A rainy Explore day

Despite the drier weather forecast, the Explore NYC class walked out into a little bit of drizzle on Thursday. The drizzle quickly turned into showers and eventually steady rain. When we got off the R train at 23rd Street for an unplanned detour to check out Eataly, it was pouring.

We rushed into the Italian marketplace after a quick look at the Flatiron building. After walking around and eventually splitting a focaccia three-way, we stepped back out into the rain and headed for the East Village, which was our planned destination.

It took awhile, but eventually, the rain stopped, and the sky was a little brighter after we finished our green tea, chai latte and hot chocolate at Zaiya, and we were able to observe the neighborhood along St. Mark's Place all the way to Tompkins Square Park in Alphabet City.  

At the Chocolate Library at 111 St. Marks Place.
The 86% Dark Chocolate on the counter wasn't bad.

51 St. Marks Place caught our attention. Just one
indicative sign of gentrification in the East Village.

Explore NYC on the High Line!

New York Language Center's new writing class, Explore NYC, is off to a fun start this week. Our first stop was the High Line, where we checked out its new section, just opened last week, and walked the entire length of the elevated park from 30th St. to its southern end over the Meatpacking District.

Now, we'll be talking and writing, then editing and rewriting about what we observed and experienced, and we'll be posting our work here. So stop by now and then and see what we've been up to, where we've been, and what we've written.

All in line and right on track! :-) It's all a teacher can ask for.

The Usual Suspects? Posing in front of The Lot on Tap a temporary
bar underneath the northern end of The High Line.

Strategically planted flora resembling the weeds that grew
on the abandoned High Line

Train tracks along the path--and sometimes on it--to remind you of
the High Line's original purpose.

A vacation in Rio

I spent my last vacation with my mom in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was wonderful to be on Copacabana Beach and to experience a multicultural city with plenty of tourists.

We stayed at a lovely hotel in front of the beach and our windows opened onto an amazing view of the sunset. We could also see the beach full of beach umbrellas. Beach umbrellas and people in bathing suits stretched to the horizon.

However, it was hard to find a good place to eat, meaning a restaurant that is both nice and cheap. Everything was expensive, including the food. At the end of our first day there, we finally found restaurants that fit our budget. They were spread out along Ribeiro Avenue.

If we had to make a comparison, we would say that Ipanema Beach was nicer and quieter than Copacabana Beach because Ipanema was tucked away unlike Copacabana.

submitted by Rocio Delgado
class: Phrasal Verbs Intermediate

The manta: a Moroccan folk object

In Morocco we have a traditional blanket called a manta. This folk object is always made of thick wool and is usually handwoven by old women. There are no typical symbols on it, but it is often made with white and black or brown stripes. When you touch it you can feel its roughness and when folded, it is very heavy to carry.

The manta is usually used for sleeping on the floor, and it is used as a mattress on the carpet. This blanket is most of the time passed down from generation to generation.

I remember once, when I was about five years old with my mother, we went to my grandma’s house. Every night for weeks, we slept on the floor using the manta. I loved to spread out the blanket on the living room floor; I folded it once crosswise. Then we put some pillows on it and lay down like in a bed. I think that made us closer.

submitted by ACB
class: Insights 1

A doll as a folk object

It is a doll of medium height, around 40 cm, and made with old fabrics. This very old doll – I've had it for about 20 years – is wearing a kind of red and patterned coverall sewn on it. She has a baby bib with the name of the brand “Jaccadi” written on it. When I got it, I do not remember my age, but I was a very little girl, maybe one or two years old. When my parents bought it, she had a hat, but now she only has around fifteen stands of hair made of wool on her head. It was a gift from my father or my mother.

I think I keep this doll to remind me of my childhood before my parents divorced. I never sleep with the doll but she is still on my bed. That is why, perhaps, the doll is still fluffy even though I don't use it as a regular doll anymore.

submitted by ACB
class: Insights 1

A soccer ball as a folk object

My special object is a soccer ball, which is now on a shelf in my room. I used it when I was small, from 4 to 13 years old, with my father and my friends. First, the ball was all white, but I used it on the street and everywhere, so now it's dirty, completely brown, and is so flat that it can’t be used anymore.

My grandpa gave it to me, then shortly thereafter, I decided to play soccer. This is why I played soccer for 15 years. My grandpa already passed away, so the ball is a memento that can connect me to my grandfather.

submitted by Tsubasa Shiina

class: Insights 1