This past Tuesday, I visited New York City. When I sat down to write this entry about it, I thought, "Wow! It's been so long since I've been there!" but then consulting said blog tells me that I was there last in September, during my whirlwind circumnavigation of the city, and before that in late April for a Colbert Report taping, and before that in November, and before that to see Pavement... yeah. Ok, so not that long.
Anyway. I left on a 7 AM bus to the Port Authority so I could be plenty early for my interview on Varick Street. And plenty early I was, but the joy of the Peace Corps lobby is that there is a huge map on the wall and lots of articles everywhere about interesting and beautiful places. Yes, Peace Corps! Yes, I'm excited. It went well!
Afterward, I wandered further downtown to say hello to the World Trade Center before heading up just north of Times Square for lunch with my friend Heather. She took me to this place called Pret which had a vegetarian sandwich that included hummus and avocado, so I was obviously pretty pleased with this arrangement. It was great to catch up and hear about her new job and let her try to talk me into staying in the city till she got off work. Try to? More like, succeed in.
While Heather went back to work, I wandered around Rockefeller Plaza, which is a five minute walk underground from her office. I people watched for a good portion of the 3.5 hours left in her day. Some older woman trying to figure out how to take a picture of the toy soldier statue I was sitting next to using her fancy cell phone camera. Someone got engaged on the ice skating rink. Some mom lost her marbles trying to take her sons' picture in front of the tree because they were making silly facing and goofing off. Some tourists.
After Heather finished work, we took the subway to her neighborhood in Brooklyn and walked a few blocks to the Park Slope Ale House, where I had a lovely evening with her and my friend Ross. I love having friends who are just cool enough to get along with anyone, including other friends who they don't know. It was well worth the time wasted at Rockefeller.
Beer of the day: Harpoon's Chocolate Stout, a very lovely chocolatey stouty stout.
Tree of the day: Norway Spruce (the Rockefeller tree)
The trip home was not so pleasant. Sometimes I forget how freaking far Brooklyn is from Manhattan via subway, because I probably left Park Slope around 9:15 and didn't get back home till 1:30 AM despite arriving to Port Authority slightly after 10. Dear goodness. No Toms River bound buses till 11:30. Construction at the Bus Terminal. Construction at the helix.
But a day well spent, the tree is lovely as ever. Heather, if you're reading this, go see the tree for the first time in your life.
Showing posts with label New York City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York City. Show all posts
16 December 2011
28 September 2011
If I say it's ridiculous...
...you know it's pretty ridiculous. So: It was ridiculous.
Day 10: Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Morgantown. 320 miles.
Woke up in the Toledo area. Headed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
I enjoy the Rock Hall. I think it meant more to me than my travel companions because I knew more of the inductees, being mostly American singers and bands. There was an exhibit on the women of rock, which I kind of enjoyed from a weird, confident woman kind of perspective. It was cool to see all of their dresses and stage outfits and realize that many of them ate food on a regular basis. Another amusing observation for the day: Ringo Starr is the only Beatle not inducted into the Rock Hall for his solo work. I'm not saying I'm surprised, I'm just saying that I noticed it.
From Cleveland to Pittsburgh. We were chasing a really awful storm front the entire day. It had hit us in Toledo the night before and left things a chilly 44 degrees when we left in the morning. We caught up to the clouds in Cleveland, and again on the way to Pittsburgh, but fortunately caught a break and had some cool sunshine to walk around a little bit with another mutual camp friend, Kate (or Lifeguard Kate as she was often called this summer, even though she was the only Kate on staff).
Pittsburgh observations:
1. Parking is a nightmare. Oh my goodness.
2. Not as hilly as I remember, though perhaps it was in a part of town that I refused to venture because I didn't want to have to park again.
3. Definitely remember it having so many bridges though. Lovely views.
We walked over to the Cathedral of Learning and the Heinz Chapel, both of which were very beautiful. At the Cathedral, we checked out a few of the international rooms-- rooms that were designed and decorated by different nationalities when the funding for the building ran out. The Heinz Chapel was very beautiful, with stained glass so detailed it kind of blew my mind. We got pizza from a place on Kate's street and ate it on her roof, a very peaceful picnic. It was great to see our sweet friend again!
From Pittsburgh to Morgantown. This was my bright idea mostly because I wanted to see my friend from undergrad, Jessica, but also because I was hoping we'd be more ahead of schedule and actually get to see some things. Not the case. We drove in after dark, partied with Jessica and her cool boyfriend Josh till the wee morning hours, crashed for a little while, then got up and drove out of West Virginia again before sunrise.
Morgantown to Johnsonburg: ~360 miles. It was ridiculous.
Well, dawn was breaking as we headed into Western Maryland, which I learned is quite a lovely place! The drive was really beautiful, but I had to hand over the keys and take a nap for a while. We missed an exit in that time, so whatever, we looked at the atlas and chose a different route to head home. We ended up driving through Harrisburg and then the Lancaster area before making a beeline for Johnsonburg, as Jakub had a flight that evening from JFK. In fact, we hit some traffic and took a slower route than we should have, so we didn't leave a very big window for Jakub to make it to the city and up to the airport.
And so we all piled back into Arlo the Van for one last journey, in which we basically circumnavigated New York City because I thought driving for 2 hours was better than sitting in 2 hours of traffic going back the normal way across the George Washington Bridge. While the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and Jamaica Bay are lovely and scenic, I do not recommend doing this, as we got to pay the $8 toll over the GW into the city and the $13 toll out of the city via the Verrazano. Didn't really think about it, just didn't want to sit in the intense outbound traffic we saw as we crossed the George Washington earlier.
We arrived back to camp safe, alive and well, but missing Jakub. Michael left with his girlfriend that night; Timi the next morning, Jozsef that Sunday and Maciej on Monday. The last of our staff is gone and summer is really over.
Doesn't mean I'm not brainstorming my next adventure...
Day 10: Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Morgantown. 320 miles.
Woke up in the Toledo area. Headed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
I enjoy the Rock Hall. I think it meant more to me than my travel companions because I knew more of the inductees, being mostly American singers and bands. There was an exhibit on the women of rock, which I kind of enjoyed from a weird, confident woman kind of perspective. It was cool to see all of their dresses and stage outfits and realize that many of them ate food on a regular basis. Another amusing observation for the day: Ringo Starr is the only Beatle not inducted into the Rock Hall for his solo work. I'm not saying I'm surprised, I'm just saying that I noticed it.
From Cleveland to Pittsburgh. We were chasing a really awful storm front the entire day. It had hit us in Toledo the night before and left things a chilly 44 degrees when we left in the morning. We caught up to the clouds in Cleveland, and again on the way to Pittsburgh, but fortunately caught a break and had some cool sunshine to walk around a little bit with another mutual camp friend, Kate (or Lifeguard Kate as she was often called this summer, even though she was the only Kate on staff).
Pittsburgh observations:
1. Parking is a nightmare. Oh my goodness.
2. Not as hilly as I remember, though perhaps it was in a part of town that I refused to venture because I didn't want to have to park again.
3. Definitely remember it having so many bridges though. Lovely views.
We walked over to the Cathedral of Learning and the Heinz Chapel, both of which were very beautiful. At the Cathedral, we checked out a few of the international rooms-- rooms that were designed and decorated by different nationalities when the funding for the building ran out. The Heinz Chapel was very beautiful, with stained glass so detailed it kind of blew my mind. We got pizza from a place on Kate's street and ate it on her roof, a very peaceful picnic. It was great to see our sweet friend again!
From Pittsburgh to Morgantown. This was my bright idea mostly because I wanted to see my friend from undergrad, Jessica, but also because I was hoping we'd be more ahead of schedule and actually get to see some things. Not the case. We drove in after dark, partied with Jessica and her cool boyfriend Josh till the wee morning hours, crashed for a little while, then got up and drove out of West Virginia again before sunrise.
Morgantown to Johnsonburg: ~360 miles. It was ridiculous.
Well, dawn was breaking as we headed into Western Maryland, which I learned is quite a lovely place! The drive was really beautiful, but I had to hand over the keys and take a nap for a while. We missed an exit in that time, so whatever, we looked at the atlas and chose a different route to head home. We ended up driving through Harrisburg and then the Lancaster area before making a beeline for Johnsonburg, as Jakub had a flight that evening from JFK. In fact, we hit some traffic and took a slower route than we should have, so we didn't leave a very big window for Jakub to make it to the city and up to the airport.
And so we all piled back into Arlo the Van for one last journey, in which we basically circumnavigated New York City because I thought driving for 2 hours was better than sitting in 2 hours of traffic going back the normal way across the George Washington Bridge. While the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and Jamaica Bay are lovely and scenic, I do not recommend doing this, as we got to pay the $8 toll over the GW into the city and the $13 toll out of the city via the Verrazano. Didn't really think about it, just didn't want to sit in the intense outbound traffic we saw as we crossed the George Washington earlier.
We arrived back to camp safe, alive and well, but missing Jakub. Michael left with his girlfriend that night; Timi the next morning, Jozsef that Sunday and Maciej on Monday. The last of our staff is gone and summer is really over.
Doesn't mean I'm not brainstorming my next adventure...
29 April 2011
a very quick trip to England
Never can tell where I'll show up when you don't hear from me for a few days, eh?
I got to Brooklyn Wednesday night to stay with Heather, who was to accompany me to a Colbert Report taping last night. We caught up over some asparagus and later, beers. She took Thursday off so we wandered around the city, into Manhattan. At one point my mom called and asked, "Where are you?" which seems to be a bit of a trend in my life. She was calling because there were tornado warnings all over NJ, particularly near camp. I was not near camp and it seems the tornadoes didn't end up being near camp, either, but still, I'm amused when people ask where I am.
Heather and I met up with Taylor and Alison at Penn Station in the afternoon. Alison had scored tickets to Colbert, who is her hero and #1 crush of the universe, and we were all excited to go. We headed up town to find his studio and scope out meal options. Lunch: Empanada Mama. Really, really delicious.
So from there to England. Colbert was in England for the royal wedding! The taping was really fun. Stephen Colbert came out ahead of the show and did a question and answer session as himself, not in character. He strikes me as a really nice man, and definitely funny. Alison in all of her awesomeness asked him if he'd sing Happy Birthday to Taylor (it was, in fact, his birthday). Colbert said no but sang Billy Joel's "Vienna" after having a brief conversation with Taylor and learning that's where in Virginia he lives. It was really cool.
The show itself was a pretty silly episode. You can see us at about 1:09 as the camera pans across the audience. We were sitting in the third row, all the way to the left facing the audience. Alison is in the corner, wearing purple, then Heather in black, Taylor in bright green and me in light blue. Colbert actually flubbed the first line of the intro by pointing over the wrong shoulder to Big Ben, so the entire show really started off with the giggles. The second take took, but there were many other laughs throughout. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed watching the final product to see what they changed and how they covered cuts. Of course Stephen Colbert made no mistakes... but if he had, he would have told us not that as long as no one blogged about it, everyone would buy into the magic of TV and no one would know he made mistakes.
After the show, we had sushi at Hanami Japanese Cuisine before heading back to Penn Station, New Brunswick (where I'd left my car), and northern Virginia. What can I say? I cover a lot of ground.
I got to Brooklyn Wednesday night to stay with Heather, who was to accompany me to a Colbert Report taping last night. We caught up over some asparagus and later, beers. She took Thursday off so we wandered around the city, into Manhattan. At one point my mom called and asked, "Where are you?" which seems to be a bit of a trend in my life. She was calling because there were tornado warnings all over NJ, particularly near camp. I was not near camp and it seems the tornadoes didn't end up being near camp, either, but still, I'm amused when people ask where I am.
Heather and I met up with Taylor and Alison at Penn Station in the afternoon. Alison had scored tickets to Colbert, who is her hero and #1 crush of the universe, and we were all excited to go. We headed up town to find his studio and scope out meal options. Lunch: Empanada Mama. Really, really delicious.
So from there to England. Colbert was in England for the royal wedding! The taping was really fun. Stephen Colbert came out ahead of the show and did a question and answer session as himself, not in character. He strikes me as a really nice man, and definitely funny. Alison in all of her awesomeness asked him if he'd sing Happy Birthday to Taylor (it was, in fact, his birthday). Colbert said no but sang Billy Joel's "Vienna" after having a brief conversation with Taylor and learning that's where in Virginia he lives. It was really cool.
The show itself was a pretty silly episode. You can see us at about 1:09 as the camera pans across the audience. We were sitting in the third row, all the way to the left facing the audience. Alison is in the corner, wearing purple, then Heather in black, Taylor in bright green and me in light blue. Colbert actually flubbed the first line of the intro by pointing over the wrong shoulder to Big Ben, so the entire show really started off with the giggles. The second take took, but there were many other laughs throughout. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed watching the final product to see what they changed and how they covered cuts. Of course Stephen Colbert made no mistakes... but if he had, he would have told us not that as long as no one blogged about it, everyone would buy into the magic of TV and no one would know he made mistakes.
After the show, we had sushi at Hanami Japanese Cuisine before heading back to Penn Station, New Brunswick (where I'd left my car), and northern Virginia. What can I say? I cover a lot of ground.
09 November 2010
the Colleen authority of NY and NJ
At the end of last week, I had some unexpected journeying through New Jersey. While I love NJ dearly and am always excited to check out new places in the state, the circumstances were not the greatest-- the new beau was coming to visit for the weekend from Virginia and totaled his car en route. Taylor thankfully walked away unscathed.
And so I had the opportunity to drive to Bellmawr late Thursday night to retrieve him from a state police station, and down to Deptford the next day to help him empty his car and say goodbye to it. Both of these drives involved heading straight through my beloved Pine Barrens and hanging out in semi-rural Wawa country on the other side of the state. Not much going on down there, though we did stop for an afternoon snack at a perfectly legit Jersey diner. The drive was fine, and the grey skies actually provided a lovely backdrop for the changing leaves.
The weekend was redeemed with a trip to New York City that had been planned all along to see an exhibit of artistic maps at Pratt University. I mean, really artistic. Like the gelatin Lady Liberty and New York Skyline. The exhibit had the term "psychogeography" in the title... so not my particular branch of geography, but very interesting nonetheless. This was Taylor's original excuse to come visit, since he's a cartographer.
Other highlights of the city included discovering Odessa Cafe over by Tompkins Square Park and the Joe Strummer mural, a total gem of a diner with well priced good food; hanging out in Central Park (tree of the day: black maple that dropped its leaves all over the rock we sat on there); meeting up with one of Taylor's friends from college for a beer and to see Megamind, which I thought was pretty great. All in all, a good trip to the city.
And so I had the opportunity to drive to Bellmawr late Thursday night to retrieve him from a state police station, and down to Deptford the next day to help him empty his car and say goodbye to it. Both of these drives involved heading straight through my beloved Pine Barrens and hanging out in semi-rural Wawa country on the other side of the state. Not much going on down there, though we did stop for an afternoon snack at a perfectly legit Jersey diner. The drive was fine, and the grey skies actually provided a lovely backdrop for the changing leaves.
The weekend was redeemed with a trip to New York City that had been planned all along to see an exhibit of artistic maps at Pratt University. I mean, really artistic. Like the gelatin Lady Liberty and New York Skyline. The exhibit had the term "psychogeography" in the title... so not my particular branch of geography, but very interesting nonetheless. This was Taylor's original excuse to come visit, since he's a cartographer.
Other highlights of the city included discovering Odessa Cafe over by Tompkins Square Park and the Joe Strummer mural, a total gem of a diner with well priced good food; hanging out in Central Park (tree of the day: black maple that dropped its leaves all over the rock we sat on there); meeting up with one of Taylor's friends from college for a beer and to see Megamind, which I thought was pretty great. All in all, a good trip to the city.
23 September 2010
a brief but awesome interruption in Malawi stories and life in general
I woke up Tuesday morning believing that my day would consist of teaching two sections of Human Ecology, taking the train into the city to meet up with a few friends from college and possibly have dinner with another friend before heading back to my car at Rutgers and driving home to Toms River.
Shortly after the first section ended, I received a phone call from Taylor. He and Justin had driven up from Virginia late the night before and stayed with our friend Brendan in Ocean Grove. The three were going to see Pavement in Central Park and we were all going to meet up for a while first, as far as I knew. Except Taylor told me they were on the Turnpike, how do they get to my classroom?
Within half an hour they had successfully found parking and navigated the Rutgers bus system and were standing outside of my classroom door. At this point, I learn they have an extra ticket to the concert, so the plans changed to us all going into the city together from New Brunswick. Sweet! As much fun as it would have been to have them sit in on my second class, I sent them over to the grease trucks on College Ave for lunch while I taught. Afterward we met up and got on a train to NY Penn Station.
Once in the city, it should have been easy enough to get to Central Park and find this concert. I had never been to the Rumsey Playfield in the park before but we figured it all out. Someone had been "injured" further up the line from where we needed to go, so there were huge delays and we ended up having to switch trains. Brendan had insisted the concert was at 5.30 which sounded a little strange to me but we went with it. I didn't know better since I hadn't planned on going until it was too late to check the details myself. Doors were 5.30; they were still setting the stage. And we foolishly went in, rather than killing time elsewhere. At least it was good company and a totally gorgeous day.
The concert was great!
group shot waiting for the subway train
We got back to New Brunswick close to 1AM. Justin and Taylor both had work in the morning in Virginia, and Brendan still needed to get home. What am I responsible for on Wednesdays? Little to nothing (besides working on that thesis, of course). And so, after driving 60 miles to Rutgers, teaching, then spending the rest of the day in the city, I drove Justin's car first to drop off Brendan in Ocean Grove (about 40 miles), then to get Taylor and Justin back to VA while they caught a few hours of sleep. It was about 225 miles to Taylor's in Northern Virginia, and I drove all of it, arriving a little before 6AM. We decided it'd be cheaper for me to take a train from Washington, D.C. and Justin was rested enough, so he drove the last two hours to Richmond, practically straight to his office. I took the Metro to Union Station, Amtrak to Philadelphia 30th Street Station, SEPTA to Trenton, NJ Transit back to New Brunswick, Rutgers bus back to the campus where my car was, then drove home a very tired girl. Very tired, but feeling fulfilled by another excellent adventure.
Shortly after the first section ended, I received a phone call from Taylor. He and Justin had driven up from Virginia late the night before and stayed with our friend Brendan in Ocean Grove. The three were going to see Pavement in Central Park and we were all going to meet up for a while first, as far as I knew. Except Taylor told me they were on the Turnpike, how do they get to my classroom?
Within half an hour they had successfully found parking and navigated the Rutgers bus system and were standing outside of my classroom door. At this point, I learn they have an extra ticket to the concert, so the plans changed to us all going into the city together from New Brunswick. Sweet! As much fun as it would have been to have them sit in on my second class, I sent them over to the grease trucks on College Ave for lunch while I taught. Afterward we met up and got on a train to NY Penn Station.
Once in the city, it should have been easy enough to get to Central Park and find this concert. I had never been to the Rumsey Playfield in the park before but we figured it all out. Someone had been "injured" further up the line from where we needed to go, so there were huge delays and we ended up having to switch trains. Brendan had insisted the concert was at 5.30 which sounded a little strange to me but we went with it. I didn't know better since I hadn't planned on going until it was too late to check the details myself. Doors were 5.30; they were still setting the stage. And we foolishly went in, rather than killing time elsewhere. At least it was good company and a totally gorgeous day.
The concert was great!
group shot waiting for the subway train
We got back to New Brunswick close to 1AM. Justin and Taylor both had work in the morning in Virginia, and Brendan still needed to get home. What am I responsible for on Wednesdays? Little to nothing (besides working on that thesis, of course). And so, after driving 60 miles to Rutgers, teaching, then spending the rest of the day in the city, I drove Justin's car first to drop off Brendan in Ocean Grove (about 40 miles), then to get Taylor and Justin back to VA while they caught a few hours of sleep. It was about 225 miles to Taylor's in Northern Virginia, and I drove all of it, arriving a little before 6AM. We decided it'd be cheaper for me to take a train from Washington, D.C. and Justin was rested enough, so he drove the last two hours to Richmond, practically straight to his office. I took the Metro to Union Station, Amtrak to Philadelphia 30th Street Station, SEPTA to Trenton, NJ Transit back to New Brunswick, Rutgers bus back to the campus where my car was, then drove home a very tired girl. Very tired, but feeling fulfilled by another excellent adventure.
01 August 2010
the other other big regional airport...
I can now say I've driven to all of the major regional airports!
You've recently heard about my adventure to JFK. I've also written about Philadelphia and plenty about Newark. Well, this week I was asked to pick up some people from LaGuardia! Camp's previous program director was flying in from the midwest with his sons to spend a week with us at Johnsonburg. I was happy to make the trip because
1. I never mind going for a drive,
2. I enjoyed working with Brian a number of years ago and was looking forward to catching up,
3. I wasn't planning on doing anything else last night besides eventually sleeping
4. Now I can say I've driven to all of the major airports in the area!
The debacle that ensued is probably entirely my fault; as I was leaving around 3PM, I grabbed a book at the last minute, just in case they were running later than the expected 5PM landing. Plus, it should only take an hour and a half to get there... ha ha. I'm not sure who was having more fun until I arrived at the terminal at 6.30, Brian and his two boys at LaGuardia, or me stuck on the interstate. Oh man. But, as soon as I got past the toll plaza on the George Washington Bridge, it was smooth sailing and really lovely views down Harlem River Drive and across the Triboro Bridge, and a very easy drive back to camp with a stop at a diner on the way (because his sons needed to experience New Jersey properly).
What I enjoyed most about the drive back was probably listening to Brian pointing out various things about New Jersey to his sons. I'm usually the NJ tour guide, so it amused me to hear what someone else would notice and remember. Brian grew up at Johnsonburg and worked there for many years, so had a lot of great anecdotes to share about camp is well. Aside from the traffic heading into the city, it was a pleasant enough way to spend my evening off, and we're all glad to have Frick back with us for a week.
And now I know how to get to LaGuardia too, just in case anyone else ever needs picking up there!
You've recently heard about my adventure to JFK. I've also written about Philadelphia and plenty about Newark. Well, this week I was asked to pick up some people from LaGuardia! Camp's previous program director was flying in from the midwest with his sons to spend a week with us at Johnsonburg. I was happy to make the trip because
1. I never mind going for a drive,
2. I enjoyed working with Brian a number of years ago and was looking forward to catching up,
3. I wasn't planning on doing anything else last night besides eventually sleeping
4. Now I can say I've driven to all of the major airports in the area!
The debacle that ensued is probably entirely my fault; as I was leaving around 3PM, I grabbed a book at the last minute, just in case they were running later than the expected 5PM landing. Plus, it should only take an hour and a half to get there... ha ha. I'm not sure who was having more fun until I arrived at the terminal at 6.30, Brian and his two boys at LaGuardia, or me stuck on the interstate. Oh man. But, as soon as I got past the toll plaza on the George Washington Bridge, it was smooth sailing and really lovely views down Harlem River Drive and across the Triboro Bridge, and a very easy drive back to camp with a stop at a diner on the way (because his sons needed to experience New Jersey properly).
What I enjoyed most about the drive back was probably listening to Brian pointing out various things about New Jersey to his sons. I'm usually the NJ tour guide, so it amused me to hear what someone else would notice and remember. Brian grew up at Johnsonburg and worked there for many years, so had a lot of great anecdotes to share about camp is well. Aside from the traffic heading into the city, it was a pleasant enough way to spend my evening off, and we're all glad to have Frick back with us for a week.
And now I know how to get to LaGuardia too, just in case anyone else ever needs picking up there!
08 June 2010
the other big regional airport
Yesterday my good friend Katie arrived in the US from her home in London. Being as Katie was the one to welcome me to England a few years ago, I called dibs on picking her up from the airport when she arrived for another summer at Johnsonburg.
And then I thought to ask which airport she was flying into.
And it wasn't Newark.
Let's just say, my adoration for Katie Marnham runs deep! I've been to Newark, Philly, Atlantic City and LaGuardia all before, but JFK is out there and quite an adventure to get to. I left camp about 2.30 and arrived at the airport just in time to hear the announcement that her flight had landed, about 4.40. It then took her an hour and 20 minutes to get through immigration, and then took just over another two hours to get back to camp, although we stopped at a diner on the way for a much-needed break.
Driving in and around the city is definitely not on my list of top ten favorite things to do. I love visiting New York, don't get me wrong, but I definitely prefer mass transit. It's really fun to pick people up at airports though, and it's so great to have Katie back in the US!
While sitting in traffic by myself en route to JFK, I was thinking about the end of the summer. My father has offered to drive me all the way to the airport when I head to Malawi. This is incredible to me because:
1. He has always said he would never drive me to the airport if my destination was in Africa
2. Driving to JFK is not particularly enjoyable
(Dad, I'll still think you're a good guy if you change your mind and send me on public transportation! But if you don't take this out, I'm pretty good at getting to JFK now!)
And then I thought to ask which airport she was flying into.
And it wasn't Newark.
Let's just say, my adoration for Katie Marnham runs deep! I've been to Newark, Philly, Atlantic City and LaGuardia all before, but JFK is out there and quite an adventure to get to. I left camp about 2.30 and arrived at the airport just in time to hear the announcement that her flight had landed, about 4.40. It then took her an hour and 20 minutes to get through immigration, and then took just over another two hours to get back to camp, although we stopped at a diner on the way for a much-needed break.
Driving in and around the city is definitely not on my list of top ten favorite things to do. I love visiting New York, don't get me wrong, but I definitely prefer mass transit. It's really fun to pick people up at airports though, and it's so great to have Katie back in the US!
While sitting in traffic by myself en route to JFK, I was thinking about the end of the summer. My father has offered to drive me all the way to the airport when I head to Malawi. This is incredible to me because:
1. He has always said he would never drive me to the airport if my destination was in Africa
2. Driving to JFK is not particularly enjoyable
(Dad, I'll still think you're a good guy if you change your mind and send me on public transportation! But if you don't take this out, I'm pretty good at getting to JFK now!)
30 December 2009
and I would drive 500 miles, and I would drive 500 more...
About a year ago, I made a whirlwind roadtrip to Williamsburg, Virginia and back, prompting my friend Paul to make a comment about how of course I'd travel 20 mph in my sleep, in response to me telling him I'd driven about 750 miles in 36 hours (see the subtitle of this blog!). The tradition continues.
From the time I got my driver's license, I have apparently been known as the girl who would drive a few hours to see someone for a little while. I didn't realize I'd been typecasted this way till this weekend, but apparently it's super true. Some of my earliest roadtrips were to meet up with some of my friends who I used to go to summer camp with (Dan, Greg, Sarah and Alice). The last time we all saw each other was New Year's Day 2004. Greg and I currently live closer than ever, and he recently challenged me to meet up with him before New Year's 2010. I accepted, and raised him one-- we get the band back together! (No, we didn't actually have a band, but that would have been awesome.) We tried our best, but the stars didn't quite align, mostly because Dan can't read a calendar, but we like him anyway and as a result, hung out with him.
I drove out to Abington, PA to meet Dan and Greg for lunch on the 26th. It was great to catch up! The weather was cold, rainy and overall miserable, and if the stereotype about me is that I drive a lot, the stereotype about Dan is that he's never dressed for the weather. That photo from 2004 is us pretending to be Mummers on Mummers Day. Please note, Dan is wearing a blanket that I often keep in my car, because on chilly New Year's Day, he did not have a sweatshirt or jacket. He met Greg and me for lunch and a beer and had a scarf, but no coat or umbrella, so we stayed at the restaurant for about 3 hours. Good visit!
Straight after that visit, I headed south to Fairfax, Virginia, to celebrate my college roommate Brittany's engagement to her longtime boyfriend Adam. Hooray! I ended up driving back to Toms River that night, total mileage for the day was just shy of 500 miles. The trip was planned poorly-- I expected to be meeting Dan on the 27th but he was flying out of Philly that day; I thought the party was in the afternoon on the 26th, so I didn't think it was totally ludicrous to drive back that night... ah well. I got home alive at 3.30AM. Poorly planned, but well enjoyed!
The next day, the rest of the stars aligned and I saw the rest of my old camp friends. I drove to the Rumson-Fairhaven area to pick up Sarah. This was a trip I made many times in high school-- Alice is from the same town. This, and me telling Sarah of the previous day's adventures, prompted her to inform me that yes, driving everyone and staying in touch with everyone is kind of my M.O. That's not the worst character trait ever, I think?
Sarah and I took NJ Transit from my apartment by Rutgers, and successfully got on the same train as Greg, who was coming from the Hamilton station. We met up with Alice when she got off work and headed down to the Village to a place called The Blind Tiger, where we enjoyed a few rounds. Small and loud, but good beer selection and great company!
Beers of the travels found here. Mostly wheat beers, which I really like!
Then I stayed still and caught up on sleep for a day.
Then was the annual Johnsonburg reunion. I did a little bit of volunteering this summer, and probably wouldn't have gone up, but I drove my friend Tim, who worked there the full summer and knew way more of the current summer staff than I do and also had an interview (same Timmy I visited in Minnesota). It was nice to spend some time with him since he has a short winter break. And I got to visit with a few other people who live at camp who I've missed. All in all, another good day.
Total mileage since Christmas: about 850. So not quite 500 miles plus 500 more, but definitely have not been sitting still. I'm heading out to my brother and sister-in-law's in Abington for New Year's and will be spending a couple of days in Virginia after that, so more travels on the way!
From the time I got my driver's license, I have apparently been known as the girl who would drive a few hours to see someone for a little while. I didn't realize I'd been typecasted this way till this weekend, but apparently it's super true. Some of my earliest roadtrips were to meet up with some of my friends who I used to go to summer camp with (Dan, Greg, Sarah and Alice). The last time we all saw each other was New Year's Day 2004. Greg and I currently live closer than ever, and he recently challenged me to meet up with him before New Year's 2010. I accepted, and raised him one-- we get the band back together! (No, we didn't actually have a band, but that would have been awesome.) We tried our best, but the stars didn't quite align, mostly because Dan can't read a calendar, but we like him anyway and as a result, hung out with him.
I drove out to Abington, PA to meet Dan and Greg for lunch on the 26th. It was great to catch up! The weather was cold, rainy and overall miserable, and if the stereotype about me is that I drive a lot, the stereotype about Dan is that he's never dressed for the weather. That photo from 2004 is us pretending to be Mummers on Mummers Day. Please note, Dan is wearing a blanket that I often keep in my car, because on chilly New Year's Day, he did not have a sweatshirt or jacket. He met Greg and me for lunch and a beer and had a scarf, but no coat or umbrella, so we stayed at the restaurant for about 3 hours. Good visit!
Straight after that visit, I headed south to Fairfax, Virginia, to celebrate my college roommate Brittany's engagement to her longtime boyfriend Adam. Hooray! I ended up driving back to Toms River that night, total mileage for the day was just shy of 500 miles. The trip was planned poorly-- I expected to be meeting Dan on the 27th but he was flying out of Philly that day; I thought the party was in the afternoon on the 26th, so I didn't think it was totally ludicrous to drive back that night... ah well. I got home alive at 3.30AM. Poorly planned, but well enjoyed!
The next day, the rest of the stars aligned and I saw the rest of my old camp friends. I drove to the Rumson-Fairhaven area to pick up Sarah. This was a trip I made many times in high school-- Alice is from the same town. This, and me telling Sarah of the previous day's adventures, prompted her to inform me that yes, driving everyone and staying in touch with everyone is kind of my M.O. That's not the worst character trait ever, I think?
Sarah and I took NJ Transit from my apartment by Rutgers, and successfully got on the same train as Greg, who was coming from the Hamilton station. We met up with Alice when she got off work and headed down to the Village to a place called The Blind Tiger, where we enjoyed a few rounds. Small and loud, but good beer selection and great company!
Beers of the travels found here. Mostly wheat beers, which I really like!
Then I stayed still and caught up on sleep for a day.
Then was the annual Johnsonburg reunion. I did a little bit of volunteering this summer, and probably wouldn't have gone up, but I drove my friend Tim, who worked there the full summer and knew way more of the current summer staff than I do and also had an interview (same Timmy I visited in Minnesota). It was nice to spend some time with him since he has a short winter break. And I got to visit with a few other people who live at camp who I've missed. All in all, another good day.
Total mileage since Christmas: about 850. So not quite 500 miles plus 500 more, but definitely have not been sitting still. I'm heading out to my brother and sister-in-law's in Abington for New Year's and will be spending a couple of days in Virginia after that, so more travels on the way!
10 September 2009
a New York state of mind...
A few nights ago, I went to see Sondre Lerche play at the Bowery Ballroom in the city. I'd never been before. It's a neat little venue in downtown Manhattan, near Chinatown. While kind of bummed that he didn't go on till 10PM and my dudefriend and I had to catch a bus up at Port Authority at 11.50, I really enjoyed Mr. Lerche's music-- he's just a Norwegian guy who loves his guitar and singing.
However, that 11.50 bus has a bigger story to it. Tom and I took the bus into the city from Saddle Brook, where he lives, and got our return trip ticket upon our arrival at Port Authority, figuring on leaving the show around 11.15 to get back. We left just moments before 11.15, got to the subway station, bought new subway cards... and missed the D train by moments. Literally. Moments.
And then we waited for the next one.
And waited.
And waited.
More than 20 minutes later, another orange train heading north came, but there was no way we'd get to Penn Station, transfer to the A, C or E heading north, get to Port Authority, and get up four stories before 11.50.
We didn't get there in time. Thankfully, another bus left sort of in the same direction within half an hour, and my dear dear friend Heather was kind enough to come out and pick us up. The next morning was, after all, Tom's first day back in the classroom (he's a high school math teacher).
Why do I tell you of this mistimed journey? Well, I find that more often than not I somehow screw up leaving the city, whether it be by missing a bus, or a bus leaving early, or missing the last train... but really, it got me thinking. What about all of those stories about people who were running late to work, or whose transit was running late, or something came up that prevented them to getting to the World Trade Center 8 years ago tomorrow? Sometimes a couple of seconds is all it takes to throw you off. Tom and I sprinted up the stairs to that D train, getting to the platform just as it pulled away. How frustrating when he had to wake up and teach the next morning! And how frustrating was it for all of the people who spilled coffee on themselves and had to change, or whose cars wouldn't start, or whose kids got sick and had to stay home from school... just amazing.
I think it's important to remember the day and the people, but I also think it's really important to move forward. Life goes on. People go to work tomorrow, or people like me have the day off (don't worry, I'll be doing work, I have plenty to do for EDGY this semester, among other things), or people have birthdays (happy 25th Meggo!)... and through it all, NYC will still be there, not sleeping...
However, that 11.50 bus has a bigger story to it. Tom and I took the bus into the city from Saddle Brook, where he lives, and got our return trip ticket upon our arrival at Port Authority, figuring on leaving the show around 11.15 to get back. We left just moments before 11.15, got to the subway station, bought new subway cards... and missed the D train by moments. Literally. Moments.
And then we waited for the next one.
And waited.
And waited.
More than 20 minutes later, another orange train heading north came, but there was no way we'd get to Penn Station, transfer to the A, C or E heading north, get to Port Authority, and get up four stories before 11.50.
We didn't get there in time. Thankfully, another bus left sort of in the same direction within half an hour, and my dear dear friend Heather was kind enough to come out and pick us up. The next morning was, after all, Tom's first day back in the classroom (he's a high school math teacher).
Why do I tell you of this mistimed journey? Well, I find that more often than not I somehow screw up leaving the city, whether it be by missing a bus, or a bus leaving early, or missing the last train... but really, it got me thinking. What about all of those stories about people who were running late to work, or whose transit was running late, or something came up that prevented them to getting to the World Trade Center 8 years ago tomorrow? Sometimes a couple of seconds is all it takes to throw you off. Tom and I sprinted up the stairs to that D train, getting to the platform just as it pulled away. How frustrating when he had to wake up and teach the next morning! And how frustrating was it for all of the people who spilled coffee on themselves and had to change, or whose cars wouldn't start, or whose kids got sick and had to stay home from school... just amazing.
I think it's important to remember the day and the people, but I also think it's really important to move forward. Life goes on. People go to work tomorrow, or people like me have the day off (don't worry, I'll be doing work, I have plenty to do for EDGY this semester, among other things), or people have birthdays (happy 25th Meggo!)... and through it all, NYC will still be there, not sleeping...
21 February 2009
Where in the world is... someone else?
The first video on this page was playing on a huge screen in Times Square while I was in the city yesterday evening with my friend Tom. We'd gone to see a show, and it was short so we had a bit of time to wander around afterward and still make the train back to Jersey. I just thought this video was so happy! Also, I am super envious of this guy's grand adventures. Just you wait though, I'm going to have my own adventures!
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