NEW! NEW! NEW!

Due to abundant time supply at the moment, we set up a new literary blog, called "Traveling Bookworms". New books, favorite titles and other recommendations (not only ours), mostly connected to travel and the U.S.A., will be included. Right now, it's all in German, but this will possibly change or it will become a mix of texts in both languages.

If you are interested, please, see: https://travelingbookworms.blogspot.com, and, please, feel free to tell us what you think!

Thanks.

New York City's slow recovery

Since this following information is more of interest to Germans than to Americans, we decided to set up this following post about the general situation in the U.S and NYC's progress of returning back to "normal" in German language.

Während die weltweite Reisewarnung hierzulande am 15.6. aufgehoben wird – was allerdings zunächst nur für die meisten EU-Staaten gilt –, ist derzeit noch nicht bekannt, wann es europäischen Reisenden wieder möglich sein wird, in die USA zu fliegen. Voraussichtlich nicht vor August. Dort wiederum gilt die Grenzschließung für Europäer zunächst noch bis zum 21. Juni. Ein Ende des Einreisestopps für Ausländer aus Europa in die USA ist nach Angaben des Weißen Hauses derzeit jedoch noch nicht absehbar. Gegenwärtig dürfen lediglich US-Staatsbürger, Greencard-Inhaber, Personen, die in nahem Verwandtschaftsverhältnis zu einem US-Staatsbürger stehen, Diplomaten oder Mitarbeiter internationaler Organisationen, einreisen.

Wenngleich sich die Situation allmählich auch in den USA bessert und es dort Staaten, Regionen und Städte gibt, die bereits jetzt weitgehend zur Normalität zurückgekehrt sind – z.B. im weniger besiedelten Mittleren Westen oder in vielen Regionen des Westens –, sind große Teile Amerikas noch immer stark betroffen. Auch sind aufgrund der politischen Strukturen die Maßnahmen und Regeln in einzelnen Staaten sehr unterschiedlich.

Derzeit kommt erschwerend hinzu, dass es in mehreren Städten der USA nach der Ermordung eines Afroamerikaners durch einen Polizisten in Minneapolis zu Demonstrationen kam und kommt, die in vielen Fällen von gewalttätigen Ausschreitungen begleitet werden. In einigen US-Bundesstaaten, auch in New York, wurde die Nationalgarde aktiviert und traten zeitweise nächtliche Ausgangssperren in Kraft.



New York, New York!

Die nachfolgenden Ausführungen beziehen sich ausschließlich auf NYC, die von der Corona-Pandemie am schlimmsten betroffene Stadt, die mit über 205.000 Fällen und über 22.000 Toten die traurige Statistik in den USA anführt. Ende März wurde auf Geheiß von Gouverneur Andrew Cuomo NYC quasi stillgelegt, Restaurants geschlossen, Bauarbeiten gestoppt. Über 400.000 Arbeiter verloren über Nacht ihre Jobs.

Am 8. Juni trat nun Cuomos vierteiliger »New York Forward«-Plan in Kraft. Auf Baustellen und in Firmen liefen in Phase 1 die Maschinen wieder an, Läden dürfen seither »Pick-up Service« anbieten. Damit ist wieder etwas Leben in die Stadt zurückgekehrt. Die Verkehrsbetriebe MTA haben seit 8. Juni tagsüber wieder den Normalbetrieb von U-Bahnen und Bussen aufgenommen, zwischen 1 und 5 Uhr nachts liegt der Verkehr still, dann müssen die Züge desinfiziert werden. Die Staten Island Ferry verkehrt gegenwärtig alle 20 Minuten. Es wurden Straßen(abschnitte) für den Autoverkehr gesperrt um mehr Platz für Fußgänger und Radfahrer zu schaffen.

Wieder erlaubt sind Treffen von bis zu zehn Menschen, mit Abstand und/oder Maske. Wenngleich Masken in USA nicht generell obligatorisch sind, hat Cuomo Mund-Nasen-Bedeckung vorgeschrieben, wenn der Abstand von 6 ft. (1,83 m) nicht eingehalten werden kann, und immer im öffentlichen Nahverkehr und in Taxis.

Ab Ende Juni oder Anfang Juli sollen in Phase 2 Büros, Friseure und Läden (Innenflächen), mit Ausnahme von Malls, und Restaurant-Freiflächen wieder öffnen. Der Termin für Phasen 3 und 4 ist noch offen. Im 3. Abschnitt sollen Restaurants und Bars auch im Inneren wieder zugänglich sein, mit reduzierter Gästezahl und Sicherheitsmaßnahmen, und Hotels dürfen dann ihre Fitnessräume, Pools und Lokale wieder aufschließen. Phase 4 schließlich umfasst die Wiedereröffnung aller Kulturinstitutionen, Attraktionen, Museen, Theater und Kinos etc.

Die NYSE (Börse) hat inzwischen wieder zum Handel geöffnet, die Flughäfen waren nie geschlossen. Touristische Attraktionen wie die Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center oder Hudson Yards sind derzeit noch geschlossen, eine Wiedereröffnung ist im Sommer (August) denkbar. Viele Museen bieten dafür neue digitale Rundgänge und Ausstellungen an. Die Strände, z.B. Coney Island, sind geöffnet, allerdings nicht zum Schwimmen. Die Parks sind ebenfalls zugänglich, lediglich im Hudson River Park (Piers 45, 46) und im Domino Park in Williamsburg/Brooklyn wurden die Besucherzahlen wegen zu großen Andrangs beschränkt. Spielplätze und Sportflächen sind noch geschlossen, ebenso Botanische Gärten und Zoos.

Events aller Art sind noch den ganzen Juni über abgesagt, allerdings deutete Bürgermeister Bill de Blasio überraschenderweise und ohne Details zu nennen, kürzlich an, dass die 4th of July Fireworks stattfinden würden. Am Broadway bleibt es derzeit noch dunkel, ebenso im Lincoln Center.

• Details zum 4-Stufen-Plan: https://forward.ny.gov
• Virtuelle Touren/Besuche/Konzerte u.a.: www.nycgo.com/virtual-nyc

Stuck at home

Stuck at home for almost three months now! Getting increasingly cabin fever and sick of everyday routines, same faces, same places.

Returned from our trip to Elko, Hawaii and Arizona on Feb. 24th and from then on it went downhill, travel- and business-wise. Corona took its toll and still does. Future unpredictable. Travel restrictions, social distancing, mandatory masks, restrictions, regulations and rules - many of them contrary, absurd or paradox, differing in the single States of Germany, set up by politicians living in big villas with staff, surrounded by greenery.

Not denying the potential danger of the disease, not at all, but handling of the problem was and still isn't always persuasive. Regulations were loosened in the meantime, and, in June traveling in Europe will be possible again. But, still, it's not really fun to go shopping, to a library or to visit a beergarden (because of the mask and because of the lines). Also, hotels won't be allowed to open their spas/saunas/pools/fitness rooms, to offer buffets. A long train trip with a mask on all the time? Even a visit at the hairdresser is a challenge nowadays.

Plenty of "runners" in the woods now, many new "yogis", new chefs behind the stove, and, still empty fresh-yeast shelves. Since masks became mandatory in shops and other public places, distance isn't considered a necessity anymore. Also, can't see so many positive social effects, at least not in our blue-collar neighborhood. Egoism, grumpiness and rude behavior is rather common.

The U.S.A. as a travel destination is "dead" and who knows whether, how and when it will rise from the dead. Right now there aren't even flights to the U.S. available and no foreigners are allowed into the country. Which leads to another important factor: Trump. His decisions haven't always been deliberate, to say it mildly. If he will be re-elected in November, the situation will even worsen.

Upside of the crisis: We renovated almost the whole apartment and the garden is in ship-shape order. 20 varieties of (mostly heirloom) tomatoes, lots of other veggies, and, now our many roses are starting to bloom. Haven't seen that spectacle for a long time – we've always been traveling to a tourism congress end of May in the past.

Last Day

Saturday morning: rain out of buckets and cool when we left Prescott after a quick stop at our favorite supermarket, Sprout's (pic). Wish our supermarkets - especially the veggie/fruit department - would look like that with about 10 different variety of onions, even more of potatoes, chiles, tomatoes,,,!

The day before it was crisp in the morning, but it warmed up from about 40 deg. to 65 deg. later. Not so today. We drove on Scenic Hwy. 81 through the mountains, narrow curves and probably spectacular views, if the clouds wouldn’t have hung on the pavement. Didn't see anything. At least we stopped at a Memorial for the Granite Mountain Hotshots, 19 young firefighters who lost their lives in 2013 when they fought against a fire threatening a nearby community.

Wickenburg, a western town on the way, was fully worth the stop for one main reason: the Desert Caballeros Western Museum. There was not only an interesting art exhibit of artist Ed Mell (pics below)


,,, but also a reconstruction of the historic town in the basement (pics) and lots of information about the history of this town, which was founded by Prussian prospector Henry Wickenburg (pic above, right), who discovered the Vulture gold mine.

Also, we didn’t know that the bola (or bolo) tie was invented in Wickenburg by a silversmith named Victor Cedarstaff. We spent about an hour in the museum and checked out the Western town itself on a quick driving tour - it was still raining hard.

Arrived to our North Dakota friends’ apartment in Phoenix on Saturday afternoon and enjoyed a warm welcome, good conversation, a superb art show, a neighborhood tour (with a private mansion surrounded by a fantastic cactus garden, see pics) and a great Mexican dinner.

On Sunday morning we departed for PHX Airport at about 8:30 am. It only took us about half an hour to get to the car return. We have driven 512 mi (800+ km) in only six days (in Hawaii we had 670 mi/1070 km in 12 days). A shuttle bus brought us to the Terminal and check-in and security check were quick and easy. Plane was on time, too, and we had no hurry in Houston to get our connection to MUC, which was equally smooth and on time. The plane was, same as on the way over, at least 2/3 empty in Economy Class, enough place to spread out (if we only could sleep on planes,,,). Food,,, as usual,,,: "chicken or pasta". Portions are shrinking and quality is bad. Not worth the amounts of plastic wraps.

Pics taken from the plane at start in Houston and this morning somewhere over Europe:

Culinary Prescott

Prescott not only is a great destination for history buffs and outdoor freaks, but also for „foodies“. The culinary scene is superb. For example, this town of only about 50,000 people has two local breweries, half a dozen or so of saloons and some nice restaurants.

Superstition Meadery was one great discovery. Never tried mead (honey wine) before and always thought of it as super-sweet. Not so at this meadery where we not only were treated to a couple of tasting flights, but also met with the highly successful owners, Jenn and Jeff Herbert. Founded in 2012, the couple was just recently named „2019 National Small Business Persons of the Year“ and invited to Washington, DC. Also, they were already pouring their products all-over the world in competitions and during events. With the mission “to reintroduce the world’s oldest fermented beverage to mankind“ ” they create a huge portfolio of mead and cider - off-dry traditional hard cider aged on oak, tropical session meads and barrel aged meads among many other fancy concoctions. Right now, there is only this tasting room in downtown Prescott, in the basement of the Old Capitol Market with „Spice Traveler“ on the first floor, but soon there will be the first mead and food pairing restaurant opening in downtown Phoenix.

On the first evening we had dinner at Farm Provisions, a restaurant owned by a husband and wife team as well. Their slogan is “ simple food elevated“ and their menu consists of seasonally changing dishes, utilizing local farmers and ranchers to not only serve delicious fresh food, but to also support the local community in Prescott. Also, their offers of vegan and gluten-free dishes is extensive. We had a delicious salad with goat cheese, beets, walnuts, etc. (a full meal!) and a burger with blue cheese and sweet potato waffles. Never before we had the choice between a „grass-fed local“ or „corn-fed“ beef patty for the burger.

Prescott Brewing Company - where we had a plate of „fully-loaded nachos“ - is a full-service restaurant, founded in 1994, whereas Granite Mountain Brewing is only about eight years old. It’s a „nano brewery“, with a three barrel brewing system right behind the bar plus two seven-barrel fermenters in a back room, where mostly wine barrel-aged Belgian dark ale is produced. No canning or bottling (yet). We had a tasting there, but stayed afterwards and got to love their barrel-aged Bootlegger Imperial Brown. A local country band was doing a Hank Williams Tribute and it was a great atmosphere.

Thumb Butte Distillery is a little further apart from downtown, but it was an easy walk for us, though there was no real walkway for pedestrians. We joined a tour and tasting and met with the owners: he a former artist and furniture maker and she a baker. The warehouse is pretty unusual, with lots of artwork on the walls and distilling equipment inbetween tables, with a little stage for live entertainment on weekends and a bar for tastings and cocktails. They produce whiskey, scotch, vodka, and gin in small batches.

Enough of eating and drinking. We were fortunate and stayed on Historic Whiskey Row - a perfect location. We didn’t need the car for two days and enjoyed the historic ambience of the Grand Highland Hotel. The two-story Grand Saloon & Hotel building opened in 1903. Originally, there was a store on street level, the hotel on the first floor. In the 70ies a fire damaged the building and it was completely redone in 2012, with 12 newly created historically themed rooms, each with a private bathroom and an old-fashioned bathtub. Breakfast is delivered to the room in the morning, there is a guest lounge and the rooms are tastefully and modern equipped, though with a historic flair. Excellent hotel!

Prescott – Everybody's Home

Virgil Earp was a lawman there and Doc Holliday called Prescott home for a time. All of them sat in the saloon, at the bar, pictured below. Prescott is your typical Old West town and was therefore, just recently, elected #4 among True West Magazine’s 2020 Top Western Towns. There are many reminders, especially along "Whiskey Row" - with its famous strip of saloons including the Palace – and around the Courthouse Square, of the wild old days.



Besides there is the new Western Heritage Center (pics below), the Sharlot Hall Museum, Arizona Territory’s first governor’s residence, Fort Whipple, the Phippen Museum (Western art).

Prescott was founded in 1864 as the Territorial Capital of Arizona. The Capital moved to Tucson from 1867 to 1877 and permanently to Phoenix in 1889. Mining (gold and copper) was the main industry, followed by a rapid growth of cattle ranching. Many of the neighborhoods, e.g. along Senator Hwy., still showcase the wealth and taste of people with beautiful houses in diverse Victorian architectural styles from around 1900.






In 1900 a disastrous fire destroyed a lot of downtown Prescott and many buildings were replaced by concrete, brick and stone buildings. Today, the city is florishing thanks to its "healthful" climate, which many retired snowbirds appreciate. Situated about 5.300 ft. high with cool nights and seasons invite people to spend time here and families from Phoenix often have summer homes. Lots of hot rods and classic cars on the streets in downtown, many affluent people in the area!

We had a fantastic tour with Tour Prescott, two young guys who bought a parking lot and rent it out to foodtrucks and give tours at the same time. They not only showed us around town - including the rodeo arena (Prescott Rodeo is considered the "World's Oldest Rodeo" from 1888), but also introduced us to the beautiful landscape around. All is situated very close to the city and easily reachable, lots of outdoor sports possible: hiking, boating, climbing,,,

Other stopps on our tour were the "moonscape" of Granite Dells und Watson Lake,

,,, Goldwater Lake, Thumb Bute and Granite Mountain (photos below). Great views everywhere, partly all the way to Flagstaff (unfortunately it was a bit hazy). Big advantage of Prescott is its great location, its climate and the air quality compared to "The (Phoenix) Valley". And, its only about 2 hours away!