ALone

OH WOW!

Well...after getting to sleep around 3am, my alarm goes off at 8:30. It was time to get up and out and attempt to get Next to Normal tickets when the box office opened at 10. Zach walked me to the subway platform and I was off...alone. Luckily I found the theatre really easily...shocking! But they had sold out of tickets. We will be going back tomorrow at 9 instead of ten...or rather later this morning now that I look at the NY clock. I then decided to be stubborn and not return back to Z and R's because I thought it would be a better idea to find Battery Park and the National Museum of Jewish Heritage right away instead of doing the other things first that Ryan wrote for me in a specific order that would get be there in a good amount of time to be able to do it all. I am really stubborn and optimistic when it comes to what I am capable of and decide to forgo the OG plans and try and do it on my own. 

Keep in mind I know NOTHING about the subway station. I KNEW I was going to get lost. And I did...

At first I ended up some place I knew I didn't want to be... So I get back on the subway, having to swipe my card and charge it again...I had to do that more than once today.So I end up getting a on the nearest train hoping it would send me to Bowling Green when I knew it probably wouldn't. It then took me to Bleeker, where I walked down the whole way about 30 blocks and realized an hour and half later that this must be wrong. Somehow I ended up on 5th ave and walked all the way back up that to Madison Square Park...I say all the way up because it seemed like forever in my stupid too small steve madden flats that were giving me intense foot pain and blisters EEEEEK! I see the Shake Shack that Melissa told me to go to and I figure... WHY NOT? so I wait in the famous line that is suppose to be really long but it only look me about 25 minutes to order. I guess that is unusual though. I went around 12 so some people were out for lunch but not too many. I then walked myself around the beautiful park and ended up by the dog park to put up my feet, enjoy my shake and watch some dogs.

Dogs in NY are different then dogs in CA. They are a lot more playful and have funky personalities. Take Rosco for instance. While I was listening to all the convo's around me I found out a lot about Rosco. I could tell that his owner usually brought Rosco to this dog park because Rosco knew all of the other dogs and all the other owners knew each other too. I use to think that New York is a little bit like college your freshman year. You walk around and you know a few people but most of the people you see once and you never see again. I guess not true unless only people with dogs are really friendly and tell each other intimate things about their lives. I did a lot of that today. Sit and listen to other people conversations or make up stories about people walking by. After a couple of hours, after accidentally falling asleep on a bench...I decide to start walking to find the National Museum of Jewish Heritage. I was on a mission. It's around 1:30 now and I need to find Battery park before it gets too late.

So I call Matt Stillo, a good friend of mine who attends NYU and knows the city to tell me how to get there. After a few failed directions he realizes the subway station I need to get on is on Park and so I get on this subway station MAGICALLY don't get lost on my way to bowling green and WOOT! I am in Battery Park. My feet are aching terribly by this time...my tattoo feels like it could be bleeding, they are dirty and swollen and I might actually be limping. So I take a seat and watch some street performers, not gonna lie...they are better in Boston...but that's okay. It's around 2:30 now and I think it's about time to find this museum and I do! Okay now I know what you all are thinking about now...Battery Park? isn't that like really touristy? and I guess it was but it's defiantly worth checking out, I had never been in the summer and it is gorgeous so green and the view of the statue of liberty is not to be missed. The museum of Jews should be considered by all people not just the Jewish ones.

I walked into the museum, very heavy doors but nice people. I seemed to be the only other person in this museum  which was actually nice. I definitely suggest attending on a week day afternoon. It is really calm and you get more time with each exhibit and artifact. The ticket was 7 dollars to enter at the time I went but I heard that there are times and hours during the week in which it is free. I added a audio tour for 5 dollars putting me at a 12 dollar balance, but it was totally worth it! I put on the head phones and MERYL STREEP AND YITZCHAK PEARLMAN were the guides. A lot of the museum was concentrated on the Holocaust but there were parts about culture, Jewish life style then and now. It focused a lot about the perseverance of the Jewish people and rich culture. It explained a lot about tradition and the artifacts were really interesting, having pieces even dated back to the time were Jews were in Egypt. I learned a lot about Judaism in the 3 and 1/2 hours I was there. A lot of things I never knew before and I would say I know a lot about being Jewish...being Jewish and all...Chabad...Hebrew School...and family.  I would get the audio tour too, it was really informational and entertaining to listen to, it added a lot to the whole experience. My favorite part of the trip was the children that were at the museum with their parents. I watched one parent as she explained the pictures of German propaganda and why it is terrible. It made me happy to know that parents are telling kids about this catastrophic event, just like mine did for me, I am forever grateful that I am educated about prejudice and am able to point it out and take a stand. I love that museums like this turn on the passion by giving evidence, sometimes it takes the picture and interviews to do that. I wish I did have more time though. I almost got to the end when I was told I only had five minutes left. So go when you have as much time as you need to take in these peoples stories. It wasn't bad alone at all either, in fact I preferred to be alone, there really was no need for conversation and going at your own pace is really important in a museum with this type of material.

I found my way back to Zach and Ryan's apartment easily because I basically knew a whole lot about the streets as of 6 o clock. I was in desperate need of a little sleep so that's what I did.
When I woke up me Ryan, Zach and Melissa went to Ryan's favorite restaurant SPICE( Thai food). It was delicious and reasonably priced. I got the black noodle dish and it was fantastic. However, I think it would be a good idea to get two different types of dishes and split with a partner...So go with other people who like Thai food :) after we visited Insomnia where we were hoping to get some Ice-cream sandwich cookies things but they had run out of ice cream so visit earlier! The cookies were wonderful...like Mrs. Fields but better they tasted a little fresher. We headed over to Washington Square Park where some student musicians were playing in huddles and cute couples were dancing. It was the perfect end to an interesting day.  

The weather has really been perfect, not to hot or cold and not all that humid...very pleasant.

After a quick trip to Melissa's to finish, really finish the night we came back...I attempted to blog but was far too exhausted to write...So here I am now halfway down with day 3...which I'll write about later. I still haven't seen any shows! but I donated 20 dollars to a Gay rights organization on the street.

I'm gonna watch Atonement.

P.S. this was my horoscope for the day...WOAH...I love this stuff.

Your Scorpio horoscope for July 13th--

We often say we can’t try new things…the kids, work, overtime, prior arrangements – that’s the much loved TV program bit or just because it's easier to stick with our basic routines. Yet if ever there was a day to challenge any inclination you may have to turn down exciting possibilities or to go beyond your comfort zone, then today would be it.