June

Wait for it

Portage "Glacier"

"Arisen"

My lips are burning

I know that a lot of Americans are rude and have poor manners but shit, people from all over the world are just the same or worse.

My legs and feet hurt so I'm not going to write about today until later. I know that doesn't make sense.

Coming home tomorrow! Then I can be lazy alllllllllll day and never walk again :D.

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Okay, I guess I'll finish talking about the trip. Sunday morning we woke up and went to Central Park. Picturesque to say the least. Probably my favorite part of the trip. Then we went to the Met, which was awesome. Sadly, we didn't get to fully experience it since our time was so limited. After that, we walked across Central Park, by Belvedere Castle and the Great Lawn to The Museum of Science and Natural History. I wasn't interested in it at all. I can't help it. Seeing stuffed animals behind glass doesn't enthrall me. Angela loved it, though. I would have enjoyed it more if I could have spent a whole day devoted to it so I wouldn't have been spending my time wondering what other awesome shit I was missing out on outside. Um, then we went back to Times Square because Angela needed to go into the Hershey's Store, M&M World, and PopTart World. PopTart World was closed by 6 which is some bs for the city that never sleeps. We ate at Pax Wholesome Foods..eh, just food. We sat by the theater that's showing Pee-Wee Herman for a long time contemplating what to do, meandered around the square looking for souvenirs and then went back to the hotel.

Monday morning we got up really early, checked out that cemetery, drove through Brooklyn over some bridge into New Jersey on accident ($11 toll fee included), and eventually made it to Coney Island. It wasn't a big deal. I dunno why I was surprised that there were buildings all the way to the island, like there was going to be some big expanse of grass or something. Then we went back to the airport and left.

Layover in DC. Got onto a shuttle to Farragut West. Saw The White House, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Smithsonian, etc. All of their buildings are lit up so it makes you feel like you're seeing so much at night even though it's really far away.

4-hour flight home.

Day 1

I have mixed emotions.

I had this picture in my mind of descending upon the endless skyline and falling in love and never wanting to leave. Well, I did love the skyline but I'm definitely not in love. It may be the fact that transportation is so utterly confusing if you're not a New Yorker. What you'd think would be an easy shuttle ride to downtown is actually a hellish nightmare for tourists. Angela and I both used the GPS's on our phones and we'd go the opposite direction to a destination EVERY TIME. Needless to say, we finally got back to the hotel in one piece.

Now for the fun stuff. We decided to get off the shuttle at the Grand Central Terminal just because it's the grand one, or whatever. We actually got lost down in those tunnels, too. We're awesome:). Anyway, we finally made it to Times Square and ate at a restaurant there that was way too expensive but what else should I expect? Then we went to a gigantic Toys 'R Us that had a ferris wheel and an animatronic dinosaur and CandyLand and WillyWonka and HotWheels and etc kids to the power of infinity. After that, we decided to see what coming really close to death felt like so we took a cab to Rockefeller Plaza. New York drivers (not just taxi drivers, all of them) are maniacs who could care less about your safety. It's constant honking and constant sirens. They go hand in hand. Since we lived, we went to the "Top of the Rock," which is the top of the Rockefeller Center. (sidenote: I realized as we were on the elevator going to the top of the building what 'top of the rock' meant. I previously thought it was just a random title. I'm dense.) After that, we watched a bunch of silly people try to ice skate, took pictures of Atlas trying not to shrug, and went into this badass cathedral. For me to call anything that involves god "badass" is huge, you know this. But really, I was in awe at the beauty of that place. Those Catholics definitely know how to impress. Architecture-wise, baha. Then we got lost in NY for at least an hour before we made it back to the hotel.

Oh, about our hotel. It's nice. It's also in Queens. Mmhmm. We got screwed and don't have the window facing Manhattan. We have the window facing the biggest cemetery I have ever seen in my life! (I have spent the entirety of my life sizing cemeteries across the world, FYI.) Biggest by the number of graves and by the size of those graves. We are going tomorrow to take pictures cause those are some epic tombstones.

P.S. Well, not so much P.S. but I wanted to say more and didn't know where to place it, so here: One of the reasons I do love this place is because it is so old. So much history. I love the decrepit subways(minus the odor). You can look up at the dangly fungus-looking shit on the ceiling and wonder how many decades it's been festering there. And about all the people who have walked under the festering fungus. I know that's probably disgusting to most people, but I loooove it. I also saw the best graffiti ever, too. I'll try to take pictures tomorrow.

NYC

I like to make itineraries that don't get followed. K go:

Depart DFW Saturday early A.M. > 1 hour layover in Philadelphia > arrive at LaGuardia in the afternoon

Saturday:

• Grand Central Station
• Rockefeller Plaza
• Times Square
• Top of the Rock

Sunday:

• The High Line
• Empire State Building
• Central Park
• The Met
• MoMA
• Museum of Natural History
• Guggenheim
• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise

Monday:

• Coney Island
• Ground Zero

Depart LaGuardia > 3 hour layover in D.C. > arrive at DFW late Monday

The trip

was good. Angela seemed to really enjoy it. We did everything on the list except the Great Sand Dunes. We decided against a 9 hour round-trip and just spread our activities out. I'm glad to be home though. There's something about coming home to your own bed that's better than any other place you find yourself at night. (most of the time ha!) Angela went into work today and found out she is leaving to go to Nashville at 4. She will be there 'til Thursday. I hope she enjoys seeing another new place for the first time even if it is just to work.

Work's been good today and I'm off in a little while! Then dinner at Lindsey and Lauren's yum :).

COS

Angela and I are leaving for Colorado on Friday. I cannot wait. This will be my 3rd time to visit but the anticipation gets better every time. I wish I lived somewhere like this. I need beauty. Not to say Texas isn't beautiful, just not the kind I want. I'm excited to take Angela because she has never seen real mountains. She tries to say Oklahoma has some that she's been to..but let's be honest..they are blips on the radar compared to the Rockies. We are going to Pike's Peak, Seven Falls, Cave of the Winds, Elephant Bar, Garden of the Gods, Manitou Cliff Dwellings, and Great Sand Dune National Park. I have never been to that park. It'll be about a 4 hour drive there because I want to take the scenic route. I hope it's amazing. I think it will be. I hope our Kia Rio or whatever amazing car the rental place gives us can make it there.