Tuning Out the Current Events

             Christmas shopping is an enjoyable activity, but it can get complicated and drawn out if not planned correctly. This year I wanted to do all my holiday shopping in one big swoop at one mall during one afternoon. In addition to the shopping, I also enjoy a mall experience that includes a nice eatery, not the typical food court options of McDonald's and Sbarro, but something that resembles a sit-in restaurant. Combining all these factors with a wide variety of places to shop for gift ideas, my choice was the Palisades Mall, officially known as the Palisades Center, up in West Nyack.

             As Christmas was drawing nearer, holiday crowds at shopping areas were piling up, so my plan was to go during the middle of a weekday when a good amount of people would still be at work or in school. It was a grey afternoon as my journey began, dark clouds above release tiny rain drops from the sky. Luckily the roads and highways were quite free of other motorists and my trip there took less than an hour. I started off with the I-95, which cost me $1.75 worth of quarters at the toll booth. Then I switched over to the I-287 West that took me over the Tappan Zee Bridge and across the scenic route of the mountainous Hudson River Valley. One of the biggest problems with the Palisades, especially during a busy shopping time such as this, is finding parking. There's outdoor parking and a garage underneath. When I first started going to the Palisades I would always head for the underground parking and would have to circle around in my car for twenty minutes until a spot would finally open up. Lately, I've been having more luck finding a spot outside much quicker, so this time I was going to stay on the outside and try my luck with what had been working. I was one block away stuck at a red light when I scanned the massive lot looking for any openings. Just then, I saw a jeep pull out, but I was still stuck at the light and helpless to take it. There were at least four vehicles ahead of me, I was hoping none of them noticed it. One by one they each foolishly drove ahead to the underground lot, so I jolted ahead and took the open spot once the light turned green. It was a new personal speed record for finding a place to park at the Palisades.

             One of the most noticing features of the Palisades when I first saw it was it's carpeted flooring. I've always been used to malls having hard flooring, but when I first laid eyes on the carpet of the Palisades, it was like I was in another world. The rugged flooring is still there, and after a number of spilled sodas and dirt stains, its carrying on. Since it was the Holiday Season there was a Santa Claus area for kids to meet and greet Kris Kringle, or be scarred out of their pants by, but at the hour I arrived he wasn't on duty yet. The mall was decorated with holiday ornaments and there were several large Christmas trees standing tall. It was still around lunchtime and I just had the drive, so before shopping I wanted to go to the top floor where the restaurants were to have a nice bite to eat. When I reached the floor I saw a bunch of old pictures along the wall which I never really noticed before. Most of them had to do with historical aspects of the Nyack area and with the construction of the Tappan Zee Bridge. I would've like to study them a little more, but I was hungry and wanted to get my shopping completed before the major crowds started swarming in. I did a quick sweep of the options which included Chili's, TGI-Fridays, Dave & Buster's, Buffalo Wild Wings, some Japanese place, and then I saw Stir Crazy. I passed it a dozens times previously and had always wanted to know what it was about. There's a picture of a bowl of noodles on the logo, so I figured it had something to do with Chinese or Thai food, which was good enough for me, so without checking out any other places, I went with going Stir Crazy.

              I was by myself, so as usual in these cases I went to sit at the bar area instead of taking up a whole table just for myself. To start I ordered a mango margarita, which was served frozen, then for the meal I selected the lunch Market Bar (there's also a dinner version as well). What Market Bar is that instead of ordering a standard dish, you select a meat and either rice or noodle, then from there you create your own plate from vegetables and other ingredients, you bring it to the cooks, and they stir fry it for you in a wok pan right in front of your eyes. Basically, you're creating your own dish and monitoring it so nobody sneezes in your food unknowingly. There's a line of chefs, about four of them working at once, frying up the pans with large flames shooting up in the air. There's a sign warning patrons to stand back from the glass, and after the first flame explodes into the sky, you understand why. I picked tofu and flat noodles, and then decorated my pan with onions, peppers, mini-corn, peanuts, and some kind of brown sauce/oil. In less than five minutes my meal was finished and I was able to take it back to the bar to eat. By this time a family had taken seats nearby my bar stool. It was a young couple with a small girl who could've have been more than five or six years old. It seemed as if there were waiting for a take-out order, but in the meantime they had the girl plopped up on a stool next to me and bending her elbow to a small carton of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish. I'm pretty sure by law a minor, especially of that age, shouldn't be allowed to sit there with bottles of alcohol only a few feet away. I couldn't really enjoy my mango margarita because I felt like I was at a Chucky E. Cheese's or something. I picked away at my food and had to wait almost ten minutes till the family left before I was to make bigger strides with my drink.

             Once I was done with my lunch and drink at Stir Crazy, instead of immediately going to shop, I wanted to see what other restaurants I might've missed on the floor. I was filled with regret when I saw that they had opened an IHOP (International House of Pancakes) inside the place. How I wished I knew that sooner. I've been wanting to go to an IHOP for a very long time, but they never seem to be around when you need one. Had I known once had opened up at the Palisades, I would've certainly selected that over Stir Crazy. If the IHOP update wasn't amazing enough, right next to it and coming soon they're going to open up a Red Robin!!! I've been in search of a Red Robin and it seems the closest one to date had been out in Long Island, a place I usually get lost driving in with the variety of Sunken Brook and Middle Brook highways that lead to nowheresville. Knowing a Red Robin will be accessible at the Palisades is a vital piece of information for future action. My tofu and noodle lunch went down fine, but what was missing was that final touch of some type of sweets for dessert. Also on this floor was a Cold Stone Creamery with it's many loaded-with-fat ice cream flavors. The girl behind the counter saw I has my eye on their new salted caramel flavor, so she provided me with a sample spoon's worth to taste test. I found it to be too salty, so I just went with a small cup of banana-strawberry sorbet (no fat) to play it safe.

             Along with stores, restaurants, an ice skating rink, a bowling ally, an IMAX theater, and carpeted floors, what also makes the Palisades more than the usual mall experience is their numerous rides and adventures. The new one this time is their Palisades Climb Adventure for fourteen dollars. It's a contraption that is about as high as the mall itself in which brave climbers strap a harness around their waist and climb down a man-made mountain. I must say it was quite tempting, but something about it wrecked of those carnivals rides that fall apart midway through and launch a rider to the moon. Plus, ever since the shaky Sky Ride I took on the Jersey Shore back in July, I've been queasy of heights and didn't need to lose my lunch in front of a packed mall of holiday shoppers. I put the Palisades Climb out of my mind and got down to the business at hand. I went through a couple of stores and bought a few gifts, but something was bothering me. Although I had the sorbet for dessert, it really didn't hit the spot, I needed more!! Then it occurred to me, the mall also has a Cheesecake Factory. As much as I regretted not going to IHOP which I knew nothing about previously, I regretted not going to the Cheesecake Factory in which I did know about beforehand. Since I'm a cheesecake fan, I asked myself how did I ever go this long without visiting this place? The only slice I ever had from them was from a Barnes-n-Noble that sells their goods in the cafe area, along with Starbuck's own coffee. I really wasn't aiming to eat a heavy slice of cheesecake, so I told myself, if they have one that has something to do with red velvet, I'll get it, if not, I'll turn around and walk out. I was hoping they would have some type of area where I could sit and just have a slice of cake and coffee. When I looked inside it seemed to be more of a restaurant than a diner setting, and even though they had a bar area, it just didn't fit sitting down and only having cake. My only other option was the take-out line.

             I walked up to the display glass and saw all the different types of cheesecakes available. My eyes darted upwards and downwards, left to right, and there it was with only two slices left - red velvet cheesecake. The first time I remember having this was back in 2007 or 2008 at the Junior's Restaurant up at the Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. Although, earlier this year I went to the original Junior's in Brooklyn and they didn't have it. The second time I had this combo was towards the beginning of this year at the Riverdale Diner. It tasted alright, but when the server sliced it, the cake came out all busted up on the plate. The slice I had at Foxwoods was firm and put together picturesquely. The Cheesecake Factory charged over eight dollars for this slice, but they at least put it in a fancy plastic container and gave me a nice bag to carry it in, so I didn't mind paying a few extra bucks for the ambiance. Since there was nowhere to eat it inside, I had to sit down at a mall bench and dig in there. Like what happened at the Riverdale Diner, and since it was to-go, the slice was all busted up again in the container. It did taste better than the Riverdale version, but overall I think I would've enjoyed it more had I been able to sit a a nice table inside the restaurant and had a cup of coffee to go with it. The whole experience of cramming it down at a mall bench with a bunch of shopping bags next to me took some of the taste away.

             It was back to shopping and my next stop was at Dick's Sporting Goods, which is like a Modell's or Sports Authority on steroids. This was my first time in one ever and at the Palisades they actually take up two floors with their  multitude of merchandise. Dick's gets into the real hardcore sporting stuff, whereas the other places just branch as far as yoga mats and hockey sticks. What I was quite stunned to see the NXT Shotgun for kids out on display. Granted it only shoots foam bullets, but a week after the school shooting tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT, one would think an item like that would be pulled from the shelves out of respect and/or courtesy in dealing with children. After scratching my head over that one, I looked up and saw a crowd gathered at a corner section of the store, so I went over to check out what the commotion was about. I should've guessed - people were there to look at the real big-boy guns. There were rifles, shotguns, and the accessories to go with them for stocking stuffers. Laws on Gun Control are going to be the hot item for the next fifteen minutes, but in the meantime people continue to flock towards these "tools" and stare at them with awe. I can understand the real guns still being sold since that's a business and Guns Rights issue, but I'm surprised the store management didn't decide to pull the toy guns for a few weeks with what's going on currently in the news. Maybe Dick's just tuned it out, and with firearms sales raking in $60 billion a year for US gun manufacturers, they'll likely tune it out as well.

             By this time my shopping was just about completed and fatigue was setting in from the three hours of eating and walking around with heavy bags on my wrists. I knew it would be dark outside and I had the drive back home to deal with. I needed a little pep to add to my step, so when I walked by a Haagen-Dazs stand, my eye caught the advertisement for an eighty-nine cents cup of coffee. I had six dollars left in my wallet; a five and a single. I would be able to use my single for this business transaction. I was expecting some type of specialty Haagen-Dazs brand of coffee, but all they had brewing was some generic mud you get at a corner store deli or bodega. Worst than that actually, this tasted like brown water. It was self-serve and there was sugar there, but when I asked the lady behind the counter for milk, she first looked at me like I was crazy. Then after a few seconds she caught onto the concept of coffee and milk and went into the mini-fridge to hand me a half-gallon carton. I walked a few yards away from the stand to take a few sips, and it was absolutely horrible. I'm not sure if that coffee pot was sitting out all day (or all week) or maybe they didn't put enough coffee ground bean into the machine, but it just tasted like water. I threw it into the garbage after only drinking up twenty-five percent of the cup. What ever Haagan-Dazs does in the future, they should certainly stay away from coffee. I took that as a sign that it was time to leave the Palisades for the day. I had completed my mission of getting all my Christmas shopping done and even found time to slip in a red velvet cheesecake. The toll getting back after crossing the Tappan Zee going east took away my five-dollar bill and left my wallet empty of any cash.

              Late December would be quite a bore without Christmas....

The Trees Got it Too

             Last week when I was coming home from work one evening, I received the sudden craving for either cheesecake or ice cream on a cone. Once I was off the subway the only cheesecake option I had was from the diner, with a likely generic cheesecake slice not appeasing, I walked over to a Carvel instead in search of a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone. One or two scoops would've been fine with me, but the girl behind the counter must have been bored from a lack of customers during the cold season because she stacked up my cone with at least four to five big scoops. It felt like the cone and the ice cream combined weighted at least ten pounds. I tried hard to keep my mind away from thinking how many fat and calories I was staring down, but what was for sure, I knew I needed to take a bike ride the next day to burn it off.

             My Tour de France when I want to take a long bike ride is to ride through Pelham Bay Park en route to City Island. I usually enter the bike path on Pelham Parkway which heads in that direction, but on this particular day I saw a large plastic grey barrier nearly blocking off the path. Someone had slightly moved it off the path, so I though nothing of it and kept riding along the same way as always. Next, I came upon an orange large plastic barrier which hasn't been moved. Clearly something was going on and for some reason a higher power didn't want bikers on the path. I couldn't think what the issue could've been, so I rode around the orange barrier and continued onto the path which leads under an overpass for the I-95 highway. Every time I pass under there I usually see a homeless person sleeping, or least their belongings left behind while they're out and about. There weren't any homeless people this time and seconds later I discovered the reason for the barriers - the bike path was under construction. The path simply ended and I saw construction trucks not far off working on other parts of the path. Lately that section of the path has been very bumpy and the concrete was all cracked up. Although I was delighted to see that the path was being fixed, I had to turn around and take an alternate path. The second path I took had an obstacle as well, a downed tree, likely a result from the strong winds from the recent Hurricane Sandy, was blocking the way. I rode around it and finally was on the main path on the way to City Island.

             There was no homeless person under the overpass that morning, but I saw the next best thing ten minutes later. I saw Donald, a local begger/junkie/homeless person, for the first time in years on the bike path, struggling to hold his pants up. Donald's signature walk, and he's been doing this for years, is to walk with one hand holding up his pants. He's somewhat on the obese side and has to wear a large pants size, but he refuses to ever use a belt. One might state that since he's homeless he can't afford a belt, but in all his years on the street, he could've found plenty of belts, or he could've used a make-shift chord to tie around his waist to keep his pants from falling. Another one of Donald's traits is he asks for a whole dollar. While the typical run-of-the-mill begger asks for a quarter or dime, Donald's total vocabulary consists off, "Give me a dollar". He points his head downwards and uses his long blonde hair to cover this face while he gives out this command in a deep base voice. He was very visible around the neighborhood eight to ten years ago, but then he disappeared for a long while without a trace. In recent weeks I've seen glimpses of him in passing, but wasn't sure if I eyes were deceiving me. I was able to ride my bike near him and study his movements to make sure it was indeed Donald. Falling pants, long blonde hair and all, I was happy to see Donald back in action.

             The next big stop on the path was the draw bridge which crosses over the Hutchinson River. Nothing looked different with the views of Co-op City and of the river, but I had to do a double-take when my eyes were drawn to the side of the water. A car was literally in the water, caught by a pile of rocks which prevented it from floating away further. Parts of the outside of the car looked burned, so perhaps the car was stolen and dumped there, but I couldn't figure out how the thief would be able to drive the car upon that spot. During weekends its common to see cars parked on the land nearby as people like to use that spot to go fishing, but there's still no way to drive the car into the water like that. The only conclusion I came to was it must have also been a result from Hurricane Sandy. The hurricane which left over two hundred people dead overall and destroyed thousands of homes in the Tri-State area, must have swooped that car from somewhere and led it down this river. The rocks must have finally ended its journey, and there is lies, until a tow-truck is able to get it out of there somehow. The Bronx received the least of the hurricane's fury compared to other boroughs and Jersey, but as I traveled further on the trail I would soon see more of the local damage that occurred.

             At this point the bike path goes uphill and it becomes more grueling to peddle. I tried to take it slow to conserve my energy, and without making a sound, another biker buzzed past me going into hyper-space. I had no urge to speed up and tire myself out too quickly, I kept it slow and looked in amazement at all the destruction that surrounded me. The trees took at heavy beating at the hand of Hurricane Sandy, many laid dead on the ground. The winds must have been so powerful that big-thick trees that were probably decades old, were simply ripped up out of the ground from the roots the same way a person would yank a weed from their garden. Branches torn off and hanging by shreds of wood, other trees were chopped in half at the base. As I kept going on this path, it was one destroyed tree after another. It reminded me of those movies about the Civil War where they're always that scene after battle with dead bodies littered all over the place. That's what this place became, a tree graveyard. The worst case, and most serious display of the storm's deadly force, was a tree which it's roots grew under the blacktop of the bike path. Not only was the tree pulled out of the ground like many others, but not even the blacktop was able to keep the tree standing as that too was ripped out of the ground.

             I was almost at the small bridge which serves as the entrance to City Island, there was just one small pond I needed to visit first. I saw a large white swan and a few ducks swimming around, so I figured it was worth a closer look. There was a red ladder by the side of the pond and a sign indicating that it is to only be used in the case of the pond freezing and some genius deciding to walk on it, only to fall through into the sub-zero water. I never saw it there before, but it seemed to be a great idea because you never know who might get adventurous if that water freezes over. Going by a dozen or so more killed trees, I was finally over the bridge and into City Island. As soon as you enter with the bike path, on the right hand side there's a rest area with benches which is my usual endpoint when I bike there. Pigeons were around looking for crumbs, seagulls were posted on the guardrail working on their tans, and a couple of ducks were enjoying the water. That was more than enough reason for me to put my bike down and rest up for a few minutes before carrying on. I did hear on the local news that as a result of Hurricane Sandy, a restaurant on City Island called Tony's Pier had burned down. I know most of the restaurants on City Island, but I wasn't familiar this place. Instead of turning back to head home, I wanted to ride on the island further to see exactly where Tony's was located. It wasn't until I reached the very end of City Island that I found Tony's Pier, or what was left of it. As the reports stated, most of what was left was burnt rubble. There were piles of charred wood and a construction crew on hand to clean the area up. Though things looked bleak, a big sign on the parking lot declared that the restaurant will be back up and running by the summer of 2013.

              On the other hand the car might be stuck in the river for another decade....