We arrived in New York on Thursday evening... after docking and making drinks for everyone, I headed out with Chris's sister, Carrie, and Shelton. We wanted to go to SoHo for a shopping excursion, but we ended up in Greenwich Village -- home of more smoke shops than I've ever seen in my LIFE! Anyway, we found a coffee house that sold bubble tea, and we purchased the BEST bubble tea I've EVER had... YUM! After that, we ventured around the area, checking out the shops and local street life. Interesting... Around ten o'clock, we met up with Chris and Mark at a really great Italian restaurant called Lupe. Of course, Chris, the gracious host, insisted on paying for everyone's meal -- that included several bottles of EXPENSIVE Italian wine.
Friday morning, we -- Carrie, Shelton, Mark, his dad, and I -- set off early to see some sights. We first hiked to the subway, and after a helluva time trying to figure out which train to take, made it to CENTRAL PARK!!! What a BEAUTIFUL place! Our first destination, though, was snacks because the boys were hungry. They bought some famous New York hot dogs that were nothing more than what my mom makes at home. We weren't impressed.
After food, we went to the Museum of Natural History. WHAT a HUGE place! I didn't even get a chance to explore half of the exhibits! What I did explore was incredible, though. I mainly stayed in the African and South American exhibits. What fascinates me more than anything were the relics they had on display. I saw massive stone carvings from Incan and Mayan ruins, delicate gold jewelry from Egypt, and intricately woven headdresses from the African plains. To think that these very pieces were fashioned by human hands hundreds and thousands of years ago, used in daily life, and preserved over space and time just baffles me. Aside from being beautiful, these pieces were also meaningful to the cultures they belonged to. It makes me wonder what sorts of "relics" historians a thousand years from now would put on display for current-day America. Cell phones, for sure... and McDonalds -- they could probably use actual left-overs found in car floor-boards... bombs and guns... designer handbags and clothes. That really says something about our priorities, eh?
After we finished in the museum, we walked through Central Park. We stumbled upon a small pond with couples rowing boats around... what a PERFECTly romantic setting! I could have watched that all day, but we snapped a couple pictures and moved on. We found another pathway that was gravel and lined with benches and trees. I couldn't help but read some of the plaques on the benches... some were heart warming, others heart breaking, but they each made me want to read another... We saw street performers -- guitarists, sax players, dancers, mimes... and the amusement park! Central Park was like its own little world within New York... a natural oasis from the concrete jungle.
For lunch, we went to Burger Heaven that was more like Burger HELL... We got Reubens that were nasty, the glasses were cloudy, and the waitress didn't know what a smile was. Needless to say, we were not impressed with that joint.
After lunch, Mark and his dad went back to the boat while the rest of us checked out more of the city -- Rockefellar Plaza, NBC studios, Trump Tower, and 5th Avenue. What I couldn't get over was the sheer breadth of wealth and poverty that could exist in tandem. Homeless men napped outside Tiffany and Co.
We made it back to the boat around five, took showers and naps, and were back out again at 9, in search of food. After taxiing back to Greenwich Village, we wandered around a bit until we found a relatively secluded Japanese restaurant. After sushi and sake, we walked around some more, finding a rather dodgy park infested with all sorts of sketchy night-crawlers. I insisted we get out of there as soon as we could. We taxied back to the boat, and our adventures in New York were officially over.
This morning, we set off around 10 a.m., first circling the Statue of Liberty. We're now out on the open waters again, and we won't stop until we make it to Ft. Lauderdale -- 75 hours underway. Tonight, the waves are supposed to reach 4-7 feet, and I'll be on watch with Mark... NOT thrilled about the prospect, but I'll have to do it to make it through. Maybe this will help me get my sea legs... and hell, if I'm puking the whole time, maybe I'll shed some unwanted poundage?
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