New York Travels Day 1: Arrival

So, after about a week of tweaking on "The Taken King," I remembered that I was gonna start writing again and obviously I should start with this most recent trip. Just like the Australian Chronicles, I'll be doing this day by day. Unlike the Australian Chronicles, I hope you're ready for more words... well, the same amount of words, just less pictures (I still suck at remembering to take pictures). Let's go!

So, skipping the boring parts, I landed at LaGuardia Airport in the afternoon without any problems... except for the temperature. Honestly, I'd been watching the New York weather reports religiously before I left and I assumed it was gonna be hot during the trip (at least highs between 78 and 85 degrees sounded hot). I got there in shorts and a shirt and immediately shivered all the way to the baggage claim to grab my bag just so I could get to the bathroom to change into jeans and hoodie.

A half hour taxi ride (the whole time repeating Terry's address constantly to the cab driver) I arrived outside Terry's place. SIX YEARS! and honestly, you don't look any different. We caught up for a bit before I ended up taking a nap on the couch which would be my bed for the next week. I'm not sure how long it was later, but then it was time to head out, mostly to get food. It wasn't as far of a walk to the train as it was back in the Plume IS days but it was still a several blocks away. Enough of a walk to realize the streets are numbered and there should be no way I could possibly get lost as long as I can count.

Obviously a New York experience is riding the train. We don't have these back home, though I did ride them everyday for a semester in Japan so I figured I knew what to expect. And for the most part it was the same. A couple differences. The first and main difference: Talking. No one talks on the train in Japan. In New York, everyone talked. They talked to their friends. They talked on their phones. I think a couple people were just talking to themselves. Unfortunately now I'm hearing conversations I'd rather never heard spoken aloud. Another major difference: Personal space. Never had any of that on the trains in Japan. Here, if the car is full, you find another damn car. I actually watched people walk halfway down the train, bypassing cars that were only 3/4 full. I'll probably talk more about the trains, but that's enough for now.

So what was my first meal in New York, you're probably wondering? Pizza? Hot dogs? insert name of other food you think of when you think of New York? Ramen. Before you start yelling at your screen (as if I can hear you) about how I wasted a trip eating ramen that I could just have easily eaten back home, well, first of all it was really good ramen. And you could tell it was good before you ate it. Small, hole-in-the-wall shop, a long walk away from the train station, with maybe enough room for a dozen people at once. All the trademarks of a really good ramen shop. How was the ramen though? The best ramen I've ever had! The broth was delicious. The pork was soft and broke easily under still-lacking chopstick handling. The noodles were a perfect texture. Or maybe I'm just exaggerating all of this since I hadn't eaten for close to 15 hours or so. The best part: they gave the seats facing out the window so I could eat and look at the people waiting for seats, the hunger in their eyes.

After food, we headed back. But first, our train stopped at Times Square!

It was like walking into a totally different world. The lights were bright as day, shining advertisements on every building. People crowded around, packed together. It was crazy. I think the only time I've seen that many people packed together like that is Waikiki on Halloween night. I didn't get a picture of it, but apparently there are some very cheap seats for the opera: fold-out chairs outside and you watch the opera on a giant screen. Terry led me around Times Square while I adjusted to the sensory overload. I didn't understand how they could even allow people to drive on the streets but we still needed to watch for cars. I found a souvenir shop selling those "I Love New York" trinkets and bought a bunch of souvenirs before we headed back. I think I passed out on the train which isn't a problem since Terry's stop was apparently at the end of the line where they kick you off the train anyway. And finally, like most nights to follow, I would fall asleep to the sound of Terry's roommate playing video games. Just like home.