I have been in this city for a few weeks now. A little manic for me. Yes, perhaps I am getting old and all the commotion is more than even I can handle. There are days where I am so exhausted that I come home, fall flat on my face, and do not even have the energy to change my clothes. But then there are the energetic, blissful, Stargirl days! I have met some really interesting people on my train rides in the evenings – one girl who sat next to me lived so close to me in Geneva. Another 3 boys who were going to a concert and didn’t have train tickets, entertained me. We came up with a plan on how to not get them kicked off the train. Despite my efforts, they did have to leave in the end. One of those boys is friends with this girl who lives in Mombasa and has opened an orphanage. Of course, I found out the name and will have to stop by the next time that I am there.
Speaking of which, I really missed the water yesterday. After living by the water in both Mombasa and Geneva for years, the absence of it caused a feeling of panic in me. Well, perhaps not so much panic, but I needed peace. So, I headed to the waterfront – Hudson – and spent some time gallivanting and laying in the green grass. I saw the most interesting scene – one gay boy in an argument with 4 others. There were a lot of words being thrown around, none malicious or mean though, and definitely no physical violence. Lots of snapping fingers and tossing hands on the hips. The group of 4 than built an alliance which included about 10 teenage girls, whom perhaps most would label as ‘young thugs.’ I was very much intrigued and took a seat at a nearby bench to watch the production. I would have loved to have had a side meeting with the girls, to find out what sort of phase they were going through. How did they perceive this world with their coloured hair, piercings, very low pants and the need to lift up their tank tops every few seconds to show the world their sports bras? Where did they live? Did they sleep like that? After the drama was over, I walked into Chelsea, an area that I like wandering through and of course, came across a cute cupcake place. Well, they are pretty much everywhere in NYC. I do miss the 4 CHF wine after work though. That is probably the only thing that was less expensive in Geneva.
I have been to some of ‘the places to go’. Last weekend a few gal pals from Toronto visited because it was the birthday of the girl that I am staying with. One of them connected with a friend of hers and he was kind enough to take all of us to a few of the hot spots, all in one night. And last Saturday, I sat near Meg Ryan at Mercer Kitchen. I am sure I walk past many ‘stars’ all the time, but I would never know, unless it was Bradley Cooper, whom I would recognize right away. That was an eventful day/evening too and Sunday was automatically declared as a do nothing day. Sometimes one just needs to do absolutely nothing. And sometimes one has no choice but to do nothing because they cannot do anything!
There is a lot to do here no doubt, but I am not really in a tourist mode. I think over the last few years I have had my fair share of travel and there is a world greater out there than NYC. One can definitely not get bored here though. There are a couple of ‘things to still do’ on my list and I will be getting around to them soon. This weekend is a planned weekend.
The weather here is a bit manic though and I never know what to expect from one day to the next. I seem to dress inappropriately each day, and have had to go out and buy a sweater or a short sleeved shirt. Oh well. New wardrobe. Oh yes, many bikes around here, but none like Blue Beauty. She will always have a soft spot in my heart.
“I can sail without wind. I can row without oars, but I cannot part from my friend without tears.”
Beautifully said.
And now I must go for a walk in Central Park.
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