My birthday was on Friday but I celebrated on Thursday and then again yesterday. This time it was with Dan. How did we celebrate? By being idiots and walking around the Bronx on a day with a Feels Like temperature of 106°. Our first stop was Brunch at a local diner that I had never been to. I never eat out around here. If I’m in the neighborhood I eat at home. I had to find this place on Google. I just had to look up the name, the Bedford Café. Then we walked up to the Bronx Historical Society in the Valentine-Varian house, a colonial era stone house. I pass it all the time on the way to my doctors. It’s only open on weekends from 1-4 so I’ve never gone in. It’s a small museum, three main rooms, two dedicated to the film industry in the borough. Edison had this third movie studio here.
The house was so original it was missing something sorely needed, air conditioning. Going to the bathroom in the basement was a highlight, it was 20° cooler down there. The best part was the docent. He stayed in the gift shop but every time I asked a question to Dan he’d come in and give the answer and more history.
Our next stop was something I’ve heard about my entire life but had never been to, the Hall of Fame of Great Americans. It’s on the campus of Bronx Community College. Picture a community college in your head. That’s not at all what it looks like. It is the former main campus of NYU. When NYU moved back to the village they sold the campus to the City University. So it’s a beautiful classic campus, with the usual mixture of glorious old buildings and hideous modern ones. It’s huge for an urban community college.
The Hall of Fame is a colonnade with statues of the honorees. Most of them are well known, I doubt most people would know Joseph Henry and Josiah Willard Gibbs but to anyone that studied math and physics they are household names. There were others I never heard of but I’m sure to people in their fields they are household names. There were two busts removed in the military section. There was nothing explaining who they were. I guessed it was Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. I just checked and saw that I was right. Governor Cuomo ordered them removed two years ago. I have always been offended that they were honored anywhere. Do we erect statues to Benedict Arnold? He was a legitimate American hero but that was negated when he betrayed US and made common cause with Britain with whom we were at wore. Lee and Jacksons were not American heroes. All they did of note is make war against the country. Why do we honor traitors? This is not me jumping on the bandwagon. I felt this as a little kid. I could never understand why they weren’t treated as villains. I still don’t.
It might not sound like much but I took over 12,000 steps when it was 12,000 degrees. That is the equivalent of walking on the surface of the sun. it takes a certain kind of stupidity. Dan and I saw hardly anyone on the streets all day.
After the Hall we eventually found out way off the campus. We had trouble finding an open gate other than the one we came in and that as at the opposite end of the campus.
When we got to the subway Dan and I headed home in opposite directions. Do you know what I did as soon as I got home? When I always do when coming in from the heat. I had an ice-creamed coffee. Few things are better at cooling me down.
Last night I had my fourth phone conversation in three days. This one was with Bri. It was ostensibly to discuss the Budgiedome but it was really because I wanted to talk to Bri.
I have nothing on my calendar until Falcon Ridge. I’ll go see Spiderman, anyone want to join me? Anyone want to join me doing anything?
It’s Monday and I’m out of bagels so now I’ll head into the Village for half—priced bagels from Bagel Bob’s. Then it’s up to Stop & Shop to replenish my ice cream supply.
Wise Madness 