Mass Transit...

For the most part, I got the subway system figured out. I feel comfortable buying tickets and reading the map and finding my way around. There are times I have to turn around if I start walking the wrong way and there is always someone to help if I ask. Our first day in NYC, we didn’t have a map. We consulted maps in the subways to figure out how to get to our next adventure. I was quite impressed with ourselves as we went everywhere we wanted to.

Day 2 is a different story. I picked up a map and everything changed. It was pouring down rain and our plans of spending the day in Central Park washed away. We looked for inside activities. We thought we’d go to the Natural History Museum and try to find Ben Stiller and go to the planetarium show. That is, until we saw that it was $24 for admission and the show. We looked at the dinosaur skeletons in the entry, took some pictures of Teddy Roosevelt’s wisdom and decided to go to the Met. There isn’t a straight shot on the subway, but there was a straight shot through Central Park. In the rain. With a broken umbrella. By the time we got there, the bottom 8 inches of my jeans were soaked as well as my socks. And we were happy to get inside.



We took a highlights tour and only lost the tour guide once. There was a couple on our tour from Cannon Beach. When I told them I was from there and that my parents own JP’s, they said, “You’ve waited on us!”Small world, huh? I wanted to talk to them more, but I also didn’t want to interrupt Charles. And I lost them right when the tour was over. Oh well. I thought for sure Charles would take us to see Vermeer’s Milkmaid. But he didn’t. By the time the tour was over, Jill needed to meet up with her business associate for dinner, and I was headed to the theater district to catch a show.

Tiffany stained glass

We consulted the map and there was a subway stop 3 blocks down, or 10 blocks up. So we went down. And when we got there, not a subway to be seen. We came to a bus stop and made our way to Grand Central Station to go our separate ways for the evening. This is the first time that I had ever been alone in NYC and the moment was not lost on me. I will say that it was the tinniest bit scary, but not completely. I wound my way to the Times Square shuttle. I had 10 minutes to make it to the theater to try to win lottery tickets to “In The Heights”. The subway let me off on 42nd and I walked up to 46th. This is not an easy task as the entire world is there at the same time. And with umbrellas! You think it’s hard to walk around people when you’re in a hurry? Throw in the possibility of poking out your eye with one misstep and it is an entirely different game.

I made it with both eyes intact and in time to enter my name into a drawing that I didn’t win. There were only 24 tickets and 60 people showed up. If you’ve not been to the lottery theater style, here’s how it works. They have a certain number of tickets that they sell at a deeply discounted price. Sometimes they are partial view seats and may not be the best in the house, but they are a fraction of the cost of the seats near them. The tickets I was looking at were $26.50 and the seats near them at full price were upwards of $80. Anyway, you show up 2 hrs before showtime and write your name on a piece of paper with the number of tickets you want (only 1 or 2). Then, at a certain time they have the drawing. Literally they put the papers in a bucket and pull them out one by one. When your name is called you gotta make some noise so they know you’re there and everyone claps for you. If your name is called and you aren’t there, they tear up the paper and everyone cheers. After I didn’t win tickets to the first show I tried, I walked up the block and went to try for Rock of Ages. This time I WON!!! They clapped FOR ME!!! It was kinda exciting, I’m not gonna lie.



I had about an hour and a half before the show, so I went to find dinner. I found the cutest little bakery that was just about to close, so my hummus sandwich was half price! Amy’s Bakery, what a find. On my short walk from the theater I found a cute little card shop and gift store. And on the way back, I found a piano bar. I want to go next time I’m in NYC.

The show was SO FUN!!! It’s based on 80’s music. Great costumes, shallow characters and a lame plot based on the great songs of Journey, Pat Benetar, Poison, Bon Jovi… I found myself singing and clapping and dancing in my seat. Well, except when Camera Nazi pulled me out of the theater and made me erase all the pictures I had taken. If they don’t want people to take pictures they should say ‘No photography of any kind’ instead, they said ‘no flash photography’ I totally didn’t use my flash. And I tried to take one too many pictures. That guy Constantine from American Idol was the lead and he was PHENOMENAL! WOW! I woke up singing Journey.

Thankfully I had borrowed one of Jill’s phones as mine died. I txt’d her to say I was on my way. I got to the PATH train to take me to Jersey City and got off for my transfer, not realizing that I had to walk further down. When I saw the train I wanted, I ran…but not fast enough. I missed it. So I settled in with my book to wait for the next one. There was no next one. I asked the lady working if I would be able to get a taxi topside. She apparently lives in the subway station cause she doesn’t know anything about what happens at the station. I didn’t want to exit the station and not be able to get a taxi and not be able to get back in the station. And I didn’t want to go up to txt Jill to tell her what’s going on and miss the next train. IT TOOK 2 HOURS TO GET BACK!! I wanted to claw my eyes out. I don’t know if you’ve ever beenin a subway station for very long, but they are not comfortable. Metal seats (if there are any) and stale air (if there is any). The rush of air from an incoming train becomes a welcome relief, and that’s just gross. When I got to where I needed to be, I finally was able to talk to Jill. She was about ready to call the police. But this is what I saw when I finally breathed in fresh air.



The next day, I had to catch a bus from Chinatown to go to Boston and I’ll only say this… It took me an hour to get 2 stops up and over. And I had to power walk about 2 miles with a 50lb bag on my back cause I only had $2 and it wouldn't get me very far in a cab.