Visiting Little Trinidad, Parking Myself in a Park, and Seeing my Face on National TV

First of all, if you wanted to see me on national TV this morning but didn’t set your DVR last night, you can catch my five seconds of fame here: https://kellyandryan.com/uncategorized/june-12-2019-2/. And here’s a screenshot:

All the excitement!

In other news, I’ve had the chance to edit some fascinating stories at The New York Times this week, from a piece about what happens when white nationalists take DNA tests and don’t get the results they expect, to a story today about Starbucks no longer selling newspapers. I still get minor chills every time I hit the publish button on a New York Times story. (Me internally: “Don’t screw up, don’t screw up …”)

Back to exploring: For today’s adventure, I headed to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which is free on Friday mornings (it normally costs $15).

Let me just say, I’m glad I didn’t pay for this. It was nice, but I was expecting it to be more scenic (and have more flowers). It definitely wouldn’t have been worth $15. In fact, I prefer Carmel’s Japanese Garden.

Fortunately, my next-door Prospect Park stroll was much more rewarding. It was designed by the same two men who created Central Park, and it’s a similar labyrinth. I enjoyed this lakeside terrace and all the woodsy tunnels.

After my park adventures, I headed to Brooklyn’s Little Trinidad on Fulton Street, where I grabbed a double from Ali’s Roti Shop.

Doubles are a Trinidadian street food made with two baras (flat, fried dough) filled with curried chickpeas (channa) and topped with tamarind sauce (the flavor is kind of tart). Bonus: It was only $1.50 (cash only)!

Little Trinidad definitely isn’t a tourist-infested enclave like Manhattan’s Chinatown (I was the only white person on the block). Many of the men I saw on the street were wearing white kurtas and turbans, and many of the shops and restaurants even accept the Trinidad and Tobago dollar as currency.

Back in Manhattan this afternoon, I paid another visit to the New-York Historical Society (I get in free with my New York Times ID, if you’re wondering about all the repeat visits). Today I checked out a trove of New York treasures that ranged from the railing George Washington leaned on at his inauguration to an old Coney Island roulette wheel.

I also saw an Abraham Lincoln life mask, the controller handle that New York City Mayor George B. McClellan turned to launch the city’s first subway train in 1904, a calf brace worn by Franklin D. Roosevelt, a gargoyle from Times Tower (the former home of The New York Times), and a pop-up street memorial from 9/11.

I also checked out an exhibit on six of LIFE magazine’s female staff photographers.

One magazine story in the exhibit was titled “Female Photographer Fashion.” A quote from former LIFE staff photographer Lisa Larsen: “The first thing I worry about when I get ready to go on a story is what to wear. Selecting cameras and equipment is a cinch by comparison.” My, times have certainly changed.

I also met Sopan Deb, a former culture reporter for The New York Times who now writes sports features, today. (He previously covered the Trump campaign for CBS News.) It was interesting to learn that his culture experience was largely limited to film and TV when he took the role at The Times, and that his interest in theater emerged only in the past few years.

Finally, more fun news: I’m going to get to tour The New York Times printing plant in Queens July 24. It’s an evening tour, as that’s when all the action happens!