My trip in New York City consisted of these things: walks, picnics and conversation. And some theatre. I walked all over the numbered crazed smoky streets of that tall city, from 57th to 39th to 112th. I caught the subway sometimes, in the humid heat of the underground, "In winter it's 5 degrees colder and in summer it's 5 degrees hotter." as Yael accurately put it.
Sitting in Central Park reading a comic book listening to a three piece jazz band:
Once I was in New York City
Walking in Central Park
When I saw a Hideous Thing
Go lurking in the Dark
It lurked past the Tourists
And the trio Jazz Band
And it grabbed a Woman walking by
By her thin and slender hand
She would've let out a Scream
Of this I'm fairly Sure
As she was grabbed by this Beast
Of Old Forgotten Lore
But she never Screamed, of this
I couldn't tell you Why
She just sort of Smiled
As the Tears came to her Eyes
I wish I could have Saved her
As it dragged her through the Grass
But I stood Frozen in Fear
Afraid for My Own Ass
So I ran Home to my Hotel
And I tried my Best not to Think
Of the Girl taken by the Beast
Down to that Sewer System Link
If I had Saved Her she could
Have been my true Love, Sure
But if I'd have Failed, I'd have Died
Eaten Alive down in that Sewer
Now every Time I go through that Park
I think of that awful Beast
And hope I don't see it Again
Or turn ME into it's Feast.
"Wicked" on Broadway - an amazing cast singing songs at me I wish I'd written. "Waiting for Godot" off Broadway with Nathan Lane and John Goodman - a play I now love. Read "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" - two top favourite books now, which are inspiring me to write again.
Picnics on roofs, on bedroom floors, on the library steps, but never on the grass. Hunting for wild salsa ingredients. Free slurpie day.
The Chassidic Jew bus on the to Montreal - 8 hours.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
New York
Left Sydney at 9:35am and had a 14 hour flight to L.A. with a kid in the seat behind me who delighted in nothing more than rhythmically and repeatedly kicking my chair. He wouldn't stop even when I leaned over and peered at him - just looked me in the eyes and kept kicking. Only wat I got him to stop was by leaning over and looking at his mother who would then tell him to stop. Met two Aussie girls on the plane from Palm Beach who were heading to L.A. - told them to be careful trying to get into bars and clubs underage - but they were gonna try anyway.
Flight from L.A. to NY seemed like it took longer than it did. I was so fucking tired. Eventually we landed and I got out looking for a coach into Manhattan. As I walk out of the airport a woman approaches and says, "Coach to Manhattan?" so I say yes and follow her and the 4 other young tourists she has trailing her. Turns out there were 4 friends from a small town in Austria of 2000 people. This would be one hell of a change for them, especially considering Austria is only 8 million people. So we get to the car. We were all expecting some kind of big white bus - how wrong we were as we walked over to reveal a black limo. $19 to Manhattan in a limo - hell that's cheaper than a cab or a real coach. We pile in the back, making jokes about whether or not we're being kidnapped when the limo has to fill up on gas. As we're trying to leave the gas lot, the limo becomes jammed between the gas pumps and a parks car, meaning the back wheel has to go over a large concrete bump before we can drive off. This was our best plan, so that's what we did. When I got out and tipped her a buck - "Only a dollar?!" she said, "Come on, I'm a poor student!" - I still just couldn't tell her about the HUGE scratches on the side of her car caused by it scratching against the guard rails while we were stuck back at the gas station. I walked the 6 blocks in the heat with my bags to reach the glory of the Holiday Inn and took a shower. I made plans to meet Yolanda whenever she could arrive but I feel asleep and only after knocking and ringing my room could she wake me and we went out. We had a corn beef and pickle sandwich with a Snapple (grape) and walked in Central Park catching fireflies before I went back to the hotel and slept like a log. All in all, a good first day in New York.
Flight from L.A. to NY seemed like it took longer than it did. I was so fucking tired. Eventually we landed and I got out looking for a coach into Manhattan. As I walk out of the airport a woman approaches and says, "Coach to Manhattan?" so I say yes and follow her and the 4 other young tourists she has trailing her. Turns out there were 4 friends from a small town in Austria of 2000 people. This would be one hell of a change for them, especially considering Austria is only 8 million people. So we get to the car. We were all expecting some kind of big white bus - how wrong we were as we walked over to reveal a black limo. $19 to Manhattan in a limo - hell that's cheaper than a cab or a real coach. We pile in the back, making jokes about whether or not we're being kidnapped when the limo has to fill up on gas. As we're trying to leave the gas lot, the limo becomes jammed between the gas pumps and a parks car, meaning the back wheel has to go over a large concrete bump before we can drive off. This was our best plan, so that's what we did. When I got out and tipped her a buck - "Only a dollar?!" she said, "Come on, I'm a poor student!" - I still just couldn't tell her about the HUGE scratches on the side of her car caused by it scratching against the guard rails while we were stuck back at the gas station. I walked the 6 blocks in the heat with my bags to reach the glory of the Holiday Inn and took a shower. I made plans to meet Yolanda whenever she could arrive but I feel asleep and only after knocking and ringing my room could she wake me and we went out. We had a corn beef and pickle sandwich with a Snapple (grape) and walked in Central Park catching fireflies before I went back to the hotel and slept like a log. All in all, a good first day in New York.
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