Some folks like to get away, take a holiday...So I just got back from a week in New York City, center of the universe, trip of a lifetime. The streets make you feel brand new, the lights inspire you. The concrete jungle where dreams are made of. It was everything I hoped for and more. I will be moving there. As soon as possible. There may be subsequent posts as I remember more and more about my trip, but I'll give a brief overview of the highlights now, in list form, just for fun.
15 Random NYC thoughts (on the top of my head right now):
1. J-walking? Totes allowed in NYC. Everyone just goes, regardless of if the little white walking man is lit up or not.
2. We did NOT find Cash Cab. Also, interestingly enough, there were hardly any van cabs, but quite a few hybrid cabs, of which I approve.
3. We stayed in a hostel, and were the only Americans in our room. There were 2 French kids, a Spanish kid, a girl from England, and some others I never heard speak. It was pretty solid, minus the fact that our room was at a constant temperature of about 143 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Went to the Met. For like 4 hours. Recognize this? Yeah, I was 6 inches away from it. No big deal. Saw a lot of Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet, Degas, Andy Warhol, etc.
5. Times Square is just obnoxious. I felt like I was in Vegas. However, I would like to give a shoutout to the American Eagle in Times Square for providing warmth and a couch on multiple occasions.
6. Bank vestibules.
7. Central Park. Someone told me before I went you could spend an entire day in the park. And its the truth. It is gigantic and wonderful. I look forward to many walks in the park in my future.
8. So the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center was a super disappointment. They make it look huge on TV and it really wasn't that big or spectacular or anything.
9. The Plaza. Pretty much we just walked right in, acted like we belonged, and explored the place and no one stopped us. We found a crazy back worker staircase where they even had super fancy chandeliers right next to all the water pipes and stuff. And we rode an elevator to the Grand Ballroom where so many amazing people in history have been, home of
The Party of the Century. It was just grand.
10. All of the babies were cocooned in baby sleeping bags and riding in plastic-protected strollers. Maybe this is a common thing in cold states, but I found it quite amusing.
11. The Subway is just the best thing ever. When I live in New York I will not have a car. However, getting lost on the subway and ending up in Whitehall on the way to Brooklyn is quite the adventure. The subway art, the people-watching, and the pool of superb 'your team' options just made it sublime.
12. We decided to go explore Brooklyn one evening when we needed to kill time and that was quite an experience. We passed a wig shop on every block. No more explanation necessary.
13. We hit up the Natural History Museum on our last day. Saw that dino skeleton that comes to life at night and plays fetch with Ben Stiller. And Margaret Mead's cape. So basically it was a win.
14. Whole Foods at Colombus Circle. And discovering that New York City is kind of in love with Christopher Colombus.
15. The Strand, a bookstore that boasts to have 18 miles worth of books. So basically my heaven.
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere.
