Saturday morning we took another long bus ride; this time to the South Street Seaport, a primo tourist destination. We escaped the crowds and went to the museum. It had been written up in the NY Times on Friday, probably bringing a small increase in customers, but it was quiet and pleasant with some good exhibits. I particularly enjoyed the Manhatta/Manhattan room where a plastic model of the island demonstrated what it looked like from the time before the first Europeans arrived until the present. Very nice.

Afterward I tried to do a little shopping, mainly a new pair of sneakers. I wanted to buy them in Pittsburgh but my favorite shoe store now carries only New Balance. It may be a good shoe, but I’ve never had a pair I liked. The neighborhood store here in NY also seems to have mostly NB. So I went to Macy’s. They are renovating. The signs promise it will be magical but for now it’s a zoo. I finally found the shoe department, found something I wanted to try and couldn’t get a sales person. Exhausted, I left and went uptown to Harry’s Shoes, a Manhattan icon. At one time they had three storefronts. Now they have one. They had the same shoes for $50 more, and again no salesperson. Maybe I have truly become invisible. Although I would like another pair of shoes here, I’ll wait and try again in Pittsburgh.

Sunday was the street fair and then a train ride to Bronxville, a northern suburb to see friends. Lovely day. The picture below shows the women who belonged to the goods laid out in the previous photo.