Exploring Downtown Norwich, NY

Main & Broad Streets Intersection 

I spent the day recently with my boyfriend, Sonny, exploring Norwich (NY), the small city I live in. I was on "Jazzy" (my mobility chair) and he was on his scooter. If you live in a city and have physical limitations as far as walking goes, these mobility vehicles are helpful to go shopping or other places. In fact, I have fun on mine. I look forward to going out on it, even if I just go to the park across the street. Sonny's scooter can be taken apart to go inside his car. Jazzy is much heavier and bigger so I don't think it would be that easy to travel with. Since I don't have a car, I basically use Jazzy for my transportation during the nicer weather in the downtown area where I live.

A Crosswalk on N. Broad Street

Norwich recently put in these awesome crosswalks. I feel much safer as I cross where there is not a stop light. Press a button and the lights flash to let the cars know you are crossing. For a small city, Norwich, NY, gets quite busy and has a lot of traffic, as well as people on the street. The grocery store is a little farther away but if you can walk or use a mobile chair you can still go to it. There are a few stores, such as the drug store that sell food also. So in a pinch you can get something you need though they are more expensive. 

The Colonia

The Colonia movie theater, in which we have seen two movies so far is also within walking distance of my apartment. We first saw Bohemian Rhapsody there in 2018 and we loved it so much we went back and saw it again. Then we saw Cats, the movie. Now Cats had a lot of bad reviews online, but I read the book and saw the Broadway show twice so I understood it. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot is a book of poetry that he wrote back in 1939. I had this book for years and now I have it on my Kindle. I still read it. The Colonia is a vintage theater and is like stepping back in time. I love it!  Some people do not enjoy the vintage seating. Smaller and harder seats, but I like the atmosphere. Right now it is showing their movies at the fairgrounds like a drive-in due to the quarantine. Watching a movie in a car is not going to be fun for me so we won't be doing that.

Downtown

The businesses in downtown Norwich are attractive and inviting. That is why I always said if I had to move from the country to a city it would be to Norwich. I am still glad I did. My apartment is right behind these buildings you see in the photo. There are restaurants, taverns, coffee shops, stores, including a department store and a drug store. You will also find hair salons, barber shops, a jewelry store, a head shop, a bicycle shop and a leather and biker related gear store, among others I may have missed. A nice mix and on the surrounding streets there are more than a few churches within walking distance. Or at least within using a mobile chair distance.

McLaughlin's Department Store

If you do not own a car then choosing a downtown area to live in is a good idea. Taking your time to research the area of whatever city you choose is important. We cannot be too careful these days and nobody can be 100 percent safe. I feel safe here but I never leave my apartment after dark alone. Even walking out to the dumpster I am careful and always go earlier in the day. Do not put yourself at risk. One lady in my building scared someone who was inside our dumpster when she opened it to put her trash bag inside. He jumped out and he ran off. Maybe we was sleeping inside? With all that garbage? Yuck!

Arts Council Theater & Gallery sign

A sign on the street directs cars to the parking lot for the Chenango Arts Council, which is in the other half of my apartment building. The theater there provides entertainment in the form of plays and musicals, such as what you would see in a Broadway show. They sell out quite often. I have not been to one of those yet, but we have gone to the free movies they show about once a month (before the quarantine). They show older movies in the theater that are usually in black and white and give out free popcorn and water. We enjoyed those. The Arts Council also offers lessons in various arts and crafts and there is also a music instruction studio in the building. 

South Broad Street

I have only covered a small portion of what is available in Norwich, NY. I will be doing more posts about it in the future. 

Copyright © 2020 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2020  Kathleen G. Lupole

Updated 2021

My Mobility Chair, Jazzy 600ES

Jazzy

I have mentioned my mobility chair a few times since I got it earlier this year. I call it Jazzy because that is the manufacturer's model name for it. It is made by Puritan Mobility and is model #600ES. It is electric and has a battery that I plug into the charger to charge. Jazzy is very dependable. Once I learned how to use it and got over my fear of being out on the streets with it, I love it. It is made for indoor and outdoor use and can handle the uneven sidewalks we have here in NY. I even travel over railroad tracks with it pretty often! People in motor vehicles are courteous to me and will stop the traffic at the crosswalk and wave me on. Once I felt comfortable and safe on Jazzy, it has become my favorite way to travel. It is not only allowing me my freedom and independence...........but it is FUN also! Yes, you can have fun in your sixties too!

Charging

My apartment is pretty small, being a studio or efficiency apartment. So every bit of space is important to be used wisely. I keep Jazzy in the bathroom in front of the shower and just take it out of there while I am showering. It can be stored in another room if you have a house or a larger apartment. It is important to keep it near an electrical outlet so you can charge it overnight. It is convenient to charge because you do not have to remove your battery. Just plug the charger into Jazzy and into the wall. There are two lights on the charger, a red light and a green light that comes on as soon as you plug it in. The green light shows that it is charging and the red light shows it is not charged yet. When it is charged the red light will turn green and you then see two green lights. 

Jazzy's Charger

The charger is plugged into the electrical outlet and the chair. When I first got it though, I looked all over Jazzy trying to find where the heck to plug it in. Finally I went to the manufacturer's website and found their manual that I was able to print out. Found the plug! It was easy after that. I read the information in the manual about how to safely drive Jazzy and it really helped me while I was learning. I wasn't stressed anymore about crossing the busy intersection near my home. It explained how to maneuver over rough terrain, curbs and inclines. I keep it handy so I can check it out after I have found myself in a situation that is hard to travel. I have been able to go everywhere so far though.

Plugged In!

The plug for the charger is built right in under the control on the arm. I usually plug it in at night before I go to bed and it is charged by the time I get up. I do not think it takes very long. Of course, I have never let it lose its charge. If it does, when you are bringing it back home you will have to get someone to push it for you. I wonder if you can't walk at all, if you can call 911 for assistance? Sonny's scooter lost its charge the day we went to the car museum and he had to push it. He had periods after pushing it that the battery would get a little bit of a charge and he could ride a little. It had no real charge though. I find with Jazzy that if I shut it off and wait a few minutes, it will bring the charge up a little. Whenever I have to sit and wait somewhere, I turn it right off.

Jazzy is sturdy and well made!

One of the things I love about Jazzy is the fact that it makes zero turns. I can turn it around in my bathroom or in a tight grocery aisle. Really! Like those fancy zero turning lawnmowers! Jazzy comes with this special patented Mid-wheel 6® technology and Active-® ATX suspension which makes that possible. If it increases the price of buying one, I would say to go for it. It is worth every penny! I did not buy mine new, but it was well cared for and I'd say it is like new. The casters on the front and back help to prevent the wheels from hanging up. Just takes a bit of practice and you will be traveling.

Jazzy's Control Panel

The top control is the on and off button as well as the battery charge. In this photo it is at full charge. The bottom control is the speed and the horn. Turtle speed is of course, slow. The rabbit is fast speed and it does go fast. If you are considering one of these mobility chairs, you really should check Jazzy out. I love it and think it is the best!

Note: This is NOT a paid post. I am just a happy Jazzy owner.

Copyright © 2019 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2019  Kathleen G. Lupole