Lost in thought on the boardwalk

I think I will take the train out to Coney Island today. Going to be sunny and mid 70’s. Windy, though, so it shouldn’t be too cold for me. Take a walk on the boardwalk, soak up the sun and listen to the waves.

It’s about an hour ride on the D train to Coney Island from Bryant Park. Once the train gets out of Manhattan, a good bit of the ride is above ground. I like to sit on the left side of the train, facing west, so I can see the Brooklyn Bridge, etc. 

Let’s see. Put a bottle of water and my Bailee mix in my Jeter backpack. Better pack my Yankee jacket. Sunglasses. Keys. Yep, I’m ready. Put my earbuds in and head out the door. I always call my sweet gal, Emily, every time I go out in Manhattan. I take her on walks with me in the city, over the phone, and sometimes via Facetime. 

Time to call my gal.

The phone rings.

Emily: Hi honey!

The sound of my gal’s voice is all I need to hear to get my brain energy going for the day. 

Me: Hey, my sweet gal. I’m heading out.

Emily: So, where are we going today?

Me: Coney Island to sit at the boardwalk.

Emily: That’s a long train ride.

Me: Yep, but I enjoy the views along the way.

Emily: I’m glad I’m going along on the phone this time. 

Me: Ha! Yeah, I know you don’t like that long ride.

We chit chat some more until I get over to Bryant Park and take the D train.
Coney Island is one of my favorite places. Mostly because of the ocean. It’s September. I’ve never been after Labor Day, so not sure what to expect. Probably not as many folks. Will all the rides be going? Will there be a line at Nathans? I’m not a Nathans guy. Prefer Sabrett from the corner vendor. Just don’t eat too many in one day! 

“Last stop Stillwell Avenue,” says the train conductor. As soon as I get off the train and walk down the ramp, I get the sense Coney is deserted. Usually, I can hear kids screaming on the Cyclone and other rides. One year, when David Green and I were here on our Red Bank Middle School trip with our great friend, Michael Morrows, one of our girls was riding the bungee cord ride and peed in her pants! Bless her heart. Luckily, she had brought along her swimsuit. Emily was with us, so she took care of the girl.

Michael is the best. He always planned our trips so the kids would have the most fun experience of their lives. 

I get to the street and see almost no one at Nathans. I haven’t been in two years because of the pandemic. I wanted things to be the same. Need things to be the same. David’s favorite candy store, Sugar, isn’t even open. Gee! This is just eerie. Surely, my favorite gift and tee shirt shop is open. Nope! Shut down. Hardly anyone on the boardwalk and it’s 1 P.M. Ok. It’s not rocking as always. Let’s stay positive and still enjoy the day. I can still walk some, sit on a bench, soak up the sun and just be.

When you get away from the city it’s so peaceful. Don’t get me wrong, there are all kinds of places within the city where it is peaceful as well. All the great parks. Michael has a wonderful garden in the back of his building. It’s a quiet oasis. He created this lovely garden years ago. Read the paper. Have some coffee. And, oh yes, the wonderful Morrows dinner parties in the garden.

I love the water. I love the beach. I love the sound of the waves. I love the serenity of it all.

I just think about my sweet gal, Emily, and all the wonderful times that we have shared together. They give me the same calming, loving, feeling as being here does. I’m so thankful for my sweet girl and every minute that we have together. 

As I’m walking down toward Brighton Beach, I hear the sound of a handball bouncing off the wall and the squeaking sound of sneakers. Pretty good group of folks at the local handball court today.

Oh, look! There’s some folks playing volleyball. There’s a bench. I will just sit and watch them a bit. Two on two beach volleyball. Both teams seem to be pretty good. A guy and gal on each side. There’s a stroller, some chairs and beach towels to the side. Is there a baby in the stroller? I don’t think so or someone would have gone over by now. 

Oh! A man is walking by me carrying a small child. I bet, yep, he goes to the stroller. That’s nice, pops taking care of the toddler so mom can get some exercise. 

How cute. There’s a man coming off the beach with his little poodle.. Reminds me of our sweet Vicki. I need to write a story about her. Dogs at the beach are great. Wagging their tails, chasing seagulls. The man gets to the boardwalk and goes over to the shower. Oops! His poodle senses a getaway and takes off running away. He hollers, “Archie! Come back here!” Oh funny! Archie puts on the brakes and slowly walks back to his master. Loyal and obedient. Archie is probably thinking, “Dog gone it. I better mind my daddy or he will leave me home next time.”

I can’t get over how few folks there are out here today. It is a weekday and kids are in school. 

It’s still wonderful to be here. I take a gander at my phone and it’s already 2:30. The further you walk toward Brighton Beach, the more you hear Russian being spoken. Brighton Beach is the largest Russian neighborhood in the U.S. The shops and stores have great prices. Most of the signs and writing on products in the stores are in Russian.

It’s a local beach with a distinctive European flair. Lots of older folks sitting out enjoying the sun and visiting with neighbors. The opposite of Coney Island just a mile or less in the other direction. Tourists on one end and locals on the other. You know it’s just like at our beach. Tourists down by the pier and locals at North Beach. 

There’s a college age gal out here on one of the benches working out. She’s using the bench to do push-ups. It’s great to see folks working out and taking care of themselves. Too many lazy people in this world. 

This is the place to come to do just about anything. Walk. Eat. Read. Swim. Listen to music. Visit with friends. Soak up the sun. 

There’s just something about being near the ocean, the sun, the sand, the palm trees, that has always been such an oasis of tranquility for me. All my life, I wanted to live at the beach. Now, I get to live near the beach with my sweet Emily. We live right on the bay. Get to walk most mornings just soaking up the sun, the salt air. And the best part is the wonderful conversations we share.

Holy crap! Here comes two kids on bikes flying toward me. With no hands! Oh man! My brain tells my feet, “Move old man!” And my feet reply, “Yeah, sure, we will get right on that. Not!” I hope they see me or my old butt is going to get plastered. I will just stand still. Yeah, standing still is my perfect speed. 

The kid closest to me yells out, “Hey! You just be still! I’ll go around you!” 
As they go by, I yell, “Thanks buddy!” 

I remember riding like that when I was a kid. Everybody had bikes back then. You don’t see kids out riding bikes much anymore. So refreshing to see kids out here riding their bikes, having fun, enjoying the afternoon.

Man, you can come here, leave all your troubles behind and just “be” for a while. Just live in the moment. Enjoy the day. 

Two girls just walked by me, probably in their twenties, speaking in Russian, as everybody is down on this end of the boardwalk.

Obviously, I can’t understand them. Hmmm.. I don’t understand anything people are saying down here. Do I need to? Is it imperative to hear all that’s being said in order to function or get through the day? In most situations, yes. But, don’t we, shouldn’t we all find time to tune others out?

I mean, when I think about it, out here, right now, it’s kind of wonderful. If they are complaining, fussing, talking about their work, relationships or whatever, I don’t know. I can’t tell. Wow! You know, I just now realize, I’ve been out here all this time and I’m lost in thought on the boardwalk. 

What a day? If my sweet Emily were only here with me to enjoy it. Now her voice, I do need to hear.

Time to call my gal.

The phone rings.

Emily: Hi honey!