Sunday = God's Day

So, I got up this morning to go to church...at Hillsong NYC.  It was great, and I enjoyed it very much.  I stood in the balcony (yes, stood) the entire service.  Yes, it was great even though my back hurt by the end of the service (switching legs back and forth did NOT help).  I didn't have much opportunity to look around on the floor section because I was standing in the back with just enough of a gap between people's heads to read the words on the screens!  The first service was a bit like every first service; it's the one where all of the reserved, tired people go.  Haha.  I only say this because there was a huge difference between the first and the last service!  

So, yes, the worship was good.  Yes, the preaching was good, and yes, I liked it.  After church, I was going to go to Ground Zero, but the Lord brought me back to Union Square.  I'm not sure why except that I wasn't actually planning on going back to church, but that is how the day went.  I went back.  But before I get there, I will tell you this:  I spent most of the afternoon in Union Square because I wasn't sure exactly what the Lord brought me back for.  There were bands playing, one of which I got video of.  Now, I have been in Union Square for two days now, and this is the first time that I looked up.  What did I see?  The national debt.  You know, the one that keeps calculating and oh my!  It's big.  And I don't know WHAT is next to that, but it's some sort of weird picture that has smoke coming out of it.  I think someone was putting some kind of smoke IN when they came up with that picture.  Really, go look at it.  WEIRD!  

You know what else I saw?  Whole Foods.  Yeah, I risked my life (okay, not really) going into Chelsea to get to that one, when there was one less than 4 blocks from me!  There was a Trader Joe's, too.  And I won't lie, but I don't see what is so special about Trader Joe's.  But that is another blog entirely.  I sat down on the benches in the square to listen to the music, and then I decided to take some pictures.  My favorite (and you have to go look at it) is the one of the man sitting and waiting for someone to play chess with him.  That is the best picture that I have ever taken; I'm quite proud of that one.  

So, after a phone call from a friend, I decided to go back to church that night.  I thought I could just squeak into the 5pm service, but they had already shut the doors and started the line for the next service.  Yes, I said line.  So, I went back to Union Square and sat for about 20 minutes, knowing that when I went back to wait in line, I would in fact be standing for an hour!  So, I headed back about 6ish and got in line.  It was about halfway down the block.  I didn't check the time when I finally looked behind me, but it wrapped around the corner.  I wondered how far back it went, but I wasn't about to give up my spot to go look!  So, I started in on my favorite past time here in NYC, which is listening to other people's conversations (but only when they sound interesting).  For instance, the guy and his sister had evidently been to a cupcake store, eaten half of their cupcakes, squished them together....and he actually offered it to his sister's friend!  Gross.  Well, maybe it wasn't quite squished like it was mashed, but really?  Did you bite off of that?  Don't offer it to anyone else.  <<shudder>>>  One of my other favorites was that this girl was mad at this other girl and she didn't know why and it was just ridiculous because she didn't do anything and all this happened before her and do you know why she is mad at me?  This conversation made me giggle because I'm not sure if she breathed the entire time she spoke that.  The people behind me were discussing the line and the church and well, everything about the church (nothing offensive - just chit chat).  One of the girls blurts out, "Oh!  Is Joel Houston going to be there?!"  (He was, by the way).  

Soon, people came out to talk to the people in line.  So I got to hear all about how she wound up in NYC.  She was from Australia, but lived in Vancouver for a long while...anyway, she wasn't talking to me, so I didn't catch everything she said.  Finally, we got to go in.  And it was different than the first service.  The crowd was younger and more awake.  So, they entered in a lot more.  The speaker taught on burning the bridges behind you (in a good way).  

That was my Sunday.  I suppose it's a bit boring, but I enjoyed it.  Talk to you tomorrow!

My New York Funny Stories

I didn't go very far today because of my feet.  Rest assured, I did find some new socks, and I think they will work out just brilliantly when my feet heal.  Anyway, on my short circuit today, I saw some funny things.  Well, I thought they were funny.

First, I strolled into Madison Square Park.  This is the park I told you about yesterday....you know, "You've Got Mail".  Anyway, of all things, two guys were in the park doing martial arts.  I guess they should have been dancing, because the dancing draws crowds.  This just attracted two giggling girls standing off to the side taking pictures.  Everyone else was in line for the burger place in the park.  It must have been a good burger.  It had a long line.

I have seen dogs everywhere in NYC, but they always seem a little depressed.  I think it's because all there is around is concrete.  While I was in the park, a girl came in with a gorgeous golden retriever.  He was super excited and dragged her everywhere!  I could just hear his doggy voice saying, "FREEDOM!"  That was funny to watch.

But not as funny as this story.  I went to get something to eat, and there were people standing in line. A lady had her kid behind her in a stroller when all of a sudden, it just went backwards with the kid in it!  Too many bags on the stroller lady!  Word to the wise:  Don't put more weight on the back of the stroller than in the stroller (don't shop more than your kid weighs).  Poor kid, I can still see his eyes!  They got SO HUGE.  I was trying to hide that I wanted to laugh, but the girl in the line next to me caught my eye, and we both burst out laughing!  FYI - the kid was fine, but the mom was really steamed that she lost her place in line.

The day I went past Madison Square Gardens, I overheard the Police talking to a man that was protesting.  I don't remember what he was protesting, but it was a bit shocking (that's all I remember).  I was surprised he was there.  Anyway, the Police walked up and said, "Can I see your permit?"  To which he replied, "Hey, my lawyers said I could be here."  Um, I think your lawyers forgot to tell you that you needed a permit.  I thought, "That is sooooooo not going to end well."  Now that I look back on it, I really wished I had pulled up a seat and watched that show.  Broadway nothing!

Sorry the post isn't super huge tonight, but like I said, I didn't go very far.  I walked through the Farmer's Market in Union Square.  That was kind of interesting.  I'm sure I'll have something to say tomorrow.  First, it's church, and we'll see what else God has for me to do after that!

New York in the Rain

I spent the entire day wet.  First, it was from sweatiness (gross), and then soaking from the rain!  It was a light sprinkle all the way down 5th Ave, until I reached Union Square.  One block from the hotel, and it was POURING!  Wow!

So, I made a discovery:  I like NY in the rain.  Running into the hotel soaking wet, laughing because people just stared!  It was great.  They looked at me like I was crazy.  What they didn't know is that I can't do that at home.  Any rain we get in OK is mostly accompanied by massive tornadoes or big flashes of lightning!  Here, it's just rain (and a teeny tiny rumble of thunder)!  So, there you go.  OK girl has one up on the NYer's.  I'm not kidding.  As soon as they felt the drops of rain, they moved indoors.  The streets started clearing of pedestrians.

So, here I am in dry clothes again, and I'm really wishing for a Diet Dr. Pepper.  Unfortunately, it's still pouring, and I didn't pack my umbrella.  (Pause for a quick look outside - clear.  I'm going for a drink.  Be right back......okay, I'm back.)  OH MY!  I just discovered my favorite store.  It's Duane Reade Pharmacy.  They have Diet Dr. Pepper!  Hallelujah!  God does provide.  Seriously, this afternoon, I prayed for a DDP, and I FOUND IT.  God really DOES work in mysterious ways, and one of them is DDP (dancing a little jig in the hotel room)!

I decided to walk all the way to the American Museum of Natural History.  I wanted to know if the animals really did come to life after dark (although I was there during the day.  But you know, rumors and all that).  So, I look at my phone to get a look at the map, and I started up Park Ave. South.  That's a very businessy part of town.  I felt a little odd walking up that way...I was tired from yesterday, and that part of town is just plain boring.  The other tourists that hit that street quickly left (you know, the ones with the suitcases)!  Anyway, on my way there, I was praying for a pharmacy because I needed something to put on my heels.  They are rubbed raw, and they hurt.  So, I come to the end of Park Ave. South, and what did I run into?  Grand Central Station.  Hmmmm....I thought:  "Detour!"  So, I went in.  It doesn't look anything like what I thought.  I walked in and took one of the exits looking for the way to the other street that I needed to get to:  Madison.  They have all sorts of shops underneath with the exits.  I look to my right, and what is there?  RITE AID!  A pharmacy. Oh blessed band-aids and waterproof tape!  (Neither one worked by the end of the day because of the constant walking and sweatiness.)

Out of Grand Central and onto Madison.  I walked all the way up Madison and stopped.  I looked to my left, and what did I see?  FAO Schwartz.  So, I went in.  It was fun.  The LEGO section had a lot of fun statues completely made of LEGOS.  And this huge candy section.  It wasn't as impressive as the M&M store, but it did have two ginormous soldiers made entirely of jelly beans.  That was cool.  I saw a lot of fun stuff for kids ministry there actually.  And of course, the big piano!  It was annoying because all the kids were jumping on it, and it just made a lot of noise.  They should do demonstrations on it....or piano lessons.  

I come out of FAO and ran smack into The Plaza.  I did not go in.  I did not take a picture.  I only mention it because it made me think of the movie "Bride Wars".  Then I walked all the way up Central Park West until I came to the American Museum of Natural History.  I sat down many times.  And during one of these sit down times, I watched a Honda try to parallel park.  Oooops.  He hit the car behind him.  Did he do anything about it?  I don't think so.  By this time, my feet were throbbing on the toes.  I think it is my socks.  Maybe I should get different socks because these that I just bought stink (love my shoes though mom and dad).  I seriously thought about taking the socks off...I was really wanting some flip flops on the way back down 5th Ave due to annoying toes.

Still, I went into the museum where I tried to hit all the animals from the movie, "Night at the Museum". That was the only reason I wanted to go there.  I skipped anything that had to do with evolution because it's a crock.  My favorite part was the ocean life.  THAT was a neat exhibit.  They had videos playing on the top floor, while a lot of the still life was on the bottom.  As you walk in, you see the massive blue whale hanging from the ceiling.  It's virtually impossible to get a picture because it's so big (and also everyone would walk in front of your picture).  However, I tried to take the picture, and I got called a bad name when I turned to leave (I think....maybe she was saying she had an itch?)  Still,  as you walk in looking at the whale, there is a staircase right in front of you.  As you go down, it takes you to the side of the whale.  Under the whale, there are a lot of chairs to sit in to watch the video presentation.  After that, I ate lunch because I was REALLY hungry and tired (and my feet hurt).  They had knives, forks, and spoons on the floor leading you to the food court.  I was SO glad they had a place to eat on site (it was expensive, but I did not care).  I watched as the lady and her granddaughter sat down next to me.  The granddaughter gets up, and the grandma steals a fry.  She shoves the whole thing in her mouth; it's one of those really thick french fries.  Anyway, as her granddaughter comes back, the grandmother grabs her own plate, reaches for the knife and fork.  She proceeds to cut up her food into tiny pieces - this was the woman who crammed an entire fry in her mouth a few seconds earlier!  Hahaha.  After I ate, I went into the gift shop because it was right there.  I found a great kids book called, "Larry Gets Lost in NY".  It's about a dog that is visiting with his kid (his owner) and gets lost.  It was so cute.  I had to get it.  I looked down at the register and saw this blanket.  I know, what in the world would she want a blanket for?  It's summer.  That's right, and so it was on clearance 70% off.  And I thought to myself, "Oh, I DO need a blanket because I froze last night in my hotel room even after I turned the AC down.  Earlier this morning, I thought, "I need to find a blanket."  Answered prayers!!!!!

Not too long after, I left.  I went across the street into Central Park.  Can I insert here that it was REALLY muggy today (not hot, just humid - I'd say I felt right at home except that I was walking everywhere and back home I just drive), and I was pouring sweat?  Okay, pouring isn't the right word, but my neck was very wet, and I had already given up wearing my hair down two blocks up Park Ave. South.  Still, the bottom of my hair was soaked!  So, I am walking around the west side of Central Park, pep talking myself into keeping going.  I can make it to the south side of the park.  I do NOT need a pedicab.  I do NOT need a pedicab.  (I really wanted a pedicab.)

I got some very pretty pictures of the park.  I am glad for that reason that I did not get a pedicab.  What I really would have like would have been the carriage ride.  Don't ask me why.  I just thought it was cool.  It could have just been my feet talking though.  Well, the rubbed raw parts of my feet.  So, I finally come out on the south side of the park, right in front of The Plaza, and I hear this kid say, "OMG!  It smells like poop here!"  I started laughing as he grabbed his nose.  The dad tells him to hush, but really, who is he going to offend - the horse?  The driver?  The driver was probably thinking, "Yeah, I have to smell it all day, kid."  I cross the street to hear another great conversation.  It made me laugh, too.  A girl and her mom are sitting on the steps of The Plaza, and the girl asks, "Mom, why is it so hard to find a cab?"  Another lady and her daughter walking next to me overhear the girl, and the lady asks her daughter, "Why does she think it's hard to find a cat?"  And the daughter says, "She said CAB, mom."  I really wanted to laugh because it was so funny!  But they were right next to me, and I thought it would be rude.  I laughed hysterically in my head though.

At this point, I was thinking, "Maybe I should get a taxi" (okay, that was my feet talking again).  And I kept telling myself, I just want to get a little closer so it doesn't cost as much.  And I started walking down 5th Ave.  For the third day in a row, I went to McD's.  I just wanted an AC'd place to sit down.  But I don't like doing that without ordering something, so I bought a shake (and a cheeseburger.  That was my dinner, by the way).  Can I just say that was the best shake I've had in a while....it's also the ONLY one I've had in a while, but I think it's why I am pretty excited to get walking around again right now at 9:00pm (although I won't - it's shower time...as soon as I'm done with this blog).  That's odd though.  I had it around 6:30pm...maybe 7pm.  I reluctantly got up out of my seat at McD's (I saw it was getting darker....I didn't realize that it was rain.)  I get back out onto the street, and that's when the drops started.  It was glorious!  It felt wonderful.  It felt like Heaven!  As I look across the street, I see this sign that reads, "Empire State Building"  with an arrow up!  I looked up and there it was!  Ha!  That was cool.  Now I realize why Deborah Kerr's character got hit by the car.  "It was the closest thing to Heaven...."  Okay, sorry.  It was hard to get a good picture standing right under it.  Still, I did.  The next block or two brought the NY Public Library.  I took a pic of that, too.  But I wanted to get back to the hotel, and so I kept going.

I kept walking, and what do I see on my left but the benches that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan sat on in "You've Got Mail".  It's at the end of the movie when they become friends, and they start hanging out because he's messing with her head.  I took a picture.  Go look.  It's on Facebook.  I hope it's not blurry.  I look over at the corner of 5th Ave. and Broadway, and I see that building that's really narrow.  I don't remember what it's called, but I took a picture of that, too.  That is the oddest building ever.  And a few blocks further south, I see it.  Union Square.  Well, look at that.  No point in taking a taxi now.  The hotel isn't that far away.  Shut up rubbed heels and toes; I'm walking the rest of the way.  I get within 2 blocks of the hotel, and the rain picks up.  I'm already wet from sweat and sprinkling rain.  I get to the corner right before my hotel, and it starts pouring!  I almost made the crossing light, but it turned right as I got there.  I went back under the very tiny eve of the corner building and waited for the next light.  Did I mention this entire time I was carrying a paper bag?  It didn't make it.  My book fell out, and so I had to grab it and make a mad dash for the hotel stairs.  Haha!  That was fun.

All in all, this was my favorite day so far (okay, I've only been here 2 1/2 days, but still).  It was all because of the rain....and the Diet Dr. Pepper....and the pharmacies (really, my feet hurt.  Praise God for Band-Aids and Neosporin)....and all the answered prayers that Jesus gave me today.

Thursday, My First Full Day

I woke up later than I meant to today.  I left the hotel around 11, and came back around 5:30.  Believe it or not, I saw everything I set out to see - and so much more.  I quickly ate my doughnut and set off.  I should have eaten 12.  It was gone before I got to Times Square.  In Dunkin Donuts, I noticed these guys in suits with duffel bags.  It said something on the side, but I couldn't read it.  When I finished eating, I went outside, and here comes another group of suit people with their duffels (same writing on the outside of the duffel).  I walk a block further, and here they come again.  Oddly enough, they all dressed alike, too.  I started thinking that they might be the NY branch of the Mormons?  But the part of the duffel writing that I caught said, "The Department of".  I only mention the suit people because I saw them again just a few minutes ago walking down the street.  Now, I have my mystery to solve for the week.

After my tiny breakfast, I headed north.  I wound up on 34th St, where Macy's is.  Since my friend, Karen suggested that I go there, I went in.  THAT is a store.  The Macy's we all know and complain about their prices....THAT is not Macy's.  This is 8 floors of stuff that you will never see because all you have is the watered down mall version of the real thing.  First floor was cosmetics and frangrances.  I look off to my right, and there is Starbucks in what they call a balcony.  On the other side, opposite of Starbucks, is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Store (where I bought my nephew's birthday gift - it's not boring, I promise).  On to the 2nd floor, which was clothing and a bit more cosmetics.  3rd floor - more clothes - but this was the one that was familiar.  This is the floor that looked like what we see in our mall.  4th floor - clothes and shoes.  I will take a moment right here to tell you that their store is actually in two buildings that are close enough together that they just punched holes in the walls and you can walk through.  Imagine a shoe section that takes up almost an entire floor.  It starts halfway in the first building and goes all the way back into the other building.  And they had styles and designers that I had never heard of before.  Moving on to the 5th floor, kids clothes.  I look up at the sign for this floor, and I notice they have a McDonald's on this floor.  They really did!  It was genius.  6th floor was the teen clothes, and I skipped walking through that one because the only person that I know that can fit in them is my friend, Brianna.  7th floor was bedding.  8th floor was china, crystal, and the wedding stuff.  Now, on the 8th floor is a big restaurant also.  It's called Au Bon Pain, and it looked good, but I was too intrigued with the wooden escalator that I just rode on to really think, "Oh, it's time to eat."  (It was time to eat, by the way - the donut was looooong gone.)  So, I went back downstairs.  Down the wooden escalators....those were really fascinating.  Before I stop talking about Macy's, I have to mention this.  There were three Starbucks in that place.  If I read the signs right, there was an ice cream place on the skinny people floor.  THAT is a store.  

Then I went off towards Times Square.  You actually see it before you get there, the signs are so big.  I have to say it isn't as impressive from the ground as it is in all the cool pics you see.  Those are taken from a building or something.  The first thing you notice is the hordes of people that are coming toward you as you cross the street.  Times Square is not the place for claustrophobes.  I take my pics, and realize, "I AM SOOOOO HUNGRY."  Enter McD's once again.  I just wanted something to tide me over until I found a real place to eat.  So, I ordered a cheese burger and a large Dr. Pepper (believe me, I walked it off long before I ordered it).  She looks at me, and says, "You want a cheeseburger and a DIET Dr. Pepper?  I mean, Dr. Pepper?"  I said, "YOU HAVE DIET DR. PEPPER?"  "No, but we have Diet Coke."  I said, "That's gross."  She laughed.  This McD's was packed with people, and it had a second floor.  I went upstairs to sit down, and praise God that there just happened to be a small booth to sit in, because this McD's could have used a third floor.  

Next, I look over and see a huge billboard for "Cowboys Verses Aliens".  I took a picture of it for a certain someone who will remain nameless.  You know who you are.  I look ahead and see Mickey Mouse leaning from a building.  It was the Disney Store.  I went in because I thought, it would be something to tell my friend, Stef.  But I was wrong.  It was something to tell everyone because THAT Disney Store is awesome!  I know, it's all about tourism, but really....they did a great job with the whole imagination thing.  There were white trees, which they projected images on.  There were different images, but they were all scenes from Disney movies.  I took a lot of pictures here because well, you have to see it to believe it.  Again, the Disney stores in our malls.....watered down mall versions.  

I went into the M&M's store.  Not much to brag about there, except their NY color mixes.  After I came out, I look to my right, and what did I see?  Radio City Music Hall.  So, that is where I went next.  Took my pics of it, and looked again to my right, and there are the NBC Studios.  Take my pic of that, and walked on, finally coming to Rockefeller Center.  Took lots of pics here.  Check out my LEGO store pics.  They are amazing.  They built all of the Rockefeller Center statues out of LEGOS.  Really, it was cool.  

After that, I went down 5th Avenue.  Um....that was not my favorite although the churches were neat.  Saks 5th Ave.  is a little blah.  I didn't like it.  5th Ave. did not hold my attention long.  I went back to Times Square and headed back to the hotel.  At this point, I have to add that I had slowed way down.  BUT I pretty much walked right into my last planned stop.  It was Whole Foods, and I hit that one in Chelsea (not an area that I cared for all that much - I am sooooo glad that I didn't book the hotel there).  Just goes to show you that you should always follow the peace of God when making decisions.  

So that is my day.  AND I AM POOPED!  It is 9:00 here, and I was back here by 5:30 (okay, I did take a stroll down to 11th St. around 6:15.  That was a mistake.  My legs did not like it.)  Still, here is what I learned today:  

1) Everyone goes to Times Square.  I can't tell you how many languages I heard passing by me.  

2) When you walk that far, your legs hurt in places that you didn't know that they could hurt.  

3)  There is a Starbucks on every corner here.  

4) There is also a McD's everywhere - but if you do eat there, just eat there.  Don't order the cheeseburger thinking that it will tide you over.  You will forget that you're hungry again and wind up wanting to buy everything at Whole Foods Market.  

5)  The people running around with suitcases are actually smarter than they look.  They are shopping.  How else are you going to carry all your stuff?  Hook it to your bag like me?  That hurts after an hour or two of it hitting you in the knees.  

6)  Showers are best after you are covered in NY street grime.  If you don't believe me, it's okay, but this street grime was worse than being outside at camp.  When I came back to the hotel, I looked down, and my ankles were covered in black.  

7)  There are cars everywhere, but no gas stations (where are they getting this invisible gas?)  

8)  The best music I heard all day came out of BB King's restaurant.  For real.  

9)  NYer's walk.  Not only do they walk, but they walk fast.  At the beginning of the day, I could keep up with them.  It's my normal pace - but to keep it up that long is amazing.  That's why you don't see that many overweight people here.  

10)  NYer's have this uncanny sense of timing when it comes to crosswalk lights.  I can't tell if they are watching traffic, the lights, or what....they just KNOW when it's about to turn, and they go.  

Well, I have a Bible to read.  I am praying that I can keep my eyes open for it.  No 12:00 bedtimes for me tonight!  Ha!  

Arrival

Have I ever mentioned that flying is not my favorite thing to do?  I will do it, but it's just not my favorite.  Let me put it this way:  I would much rather drive myself if it took the same amount of time to fly (but it doesn't).  So, I endured two flights trying to sleep with my chair in the upright position.  That's not very comfortable, but I did wind up sleeping to pass the time.  My favorite part of the first flight happened when the guy sitting next to me (and I didn't realize that he stole my seat until my second flight) got up and just messed around in the overhead compartment.  I watched very closely as the flight attendants watched his every move.  That was the highlight of my aviation experience today.  Oh, but I do have to give an incredibly close second place to the approach into LaGuardia.  Good thing I didn't have anything in my stomach because it really made me want to heave!  Still, I got to see a stunning skyline of Manhattan as we approached.  When I got into LaGuardia, I remember thinking, "This airport reminds me of Houston Hobby."  Why do you ask?  Because it's that old and small (and a little grungy).

Okay, before you think, "Is she going to complain this entire post,"  I will just tell you: yes.  My head hurts because I haven't had any caffeine today because the only thing I don't like MORE than flying is using plane and bus potties.  Gross.  Anyway, I get to the airport, and I didn't realize that I had to call for a ride.  I mean, I already arranged and paid for it two days ago.  So, after waiting for the bags to come out for 30ish minutes (for real - it took forever), I had to wait another 30 minutes + for my ride.  Yes, and then came the nauseatingly fun part.

I get in the van (shared ride - it's cheap, but you get crammed in - we had a full load of VERY quiet people), and the driver takes off.  Now, I have heard that NY drivers are ruthless, but he completely topped them all.  Everyone honked, but he laid on his horn like it was Gabriel's trumpet calling everyone home to be with the Lord!  And it was every time we got behind someone!  I know that you think I am exaggerating, but I'm not.  He kept trying to run over people, too.  The crosswalk clearly was telling pedestrians to walk, but he kept going.  Actually, the funny part of that is that no one really seemed to mind it.  They just walked on.  Evidently, no one pays attention to the crosswalk signs here.  If there is no traffic coming, they just go.

So, he is driving us everywhere because we're all over Manhattan.  We started at Grand Central for the smacker that sat behind me.  I call him this because he smacked for a good 15 minutes after he finished his food.  For anyone that knows me, you know I can't stand that.  So, we are driving through Manhattan - I've seen it all now.  I could actually go home.  I think we drove through Times Square three times.  I have even been down Broadway.  Oh, AND 5th Ave.

I was the last person to get off of the van because I was the one furthest south.  The girl that was dropped off right before me was really nice, though.  Once everyone else was gone, she and I started talking - you know, the usual chit chat.  "Where are you from?  What do you do?  Are you visiting someone?  Are you here by yourself?"  Those last two questions elicited the response, "WOW!"  She is actually from here - well, she works here and lives outside of the city.  She gave me her card and told me to call her if I had any questions.  Pleasant part of my day, and I had to include it in my story.

To top off the massive headache from no caffeine, fatigue set in because I hadn't eaten anything since Chicago (around 8:30am).  I have finally eaten, thanks to McDonald's (which for some reason did not taste as good as the ones in OK, but don't tell them I said that).  So, right before I left OKC, I realized that I did not pack my phone charger cord.  Ooooops.  Being the last person in the van, my phone rings, and my dad and I begin to discuss overnight shipment verses going to the Apple store here in NY.  He called right before the driver pulled up to the hotel, so I had to hang up with him.  I checked into the hotel, and was a bit bothered by the entryway.  It was so small, but the attendant was very nice, and checked me in quickly.  He said, "It's the last room available with a sink in it."  To which I replied, "I really appreciate that."  What would you do without a sink?  The bathrooms are shared, and there is no sink in there.  Anyway, I opened the door to my room, and I was pleasantly surprised!  It's small, which I expected.  I had seen pictures online.  This is actually pretty.  They did a good job with the decor.  The ceiling is my favorite part.  I'll post pics for you to see somehow.  It's a 12 ft ceiling, with dark wood finish.  I'm not one to EVER not wear shoes in a hotel room, but the carpet is in really good shape.  The walls are a cream marble wallpaper with an accent wall of the same marble and flowers.  There is a TV in this room, but the remote isn't working.

So, I decide to become adventurous.  I told my dad to wait on overnighting the cord so I could try to get to the Apple Store.  Um, did I mention that I had not had any food?  Now, I'm exhausted and hungry, trying to find my way in a city that I don't know.  I gave up.  Time for me to brag.  While I went in the wrong direction (because I didn't know any better), I remembered how to get back to the hotel (no GPS) with no problem.  Why is that amazing?  Have you seen the streets here?!  I grabbed McD's on the way back, and now my tummy is happy, and I now know which way is north.

Now it is 5:45 EST, and I am sitting in the hotel writing this blog because my aunt asked me if I was having fun yet.  I couldn't lay all this out on Facebook, so I decided to start a blog.  Tomorrow, I will post something a little more positive, I promise.  Today, I'm just tired despite having slept on the plane.  I think I will go back out and get some more caffeine.  My head is still hurting....or Advil or both....  I'm okay with that.  I will read my Bible and then go to bed.  Don't judge me.