While we do not have much to report on the home front - most progress being stalled by the pseudo-hibernation we northerners all tend to succumb to this time of year - we have discovered perhaps the greatest joy of Little City Living: the City itself. Glens Falls is alive and well, I am happy to report!
Last weekend we attended a Phantoms hockey game, my first hockey game at the Glens Falls Civic Center since I was in high school. I will admit that it still felt a little like being in high school, since we ran into a million people we have known since then, but it was really, really fun. Brendan and I both entertain the idea of season passes for next year and we hope the excitement for this new team continues!
We have spent a few lazy mornings and afternoons playing lizard-in-the-sun at Ridge Street Coffee, where the windows are large, the Fat Jerry's are smooth and delicious, and the artwork is ever-changing. What a respite from the cold that place is! Time seems to stand still for a little while when I sit in their sunlit red chair with my kids snuggled close. I kind of wish I was there right now...
The owner of Baker's Dream, Likling Khoo, is nearly personally responsible for that extra cushion around my middle. I mean, I know she didn't force-feed me any of those delicious baked goods, but if they weren't so darned good I would not have felt the need to stop in several times per week! Did I mention our entire family is on a first-name basis with Ms. Khoo? That's how you know you have a problem. Do they have Baked Goods Anonymous? In all seriousness, if you find yourself in a cannoli emergency or if you need an eclair - stat!, then do stop by. Tell them Sara, Harrison, and Emma sent you, and you will be well taken care of.
We have also spent a great deal of time at Crandall Public Library, whose recent renovation has created a welcoming mix of both airy modern and historic spaces. I love that I can still climb the old staircase to the second floor, tracing my fingers along the marble just the way I did when I was a little girl, only these days I am teaching my little boy and girl to enjoy the feel of the cool marble, to appreciate the history in such a place. I love that my children are growing up knowing the value of such an incredible resource. We spend hours in the stacks looking at art books, discovering new favorite children's authors, and sitting in the quiet reading room with piles of pages. When I was little I loved to sit in one particular window in the library, the one that was deep-set and overlooked city park's lovely old trees, and I have recently had the particular delight of watching my children sit in that very window to gaze upon the world beyond. We visit Crandall a few times a week and this is a habit that I am happy to have fallen into.
Crandall Park! How could I have forgotten to mention it? One of the big trade-offs in moving to the city was losing our big yard in the suburbs. I do miss our yard, but the next best thing to having a big yard is having a huge park only a short walk from home. Despite the cold of winter, the park is an active hub in this community, with sledding hills and great fields for snowman-building, lighted trails for snowshoes and cross country skiing, and a pond for hockey and skating. We find it hard not to get out and enjoy the winter when we see so many other families doing just that each day as we pass by the park. I truly think we've been outdoors more this winter than any other winter spent in NY as adults. Hooray for the park!
This has been my happiest winter since coming back to New York and I know it has a lot to do with location, location, location. I love looking out of our windows and seeing other people. Living so close by our neighbors doesn't bother me at all, surprisingly. I thought I cherished the privacy of a country-sized lot, but in reality I like the idea of living like bees in a hive. There is comfort in seeing other chimneys emitting puffs of smoke, in chatting with neighbors while I shovel the walk, in meeting new families while playing at the park...the feeling of community seems to outweigh any feelings of winter isolation. I just don't have those winter blues this year, probably because we are so often out and about.
No comments:
Post a Comment