island.

I am always made to feel part of the extended family, and it's a large family of parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, etc. Today, I was there to experience what has been an annual event: Uncle Augie's Toy Run. Every year around this time, Uncle Augie brings all the kids to Toys R Us and allows them to buy one item that is $100 in value or below. You have to be sixteen or under to participate, so I guess I didn't qualify, but I asked for a new airplane anyway.

So, the extended family began streaming into Toys R Us, waiting out front for Augie to arrive. When he said the word, all the kids streamed into the store. Of course, since only one item is allowed, he jokingly stands over by the yo-yo's and whatnot, trying to tempt the kids to pick a $5 item. The kids would have none of that and bolted straight for electronics, bicycles, remote controlled trucks, and iPod accessories. Here you can see Augie and a group of very happy children posing with their booty. From there, we all went back to Augies for pizza, hotdogs, and beer. What a great thing to look forward to: Xmas in June!

Next stop: Martha Clara Vineyards. Donna works here and Pete & I have sung many a gig here.














We decided to take a horse-drawn carriage tour of the 200 acre compound, 120 acres of which contain the vines that are harvested for the variety of wines they produce here. On the premises is the Entenmann estate, tracks for training race horses, a variety of other animals, vines, and all the equipment necessary to harvest the grapes and produce and bottle a fine Long Island wine. You are looking at the Merlot vines. There are just rows and rows of vines, looking out towards infinity!



Finally, back at the house, Pete & Donna whipped up a feast to send me off. Here's Pete grilling up some Cheriyaki Chicken, yes Cherry-flavored Teryaki sauce!

It's been 8 days, but has the trip really begun? I'm only a few hundred miles away on Long Island. The answer is YES! I've had so many wonderful experiences already seeing the friends I love so much and realize that THIS is what this trip is all about. Looking at the itinerary, I am amazed to see how many good friends I have, and this enriches me. To be able to see ALL of them in one summer is a feat that few can accomplish and I'm so excited to continue.

Staying close to home has allowed me to shake down the airplane, my supplies, and the new electronic toys I purchased for the trip. Everything seems to working well! Tomorrow, I will probably see 5-7 people in Bridgeport, 1 person near Poughkeepsie, then end up in New York where I will connect with 4 different friends and their families. I STILL haven't decided which airport I'm going to land to get into New York. The options are: Teterboro, NJ; Linden, NJ; or Farmingdale, NY (LI). There is public transportation available at each to allow me to get into Manhattan. I'm leaning against Teterboro, because the prices are outrageous there. There is a LOT of corporate jet traffic there, and they can afford it. I'll decide tonight, based on how easy it is to access public transportation and how much they charge for landing and parking. Some say Linden is a great gateway airport, but others don't like it. I'm leaning towards Linden. I'll update you late tomorrow about the adventures that await. Keep track of my airplane on the website. Remember, if you click the picture of my plane, a larger tracking map comes up. When I'm flying, hit refresh every once and a while to update my position.