NYC - All Good!

I returned to New York City for an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Boachie. This shot was taken just two weeks after my operation in 2008. Didn't pose this time around. (If you can't figure out why I had to cross the country for a check-up, look HERE to see a post on my first year anniversary appointment or peruse my recovery blog HERE.)

Dr. B was very positive about my outcome, although I still have some spinal issues and we discussed them for a bit. I created a soft-bound book for his patients facing surgery and he was thrilled, wanting a bundle of copies for his waiting rooms. Basically, it was a 20-page photo book with a simple verbal synopsis of my recovery - the good parts and the challenges.

When I walked out of his office, it occured to me that I had the ENTIRE afternoon to wander around the Big Apple. I walked all through Upper East Side of Manhattan. A drop-dead gorgeous day. Trees were in bloom everywhere. My favorite experience was hanging out at a park with a playground. Just about every child had a nanny. These brownstones (below) provide housing for folks with mega-bucks who hire out day-to-day parenting.

The best part about being in New York was staying with Gertie Kahn, who was my neighbor before I left NY as a six-year-old in 1958. She is an incredibly vibrant woman in her NINETIES. Plays on a tennis league three times a week. Brimming with good humor, in spite of being a survivor of the Holocaust.

Here we are in front of her home, situated just 22 miles out of New York City.

Next door is MY old home which I still MISS, after half a century.

Still, being at Gert's place gave me a shot in the arm.
Her home has incredible ambience . . .


LOVED eating out on the picnic table,

gazing at the woods where my brother built a treefort.

What a delightful time warp to go back!