september 10/09
i am now on the move again and this time its back to vancouver. yeah, yeah - i know - i was just there. but ill just be passing through today. i swear.
ive started to come down with a bad case of backpackers budgeting (aka: going to any means possible of trying to save a buck). hense why i woke up this morning at 4 a.m. to catch the ferry. hense why im choosing to travel for 15 hours today. hense why im going back to vancouver. its cheaper.
in my last few days of researching for the best route to take to get to LA - i discovered something. ferries arent always a nice and convenient way of travelling. but, when they are - theyre freaking fabulous! i have learned that ferries are ridiculously expensive under 2 specific conditions - a) when travelling via car on the ferry and b) when being a passenger on a ferry that does not carry cars. the latter is the type of ferry that transports people directly between victoria and seattle. in order to ride the "clipper" i have been quoted prices anywhere from $69 to $85 USD. and thats just one-way.
so when i looked into my other options i found that i could get to vancouver for $9 CAD (its $13.50 on weekends), take the bust to the train station ($5 CAD), then take the trian to portland for $49 CAD. thats only a total of $63 CAD and id be further along my route than if i took the clipper to seattle. the downside is that, yes, i had to catch the 7 a.m. ferry, roll out of bed at 4 a.m. and i probably wont be to portland untill 9 pm tonight. to me its worth it because it adds a little extra adventure to my trip.
as it stands, today has been fairly uneventful so far, save for the fact that both the bus and ferry have chosen to blast the air conditioning as though its 30 degrees outside. i stubbornly refuse to cave to my desire of buying a cozy hoodie - hot chocolate is cheaper.
yesterday i spent the day hanging out with a friend i havent seen for years. shemine and i explored the shores of victoria, checked out the bunny infestation at the university (they are overcome with over 1000 bunnies all because someone had decided it would be a good idea to leave a box of their unwanted ones on the property some time ago... they have since multiplied) and hung out - catching up on all our stories. it was nice to see a familiar face again and it was sad we only had a few hours together.
the rest of the afternoon i went running around downtown like a mad woman - trying to find a sleep mask (the brilliant yet dorky things that cover your eyes to block out light as you sleep) for less than $5, sold my books at a bookstore and explored chinatown. by 9 p.m. i was in bed and almost was able to fall asleep right away. that was untill one of my new roomies had the fabulous idea of blowdrying her hair in our room at 10 p.m. geez.
anyway - the ferry is almost at vancouver here. i should start attempted to figure out what bus will actually get me to the train station.
****
i cant stand to touch anything at this hotel. i think thats a first for me. im just thankful i wont have to worry about being cold tonight now that ive thrown all the bedding on the floor. its a hot one tonight in portland.
the train made it in right on schedule and once i got off, it took me a bit to find someone who could tell me when the bus leaves for bend tomorrow. i figured if it was super early in the a.m. id just catch my shut-eye at the train station rather than find a place to sleep for the night. i was told that the bus would not leave untill 1:30 pm the following day. i was astounded to find out that the bus also would cost me $46-49 USD for a one-way trip from portland to bend. thats MORE than what the train cost from vancouver to portland. sheesh.
anyway - i requested directions to the nearest hostel and was sent walking 20 blocks away to find it. eventually i made it there and asked if they had a room for the night. they didnt. the lady at the desk gave me the phone number for the other hostel in portland and i went to use the phone, but another lady got there first. she apparently had decided that NOW (at 9:45 pm) would be a good time to call some place for an eco-tour she wanted to go on the following day. the clincher? as she stood there rambling on forever into the hostel phone, she was holding onto a cellphone. sheesh.
eventually i was able to use the phone and called the other hostel. they informed me that, yes, they had room but that they were closing down shop in 10 minutes. there was no way i could make it across downtown in 10 minutes - even by bus. i reluctantly hung up the phone and was struck by the curious thought of why a hostel would be CLOSING up at 10 pm on a thursday night. wierd.
so i thought that maybe i would just walk around downtown and see if i could come up with any other brilliant ideas. i knew that if worst came to worse i could always go back to the train station and crash there. so i walked. and walked. and walked. as i was taking in the buildings of downtown portland, i saw movement out of the corner of my eye. i looked down to the sidewalk and there was this big rat staring back of me not more than 2 feet away. i had never seen a rat before and all i could think about was that show called fear factory that occassionally challenges people to sit in a box and see how long they can stand a bunch of rats running over their body. seeing this rat up close and personal - i dont think i could do something like that. fortunately the rat decided to squirm its way down through the grate that was on the side of the sidewalk. i continued on my way.
a few blocks later a guy approached me and asked, "whats the best nation in the world?" i told him i had no idea, figuring he must be some drunk guy all happy on USA love. he answered, "its a donation!" i was so confused as to where this conversation was going. he then handed me a card and asked if i ever eat at soup kitchens. i told him no, and he said that the card would get me a free meal at one - right. i walked away and wondered if he was handing out cards to everyone or if i had started to take on the look of a homeless person in need of a hot meal on a late thursday night. who knows.
after a while i made it to the kent hotel. as advertised, they had both hostel dorm rooms available and super cheap single rooms. they only had the single rooms available so i booked one for the night. as i climbed the stairs to my room i began to have second thoughts. i had seen a sign posted near the prices that stated the hotel required an ID from all persons booking rooms and that they were willing to take prison IDs. perfect. i also reflected on how the hotel was directly beside a local club and decided that it would be best to quickly find my room and lock the door for the night.
by the time i got to my room i was exhausted, but felt on high alert. the shared bathroom i passed on the way up had a large stain in the middle of the floor and someone had casually tossed an used diaper near the toilet. the floors and walls were built on odd angles and everything felt as though it was going to cave in at any moment. i opened the door to my room and was immediately faced with the smell of stale smoke. i gingerly set my bag down in the cleanest corner i could find and was careful not to touch anything.
the floor was sticky, there was stains on all layers of the bedding, the TV unit had some sticky goop on it and there was some type of dry animal food scattered in along the floorboards. i stripped the bed and layed out my sleep sheet as there was no way i was going to sleep on what they had provided me with. i carefully made sure that nothing of mine touched any questionable areas of the room and reminded myself that i would only use the common washroom for emergency-related purposes. fortunately i managed to fall asleep rather quickly.
september 11/09
today is the anniversary of september 11 and as i have spent time walking around portland here - its all ive heard about on the news and radio. i havent quite figured out what i think of portland and that might simply be because i have spent a majority of my time here either attempting (and finally succeeding) to get a place to stay at last night or waiting for my bus to arrive today.
the types of people i have seen around give portland (or at least the downtown of portland) a very eccletic feel to it. homeless people distribute themselves among the streets, claiming their piece of concrete in anyway they can. as this goes on, people all dressed up bustle down the streets on the way to their jobs - all the while cyclists and drivers zip down the streets.
during my wanderings around downtown as i waited for my bus, i met katie who happened to have stayed in the kent hotel last night as well. i asked her how her experience was and she told me that she had been asked twice, by 2 separate men if they could pay her for sex. she had later been asked by another man if he could pay her to let him sleep in her room (no sex) -- she declined all the offers and was thouroughly creeped out. i dont blame her. we spent the next hour or so chatting it up about our experiences of portland and surrounding areas untill we decided to part ways. i decided to check out a second hand clothing store to which i could only wish that i had more money and room in my bag as it was the first time i have ever found a second hand clothing store where i could find some good stuff. instead i walked away emptihanded and returned to the train station to wait for my bus.
****
well - i have made it to bend and it was a rather uneventful ride over here. since then i have just spent time catching up with my extended family and i am ready for bed.
september 12/09
today was a blast. me, tim and shelley (my aunt and uncle) went out for a mountain bike ride. i havent gone to do that in so long so i was both stoked and a little nervous. we ended up going on a path that was rather dusty, so we ended the ride with the 3 of us wiping dirt off of our teeth. regardless, it was a ton of fun to be able to get out there and be in the fresh air - especially when we ended the ride by going to visit mackenzie (my cousin) at her work at the local smoothie shop to get a refreshing drink.
the rest of the day i just lazed around a read a book - catching in some of the afternoon rays.
september 13/09
today we all piled into the car and drove out to OSU (oregon state university) to help chelsey move into her dorm. it was crazy to be back at an university and it brought back so many memories of when i went to UofA. we then went out to lunch and then piled back into the car for the slightly long ride back to bend.
NOTE: i have completely filled up my most recent photo album of "west coast adventures" and have started another one that you can check out at: WEST COAST ADVENTURES (2)
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
New Pictures
i forgot to add in my last post that i have created a new photo album as i have filled up the last one (i cant believe how many pictures i have - CRAZY!!) - the title of the album has changed to suit the change in my journey as i travel down the west coast of north america towards LA. you can check out the new album at: WEST COAST ADVENTURES please note that the link will be also kept to the right side of my blog posts with the others.... enjoy!
new york - day 4
MAY 3
i finally got to my "home" day and i was ready to actually go home. this is a very rare occurrance for me with my love of travelling. usually im contemplating how i would go about moving to the place i was visiting - but not this time. i was done. i dont know if that was because i was travelling alone or that im simply not the new yorker or internally, i AM a new yorker - but my potential new york bitchiness scared the heck out of me. either way - i was ready to fly home.
i had set my phones alarm the night before to go off at 4:45am in the morning as my plane left at 8:30am and i wanted plenty of time to get there. after all, i had to get dressed, check out, walk to the subway, take the subway to the train station, take the train to the air train, take the air train to my terminal, check in, go through security and then board the plane.
thing is. i woke up at 5:15am. turns out i had set my alarm for PM instead of AM. i was late. joy. i busted my butt to get dressed, throw everything in my bag and run down the 4 flights of stairs to check-out. after that then i ran (as fast as i could with a 2 tonne bag hanging from my shoulder) to the subway station. it was then that i remembered. i had forgotten that the station closest to my hostel was under construction. so i had to take the subway uptown one station, switch trains and then backtrack downtown. fantabulous.
so i went on the subway for uptown - i found a seat. happened to be right across from a bunch of really cute guys. they were all coming back from some night out on the town. we starting in on the small talk - sports we play and such, when they asked me what i was up to. i told them that i was on my way to go to the airport to go back to canada. then another guy sitting next to me mentioned that i was going the wrong direction if i was trying to get to penn station. oops. i had travelled an extra couple stops uptown further than what i was supposed to. crappy.
i got off at the next stop and switched to the other side of the tracks. i then waited for the next train. i waited. and waited. and waited some more. while i was waiting this sketchy looking homeless man with an eye patch (yes, an eye patch) stood nearbye staring me down with his one good eye and his hand down his pants. lovely. just lovely. there was no where else for me to go. i was trapped underground waiting for a train i HAD to get on with a perverted man keeping an eye on me. literally.
FINALLY the subway came and i made sure that i was on a separte train car than the perv. only i forgot one thing - in new york a person can switch train cars while the train is moving via the little door between the cars. well - not too long after we started going, mr. perv-man came along to sell his thoughts on how he wanted a cup of coffee for breakfast and hoped someone would fund his need. i averted my eyes from his one eye-patched face. eventually he moved on to the next train.
at last the train stopped at the penn station. i raced out and found the line-up to buy tickets. i stood ever so patiently in line until it was my turn. i went up to the window and requested a ticket to the newark airport. the lady politely informed me that i was in the wrong lineup and that i needed to go over to where the new jersey transit booths were. not the new york ones. *sigh*
i went over and got my train ticket. i then checked the train times. turns out i had missed the train by 2 minutes. 2 MINUTES. next train was scheduled for 7:07am. nearly an hour later. my plane was scheduled for 8:30am and i was still in new york. i wasn't even in new jersey yet. the anxiety set in. i couldn't breathe. i played it cool.
the train came on schedule. i hopped on it and crossed my fingers for a speedy trip. i got to the air train station and rode it to the terminal - the LAST stop (of course) on the track. i then ran to the airline counter to check in.
i got to the front and the lady promptly told me that i was late. apparantly the flight was scheduled to leave at 8:15 - NOT 8:30am like i had thought. it was currently 7:40am. i informed her that i REALIZED that i was cutting it close and hoped i could still get on the flight. she told me i couldn't and that the next flight wasn't until the following day. i asked her what my options were. she told me that i might be able to go through toronto. i asked her to check and silently prayed i wouldn't be stuck trying to find something to do at the airport for the rest of the day. all of a sudden she shoves a ticket in my hand and tells me to run to gate 11. i asked her about my bag. she told me that i had said i didn't have a bag. i told her she never asked. she was convinced she had asked. i didn't have time to argue with her. i simply asked if it was okay to use it as carry-on. she said yes.
off i ran. straight to security. i went through and then they pulled me aside to check through my bag. i had forgotten to pull out my shampoos and lotions and such. of course. they cleared me and i ran to my gate. the lady at the gate saw me approaching, glares at me and asks if i was "hopkins." i said yes, apologized and went on the plane to find my seat.
it was then i saw him. a young guy in his late 20s sitting there next to my empty window seat. i excused myself to get past him and sat down. i was thrilled to have someone to talk to for my flight - someone that was decent looking and within my age group. that NEVER happens to me. i asked him for the time and he told me it was 8:03am. sweetness. i was still all high on my adrenaline that i was stoked to have someone to share my story with. i started with my opening line and he promptlly grunted at me and then fell asleep.
he slept the entire flight.
when he FINALLY woke up (still not talking to me or even glancing my way) he filled out his canadian customs card.
i sneaked a peak.
his name was collin hughes. he was from fort mcmurray.
i know who he is. don't know what i would do with that information - but still. i was rather proud of my spy skills.
needless to say, i made it home without further incident.
***
all my new york pics can be viewed at:
album 1
album 2
album 3
***
i finally got to my "home" day and i was ready to actually go home. this is a very rare occurrance for me with my love of travelling. usually im contemplating how i would go about moving to the place i was visiting - but not this time. i was done. i dont know if that was because i was travelling alone or that im simply not the new yorker or internally, i AM a new yorker - but my potential new york bitchiness scared the heck out of me. either way - i was ready to fly home.
i had set my phones alarm the night before to go off at 4:45am in the morning as my plane left at 8:30am and i wanted plenty of time to get there. after all, i had to get dressed, check out, walk to the subway, take the subway to the train station, take the train to the air train, take the air train to my terminal, check in, go through security and then board the plane.
thing is. i woke up at 5:15am. turns out i had set my alarm for PM instead of AM. i was late. joy. i busted my butt to get dressed, throw everything in my bag and run down the 4 flights of stairs to check-out. after that then i ran (as fast as i could with a 2 tonne bag hanging from my shoulder) to the subway station. it was then that i remembered. i had forgotten that the station closest to my hostel was under construction. so i had to take the subway uptown one station, switch trains and then backtrack downtown. fantabulous.
so i went on the subway for uptown - i found a seat. happened to be right across from a bunch of really cute guys. they were all coming back from some night out on the town. we starting in on the small talk - sports we play and such, when they asked me what i was up to. i told them that i was on my way to go to the airport to go back to canada. then another guy sitting next to me mentioned that i was going the wrong direction if i was trying to get to penn station. oops. i had travelled an extra couple stops uptown further than what i was supposed to. crappy.
i got off at the next stop and switched to the other side of the tracks. i then waited for the next train. i waited. and waited. and waited some more. while i was waiting this sketchy looking homeless man with an eye patch (yes, an eye patch) stood nearbye staring me down with his one good eye and his hand down his pants. lovely. just lovely. there was no where else for me to go. i was trapped underground waiting for a train i HAD to get on with a perverted man keeping an eye on me. literally.
FINALLY the subway came and i made sure that i was on a separte train car than the perv. only i forgot one thing - in new york a person can switch train cars while the train is moving via the little door between the cars. well - not too long after we started going, mr. perv-man came along to sell his thoughts on how he wanted a cup of coffee for breakfast and hoped someone would fund his need. i averted my eyes from his one eye-patched face. eventually he moved on to the next train.
at last the train stopped at the penn station. i raced out and found the line-up to buy tickets. i stood ever so patiently in line until it was my turn. i went up to the window and requested a ticket to the newark airport. the lady politely informed me that i was in the wrong lineup and that i needed to go over to where the new jersey transit booths were. not the new york ones. *sigh*
i went over and got my train ticket. i then checked the train times. turns out i had missed the train by 2 minutes. 2 MINUTES. next train was scheduled for 7:07am. nearly an hour later. my plane was scheduled for 8:30am and i was still in new york. i wasn't even in new jersey yet. the anxiety set in. i couldn't breathe. i played it cool.
the train came on schedule. i hopped on it and crossed my fingers for a speedy trip. i got to the air train station and rode it to the terminal - the LAST stop (of course) on the track. i then ran to the airline counter to check in.
i got to the front and the lady promptly told me that i was late. apparantly the flight was scheduled to leave at 8:15 - NOT 8:30am like i had thought. it was currently 7:40am. i informed her that i REALIZED that i was cutting it close and hoped i could still get on the flight. she told me i couldn't and that the next flight wasn't until the following day. i asked her what my options were. she told me that i might be able to go through toronto. i asked her to check and silently prayed i wouldn't be stuck trying to find something to do at the airport for the rest of the day. all of a sudden she shoves a ticket in my hand and tells me to run to gate 11. i asked her about my bag. she told me that i had said i didn't have a bag. i told her she never asked. she was convinced she had asked. i didn't have time to argue with her. i simply asked if it was okay to use it as carry-on. she said yes.
off i ran. straight to security. i went through and then they pulled me aside to check through my bag. i had forgotten to pull out my shampoos and lotions and such. of course. they cleared me and i ran to my gate. the lady at the gate saw me approaching, glares at me and asks if i was "hopkins." i said yes, apologized and went on the plane to find my seat.
it was then i saw him. a young guy in his late 20s sitting there next to my empty window seat. i excused myself to get past him and sat down. i was thrilled to have someone to talk to for my flight - someone that was decent looking and within my age group. that NEVER happens to me. i asked him for the time and he told me it was 8:03am. sweetness. i was still all high on my adrenaline that i was stoked to have someone to share my story with. i started with my opening line and he promptlly grunted at me and then fell asleep.
he slept the entire flight.
when he FINALLY woke up (still not talking to me or even glancing my way) he filled out his canadian customs card.
i sneaked a peak.
his name was collin hughes. he was from fort mcmurray.
i know who he is. don't know what i would do with that information - but still. i was rather proud of my spy skills.
needless to say, i made it home without further incident.
***
all my new york pics can be viewed at:
album 1
album 2
album 3
***
new york - day 3
MAY 2
alrighty. so i started this day off with a bang by heading down to times square as soon as i was ready to go for my day. i got there and was completely in awe of everything there was to see. part of me had always suspected that when times square is shown in advertisments, movies or on tv that they exaggerate just how grand times square really is. but they dont. it really is just as flashy, bright, packed full of people as what theyve displayed to the world. i took a deep breath and jumped right in.
i walked around. and then i walked some more. i walked until my feet were tired and then i continued walking - all the way to the rockefeller centre - to which they wanted to charge me $20 to go to the observation deck up top. screw that - why would i pay that when its not even the empire state building and i had already seen the statue of liberty for so cheap ($12)? so i left there and stopped off for lunch before figuring i might as well go try to find where the brooklyn bridge was. so i walked some more.
and i walked.
and i walked.
finally, i found a port of which had some old school ships docked there. there was some shops and some booths around so i did some exploring. there wasnt very many people there so it was nice. and then i found a bench and took it all in. i hadnt quite made it to the brooklyn bridge - but it was right next to me, larger than life.
gawd, that bench was nice. that was one thing that i found in new york - there is NO BENCHES anywhere -- no wonder everyone is so skinny and fit. people are FORCED to walk and keep moving because there is no where to sit and relax. they only have seats if you want to go get something to eat or go to a broadway. otherwise, a person is stuck on their own 2 feet. there was many time i was wishing i was old enough to have one of those walkers that has the seat built right into them as i feared that at some point my feet were just going to fall right off from pure exhaustion.
anyway, back to my bench on the shoreline. it was pure bliss. i took it all in and just relaxed. and breathed. and then contemplated why in hell there was no beaches anywhere in sight. new york is an ISLAND SURROUNDED BY WATER. and not once did i see a beach. maybe there is some, i dont know - but they sure werent advertised and even if they were i bet theres a million rules to abide by in order to "enjoy" such a thing as there was with central park.
as it were, i enjoyed my bench thouroughly then started walking again to get to the bridge. from my original viewing point, it looked as though it would be quite lovely to walk across it. well - when i rounded the corner to get on the path that stretched across the bridge, i came face-to-face with a sea of people. seems like every tourist in the world had the same idea. i dont know why i was so surprised at this... it IS a tourist destination. but still, i was a little shocked. it was just people. all crammed into the space for the sidewalk that reached the other side of the bridge. i took a deep breath and dove in. and i walked. all the way to the other side.
by the time i was done the bridge, i was done with people. i was done with walking. all i could think of was my quiet little hostel room across the city that i wanted to get too. so i took the subway back to the hostel, grabbed some fast food grub and went up to my room. i didnt leave until the next morning. i was beat.
***
all my new york pics can be viewed at:
album 1
album 2
album 3
***
alrighty. so i started this day off with a bang by heading down to times square as soon as i was ready to go for my day. i got there and was completely in awe of everything there was to see. part of me had always suspected that when times square is shown in advertisments, movies or on tv that they exaggerate just how grand times square really is. but they dont. it really is just as flashy, bright, packed full of people as what theyve displayed to the world. i took a deep breath and jumped right in.
i walked around. and then i walked some more. i walked until my feet were tired and then i continued walking - all the way to the rockefeller centre - to which they wanted to charge me $20 to go to the observation deck up top. screw that - why would i pay that when its not even the empire state building and i had already seen the statue of liberty for so cheap ($12)? so i left there and stopped off for lunch before figuring i might as well go try to find where the brooklyn bridge was. so i walked some more.
and i walked.
and i walked.
finally, i found a port of which had some old school ships docked there. there was some shops and some booths around so i did some exploring. there wasnt very many people there so it was nice. and then i found a bench and took it all in. i hadnt quite made it to the brooklyn bridge - but it was right next to me, larger than life.
gawd, that bench was nice. that was one thing that i found in new york - there is NO BENCHES anywhere -- no wonder everyone is so skinny and fit. people are FORCED to walk and keep moving because there is no where to sit and relax. they only have seats if you want to go get something to eat or go to a broadway. otherwise, a person is stuck on their own 2 feet. there was many time i was wishing i was old enough to have one of those walkers that has the seat built right into them as i feared that at some point my feet were just going to fall right off from pure exhaustion.
anyway, back to my bench on the shoreline. it was pure bliss. i took it all in and just relaxed. and breathed. and then contemplated why in hell there was no beaches anywhere in sight. new york is an ISLAND SURROUNDED BY WATER. and not once did i see a beach. maybe there is some, i dont know - but they sure werent advertised and even if they were i bet theres a million rules to abide by in order to "enjoy" such a thing as there was with central park.
as it were, i enjoyed my bench thouroughly then started walking again to get to the bridge. from my original viewing point, it looked as though it would be quite lovely to walk across it. well - when i rounded the corner to get on the path that stretched across the bridge, i came face-to-face with a sea of people. seems like every tourist in the world had the same idea. i dont know why i was so surprised at this... it IS a tourist destination. but still, i was a little shocked. it was just people. all crammed into the space for the sidewalk that reached the other side of the bridge. i took a deep breath and dove in. and i walked. all the way to the other side.
by the time i was done the bridge, i was done with people. i was done with walking. all i could think of was my quiet little hostel room across the city that i wanted to get too. so i took the subway back to the hostel, grabbed some fast food grub and went up to my room. i didnt leave until the next morning. i was beat.
***
all my new york pics can be viewed at:
album 1
album 2
album 3
***
new york - day 2
MAY 1
well i woke up bright and early - birds a chirping, cars a honking. it was swell. i hopped in the shower and then got ready for my day. i had big plans for central park and then to go to times square. before i headed out though, i bought an umbrella from the front desk of my hostel. figured id need it given the grey skies. later on i was glad i put in the $5 for a little bit of cover from the random showers.
i then made my way out down the beautifully crafted streets of residential manhatten. i couldnt get enough of the architecture of the buildings. they all seemed so surreal and left me in awe. about 4 blocks later i reached central park. it wasnt at all like i expected. i could probably best sum it up as the most organized and rigid park i have ever been to. first off, the park is completely surrounded by a wrought iron fence (save for a few designated entrances) thats emeshed with bushes and other plantlife to make it seem more "natural." at the entrances to the park there is a board that states all the rules that a park-goer must abide by. they include things such as:
• all dogs in city parks must be restrained by a leash no longer than six feet in length.
• unless otherwise prohibited, dogs may be unleashed within designated parks or portions of a park between the hours of 9 pm and 9 am.
• all dogs must wear a license tag and proof of vaccination against rabies.
• no dogs (leashed or unleashed) are permitted in any playground; zoo; swimming pool; fountain; ballfield; or basketball, handball, or tennis court.
• any event with more than twenty people requires a permit from parks.
• all persons must walk/run in a counterclockwise direction around the jackie onassis reservoir
• permits may be required for doing sporting activities within central park
• sporting activities can only be participated in the specified sporting areas
sheesh. i spose with 8 million people, one has to have some sort of order to how the park is maintained, but talk about making a walk in the park become as complicated as learning to drive. it definitly took the relaxation out of it for me. i beetled on through - especially after the incident in which i walked CLOCKWISE around the reservoir and got quite a few glares from those going the "right" way. it wasnt until i noticed a sign indiating the direction of travel did i understand why i was getting such dirty looks.
i figured i should move on. and i did. all the way to the MET (metropolitan museum of art). i knew that i had kept my old student card from mount royal around for a reason. i got in for the student rate. sweetness. i entered the building and stood in awe. i didnt even know where to begin. it was like a whole nother world of art. from every possible facet of the creative mind. there was statues and disware and jewellery and paintings and photography. you name it - it was there. i walked. i saw. i experienced. ive never seen so much art. i went until i could no longer feel my feet. and then i figured it was good enough time to go and grab a hot dog from one of the hot dog stands outside the met. it was a good enough time as any as when i exited the maze of creative thought there was hoards of people getting ready to come in.
i sat for a bit and enjoyed a hot dog before i found a starbucks, bought a drink and my very own copy of the new york times. had to do it. most boring paper in the world - but hey, i had to do it. from there i checked out my map and realized that it would be a good time to go check out ground zero instead of times square. so i went on the subway and made my way back downtown and then through the maze of skyscrapers to reach the site of which september 11 has become so famous for.
i was moved beyond words.
there is something about standing there that really is just so awe-inspiring. to be there, where it all happened and know that almost 8 years ago someone else was probably standing where i was, only when they looked up, they didnt see a big gapping hole in the middle of the skyscrapers. instead they saw two planes fly right into the world trade centre. you can sense the fear. the terror. envision the sight. the smells. the dust. the sound of screaming people and screeching metal on metal. i imagined what it must have been like to be running for my life from the buildings that would moments later come crashing down. sends shivers up my spine to think about it.
i couldnt get enough of it. so i decided to check out the memorial too. turns out they charge $5 to get in. that was just the student rate. i was infuriated that people have decided to try and turn a profit over such a tragic event. it should be remembered. not commercialized. that was when i backed out and around the corner - i saw it. a public memorial to which the firehall had designed a wall mural to go up and people had been able to put up pictures and flowers of things in memory of the world trade centre. THAT was what i would call a memorial.
after i had paid my dues, i made my way south to figure out where the port was to take a ferry to libery island, where the statue of liberty stands. i didnt exactly feel like taking the ferry as that would be a deliberate action according to the "i am a tourist" roll. i didnt want to play that roll. but - once i got there and weaved my way through all the tourist booths and the tourists themselves who were all geared up in their "i heart ny" t-shirts and statue of liberty foam hats i realized that i couldnt get a decent picture of the statue from the shore line. sucky. so i checked the prices of the ferry and found out that it was a measily $12 for the ferry ride that takes people out to liberty island, drops everyone off, then when ur ready to go, the ferry comes and takes everyone to ellis island (another island with a national monument on it) and then will take the people back to the mainland. i figured it was worth it. and it was. it was pretty cool to get to be that close to the statue of liberty - so long as i ignored the swarm of tourists around me that each thought THEY had the most brilliant idea in picture taking - each of them would pose with the statue of liberty in the background and then raise up THEIR right arm as if they were holding a massive flaming torch.
how original.
eventually i made it back to the mainland and figured it would be time enough to start making my way into queens, where the apw art gallery was located. well that just turned out to be one big adventure and a half.
i started taking the subway and then realized that all the maps (both the one i had and all the ones posted up in the subway stations) cut off their viewing space once the subway lines crossed over to queens. fabulous. so i was just blindly going into queens without a clue on which stop to get off at. i asked the guy sitting next to me to help me out and he tried, but didnt quite know what to say. useless.
he then stated that i must not be from around there. i agreed and told him i was from canada. he then said, "well dont you have subways where youre from?" i told him that we do, but that theres just pretty much ONE that goes straight across the city. above ground, no less. not 200 million subway option s all built on different levels underground... okay. maybe it wasnt THAT much, but in looking at my transit map again - i counted a total of 26 options. 26!! thats crazy!!
i finally just got off one one particular stop as i could only go off of my vague sense of the map i had looked at weeks ago on my home computer of how to get to apw gallery. once i reached the ground again, it was pouring rain. i opened up my umbrella and walked to the first person i saw. i asked for directions to van dam street and she stated that i just had to go up a block, across the road bridge and i would see it by a hotel. i thanked her and off i went.
well - about 4 blocks later, im seeing no signs of anything related to what she said, so i asked another guy at a gas station. he said i just had to go up one more block, turn left, and id be on van dam street. i did what he said, turned left and all i saw was thompson street. i turned left and asked the next guy. he stated that i just had to cross the bridge in front of me and then it would be there. i crossed the bridge. still no damn van dam street. *sigh*
finally, i asked my final victim for directions. he said, not to worry - i was ON van dam street. i informed him that all i saw was signs for thompson street. he was like, yeah - this IS thompson street. i asked for clarification, as i was completely confused. if the street i was on was van dam street - one should advertise it as such. a street can not simply have 2 names. he finally got what i meant and informed me that i had to walk another 2 blocks and turn right (AWAY from thompson street) and i would be on van dam street. geez. apparantly new yorkers need directions on how to give directions --- i had just walked in one big square for about 15 blocks.
eventually i made it to the apw gallery, soaked pretty much head to toe as it had been raining a better part of my trying to find the gallery and, well, umbrellas only cover so much when traffic would drive through puddles and send a wave of water horizontal in my direction with no escape in sight.
the exhibition was pretty cool - lots of interesting art. the biggest thing i learned was that i completely underpriced my art. i had mine posted at a max of $50 usd and the average person there would price between $200-300 dollars. there was some as high as $1000 there. for a record! it was crazy.... but hey - that was the whole point of me going in the first place - as a learning experience.
i didnt stay long, as through all the walking i had done that day, i was exhausted. i made my way back to the subway (only 2 blocks away from the gallery) and went directly back to my hostel. i promptly fell asleep.
***
all my new york pics can be viewed at:
album 1
album 2
album 3
***
well i woke up bright and early - birds a chirping, cars a honking. it was swell. i hopped in the shower and then got ready for my day. i had big plans for central park and then to go to times square. before i headed out though, i bought an umbrella from the front desk of my hostel. figured id need it given the grey skies. later on i was glad i put in the $5 for a little bit of cover from the random showers.
i then made my way out down the beautifully crafted streets of residential manhatten. i couldnt get enough of the architecture of the buildings. they all seemed so surreal and left me in awe. about 4 blocks later i reached central park. it wasnt at all like i expected. i could probably best sum it up as the most organized and rigid park i have ever been to. first off, the park is completely surrounded by a wrought iron fence (save for a few designated entrances) thats emeshed with bushes and other plantlife to make it seem more "natural." at the entrances to the park there is a board that states all the rules that a park-goer must abide by. they include things such as:
• all dogs in city parks must be restrained by a leash no longer than six feet in length.
• unless otherwise prohibited, dogs may be unleashed within designated parks or portions of a park between the hours of 9 pm and 9 am.
• all dogs must wear a license tag and proof of vaccination against rabies.
• no dogs (leashed or unleashed) are permitted in any playground; zoo; swimming pool; fountain; ballfield; or basketball, handball, or tennis court.
• any event with more than twenty people requires a permit from parks.
• all persons must walk/run in a counterclockwise direction around the jackie onassis reservoir
• permits may be required for doing sporting activities within central park
• sporting activities can only be participated in the specified sporting areas
sheesh. i spose with 8 million people, one has to have some sort of order to how the park is maintained, but talk about making a walk in the park become as complicated as learning to drive. it definitly took the relaxation out of it for me. i beetled on through - especially after the incident in which i walked CLOCKWISE around the reservoir and got quite a few glares from those going the "right" way. it wasnt until i noticed a sign indiating the direction of travel did i understand why i was getting such dirty looks.
i figured i should move on. and i did. all the way to the MET (metropolitan museum of art). i knew that i had kept my old student card from mount royal around for a reason. i got in for the student rate. sweetness. i entered the building and stood in awe. i didnt even know where to begin. it was like a whole nother world of art. from every possible facet of the creative mind. there was statues and disware and jewellery and paintings and photography. you name it - it was there. i walked. i saw. i experienced. ive never seen so much art. i went until i could no longer feel my feet. and then i figured it was good enough time to go and grab a hot dog from one of the hot dog stands outside the met. it was a good enough time as any as when i exited the maze of creative thought there was hoards of people getting ready to come in.
i sat for a bit and enjoyed a hot dog before i found a starbucks, bought a drink and my very own copy of the new york times. had to do it. most boring paper in the world - but hey, i had to do it. from there i checked out my map and realized that it would be a good time to go check out ground zero instead of times square. so i went on the subway and made my way back downtown and then through the maze of skyscrapers to reach the site of which september 11 has become so famous for.
i was moved beyond words.
there is something about standing there that really is just so awe-inspiring. to be there, where it all happened and know that almost 8 years ago someone else was probably standing where i was, only when they looked up, they didnt see a big gapping hole in the middle of the skyscrapers. instead they saw two planes fly right into the world trade centre. you can sense the fear. the terror. envision the sight. the smells. the dust. the sound of screaming people and screeching metal on metal. i imagined what it must have been like to be running for my life from the buildings that would moments later come crashing down. sends shivers up my spine to think about it.
i couldnt get enough of it. so i decided to check out the memorial too. turns out they charge $5 to get in. that was just the student rate. i was infuriated that people have decided to try and turn a profit over such a tragic event. it should be remembered. not commercialized. that was when i backed out and around the corner - i saw it. a public memorial to which the firehall had designed a wall mural to go up and people had been able to put up pictures and flowers of things in memory of the world trade centre. THAT was what i would call a memorial.
after i had paid my dues, i made my way south to figure out where the port was to take a ferry to libery island, where the statue of liberty stands. i didnt exactly feel like taking the ferry as that would be a deliberate action according to the "i am a tourist" roll. i didnt want to play that roll. but - once i got there and weaved my way through all the tourist booths and the tourists themselves who were all geared up in their "i heart ny" t-shirts and statue of liberty foam hats i realized that i couldnt get a decent picture of the statue from the shore line. sucky. so i checked the prices of the ferry and found out that it was a measily $12 for the ferry ride that takes people out to liberty island, drops everyone off, then when ur ready to go, the ferry comes and takes everyone to ellis island (another island with a national monument on it) and then will take the people back to the mainland. i figured it was worth it. and it was. it was pretty cool to get to be that close to the statue of liberty - so long as i ignored the swarm of tourists around me that each thought THEY had the most brilliant idea in picture taking - each of them would pose with the statue of liberty in the background and then raise up THEIR right arm as if they were holding a massive flaming torch.
how original.
eventually i made it back to the mainland and figured it would be time enough to start making my way into queens, where the apw art gallery was located. well that just turned out to be one big adventure and a half.
i started taking the subway and then realized that all the maps (both the one i had and all the ones posted up in the subway stations) cut off their viewing space once the subway lines crossed over to queens. fabulous. so i was just blindly going into queens without a clue on which stop to get off at. i asked the guy sitting next to me to help me out and he tried, but didnt quite know what to say. useless.
he then stated that i must not be from around there. i agreed and told him i was from canada. he then said, "well dont you have subways where youre from?" i told him that we do, but that theres just pretty much ONE that goes straight across the city. above ground, no less. not 200 million subway option s all built on different levels underground... okay. maybe it wasnt THAT much, but in looking at my transit map again - i counted a total of 26 options. 26!! thats crazy!!
i finally just got off one one particular stop as i could only go off of my vague sense of the map i had looked at weeks ago on my home computer of how to get to apw gallery. once i reached the ground again, it was pouring rain. i opened up my umbrella and walked to the first person i saw. i asked for directions to van dam street and she stated that i just had to go up a block, across the road bridge and i would see it by a hotel. i thanked her and off i went.
well - about 4 blocks later, im seeing no signs of anything related to what she said, so i asked another guy at a gas station. he said i just had to go up one more block, turn left, and id be on van dam street. i did what he said, turned left and all i saw was thompson street. i turned left and asked the next guy. he stated that i just had to cross the bridge in front of me and then it would be there. i crossed the bridge. still no damn van dam street. *sigh*
finally, i asked my final victim for directions. he said, not to worry - i was ON van dam street. i informed him that all i saw was signs for thompson street. he was like, yeah - this IS thompson street. i asked for clarification, as i was completely confused. if the street i was on was van dam street - one should advertise it as such. a street can not simply have 2 names. he finally got what i meant and informed me that i had to walk another 2 blocks and turn right (AWAY from thompson street) and i would be on van dam street. geez. apparantly new yorkers need directions on how to give directions --- i had just walked in one big square for about 15 blocks.
eventually i made it to the apw gallery, soaked pretty much head to toe as it had been raining a better part of my trying to find the gallery and, well, umbrellas only cover so much when traffic would drive through puddles and send a wave of water horizontal in my direction with no escape in sight.
the exhibition was pretty cool - lots of interesting art. the biggest thing i learned was that i completely underpriced my art. i had mine posted at a max of $50 usd and the average person there would price between $200-300 dollars. there was some as high as $1000 there. for a record! it was crazy.... but hey - that was the whole point of me going in the first place - as a learning experience.
i didnt stay long, as through all the walking i had done that day, i was exhausted. i made my way back to the subway (only 2 blocks away from the gallery) and went directly back to my hostel. i promptly fell asleep.
***
all my new york pics can be viewed at:
album 1
album 2
album 3
***
new york - day 1
APRIL 30
i made it to my gate at the airport with PLENTY of time (1.5hrs) to spare. i never quite understood why "they" highly recommend a person to be hours early for their flight as every time i have ever flown (with the exception to coming home from this trip as you will later read) i have always been bored twiddling my thumbs (believe me, this is what i do) in the waiting area at my gate. this time i made it thru security and customs within 30 minutes. i'm a prostar. joy.
thing is, this trip almost didn't even happen at all. i had made the executive decision to do a last-minute booking on my flight for this trip. as i am saving to go travelling for a longer extension of time in the near future, i figured it would be good practice to see what all this "last-minute" fuss is all about. plus, if i could save a couple extra bucks, i wouldn't complain.
april 28 was to be my date to book the flight to leave on april 30. i figure 2 days was a good choice of time before leaving in order to book the flight. i was going to do it online. bing-bang-boom. done. one SMALL problem - my roomie and i decided to do a sponanteous road trip into none other than the small rural towns of northern alberta (we would have gone south, but a snowstorm blocked our path). i figured i would find somewhere with internet no problem. apparantly i was wrong. there aren't many places with internet when the town has enough trouble trying to get subway to park its butt there.
fortunately, we found internet at an information site for slave lake. i was already to book my flight, credit card in hand, but the site kept bumping me out of the bookin page. i finally just took down flight centre's phone number and decided to call later. well, later turned out to be TOO late as they were closed. so then i figured that i would simply just stop in at the airport on our way back into calgary on april 29 to buy a ticket. no big deal. problem solved.
we finished our road trip and zipped our way straight on over to the calgary airport. i waltzed in there and went up to the ticketing booth of an airline and told them id like to book a ticket to new york. for tomorrow (april 30). the lady typed in the information and told me that would be approximately $3000. i practically yelled at her in my shock at how ridiculous that was for me to pay $3000 for a 3-day trip to new york. hell, i could pay half that and do a round trip to australia. course - it would take me a day and a half to get there and the same to get back, but still.... the ticketing agent told me that this ridiculous price was because the flight was last minute and all their planes were booked up. so REALLY - what she was saying was that i could pay $3000 to MAYBE get a seat on the plane for the next day. she apparantly caught onto my discontent and told me to go check with another airline. i stated that this would be a good idea.
so i skipped over a few booths and talked to the next airline agent. gave her the same story and she typed in my information. SHE could get me on the flight for the oh-so-fabulous price of $1400. OMG. who the hell would pay THAT for new york?? everything online isn't asking for more than $500. i told her that there was no way in the world that i could afford that. she said she understood and recommended to check online one last time. so that's what i did.
me and my roomie continued back to our apartment and i immediately pulled up flight centre, typed in the info and got a DIRECT FLIGHT for $500. freaking sweet.
***
all my roadtrip pics can be viewed at:
album 1
album 2
***
sooooooooo.... back to the airport - i made it. no issues. well - except for the fact that they confiscated my body butter from my purse. i don't have a clue what they expect that people will do with body butter. i mean, really - i got a pen in my purse. i got keys. even bobby pins are goin to do WAY more damage than body butter. but hey - i aint the professional here.
i even was the first one at my gate so i got to sit in one of those awesome black leather chairs that are always hanging out by the windows. i swear, one of these days i am just goin to go to the airport to see if i can figure out a way to jack one of the chairs without them knowing. they are pretty much heaven.
moving on - i took the flight and arrived in NEWARK international airport (new jersey). that's right people. some genious out there decided that it would be ideal to put an airport on the border of new york and call it newark airport. try to distinguish those 2 when you talk and see if you get as confused as i did. either way - i made it.
next mission was to exchange my money. between having the mini roadtrip right before my journey to new york and my own personal belief that travelling does not have to be all pre-arranged.... i had not done this. as such, i did not have any money to travel anywhere outside of that international airport. i made a beeline to the first currency exchange booth. she was closed. she directed me to another terminal via the "air train" (a mini train that allows people to travel quickly between terminals and parking lots). i hopped on and went zipping along the tracks to terminal "b." i felt like i had just jumped into the cartoon of the jetsons and was on some space mobile thing. oh - what a sheltered life i lead in the "small" city of calgary. haha.
i entered terminal b and asked for directions. i raced through the terminal to make it there as quick as possible as who knows when this currency booth would close. should it close, id be stuck at the airport until morning. well - maybe it wouldnt have been THAT severe as i did have my trusty visa tucked away in my bag too. not that it mattered - i made it to the currency booth and got some good ol' (and completely uncolouful) usa moolah. as newark airport is in new jersey, i asked what the best route was to get to new york. the guy directed me to take the air train to the train station and then from there take the subway to my hostel.
i don't think i've ever been on so many train rails in my life. i hoped on the air train to the train station. check. i bought my train ticket to new york. $15. check. i then scanned my ticket and waited (patiently, i might add) for the entrance doors to open. they didn't. i scanned my ticket again. they still didn't open. as i'm sitting there with my furrowed brow tryin to figure this thing out, i notice the guard at the gate is trying to tell me something. yeah, that's right - he's telling me to go to the LEFT of the scanner rather than the RIGHT. geez. they should have signs or something. the left side of my scanner hung wide open, waiting for me to race through like a horse at the track races. i did just that.
i then got on the train. my ticket was checked by one of the train workers. i gazed out the window. it was then i noticed the time of day was getting later. so late - in fact - that there wasn't much light left at all. one would assume that it would be common sense to ensure that the signs indicating which stop a person is at would be illuminated in the blackness. or - at the very least - the conductor could announce which stop is next. neither happened. it wasn't until everyone on the train got off that i figured i should probably get off too and see which stop i was at. fortunately it was the right one and i continued on.
when i got off the plateform, i came face-to-face with a swarm of people at the train station. it was like the calgary stampede, only without the country music and smell of manure. i stood there stunned as the world appeared to spin around me. surreal.
once i found my focus again, i went to the information booth and asked how i would go about getting to my hostel. he told me to jump on subway 1. right. sounds easy enough. that was until i turned around to meet the maze of an underground mini-city that appeared to be an endless array of tunnels, all leading to some mysterious place sounding of screeching metal as the trains came to a halt at each stop. at least i found the #1 easy enough. i hopped on. all i had to do is wait for the stop on 96 st.
34 st.
28 st.
23 st.
18 st.
14 st.
it was about at this point that i noticed the numbers were goin down rather than up. as i did not have a map at this point, i hoped that new york was built like calgary where once the numbers got to downtown, they went the other way. this was not entirely the case.
christopher st.
houston st.
canal st.
franklin st.
chambers st.
at this point i got off. i found a map and looked at it. sure enough - i was going the wrong direction. i worked myself through the maze of subway tunnels and found a #1 going the other way. i got on. 17 stops later and one conversation where i asked for directions (again) - i made it to my hostel. completely exhausted.
i paid my fee and was so thrilled at the prospect that i could finally put my bag down and get a good night sleep. it was then that the guy at the counter stated that they were all out of the 6-bed dorm room that i had signed up for. he stated he would "have" to put me in a single room. i didn't complain. it was like a sweet gift from heaven to be able to have my own room for peace and quiet. i happily skipped (mentally, my legs were tired) up those 4 flights of stairs to my tiny room. i promptly lay down and fell asleep.
made it to new york.
check.
sleep.
check.
***
all my new york pics can be viewed at:
album 1
album 2
album 3
***
i made it to my gate at the airport with PLENTY of time (1.5hrs) to spare. i never quite understood why "they" highly recommend a person to be hours early for their flight as every time i have ever flown (with the exception to coming home from this trip as you will later read) i have always been bored twiddling my thumbs (believe me, this is what i do) in the waiting area at my gate. this time i made it thru security and customs within 30 minutes. i'm a prostar. joy.
thing is, this trip almost didn't even happen at all. i had made the executive decision to do a last-minute booking on my flight for this trip. as i am saving to go travelling for a longer extension of time in the near future, i figured it would be good practice to see what all this "last-minute" fuss is all about. plus, if i could save a couple extra bucks, i wouldn't complain.
april 28 was to be my date to book the flight to leave on april 30. i figure 2 days was a good choice of time before leaving in order to book the flight. i was going to do it online. bing-bang-boom. done. one SMALL problem - my roomie and i decided to do a sponanteous road trip into none other than the small rural towns of northern alberta (we would have gone south, but a snowstorm blocked our path). i figured i would find somewhere with internet no problem. apparantly i was wrong. there aren't many places with internet when the town has enough trouble trying to get subway to park its butt there.
fortunately, we found internet at an information site for slave lake. i was already to book my flight, credit card in hand, but the site kept bumping me out of the bookin page. i finally just took down flight centre's phone number and decided to call later. well, later turned out to be TOO late as they were closed. so then i figured that i would simply just stop in at the airport on our way back into calgary on april 29 to buy a ticket. no big deal. problem solved.
we finished our road trip and zipped our way straight on over to the calgary airport. i waltzed in there and went up to the ticketing booth of an airline and told them id like to book a ticket to new york. for tomorrow (april 30). the lady typed in the information and told me that would be approximately $3000. i practically yelled at her in my shock at how ridiculous that was for me to pay $3000 for a 3-day trip to new york. hell, i could pay half that and do a round trip to australia. course - it would take me a day and a half to get there and the same to get back, but still.... the ticketing agent told me that this ridiculous price was because the flight was last minute and all their planes were booked up. so REALLY - what she was saying was that i could pay $3000 to MAYBE get a seat on the plane for the next day. she apparantly caught onto my discontent and told me to go check with another airline. i stated that this would be a good idea.
so i skipped over a few booths and talked to the next airline agent. gave her the same story and she typed in my information. SHE could get me on the flight for the oh-so-fabulous price of $1400. OMG. who the hell would pay THAT for new york?? everything online isn't asking for more than $500. i told her that there was no way in the world that i could afford that. she said she understood and recommended to check online one last time. so that's what i did.
me and my roomie continued back to our apartment and i immediately pulled up flight centre, typed in the info and got a DIRECT FLIGHT for $500. freaking sweet.
***
all my roadtrip pics can be viewed at:
album 1
album 2
***
sooooooooo.... back to the airport - i made it. no issues. well - except for the fact that they confiscated my body butter from my purse. i don't have a clue what they expect that people will do with body butter. i mean, really - i got a pen in my purse. i got keys. even bobby pins are goin to do WAY more damage than body butter. but hey - i aint the professional here.
i even was the first one at my gate so i got to sit in one of those awesome black leather chairs that are always hanging out by the windows. i swear, one of these days i am just goin to go to the airport to see if i can figure out a way to jack one of the chairs without them knowing. they are pretty much heaven.
moving on - i took the flight and arrived in NEWARK international airport (new jersey). that's right people. some genious out there decided that it would be ideal to put an airport on the border of new york and call it newark airport. try to distinguish those 2 when you talk and see if you get as confused as i did. either way - i made it.
next mission was to exchange my money. between having the mini roadtrip right before my journey to new york and my own personal belief that travelling does not have to be all pre-arranged.... i had not done this. as such, i did not have any money to travel anywhere outside of that international airport. i made a beeline to the first currency exchange booth. she was closed. she directed me to another terminal via the "air train" (a mini train that allows people to travel quickly between terminals and parking lots). i hopped on and went zipping along the tracks to terminal "b." i felt like i had just jumped into the cartoon of the jetsons and was on some space mobile thing. oh - what a sheltered life i lead in the "small" city of calgary. haha.
i entered terminal b and asked for directions. i raced through the terminal to make it there as quick as possible as who knows when this currency booth would close. should it close, id be stuck at the airport until morning. well - maybe it wouldnt have been THAT severe as i did have my trusty visa tucked away in my bag too. not that it mattered - i made it to the currency booth and got some good ol' (and completely uncolouful) usa moolah. as newark airport is in new jersey, i asked what the best route was to get to new york. the guy directed me to take the air train to the train station and then from there take the subway to my hostel.
i don't think i've ever been on so many train rails in my life. i hoped on the air train to the train station. check. i bought my train ticket to new york. $15. check. i then scanned my ticket and waited (patiently, i might add) for the entrance doors to open. they didn't. i scanned my ticket again. they still didn't open. as i'm sitting there with my furrowed brow tryin to figure this thing out, i notice the guard at the gate is trying to tell me something. yeah, that's right - he's telling me to go to the LEFT of the scanner rather than the RIGHT. geez. they should have signs or something. the left side of my scanner hung wide open, waiting for me to race through like a horse at the track races. i did just that.
i then got on the train. my ticket was checked by one of the train workers. i gazed out the window. it was then i noticed the time of day was getting later. so late - in fact - that there wasn't much light left at all. one would assume that it would be common sense to ensure that the signs indicating which stop a person is at would be illuminated in the blackness. or - at the very least - the conductor could announce which stop is next. neither happened. it wasn't until everyone on the train got off that i figured i should probably get off too and see which stop i was at. fortunately it was the right one and i continued on.
when i got off the plateform, i came face-to-face with a swarm of people at the train station. it was like the calgary stampede, only without the country music and smell of manure. i stood there stunned as the world appeared to spin around me. surreal.
once i found my focus again, i went to the information booth and asked how i would go about getting to my hostel. he told me to jump on subway 1. right. sounds easy enough. that was until i turned around to meet the maze of an underground mini-city that appeared to be an endless array of tunnels, all leading to some mysterious place sounding of screeching metal as the trains came to a halt at each stop. at least i found the #1 easy enough. i hopped on. all i had to do is wait for the stop on 96 st.
34 st.
28 st.
23 st.
18 st.
14 st.
it was about at this point that i noticed the numbers were goin down rather than up. as i did not have a map at this point, i hoped that new york was built like calgary where once the numbers got to downtown, they went the other way. this was not entirely the case.
christopher st.
houston st.
canal st.
franklin st.
chambers st.
at this point i got off. i found a map and looked at it. sure enough - i was going the wrong direction. i worked myself through the maze of subway tunnels and found a #1 going the other way. i got on. 17 stops later and one conversation where i asked for directions (again) - i made it to my hostel. completely exhausted.
i paid my fee and was so thrilled at the prospect that i could finally put my bag down and get a good night sleep. it was then that the guy at the counter stated that they were all out of the 6-bed dorm room that i had signed up for. he stated he would "have" to put me in a single room. i didn't complain. it was like a sweet gift from heaven to be able to have my own room for peace and quiet. i happily skipped (mentally, my legs were tired) up those 4 flights of stairs to my tiny room. i promptly lay down and fell asleep.
made it to new york.
check.
sleep.
check.
***
all my new york pics can be viewed at:
album 1
album 2
album 3
***
Off the Record
well - this is the time - i have FINALLY chosen five art pieces from my Off the Record portfolio to enter into the exhbition for APW Gallery. the following are the pieces i HAVE sent off to New York.
whew. i'd like to say that i'm glad THAT'S over. but it's really not. now i got the lovely job of updating all of my portfolios i'll be taking with me to New York. i've forgotten how much work it is to prepare for stuff like this - not that i've done it before... but the whole idea of preparing art for a deadline is something i have not done for years really. it's kind of all-consuming.
outside of all this art business work has been insanely busy. nothing new with that i spose. me and the other on-call supervisor have been working on keeping the group home running smoothly, to the point that it's hard to imagine a new program coordinator coming in to take over. well - as it is - i spose i don't have to have trouble imagining any longer as they (the lovely people from head office) have finally found someone. great. now i'm just crossing my fingers that it won't be a re-run from our last program coordinator extravaganza cuz that wasn't very fun...
whew. i'd like to say that i'm glad THAT'S over. but it's really not. now i got the lovely job of updating all of my portfolios i'll be taking with me to New York. i've forgotten how much work it is to prepare for stuff like this - not that i've done it before... but the whole idea of preparing art for a deadline is something i have not done for years really. it's kind of all-consuming.
outside of all this art business work has been insanely busy. nothing new with that i spose. me and the other on-call supervisor have been working on keeping the group home running smoothly, to the point that it's hard to imagine a new program coordinator coming in to take over. well - as it is - i spose i don't have to have trouble imagining any longer as they (the lovely people from head office) have finally found someone. great. now i'm just crossing my fingers that it won't be a re-run from our last program coordinator extravaganza cuz that wasn't very fun...
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