One Way Ticket: Part Five

            Very, very, long overdue and belated update on my North Eastern travels. The last day of Boston/Worcester and the days in New York were so very full and fast paced, I barely had time to write (lots of time on the subway, but there is so much people watching to do down there!!) down my experiences and thoughts in my journal. I still don't have a full accounting of NY, it was just so very busy.

However from where we left of in the middle of the month....

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Friday, April 15th 12:18pm. Still on a bus from Boston to NY.

    Wednesday was a day of being inside. Dishes, laundry, food, domestic things. It was nice to just stay in and clean. Once Erin got back from morning class we got on Skype and talked with James. It rained a lake. I didn't leave the house the whole day. Read some and ate warm foods. I finished, mostly, the package that was supposed to go home.

    I just got off the phone with Robyn, my hostess in NYC and I'm in Harlem!! Well, driving through it at least. Not to judge a book by it's cover, but I'm glad I'm not staying here, I feel like I could witness a mugging at any moment and I'm half a story up in a bus. Port Authority, here I come!

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April 16th, 10am.
    I was sad and homesick yesterday as soon as I got to Robyn's apartment. It was the same welling feeling I had experienced when I first got to Boston. I called the house, knowing that if I talked to a familiar voice it's make it it worse. I got mom. And I choked up and cried a little. I feel that I was physically and mentally prepared for this trip... but not emotionally.

And sometimes I wonder if I am prepared in any aspect at all... some moments during my journey I've had some surreal moments of “Who am I in this place?” Almost out of body, or like I was dreaming. In retrospect, the sensation is probably connected to exhaustion and blood sugar. But when they happen, I can push through things that I feel that I would normally give up on sooner because I feel a disconnect to the experience.

    Navigating the subway system from Port Authority in Manhattan to where I needed to be in Brooklyn was one of those times. I was stressed out at first, but that faded to be replaced by an alert empty mindedness. It's hard to describe. Its as if I wasn't emotionally attached to the situation, even though I was in the middle of it and the outcome was centered on myself. Perhaps it's a warrior reaction to situations, but I didn't feel like a warrior. Anyways. I got off and out at the wrong station at one point, so I turned back around and set off an emergency exit alarm getting back on to the platform. (This is something that worried me that first time, but I came to hear it a whole bunch during my stint in the underground of NY. The “emergency exit” doors are what people with strollers and lots of luggage use to get on and off the stations.) Once you scan your subway fare card, it won't let you scan it again for another 15-30 minutes (I'm not sure about this, I never timed it and the locals kept on giving me different estimations when I asked them. Also, there was never anyone in the information desks at the stations. Grr much? Yes.)

    About to head out to experience more of Manhattan (last night was crazy) with my lovely hostess, Robyn.

Later: 1:54pm before curtain!!!!!!

    Robyn's been tempted me with a surprise and.... it's a Broadway show!! American Idiot by Greenday. Aaaahhh, so pumped. :D :D :D :D

5:11pm at the bar where Robyn does stand up comedy.

    Oh, NYC you're all wet and rainy and cold. But I think you're still pretty sweet. There is a starbucks on ever block. Flashback.

    My last day in Massachusetts was spent in the Museum of Fine Art while Erin visited with a dear friend of hers. I got in on student pricing and wandered through Egyptian, Medieval, and European with a side of Greek and Asian. Also there was a really far out blown glass and light exhibit. The whole time I was in those rooms I just wanted was a bunch of different sized and weight balls to throw at the whole thing. Again, another one of those out of body experiences I was talking about. I'm glad I didn't have a bowling ball with me... ah, I'll pack it for the next trip.

    For lunch I redeemed my free burrito voucher (got it for giving blood, did I mention that?) at a Qudoba's two blocks from the MFA. I met a wonderful gal in the line who let me sit and eat lunch with her. Christina and I talked about family and places. She's really close to her sisters and it was good to see in person that there are family centric people everywhere. The city of Boston seemed so big, but that might be because I walked a lot of it. The subway system there was easy in comparison to NYC.

10:55pm at an improv. show, before curtain.

    So, it's been over twelve hours since I awoke this morning, at 9am. I did get to settled in, drink some ginger tea & do finances, and journaled this morning. However, once we left the apartment to go into Manhattan for the Broadway show.... I feel so overstimulated. I saw so many bill boards and ads in Time Square! It's way overcrowded there and I dislike that. Too tired to write anymore now and the night is just beginning for us. (Robyn and two of her friends, Elsbet and Leah (sp?) were with us from dinner just before the improv show 'til the end of the evening which concluded with Karaoke at Lucky Chang's, which is known as a drag bar. Interesting experience, singing karaoke isn't as hard as I thought it would be.)

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Sunday, April 17th 2:30pm
    Riding the sub to meet Hiromi! She's a friend I know through a couple other people. We've never meet in person before, so I'm expecting a little bit of awkward.
     I'm not sure what we are going to do... I think I'll ask her to teach me how to make origami roses. We're meeting at the station on 7th Ave and 18th St. This requires me to get on the R train @ 77th St in Brooklyn, then get off at... 59th? To transfer to the N, which will after 20 mins or so take me to Times Square where I will then transfer to the 1 and go downtown till I get to the correct station. All by my lonesome, just like everyone else on this transport. People are mostly personality-less on the subway. Quite, introspective. Unless you're a performer, which I've seen a few of those already. Rather interesting to watch panhandlers here in NYC.
   
    Elizabeth, Robyn's house mate was very helpful this morning in giving me good directions for the subway and excellent conversation. It will be the last that I see of her, since she's going to Queens to spend the week with her family. Passover.

    Last night was so very long. I went for 18 hours nonstop on about eight hours of sleep... oh, after seeing that written that's not too bad, but still. 45 min subway ride, Starbucks, Hershey Store (did I mention Time's Square is nuts?), the Broadway show, the M&M store, 30 min subway ride, pizza and an open mic show in Brooklyn, then vegan food (yummy spicy veggie soup) with Elsbet & Leah, The Chris & Paul Show (funny guys, too critical of themselves), drag bar where I sang Fidelity by Regina Spektor, cab home. … crashed.

My first evening in NYC I got a delicious taste of eating JUST fries for dinner and then went to a restaurant that ONLY sells chocolate based dishes. Which is where that marshmallow chocolate pizza came from. So much omnomnom.

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April 18th 1pm – on the 7 toward Queens.
    Heading to her family's Passover dinner (they don't even call it a Sader) with Robyn. Went to Chelsea Market with Hiromi for an hour. She bought us Earl Grey chocolates and I discovered and treated her to Kinder Surprise Eggs. There was also a Milk Bar that sold only dairy.... cold and creamy yummy milk “fresh from the farm.” While I don't believe that it was “fresh from the farm”, it's the closest to it that I've drank since we babysat a milk cow. And since my hostesses so far have been more or less vegan, there has been a lot less dairy in my life! I drank a whole pint in about two minutes. I'm going back to Chelsea Market to get more eggs for the family, it'll be my souvenirs! Micheal had to travel all the way to Germany to get them for us, I find them south of Manhattan. It'll be the last thing, besides food, I'll buy while in New York.

    I did not realize how much MORE everything was going to be, I knew that NYC was expensive (thankyouthankyou Robyn & Elizabeth for sharing your home with me!!) but I still judged off by about 50%. This will affect my Midwest and west coast travel plans. All it takes is a small visit to Lush, a couple extra coffees, and Toys R Us to get one off track. Actually, I had planned in some “fun” money, it was the food I didn't expect to be so much all the time! (I'm happy to say that I haven't eaten ANY fast food that's not a mom&pop place and I'm being super wary about the meat.)

    After noming on chocolates with Hiromi we made plans to hang out again while we were still both going to be in the city. Then, I had to skoot to meet Robyn at 4:30. She had another surprise for me! We went to Coney Island, ate fries and chowder from the original Nathan's, wandered around the carnival, rode the Farris wheel (a first for me! I filmed some of it. Heh), went to a freak show which I was an audience participant, then to a candy shop and home. It was a good day.