Road Trippin

After having the opportunity to take a few trips over the last two weeks, I am finally able to update you on them.  Vegas ended up being a fabulous time!  Among my favorite highlights was our day trip to Boulder City, the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam.  We rented a Jeep Wrangler, which should of cost us over $500 (apparently you are not supposed to drive over 200 miles OR go off road...both of which would've been nice to know before I booked the vehicle), but ended up being about $245 (thanks to Lee).  We were also able to see many of the hotels, a few shows and spend almost three hours at the $20 Bellagio lunch buffet.  I believe I set the record for weight gain in a four day period.  The weather got up to 111 degrees, so I have also never been so thankful for air conditioning.  Justin, Gina and I had a great time together, and definitely made some memories that will last a lifetime.

At small group last Thursday night, two of my friends and I decided to take a very last minute random road trip to Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.  We took the one hour train ride from Grand Central to South Norwalk, CT where my car is parked (thanks to Gina and Adele). From there, it was only three and half hours to Hyannis, Mass where we stayed in Americas Best Inn (really not to shabby).  The next morning, we caught the 8:15 ferry to MV and spent five hours biking, shopping and eating.  It ended up being a twelve mile bike ride round trip from Oak Bluff to Edgartown, all along the coast.  The scenery was breathtaking, and the homes looked like dollhouses.  On the way back, we stopped at a lemonade stand and I feel like I also had ice cream at some point.  Lunch was at a seafood restaurant on the water, where we ate crab cakes and fish and chips (AMAZING).  The ferry departed for Nantucket around 2:15.  Once we arrived there, we headed straight for the beach, then to shop and to eat again.  I loved both places for very different reasons, and DEFINITELY recommend both islands to anyone who wants to get away for a week.  Surprisingly there were a lot of young people living and working there (I assume just for the summer months), and everything about it is family friendly.  I give two thumbs up!

Over the next few weeks I will have quite a few visitors, which I am so excited about.  It will be nice to stay in the city and explore things here with the people I love.  For anyone who is considering a trip here in the next few years, may I recommend coming in either May or June.  I have officially lived here for every season, and can tell you that you want to avoid every other month if weather and the elements are important to you.  

Not sure what the rest of the summer holds as far as trips go, but I have found some great friends to travel with and am excited about having those experiences with others as well.  Just last night at an advisory board meeting for a non profit I am involved with, I met a girl from North Carolina.  She is 30, has lived in the city for seven years and works in sales.  She said she knew I was good people when the first words out of my mouth were "Have ya'll eaten yet?  I'm starvin."  We are actually planning to go to the beach together this Saturday, so I continue to be very grateful for new friends.  Especially single ladies, who are my age, in my industry, from the south.  What more could a girl ask for!

And THAT is why she is the old maid with dogs

Remember the episode of Friends when Rachel gets into a fight in the laundry room with a woman who has tried to steal her machine, her basket and her dignity?  This evening, I had a similar experience while laundering about a month's worth of clothes.  We have five washers in our section of the building.  Five washers and fourteen floors of four apartments each.  Fifty six units with sometimes up to four people living in them.  And yet, only five lowly washing machines.  You can imagine the dilemma.

I have never had any altercations with anyone in the room, although my roommate has had a few.  However, tonight when I was waiting twenty minutes for four washers (as I mentioned, it was for a month's worth of laundry), a lovely little Kentucky girl decided to throw her stuff into my fourth as I was loading another.  When I mentioned that I was planning to use it, she glared at me and said "I don't think one out of four is asking too much."  In an effort to avoid a confrontation in front of an 85 year old man who had taken the last thirty minutes to fold five items, I let her have it.  The washer that is.

Frustrated at her attitude, and also that my total laundry time would be delayed by at least a half hour, I headed for the elevator back up to my apartment.  And who would be in it to greet me with her pleasantries and positivity...my next door neighbor, the "dog" lady.  This woman is the epitome of an old maid, and lives with four of the mangiest dogs you have ever seen.  She is bitter, hateful, and abrasive...and this evening was no different.  She asked me if the laundry was hectic, and why I seemed agitated.  Much to my dismay, I told her what had happened, and she proceeded to lecture me for thirteen floors.  She told me I should stand up for myself in this building, and that she has had to do a lot of that over the last thirty years of living there.  Apparently she once cursed a man out for using her machine, and threw his clothes into the hallway.  As she went on and on about her "courage" and my lack thereof, I realized that this is exactly why she was the old lady with dogs. I would prefer to continue to give up the fourth dryer if that means I can avoid that title in the future.

Summertime is happy time

Just when you think you have seen and heard it all on New York City public transit, you take the L train to Williamsburg (Brooklyn) on a random Monday night.   I must say that I did not see this one coming.  Usually the passengers who are most likely to catch your attention on the subway are standing in the aisle, with either an instrument, a bag of toiletries and food, or a can that they shake incessantly until you drop a quarter in.  But not on this L train.  This gentleman was not asking for anything at all, except our willing ears.  He was simply sitting there among the rest of us, in Liberty Blue overalls and a voice like a canary.  Actually, he was more scream-singing than anything, but it was still quite entertaining.  He sang about anything that inspired him at that moment.  His first tune was about a grocery store, Whole Foods to be exact.  I believe the lyrics went a little something like this…”We love Whole Foods, yes we do.  We love to eat.  We love it because it’s cheap.  Whole Foods is the supermarket we love, yes we do.”  I didn’t know whether I should clap, hold a lighter up or request Free Bird.  Before I had the chance to react, he was moving on to another source of inspiration…which ended up being intertwined with the song “New York, New York.”  He ended with the song “Celebrate”, and the only line that sticks in my memory is “if your lover is great, celebrate!”  Bare in mind, that he wasn’t really singing any of the correct melodies…but his own interpretation was priceless. 

It’s hard not to stare at people like that…but also easy to catch yourself mezmorized by babies and small children.  Especially when they are eating ice cream.  It’s probably one of my favorite things to watch, because they have such an appreciation for something so small.  I wish the simple things in life still made me that happy.  It’s refreshing to see, and almost makes you want to yank it out of their hands and polish off on their behalf.  Sometimes I find myself seeking any opportunity to act like a kid.  For example, just yesterday, after a client meeting with a coworker, we made our way next door to FAO Schwartz.  After some time in the Barbie section, we ended up at the life size piano (featured in the movie “Big”) and played a mean version of “Heart and Soul”.  Since the building we were in bordered the south east corner of Central Park, we opted to walk the rim for a while.  Unfortunately this was not the best idea, as we found ourselves in the middle of an outright brawl between at least three horse and buggy drivers.  Of course they were screaming in another language, but I couldn’t understand what they could possibly be upset about. Perhaps one horse defecated on another horse, or maybe they were just mad that it smelled so bad.  Who knows what the issue was, but we finally made it past them without a scratch.

What a great week of nightly activities this has been!  Sunday a few friends and I went to the Upright Citizens Brigade in Chelsea, which is an improv comedy club.  It would remind you of “Who’s Line is it Anyway”, and they always have a surprise guest performer in the cast, from either Saturday Night Live or 30 Rock.  The 7:30 show is only $10 and the 9:30 is free!  My mouth almost fell on the floor (which I was sitting on) when I saw Amy Poehler come onto the stage to open the show with a monologue.  Amy started on SNL, and has done several movies and shows since then.  She was absolutely hysterical, and I was about three feet from her the entire evening.  Also guest starring was Zach Woods, who plays Gabe on the Office.  The show had us rolling the majority of the time, and was actually quite clean.  I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, and definitely recommend it to anyone visiting the city on a Sunday night.

Tuesday night my friend Samara and I went to see Jonny Lang at BB Kings in Times Square.  I have loved him since he and I were both 16, when his first single “Lie to Me” came out.  Not only is his voice quite impressive, but he can play the guitar incredibly well (not to mention that he is easy on the eyes too).  He did “Lie to Me” acoustic at first, and then brought out his band (also AMAZING) to rock it out until the end.  My favorite piece was a song called “That Great Day”.  Apparently a few years back, he had a “spiritual encounter” and became a Christian.  Previously he had no interest in religion and was heavily involved with drugs and alcohol.  After changing his life, most of his music had a gospel feel to it.  He sang this song so passionately that it almost brought tears to my eyes.  Definitely a beautiful moment.

Wednesday night my friend Brenda and I decided to try to get tickets to one of the final performances of The Bengal Tiger, starring Robin Williams.  They do a $27 ticket lottery two hours before the show for 21 seats.  There were so many people there we did not get selected.  However, they ended up extending the discount to the rest of the crowd for seats in the rear orchestra section.  Just a little tip for future New York theater goers…always go to the box office first (not TKTS) and ask if there are any Rush tickets available.  That is the only way I was able to see Spiderman (front row, balcony) for $30 and Mamma Mia for $35.  After securing our tickets, we headed over to 9^th avenue to find a dinner spot.  On our way, we passed none other than Zach Woods on the sidewalk!  Such a weird feeling to run into someone famous twice in four days, but we kept walking.  We were on a mission to find food, and fast.  Eventually we happened upon Chelsea Grill and thought we would give it a shot.  SO glad we did.  I had the most amazing philly cheesesteak and waffle fries I have ever eaten…and all for $15 (not bad for that area).  We were in and out in less than an hour, and had the sweetest most attentive Irish waitress.   I put my stamp of approval on that place for sure…perfect for pre-theater dining.

Once we were in the theater, we realized that our tickets were in the next to last row in the orchestra, which was not terrible but we weren’t thrilled about it.  There were only two other people on our row and we were sitting right next to them in the middle.  Once the show started, Brenda and I moved down to the end to get a better view.  At the beginning of intermission, as we were standing up to stretch, I happened to glance in the direction of the people sitting on our row and you are not going to believe who I saw!  ZACH WOODS!  For the third time in four days!  He was sitting with his girlfriend, who had gotten up to go to the bathroom.  We were going back and forth on whether or not we should introduce ourselves, but I thought that the third time was a charm…fate…meant to be.  I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for a fourth encounter.  I approached him, told him we loved both of his shows, and asked for a picture.  He was such a nice guy, and asked us how we liked the city, how we knew each other and other various personal questions.  Apparently he was just in town for a few days visiting his lady, before heading back to L.A. where the show films.  Brenda and I were both on cloud nine at this point, and didn’t think the night could get any better.  After the show (which wasn’t really that good), we waited at the stage door to see if Robin would emerge to do a meet and greet.  Sure enough, about twenty minutes later (sometimes this process can take an hour), he came out, took his picture with us, signed our playbills and talked to us briefly.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect evening.

The next few months should be equally exciting.  So far, I’ve booked tickets to Coldplay, Kings of Leon and Stone Temple Pilots.  I am hoping for Bush tickets as well, even though it sold out in two minutes.  Several trips are planned, to Nantucket, Niagra Falls and Bar Harbor, Maine.  I have got to get a grip on my credit card…I’m definitely experiencing entertainment overload.

And now I am en route to Las Vegas, to celebrate the 4^th of July and a 30^th birthday with Gina and Justin.  None of us have ever been before, and I don’t really know what to expect.  We are there until Tuesday, and have a full itinerary ahead of us.  The Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam are tomorrow, the Beatles Cirque De Solieil is Sunday night, and then of course fireworks on Monday.   I am very excited, and continue to love every second of this summer.  So blessed to be able to experience so much!  I also just found out that my flight attendant is from McDonough, so I know I am in good hands.  She is making this flight bearable, as it seems that I am sitting in the rude women section of the plane.  The one in front of me continues to push her seat into my knees, wearing nothing more than a trashy halter top with shorts that show way too much of her cellulite.  The one next to me is probably about 70 years old and has the worst case of ADD that I have ever seen.  Every five seconds she is moving some part of her body, or typing incessantly on her Ipad, Ipod, Iphone or whatever other I- toy she has.  She is also wearing stripper shoes and her lone chin hair is longer than her nasty fake nails.  And her popped collar husband isn’t much better.  And the person to my right, mouth hanging wide open, is now slobbering.  I cannot wait to make this connection in Milwaukee. 

 

Happy in Hershey

There is nothing I like more than a good old fashioned spur of the moment road trip.  Last Saturday was supposed to be beach day with two girls from my small group, but alas, rain was in the forecast.  As an alternative, we decided on Friday night to head to Hershey, Pennsylvania the next morning.  Hershey is only a three hour drive from the city, and I am keeping my car in Connecticut for the summer, so we had free transportation.  We loaded up around 11 a.m. and started our trek to the motherland for chocolate lovers.

Hershey is an absolutely amazing place to visit.  It is off the beaten path, buried deep among farms and pastures, and yet could be deemed a miniature version of Disney World.  There is an amusement park, a museum, an arena for concerts, a botanical garden, an outlet mall, the actual Hershey factory, a 3d theater, a make your own candy workshop and a ride that would remind you of It's a Small World After All.  I only saw one gas station, which happened to be located smack dab next to their largest roller coaster.  The lamp posts in downtown Hershey are replicas of the Hershey's kiss, and there is a giant sign on the hill outside of their high school that reads "Welcome to Hershey".  It's hard not to be happy in Hershey.

When we arrived, we rode the "small world" ride, which is basically a child friendly tour of how the factory works.  After that came the 3D theater and the making of our very own chocolate creation.  I chose dark chocolate for my bar, with chocolate chips, cranberries and almonds on the inside.  We also got to design the exterior wrapping.  I was so happy by this point, as you can imagine.  Following our play time, we headed over to the Hershey rose gardens, which overlook the city.  There we found a festival of food and drink from local vendors, foot grape smashing, music and some of the nicest people I have ever met.  We spent the next few hours exploring the grounds, until they forced us off due to "tornadic weather", aka "I just want to close up and go home because I've been here all day."  Regardless of our earlier than expected departure, we had such a great time and stuffed ourselves silly with free baked goods and baby back ribs.

That night we got a hotel in Harrisburg, which was only twenty minutes outside the city.  We then promptly found the nearest Chick-fil-a, begged them over the phone to stay open an extra 15 minutes so we could have food, and drove like mad women to get there.  I literally told the woman that I wouldn't be able to have Chick-fil-a for at least four more months, and to have pity on us.  After dinner, we trucked on back to the great Super 8 where we called it a night for $20 a person.  The next day we did some major shopping (all of us got out for under $100 and got some steals-no tax!), and then headed back to the city.  I had such a great time with those girls.  All three of us moved to the city within a month of each other last year, so we have a pretty tight bond.  It's similar to the one you have your freshman year in college, when you are all going through the same major changes at the same time...you tend to stick together.  I look forward to many a road trip in the future with them...to the crayola factory, to PA Dutch country, Nantucket, Marthas Vineyard, Niagra Falls, and wherever else the wind may take us.

Josh and Ashley were able to come up this past week for Josh's job, so I was fortunate to be able to spend some time with them as well.  Some of the highlights for me were seeing Spiderman on Broadway, beach day with Ashley, eating at a great new find in Brooklyn called Bubby's and also eating at the Boat House in Central Park (we did a lot of eating.)

Spiderman was actually quite good, despite the negative ratings it has gotten.  Since they changed the show's director, improvements have definitely been acknowledged, but they still say it is cheesy with bad music.  I will agree to the bad music part, but the costumes and acrobatics make it very worth while.  Another lucky moment...I got tickets that day at the box office for $30 each, for the last night of previews before opening night!  I simply asked for any available rush tickets (they usually only sell to students in increments of two), and she handed me three on the front row in the balcony.  One of our seats had an obstructed view, so we shifted after the first act and I ended up closer to the center between two random people who I did not know.  And boy oh boy am I glad I did that.  Spiderman ended up coming to the platform right in front of me at least three times during the second act, gave the woman next to me a high five at one point and then winked at her husband at the end.  It was absolutely amazing!  I recommend it to anyone who may be visiting NYC this summer.

While it was so good to see family, and will be good to see the group of friends I have coming up in the next few weeks, it will be nice to have a low key weekend.  The only plans I have is to attend a Mermaid Parade in Coney Island on Saturday (I have a friend marching, swimming, or whatever else you would call it in the parade) and a going away party Saturday night for a friend from small group.  Other than that, I plan to finalize all shopping and other arrangement for my 4th of July Vegas trip.  This has been, and will continue to be , an amazing summer.  I am truly blessed to be able to experience life here this time of year, and also to venture out to places I have never been.

Braves, Boats and Babies

If the summer turns out to be half as good as this past weekend, then I am in for a real treat!  Not only was the weather perfect (70s, sunny), but the agenda couldn't have been more entertaining.  Friday night was the Braves/Mets game, and I went with my friend Rich.  We were able to secure $15 seats that weren't actually half bad.  I was one of the only Braves fans in a sea of blue and orange, but I definitely stood proud.  Thankfully we won, even though the game was quite close.  It was your typical summer evening of baseball, complete with hamburgers, hot dogs and onion rings (all which cost more than the ticket to the game).

On Saturday, several people from the small group I attend arranged a trip to Governors Island to celebrate a few birthdays among us.  Governors Island is just south east of the southern tip of Manhattan, and was once the home of the U.S. Army, followed by the U.S. Coast Guard.  The island hasn't been inhabited since 1996, but was established as a national park accessible to the public in 2003.  With over 150 acres of trees, gorgeous lawns and old homes, it made for the perfect retreat out of the city.  We all rented bikes to explore the entire area, had a picnic and toured the homes and churches.  I definitely plan to go back, as it is a free ferry ride from Manhattan (departs right next to the Staten Island Ferry).  There are hammocks to hang out on, art festivals, concerts, trapeze lessons and a fabulous view of the Statue of Liberty and the financial district.  The best part about it was that it had a very local vibe, and seemed to be somewhat removed from the overwhelming amount of tourists that invade the city this time of year.  After the visit to the island, I had dinner with two fabulous girls from the trip at Chat 'N Chew, my favorite "comfort food" diner in Union Square.  Next was my friend's ska concert at Webster Hall, and then home to bed!

Today I decided to venture out with my church attendance, and ended up at the Harlem church which was recommended to me by one of my best friends.  It was a great morning of worship, and there was a very diverse crowd of people there from France, Germany, Italy, Russia and Brazil...and of course locals!  My favorite part was the fact that the term "hooptie" was used.  I haven't heard that word since referring to my 1991 blue Lumina that I drove all through high school.  Following the service, I ate at Sylvia's right next door.  This restaurant is apparently legendary in the Harlem community, and has been since 1962 when it was opened by it's South Carolina founder, and there was not a single table available.  I chose to sit at the bar of the diner portion, and enjoyed an amazing meal of fried chicken, eggs, biscuits and sweet tea.  I even saw a guy that I knew working there!!!!!  I had met him leaving work one day on the train all the way downtown.  What a small world!  This afternoon I went to an old coworker's baby's first birthday party in Jersey City, NJ.  Met a lot of great new people, and had the best red velvet cupcakes of my life.  Now I just need a weekend to rest from my weekend!!!!

Confessions of a Cab Driver

I was so blessed to be able to spend Memorial Day weekend with family and friends in Atlanta.  It truly was the perfect vacation, as I was able to see many people who I love.  We had great weather, even better food, an entertaining golf game, a whip cream and chocolate cake fight and a mini high school reunion.  It was really hard to leave yesterday, and I am already anticipating my next trip back.

When I landed at LGA, I was hoping to hop in a quick cab ride home to meet my friend Brenda for a very late dinner.  However, the line to hail a cab was an hour long.  I really didn't want to mess with the bus/subway combo it takes to get home, so I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Until finally it was my turn in line, and boy did I get lucky.  Not only was the cab brand new, but my driver was quite the comedian and mentor.  We weren't even out of the airport when he said something about him being "retarded" for losing money in a blackjack game.  I'm not sure what he was thinking to himself, but right after he said it, came the loudest cackle I have ever heard in my life.  I burst into laughter, as did he.  I wasn't sure what he was laughing about, but I was certain I was laughing at him laughing.

As we made our way into Astoria, Queens on the way home, he was able to gain enough composure to give me a three point lesson on the keys to life.  These nuggets of wisdom were not solicited, but rather offered as a complimentary perk to his shuttle service.  Point number one:  Health.  This did not require much explanation on my part.  Point number two:  Respect for others.  Again, I was following him to the tee.  Point number three:  Happiness.  Okay, I needed his clarification on this one.  What did he mean by happiness?  He went on to say that you should never expect anything from anyone or anything...his words.  This, he professed, was the key to being happy.  Zero expectations.  I had never really thought about it that way.  Of course, I have my own thoughts on what truly brings happiness, which I still stand by.  But I thought he made a valid point.  He told me he was from Pakistan, and that his entire family still lived there.  He had retired a few years back, but lost all of his money because of gambling.  He was such a pleasant man, who was quite entertaining, and definitely worth the wait.

Today I had really sore shoulders from playing golf with dad yesterday, so I decided to randomly google "cheap massages in midtown manhattan."  And boy, oh boy, did I find a gem.  Lilly and Raul was the first place to come up in my search, and since they didn't have a website, I didn't even bother.  However, after seeing the price list of all the other places, I decided to call and check out their reviews.  Not only was their price $42 for one hour, they gave me the exact time I was asking for after work, and also the therapist who I had read so much about...Amy.  It was actually only four blocks from my apartment too, which seemed surreal.  When I got there, I quickly realized it was a "no frills" kind of place.  As in no walls between the rooms...just curtains.  Normally this would make someone nervous, but not me.  I had survived the Gellert Spa in Budapest, Hungary where my toe nail was cut off, I had to bathe in a pool of about 100 naked women, and then have my rear end slapped by a massage therapist who was insulting me in Hungarian.  THIS I could handle.

Lilly and Raul is run by Japenese women who practice the art of Tui-Na massage.  My Amy was the tiniest of these women, so I had my doubts that she could really work out these kinks in my back and shoulders.  However, once I laid down on the paper towel covered massage table (yep), she got to work.  Let me just say that I have never in my life experienced as deep of a deep tissue massage as this one.  There were moments when I couldn't breathe because there was so much pressure.  But ole Amy...she was determined to rid me of this knotty existence.  She would not quit.  She persevered when most would've thrown in the towel and moved to my feet.  At one point I was drooling.  Thank goodness that my face was down and she didn't notice the spit slip through the face prop.  I left feeling refreshed and ready to collapse.  What a great way to end the day!  Now, I just have to find a second job so I can afford to go on a weekly basis.

Fleets of Strength

I have always thought of Christmas as being my favorite time of year...the presents, time with family, fake trees in your living room.  I am always in the best of spirits during the holidays, but all of the cheer and excitement that accompanies Santa's season has been trumped by a recently discovered guilty pleasure.  Fleet week.  Instead of a jolly old man in a big red suit, I get dress blues pressed to perfection.  Instead of a beard to decorate a face, I get high and tights all over the place.  And instead of a sleigh parked on the roof, I get a gigantic ship docked at pier 88.  The only similarity between the two times of year is how I run around in a frenzy, in such a state of jubilation, that I am screaming or passing out all over the place.

Fleet week is that time of year from the Wednesday before Memorial Day until the Wednesday after, where there are members of the United States Marine Corp, Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force docked at Pier 88 and spending the entire week on the island.  They have performances, boat tours, and presentations.  But the best part is the fact that this city is swarming with men in uniform, and you really do feel like a kid in a candy store.  I don't know why I have such a fascination with military men.  I attribute it to my grandfather being a Marine, and my dad making sure that we were raised knowing a lot about it.  I certainly have a great respect for anyone who is willing to make that commitment.  I decided to go exploring with a single girlfriend of mine, and we did well.  Met some coast guard gentlemen the first night and Marines the second.  They all have strict curfews, and are the greatest of gentlemen, so it was quite an enjoyable evening.  We just let them tell their stories, tried on their hats and told them how proud we were of them.  What a great experience!