Remember learning to solve simple mathematical problems in back when you were in school? I have an unconventional but illustrative equation here for you to consider:
7 teenagers + 2 chaperones + 2 train rides + 1 new friend + 2 authentic New York pizzas + 14 miles walked = a crazy day spent by a bunch of NOVA-dwellers in New York City
That doesn't even do half of it justice, though, and neither will this account on our memorable day trip. I am not even sure that it was 14 miles exactly, but Mr. Dees (one half of our chaperoning duo) assured me that it was somewhere between 12 and 15. For it being only one day (I did the math -- I was up for 24 straight hours), it felt more like a whole weekend.
If this adventure were a movie, the cast would be as follows: Mr. and Mrs. Dees, the chaperones; and the kids (and I'v
e included ages, in case you were interested), Karsten Dees (15), Grant (16) and Brandon (16) Foster, Gavin Tomlin (15), Michael Ventura (14), Zach Andrews (17--my brother, of course), and me (16).The plot line of this "movie," if we are to continue with that metaphor, is unfortunately much too detailed to explain to you in its entirety. I honestly wish I could tell you every last bit in this
blogpost, but it would take so long that we would probably have to include an intermission!Our train left Union Station very early on the morning of Saturday, October 17; hence, we had to get up at the unearthly hour of 3am to be ready to leave for D.C. Tired as we were, our eagerness to get to New York kept us jittery with excitement and energy. Only half of our group had actually ever been to New York before, but we were all equally enthusiastic about what the day before us would hold.
The adventure started even before we arrived in New York. Brandon, known for b
eing unabashedly friendly to anyone and everyone, promptly befriended our train steward. The man's name was Jesus (pronounced "zhay-ZEE"), and he was from Haiti. Brandon just started making conversation with him like they were the best of friends. It was quite amusing to behold -- but then again, so is your average day spent with Brandon K. Foster. So there.We arrived in New York sometime before 9am, I think. It really was quite exhilarating to step out onto that sidewalk and take my first glimpse of the city. There stood Macy's, all 12 floors of which we went on to explore later that evening. I pointed it out excitedly and continued to be pleased by how mild the air was: the weather forecast stated that it was to be rainy and cold that day! It stayed rather overcast, but the sun did make an appearance eventually--although as long as it didn't rain, I was content.
We made our way to Broadway to check the TKTS booth--just in case there happened to be a show playing that day for which tickets were a decent low price. We were not lucky enough to find one, but our hopes were not up too high to begin with, so we continued on happily.
We stopped by many other famed sights: Rockefeller Center, Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Chinatown, Wall Street, Times Square, Central Park, even the Statue of Liberty herself. ...and on goes the list. We entertained each other by practicing our haggling skills on the Chinatown venders and satisfied our hunger with lunch at an obscure burger joint inside Le Parker Meridien hotel. On a more somber note, we also stopped by Ground Zero.
At the request--ok, more like begging--of Michael, we commenced a search for the Balto statue in Central Park. Lo and behold, we found it, and took a picture (which you will see here). That orange ball in his mouth doesn't belong there.... Gavin and Michael added it for a humorous effect. They think they're so funny. :)
(There are so many things I could tell you about this trip. It's ridiculous, really.)
Lunchtime was memorable, to say the least. We successfully jaywalked across the street to the glorious Le Parker Meridien, a fancy-shmancy hotel, and entered in hopes of finding the renowned yet unnamed burger joint nestled within. Sure enough, there was a square, curtained area past the lobby that happened to be it. If you have ever been to my house, you can picture this burger place as being about the size of my kitchen and morning room together. If you have never been to my house, you can just imagine it as one of the tiniest restaurants in existence. They also have the tiniest menu I have ever seen -- it consists of basically a hamburger and cheeseburger and fries, although I do think I saw something that mentioned grilled cheese sandwiches. I would skip the grilled cheese if I were you, though: those burgers were divine. I highly recommend them.
We explored plenty of stores, including Macy's, F.A.O. Schwarz, and Toys 'R' Us. Macy's has a wooden escalator, which we rode along with all of its other escalators. I think I can honestly say we visited every floor in that store. (Haha I just rhymed :) F.A.O. Schwarz has a giant floor piano (featured in the movie "Big"), and did I mention how I
love that the Toys 'R' Us has an indoor ferris wheel?! Oh, and might I mention that Toys 'R' Us has a whole section devoted to Barbie. :)(This one photo is of Brandon and Gavin skipping to F.A.O. Schwarz.)
At Chinatown, Zach, Grant, and Brandon managed to buy some pretty spiffy belts for $3 each, and we were amused that Brandon's orange one matched the seats on the Subway. Gavin decided to be sweet and bought a cute winter hat to take home to his little sister. Michael bought a similar one for himself, but it was red and had braided tassels that hung down, which caused him to make the comment, "Every time I look down and see those red tassels, I feel like the Wendy's restaurant girl."
It's a good thing we brought plenty of snacks in our various backpacks, and it is equally good that we had lots to spare. On a few occasions, we gladly gave items like Pop-tarts, bagels, and granola bars to people on the street who received them gratefully. It always feels rewarding to help a neighbor out :)
For dinner, we of course had some legitimate New York pizza. Oh the glory. It really is as good as they say it is. At least, I think so :) We sat by the window in the restaurant and ate our fine New York pizza while we watched the city slip into nighttime.
We ended our long day at Times Square, where it's so bright at night that you could read a book. We enjoyed the last few hours of our adventure, and I'm pretty sure none of us could stay awake on the whole train ride home.
I still don't love the Yankees, but I do love New York!
