Poetry in Motion: Twilight

Bus ride home in twilight.

To the Reader: Twilight

Chase Twichell

Whenever I look

out at the snowy

mountains at this hour

and speak directly

into the ear of the sky,

it’s you I’m thinking of.

You’re like the spirits

the children invent

to inhabit the stuffed horse

and the doll.

I don’t know who hears me.

I don’t know who speaks 

when the horse speaks.

Around the Way: New Jersey Diners

Cocktails and eats, from way back when.

The only really late night game in our town was either White Castle, or quietly stumbling around your parents kitchen in a quest for drunk food. Jersey, a scant ten minutes away by car, had it so much better: the all-night diner. And the great thing about diners is, the menu is long (for any type of craving) and the food from most places is actually really, really good. Most of the family joints were Greek owned and operated, so you could count on a certain type of quality.

Passing by this empty building one afternoon on a bus back from the city, I felt a nostalgic sadness for a bygone late night life that I never had in Rockland. I bet it hit locals hard to see their go-to joint close down. I am happy to see the Hudson Valley emerge as a happening fine dining kind of place, because with the kind of produce we have here, it's the perfect marriage of locale matched with interest. Enjoy!

Food, glorious food: 

http://www.pinterest.com/mariedoucette/food/. 

Travel: Poetry in Motion

Wait. What the heck does that say?

It's about ripping off tourists. Neat!

On a recent trip to and from the city, I found myself sitting behind a gentlemen with a language book. I couldn't help but read over his shoulder because it was printed in very large print, a book designed for the elderly, which he clearly is. 

The funniest parts were the language lessons themselves, translations of certain key phrases from English to Spanish, like "Does the tourist need a map?", or "I just sold a watch to that tourist." and "Does the tourist need a watch?" Definitely not a native New Yorker. Now I know the next time I visit Old Mexico, just what phrases I need to brush up on....and not to wear a watch. You know, just a case a tourist needs one, too.

South of the Border, yo.

http://www.pinterest.com/mariedoucette/travel/

Street Art: Sticker Faces

Pearl River Bus Stop: Face 1.

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do waiting for the slow country bus going to the city (http://mariedoucette.blogspot.com/2013/05/around-town-hitchin-ride.html). 

Pearl River Bus Stop: Face 2.

These artists had the right idea: let's make funny faces from post office labels and stick 'em up for other people to see. It gets you through the tough times. What do you do when you're impatient?

Small Town America: Hitchin' a Ride

Bus stop reflection

I love road trips by car, bus, or rail. As a result, I feel comfortable using mass transit way more than your average, car-obsessed American. I like looking out the window at the scenery, or maybe taking a few pictures, or listening to music, or just thinking (or not), which is easy to do when someone else is doing the driving.

Thumbing it for the camera

I grew up in a suburb that is mass transit-challenged, because it serves mainly as a bedroom community for city workers. In the morning and the evenings, hopping on a bus or a train is great because it's quick and easy, but other than those specific times, you have to wait for the slow bus that ambles up to the stop on country time.

On one such day, I took pictures and danced around to pass the time, because in the burning daylight of a noontime bus stop, there ain't much else to do.

  Happy trails to you, today.

Around Town: The Port Authority

Fly away home, at the Port Authority.