"Finding My 'Home City'"
3
In the beginning of November with Etta and her husband we went to their little house in the Catskills. This was a great experience to know the mountains are so near to the city and I enjoyed the drive up. Of course I decided to learn to drive. Which I started again on a parking lot with their shift car but the license had to wait for now. November l8th Etta had to go to Washington, DC for business and I was able to come along. She dropped me off at the WMCA and now I really had to fend for myself. I was able to visit this city for two days and I tried to see as much as possible. I visited many of the museums and other sites in the city. I was learning a lot of the history of this country.
When 1961 started I certainly had already enjoyed visits within Manhattan to various places such as museums and also visited quite often with Mrs. Breda and her husband (that was the only place I had to speak German). Another woman from the ship lived in the city and I visited with her. I also enjoyed going to the Metropolitan Opera. Of course I could only afford standing room but that was no problem - oh to be young again!
In March I went by the ferry to Staten Island and took a bus to the end of the line. The bus driver could not understand why I would do such a thing. He told me that he rarely left the island - and was stunned that I came originally from Austria and just went for a ride. I guess some people are not explorers.
Throughout the months I explored the various areas of New York City and during the summer months I went to Orchard Beach a lot. In August I took the boat tour to Bear Mountain - what a marvelous ride this is up the Hudson River! This was entirely different from the Circle Line trip around Manhattan that I had done in June. In the end of October I went the first time to China Town. It was marvelous to walk around and see the different food vendors with all kinds of new vegetables, fish, fruits and much more. I stopped in a very small store where no one spoke English and I spent some time just listening and looking around. Finally I purchased some earrings that I have had for many years. I ate my first Chinese meal in a restaurant and had my first lesson of how to use chopsticks—but never wanted to use them.