Getting lost in New Jersey ---- again!@#$%^&*(

Lily growing a mustache in front of the Bitter End.

The interior of the Chief Martindale Diner  - Taconic Parkway at Highway 23. NY. 

We are all just one big happy family. NYC RV OK!

When we left our bucolic Copake campsite I felt a creeping unease with my history of getting lost in New Jersey. There is getting lost and then there is finding yourself in a knot of old, un-kept, poorly marked roads that lead to every where and nowhere at the same time. At least on three previous driving trips I have found the New Jersey that Butts up against NYC has roads that were where not designed or maintained. Rather they grew like ivy in an uncontrolled fashion.

I insisted on driving because I am skilled at the urban maneuvers necessary to get where you want to with out fear of breaking as many laws as necessary to achieve that goal.

We missed one turn and were in the poop big time? After getting off the highway and parking to consider our options we started off again. We accidentally saw something that was familiar and went for it.

We were on some highway and needed to merge left but the guy in the Red pickup wasn’t going to let us move over so I get forced into the parking lot lanes for the meadowland stadium. For about ½ mile we travel next to the lane I needed to be in, separated only but a single curb. I tell Andrea I am going for it. She can’t believe it. I slow down to a crawl, look left for a good size break, see it and slowly jump the curb and hit the gas ------ we were back in the game. We almost found ourselves heading into the Holland tunnel but a right turn in front of 5 lanes of traffic took care of that. We pick our way through Jersey City to the Marina/RV Park with view of the Statue of Liberty. The place has 50 spaces for RV’s and about 4 for people with tents. It is a gravel parking lot with all of us crammed in, nice and cozy. We hooked up – had a break down – went out for a really bad dinner came home, crashed and started to laugh.

The next day: We are 5 blocks from the path train into the city. Today we went in and met our friend Robin who just happened to be here at the same time. Great to see her and it is off for Chinese food on Mott Street and then Espresso and pastry on Mulberry st. From 1973 to 1991 I spent one month a year here.  I stayed on Prince and West Broadway, Lafayette at Broadway and Jane St. in the west Village. It looked familiar but didn’t feel it. In 73 when I did my first show with Lou Meisel there was only about 8 galleries in Soho. There were no restaurants open on the weekends and no boutiques. This was still a light industrial zone. Now the galleries have been replaced by upscale everything and the vibe is NICE.

I think NICE is a creeping evil that displaces the essential nature of growth and replaces it with the comfort of familiarity.

I stopped in and saw Lou Meisel and it was like a day hadn’t gone by. Great feeling to be reunited with an old friend who shares an important part of my past.

We walked up Bleeker St. to Christopher St. and caught the path train back to Jersey City and the warmth and comfort of our home on wheels.