Good Night New York City

Good night New York City!
Good night the lights, the legends, the city life.
Good night dodging vehicles. Good night Little Italy. Good night Broadway.
Good night subway lines. Good night tired feet. Good night, New York City, good night.

New York Ramblings

Kim, Matt, me and Hannah at Gravy New York

I am just now able to blog because our hotel wanted to charge $11 a day for internet. Welcome to New York!

Since surviving the 22-hour train ride - by the way, changing underwear and putting in contacts in a tiny and jostling bathroom is such entertainment - I have started rambling around the city. Straight from the train, I went with a small group to the Empire State Building observatory. The view was like a forest of architecture.

After wondering around the city - including a pit stop at Toys R Us where Kelley showed me a toy bed bug because of my fear of finding the creatures in our hotel rooms - we sat on the red stage steps at Times Square and watched the unusual folks who come out to play in the big city. One woman was rocking and cuddling a fake baby. Another guy was listening to music and playing an unrelated tune on a harmonica repeatedly. Several foreigners seemed to have found access to a Bedazzler and went dazzle delirious.

Today we meant to hit the stores none of us can afford to pronounce much less shop in but a jogger knocked down a grandmother in our group at Central Park and she broke her wrist. Sampieri and our security, Deputy Mike Boyles, and I ended up doing some brisk walking through the park looking for the "big rock" as the group of students with the jogger victim kept telling us by phone. We did have time to grab burgers before making it to see "Wicked."

Afterward, I survived a short subway trip to meet Matt, my friend from elementary school and our old Tot Town Daycare days, and my friend from college, Kim. We ate at a Southern, yes Southern, restaurant called Gravy New York. I had something called the bog which had various seafood. It was tasty.

I am spending the night with Kim, Hannah and Oliver and then taking the subway in the morning to meet up with the band at Times Square. Kim and Matt have trained me on my "mean face" so no one messes with me on the subway.

Lovin' the Big Apple

I will be lovin' it in New York this week. I am headed with the East Limestone Marching Band to the Big Apple. They are appearing in the Veterans Day Parade.

If I survive today's 22-hour train ride with 120-something teenagers, I plan to blog about the trip this week. We will get to hang out at Times Square, go to the 9-11Memorial, see the Broadway show Wicked and take a dinner cruise.

I also am going to meet a friend of mine from elementary school, Matt, and one of my close friends from college, Kim. We are going to eat at a place called Gravy New York, a Southern restaurant. Yep, I'm  headin' North to eat soul food. Here's the website for it.

http://www.gravyny.com/

Hope to check in Tuesday night if the train of teens doesn't slay me. Now where did I pack my ear plugs?