Things happen

I have been mostly wandering around for the last few days. On Friday, I took a round trip on the Staten Island ferry and got a glimpse at the Statue of Liberty. I was told it isn't worth the price to visit it since you can't go up into the crown anymore. I got a pretty good view already, but we'll see.

After the ferry, I walked to Seaport and saw the Bodies exhibition. Unfortunately, they didn't allow photography, so I have no evidence. It was a great show though. I especially love the circulatory system room, but seeing the human nervous system all laid out was insane. I think it got to me towards the end of the show. I felt kinda queasy seeing the diseased organs.

Afterward, I went for a walk in the financial district, but skipped Wall St. I met up with Nina and her brother and they took me to an authentic Shanghai restaurant. We had egg drop soup, stir fry with handmade noodles, chicken with jellyfish, and juicy dumplings...full of juice. It was delicious.

We ended the night with a walk in little Tokyo. All the Sushi bar we packed, but there was one that was overflowing. Might have to go there later, but aside from that it was pretty small. We stopped in a whole foods store to get some snacks and drink and in Union Square for a little bit before heading home.

Saturday was moving day. I spent most of the day doing laundry, packing and moving to a new place. Marra sister was able to find a room at the tip of Manhattan, in an area call Washington Heights. It's over on the other side of town, but it's quiet and much more roomy. Once I got there, I settled in, made dinner and spent the rest of the night planning,

Today, I met up with Sylvia, one of the artists at the Chait Galleries. She got there much earlier than planned, so by the time I got there she wasn't able to show me her drawings. Maybe some other time.

I continued with my plan and headed for the Empire State Building. I started hearing roaring and cheering on Fifth Ave, and soon found out it was a Gay Pride parade. The costumes were fantastic and the condoms were all over the ground. After a few minutes, I headed up to the 86th floor of the ESB and got awesome views of the entire city.

After getting lunch, I spent a couple of hours in Bryant Park sketching. It's a great park, lots of seating and cool shade. On the way home, I stopped at Rockefeller Center, NBC Studios, and a LEGO store near by.

Galleries and Museums are closed tomorrow, so maybe some art and book store browsing and more sketching in parks. Who knows, things seem to happen whenever I step out the door.

More Adventures

After a long day of walking and art gazing Wednesday, I decided to relax today under an overpass, with the Mahattan and Brooklyn bridge in view. It was humid that day, but nice and breezy under the overpass. I sketched for a couple of hours and then walked to Pier 17. I got some more views of the two bridges. I wandered some more and ended up in Seaport, where I stumbled upon the "Bodies" exhibit. I saved that for the next day.

I met up with Nina after work and with her brother we walked across the Brooklyn bridge. The sun was setting and we got a great view. We met a nice stranger in Brooklyn who pointed us towards the park at the base in between the two bridges. On the way to the subway we saw a fashion shoot for shoes. It was a weird scene. We took the F train back into Mahattan and dined at a Korean restaurant. It was different, but good.

After dinner, we walked to Madison Sqare Garden and on the way back, got some frozen yogurt at Red Mango.

So, although I tried to avoid it, I ended up walking anyway. Seems like the only good way to see things.

Check Picasa for more updates

Chaos and Adventure!

Sorry for the long delay folks, it's a crazy city!

CHAOS:

Let's start out on Tuesday. I left for the Moline airport around 3am on Tuesday. Ely was kind enough to give me a ride and Derek seemed very eager to tag along, too eager. We got to the airport with time to spare, which was nice because I started to feel really anxious by then. They calm me down though. Despite some turbulence, the flights went very smoothly and I got to La Guardia 30mins early. Of course, I had to have trouble reserving a shuttle and ended stuck at the airport for 3hrs. The drive itself must have taken at least an hour and a half because I got to where I was meant to go after 4pm. This is the part where I say everything went according to plan, but nope.

The night before, Monday night, I got an email from my sister's friend Nina (the one that helped me reserve a room in Queens). She said that the people I was going to stay with expected me two days ago and since I wasn't there, they gave the room to someone else. The family spoke Spanish and almost no English, so this was how the confusion ended up. I was panicking till Tuesday morning, and halfway through the flights. Nina was nice enough to let me stay at her place until I could find another room. It's been two days and I'm still here. She offered to house me for the remaining time, but there is a possibility of a room somewhere else, so I am still planning for that. In the mean time, I'm having a blast!

ADVENTURE:

On Tuesday, I was able to make a quick visit to an art gallery with a show I had wanted to see. After that, Nina and her brother and I went out for some delicious Dim Sum. It's great to live in Chinatown. After 36hrs of no sleep, which might have caused my migraine on the plane, I crashed early.

On Wednesday, I attempted to use the New York subway. It didn't start out so great, but I learned enough to get me through the day. I met a friend on 57th and 7th, at the edge of Central Park. We saw a couple of shows and then went for lunch. Afterward, he left for class and I went to MET. It was huge, really huge. I focused on the paintings, but it was hard not to be distracted by everything else. I was able to take some pictures for references for a new book assignment in the weapons galleries, so it was the right decision. After 5:30pm, the museum closed and everyone flooded onto the front steps to rest after a day of walking and standing. Performers started showing up and gave a great show.

So that's the short version. Go here see the evidence

Getting close

Some last minute packing to do. It's getting bigger.

Thanks for the bags Monty!

Almost there

Well, it's official! I'm leaving for New York early Tuesday morning, the 22nd. The two week European trip with Marra is mostly planned out. Tickets are bought and hostels are reserved. Packing is almost done too. Now, all I need to think about is New York.

The place I'm staying at in New York might not have a bed, but my brother-in-law is lending me his sleeping bag, so I think it should be fine.

So excited I can't seem to sleep, but I must. I will try to keep this updated as much as I can so you all should follow it to get notified when I do.

See you all whenever I get back.

The beginning

Getting ready to purchase ticket and room.