Went up the line yesterday with my friend, on up the Taconic past Carmel NY where your ears pop, hooked up with I-84 W and up Route 9. Fishkill, Wappingers Falls, kind of a rundown town, a touch of ghetto, an element of romantic squalor. People who live here tend to work farther south towards the Westchester area where the wages are higher but live near Poughkeepsie 'cause the real estate is lower. There's a Giggles store here with its generic mind-numbing porn with a heavy bias towards the Japanese creepy stuff ("all actresses 18 or over and under duress"), seems a necessity in a depressed area, kind of in keeping with the theme and oh look, there's a Dairy Queen! don't see many of them around anymore. It was Tawana Brawley who put Wappingers on the map. There's a gourmet supermarket here by the name of Hannaford's, nice place. The main goal here was the Po'town Galleria, an ok mall as far as the mall scene goes but generic just the same with an overabundance of trendy t-shirt stores but I'm looking for practical, I really don't need a set of KISS whiskey shot glasses and a humorous set of mini-rubbers. I used to go fishing alot but now I'm a mallrat. After this we hit the Home Depot in the picturesque town of Carmel, this overall general store is so huge it's like an airport hangar, then back on 84 and on down the line. Now I just love the country but there's something about these pockets of civilization surrounded by the boondocks and these wide expanses of open field and swampland that, how do I put my finger on it? you're surrounded by woods and mountains and the possibility of a Bigfoot or two living up there in them thar hills and when the sun goes down there drops like a curtain a certain existential loneliness like UFOs can land here. A state trooper sits in his car on the divider of the highway, takes a couple sips from his hot cup of joe and a bite out of his cruller, glances up into the starry nighttime sky and goes WTF!?!, is that Colossal Man coming out of the saucer? (bleep-bleep) bb-idaho can relate but dunno, seems everything's generic these days. Caught part of the big debate last night of which I have a few thoughts, I always seem to sleep well after these things.....
You'll drive anywhere but NYC I take it.
ReplyDeleteI knew you were gonna say that but driving down there is hell, can't find a parking space close to where you're going, constant gridlock. That's why you see these park & rides everywhere for people who have to work down there. I prefer heading north, why give yourself a headache?
ReplyDelete& not all the attractions are down there btw, you have West Point up by Bear Mountain, people take cruises up the Hudson River, you have a military museum in Danbury CT, Palisades Mall in Rockland County, largest mall on the east coast with an upscale food court, historic sites galore. I can go on.
ReplyDeleteSomeday perhaps I will have enough time to visit the attractions outside NYC, but as you know my time is limited, and I didn't think I could convince my friend to visit the largest mall on the east coast instead of Ellis Island or St. Patrick's Cathedral.
ReplyDeleteYeah, St. Patrick's Cathedral, one of the few parishes that Egan has decided to keep open (lol). Can't argue with you on the Ellis Island thing, I saw it up close when I used to go boating on the Sound. Don't tell anyone but my first boat I dubbed "Called in Sick" and the second boat already had a name, "Queen Elizabeth II". A friend and I took a couple girls out from work and a little boating tip, when you're driving along and you trim the prop it makes the boat go just a wee bit faster, scared the hell out of them, I became known as the Mad Captain after that. Had to sell the Wellcraft after a couple years though, it's like owning two cars.
ReplyDeleteToo bad I still don't have the boat, nothing beats traveling by water. Many fond memories like the time some harbor police stopped us for a routine boat check (e.g. flares, rope, anchor, lifevests) and one asked "do you have any weapons on board?" (watching too much "Miami Vice" I guess). When you go through the Harlem River en route to the Hudson you have to radio in at the Spuyten Duyvil to have someone open the railroad bridge at least during the high tide. Had delusions of grandeur back then, heavy on the credit card when you boat. Say you'd go to fuel up in Stamford Harbor and you'd wave to the guys on their yachts passing by and they'd never wave back or acknowledge you, it's like they knew we were fronting, bunch of seafaring snobs!! (hehe, probably a bunch of hedge-fund managers, yeah baby!)
ReplyDeleteThat is a bummer, I could have gone for a boat ride!
ReplyDeleteYes, I can relate. You get used to open spaces. Then you get grumpy and resent traffic...like maybe you actually see another car sometimes. :) Was Wappinger Falls named after the tribe of that name
ReplyDelete(wiped out by 1750, I understand)?
Yes, that would've been nice Beth. Dunno bb, I'd have to google it. Much to George Will's chagrin who's always complaining about our little solipsistic ways I DO get upset when I'm out and everyone seems to be using a public computer or you're out and have to use the restroom and it's like everyone's taking a dump that day. I don't really mind other cars ahead of me though but I do have a problem with the lead driver creating a minor traffic jam all out of his own power 'cause he's just farting along.
ReplyDeleteBeth, we want to know about your trip.
ReplyDelete