tenement museum visit

 we walked through the village to the lower east side to the tenement museum today.

 we stopped at mercer street books to see if they had any paperback dr. seuss for my sister to give her students . . (she tutors elementary school students in reading and likes to give a book as an end of year gift).

 no luck, and we almost lost some relatives among the stacks . . (anyone coming out?)

 housing works bookstore had about six books for beginning readers that she bought. they were hardcover but a very good price (only three and four dollars). 

 we finally made it to delancey street and the williamsburg bridge . . 

 just in time to check our bags into a locker before the tour began at the museum. today we saw shop life, a visit inside the shop of john and caroline schneider's tavern which occupied the bottom floor of 97 orchard street from the time the building was erected in 1863 until 1886 when the owner finally left the business after his wife passed away. i love this tour as my grandfather had a similar saloon in 1911 on fourth avenue at twelfth street. we had fun adding tidbits to the tour guide's stories . . such as references to my dad's memories of the push carts that occupied the bronx before the world's fair came, and how my grandfather served beer for a nickel along with a free sandwich. the schneiders did the same. caroline cooked up a storm of sausage, bloodwürst, sauerkraut, potato salad and pretzels to go along with the nickel beer (still the same price forty years later?).

 eating our sandwiches on the bench behind the museum . . in the sun which felt wonderfully warm.

 we watched the people and cars go by along allyn street . .

and we walked home again up broadway and past the owls on the nyu building.