NYC

i've known kristin since i started middle school...she went to university in my home town, and we've kept in touch ever since...now she lives in new york city:)

From minneapolis i flew to new york city...one of the most well known (if not the most famous) cities in the country...i'm lucky enough to know people who live in manhattan, and are willing to host me...i've known kristin for ages and ages, since i was a teenager...

kristin had given me directions to her office from the airport, i figured out where to go...i've been to nyc before, i had a little idea of how some areas are put together...i dropped my bags at the office, then went out walking while she had a few more hours of work...it was super windy that day: there was a tornado watch at the time, as i found out later...

as i'd done earlier this summer, i had looked up coffee bean locations before coming to the city...coffee bean, my favourite coffee shop, YUM...large chai latte, here i come:)

after work, kristin took me to the flat she was living in at the time...the loft they normally lived in was being renovated, so they'd found another place for the summer...the 'new' place wasn't far from central park...awesome...

we went out to dinner at a 'healthy' restaurant...tempeh, kale, and quinoa were all over the menu:)...i never expected that this summer would be a summer of super healthy food alternating with stuffing myself with fast foods i rarely get when i'm outside the states...

the next day i went out walking while my hosts went to work...

i started the day with another chai latte from coffee bean...YUM...(if you've read past posts on this blog, you should be used to me mentioning the place as often as i visit a location...sooooo good)...after coffee bean, i went to lululemon, one of my favourite brands...a couple of hoodies later, i dropped the goodies back in the flat before walking through central park...

central park is HUGE, it took a while to get to the south end...from there i walked down broadway, all the way to lower manhattan...look at a map, this is not a short distance...

kristin had told me about the memorial at the world trade center, i'd set up my ticket for a specific time...(you have to organize a ticket to see the memorial before you get there)...i picked up my ticket at the information area, and browsed through the souvenirs without buying anything...i got a bit confused, but followed the crowds to the entrance to the memorial...security looks over everyone going into the memorial in at least three places...it's a sad statement about that much security being needed at this memorial...the memorial is simple, gorgeous, and makes everyone a bit somber...there isn't a lot of talking...

two HUGE, empty (well, sorta) pools, with the names of those who died inscribed on the edges...you can see where the new world trade center is being built...the museum wasn't finished yet, i have no idea when that will open...i think a lot of squabbling is happening about costs/maintenance/security/etc...

from there i wound my way through manhattan to a place i've never seen before...the map made it look more complicated, but when i got to the right area, it was easy to follow street signs...i walked across the brooklyn bridge, i loved it...

there were heaps of people on the bridge with me, (there are markings that attempt to separate the people from the cars) but it still felt a bit surreal...i don't know how to describe it, other than to say it's one of the iconic parts of the city...i walked all the way across, then all the way back...amazing skyline views of manhattan...i would've walked farther after the other side of the bridge, but i quickly realized i had no idea where i was going...next time i'll think about that sort of thing so i can go to a new borrough...(new york city is made up of 5 borroughs)

then i walked all the way back to the flat, going back through and across central park...i used my computer that evening to figure out how far i'd walked, that day, i think mapmyrun.com said the total was about 15 miles? I don't know if that's correct, but it was a good day of walking...beautiful weather the whole time:)...katherine made an awesome dinner to finish the day...

the next day i went to one of the museums in the city...after another large chai latte from coffee bean, of course...YUM...i guess you could call it a branch campus of the metropolitan museum of art, the cloisters is a subway ride away, a bit north...i think the building used to be a monastery or convent, or something like that? 

I'm not entirely sure...it's beautiful, and the building itself is part of the museum...mostly religious art, and artifacts throughout the building, i loved exploring...i kept thinking i'd seen the whole place, then finding another room...as i thought about it afterward, the building itself interested me more than the rest of the art inside...plus it is in the middle of a big park along the river, and i love walking through parks...

after the cloisters i walked along the east side of central park, in an area they call museum mile...the guggenheim, MoMA, and others are there...i got back too late to go in any of them, maybe next time...5th avenue is close by, i had the chance to window shop:)...i walked by the apple store and there were a lot of people sitting around, it struck me as wierd at the time...i remembered later that the new iphone was scheduled to come out in a couple days, and these people were camping out so they would be among the first in line to buy one of the new phones...crazy people...

that night kristin helped me set up my ride to the airport the next morning...as with all cheap flights, the timing is never convenient...i think i was in the bus at 0445, or something along those lines? Ugh...oh well, it was worth it to be able to spend a few days in the city...i'll go back again, and find more to see and memorialize it all with photos...

minnesota mud

mel is one of my friends from rugby in korea...when she mentioned signing up for an event called rugged maniac, i figured that would be a great weekend to visit...

I landed at the airport in minneapolis after a day of flying and layovers...my friend mel met me at the airport, i met mel through rugby in korea...she is a grad student at the university of minnesota, she has been in minneapolis for only a short time this time around...we took public transport into the city, getting off at the mall of america...it was the second time i'd been to the mall (the first visit was only a week after the place opened, during a family visit, decades ago) and i needed food...a giant mall has several food courts:)

back onto the bus, we got to the house where mel is living, and went to bed...

the next morning we had to be up early...it was easier for me, since my body was still on west coast time, but it still felt early...while i'd been planning the visit to mel, she suggested signing up and running a race called a rugged maniac...it's one of the races that have become popular, like a tough mudder...a running race, with obstacles: crawling through mud, climbing over walls, going through cold water, etc...she'd been working out, i hadn't, but figured, hey, why not? Mel's friend erin came to pick us up, she was signed up for the race too...we'd all decided to wear white clothing for the race, knowing full well it wasn't going to be white when we finished the race...

i think it was about an hour to get to the race? I'm not exactly sure, i kept dozing off in the car...erin's car is a bit of a hoopty:)

the race was organized well...a large field had been turned into a parking area, people were parking in nice, neat, lines...we changed our shoes, grabbed our race registration confirmations, and found the tent where we could pick up our race numbers...that was easy enough...the only downfall of the organization was the lack of a bag check...i sortof understand, since it was a messy race, but it would've been more convenient to have a bag check...

the race had been organized to start in waves...when you sign up for the race, you also sign up for your start time...as we arrived, some people were already finishing...since i knew i hadn't worked out anytime recently, i was nervous to see them, of course they were covered in mud, and i had no real idea what was in store for me...

anywho, we got into the chute during our assigned time, the gun went off again, and off we went...the first bit of the course was flat, then we went up a hill...not easy for me, i was huffing and puffing...the rest of the race is a bit of a blur, some of the obstacles were more difficult than others...

i can climb over nearly anything as long as there is a place to put my feet, and only one of the obstacles was completely flat...i have relatively little upper arm strength, so i had a really hard time pulling myself up the rope of that flat wall...this was the awesome thing about this race, people helped each other up that obstacle...someone (a complete stranger) helped me up, and when i got to the top, i turned around and did the same for the person behind me...my favourite obstacle was the slip and slide, i would've been happy to do that one again:)...the very last obstacle was a fire line not too far from the finish line...it wasn't big at all, but you had to jump over it to get to the finish line...i jumped as high as i could while running...

as i said earlier, the race was well organized, they had a shower area for people to get a little bit cleaned up...of course, it was outside, and cold, so it wasn't exactly cozy...but it was still a good thing, as we were able to strip off our outer clothes, dry off with towels we'd brought, then do a deck change (swimming days coming back to me:) into clean, dry clothes...

we stopped in town for lunch, i think all of us had pizza and ice cream...i convinced erin and mel to check out a bakery i'd seen (i always see the bakeries in any town) and i bought a few items...

the drive back to minneapolis was uneventful, i think i dozed off again...my body didn't hurt yet, but i knew it would, soon enough...that night, one of mel's housemates (a married couple she's known for years) made veggie lasagna for dinner...and by veggie lasagna, i mean VEGGIE...there was no pasta, only layers of vegetables, sliced thinly...YUM...dessert was good too...

i slept early, and hard...the next day, after breakfast we took the bus into the city centre, mel knew i would want to explore a bit...other people on the bus complained to the driver that there needed to be more buses, as this one was too crowded and he couldn't keep stopping to take on more passengers...mel and i looked at each other and grinned, remembering many bus rides in seoul when we'd been squished like sardines, this bus felt roomy and empty in comparison...we wandered around, taking photos (mel has a way better camera than i do, and loves taking photos as much as i do) of places like st anthony's falls, a sculpture park, a stone bridge, and uptown...

my friend lynne lives in rochester, MN, and as soon as i mentioned i would be in minneapolis for a few days, she wanted to get together...we figured out a time and place to meet, she met up with mel and i at a place called calhoun lake...i met lynne when i was in uni, we've been friends ever since...the last time lynne and i had seen each other, we'd been in auckland, new zealand...(during that visit, we'd run the auckland marathon)...it was fun to have mel and lynne meet each other...they're awesome, from different parts of my life...anywho...

we found a thai place for dinner, then went to find one of mel's housemates at a bar...it turned out he was ready to leave the bar, so all three of us went to find the other housemate where she worked as a manager at a microwbrewery/restaurant...it was yummy...i couldn't resist ordering a dessert, and a smoothie type of drink...(my sweet tooth is going to be my downfall, i know)...being connected to mel, and therefore the on duty manager, i got free refills on my drink:)

at one point we looked out the window of the restaurant and saw another girl mel and i knew from rugby in korea...we went running out and yelled at mary...random, and awesome...:)

as the restaurant was closing, mel and her housemate got hungry for food they wouldn't have at home...(the veggie lasagna cook is VERY healthy, fast food is NOT approved)...we drove to a drive thru, then back to the restaurant to pick up the manager on duty...at that point, it was the middle of the night, i was super exhausted...i think we went home at that point, and lynne drove home to rochester?

The next day mel and i took the bus out to where erin works, and picked up erin's car...she let us use the car for the day to drive to stillwater, MN...it's a touristy, old school town...fun to walk around, browse through a couple stores, eat a a yummy diner, buy saltwater taffy, etc...and take photos, of course...some of the scenes were super cute...

we drove back to minneapolis, onto the st paul campus of the university of minnesota...mel had class that night...we'd thought about the timing, and figured out i could go swimming while she was in class...she showed me the building in which the pool was located, so i pretended to be her, and used the university rec facilities...(i should mention that mel used to be a swimmer, just like me)...i thought i would hop in, and swim a bunch, like i used to, way back when...let's just say that didn't work out so well...

i hopped in the water, started swimming, and felt like i was drowning the whole time...back in the day, a normal warmup to a regular practice was about 1500yds...with another 3500yds of practice and cool down...this day i barely made it 1700 yds, before i knew i had to get out...either way, i was happy to be in the water, but a bit embarassed about how far (or rather, how short a distance) i'd swum...

mel met me in the library after class, we drove back to her house...the next morning we were up early, and she drove me to the aiport...the minneapolis/st paul airport is not huge, and pretty efficient...woo hoo...

road trip: the PCH

most of the time i was in the states this summer i was visiting people, and seeing a new place only when it worked out...after scott and clair's wedding i opted to do one of the only real road trips i've ever done in the states...(in my life, for that matter)...i drove up the west coast from occidental, CA to astoria, OR, then over to a friend's house a bit inland...it was a gorgeous drive, and not at all boring...
i had no map, and no set itinerary...i only knew the date i wanted to arrive at maria's house, the rest of the days were totally open...

i'd heard over the years that there is beautiful scenery along the west coast, i decided i wanted to see what i could...so i drove...
i followed the highway along the coast as much as i could, only going away from the water when it was absolutely necessary (ie, the road didnt give me a way to stay close to the water)...i pulled off the road to take beautiful photos or sit on a beach or hike a little every time i felt like doing so...this usually meant i stopped a lot earlier in the day, then drove for longer periods of time in the afternoons...

everything i'd ever heard about this drive/road told me it is gorgeous...quite right...
some of the towns in which i stopped were small, and quite picturesque, some were not much more than a petrol station...
if i ever get time to do something like this again, i want to drive south from san francisco, and go as far as i can that way...it must be easier to pull off the road to take photos when driving south...
unfortunately, petrol is quite expensive in california...the price dropped almost drastically as soon as i crossed the border into oregon...since i don't normally have a car, i never remember to put petrol in my budget....ooops

i could write the names of the towns where i stayed, but that isn't the point of this post...i just want to show the pretty photos:)

junior gets married

as i mentioned in the previous post, the biggest reason to come to the san francisco area was for the wedding of a friend from garmisch...junior has had adventures in relationships, so i was thrilled to see him so happy...
to get to the wedding, i hired a car, and drove north (over that famous red bridge:) into wine country...the wedding took place on the land belonging to the grandparents (i think? or maybe a close family friend?) of the bride...its gorgeous...in occidental, a small town, in sonoma county, i think...
to get to the wedding, i looked up directions, checked a map, etc...somehow, i missed one of those directions, and drove too far...luckily, the last town i'd driven through (when i knew i was still going the right way) had an information office...(hint to travelers, it's always a good idea to pay attention to signs with that lower case cursive letter i)...when i walked in and told them i was lost, and where i wanted to go, the lady pulled out a map and showed me where to go...woo hoo...
15 minutes later, i pulled up to the house...i could see 2 people sitting on a porch, and no one else...neither one of those people was the groom, and the groom was the only person i knew would be at the wedding...hmmm...fortunately, after i got out of the car and was walking, i heard a voice behind me: "is that eva johnson?"....eeeeeeeeeeee, it was junior!!!!!! scotty is like the brother i never had, and we hadn't seen each other in years...a huge hug for both of us, and he introduced me to the people on the porch...more people came out, more introductions followed...it was nice to meet the bride to be, and to re-meet members of junior's family...i'd completely forgotten, but i met his sister and brother and mom a few years ago in my hometown...
(side note, junior is not his real name, he is not a real junior...that is, his name is not the same as his dad...it's a nickname from garmisch)
after putting my bag in my room, (it's an awesome house) i sat around on the front porch for a while, chatting with the others sitting out in the sun, getting to know them...after not too long, everyone in the wedding party walked off for the rehearsal, i continued chatting...
soon enough, more and more people started to arrive...junior and clair had invited everyone to the rehearsal dinner...in true san francisco style, they hired a taco truck to cater the meal...organic, really really tasty tacos, rice, beans, etc from the truck...everyone loved it...a tent had been set up over all the tables, which turned out to be a great thing, as the weather got really chilly after the sun went down...

i slept like a rock...there is something to be said for total darkness, and total quiet...
the next morning i woke up and went downstairs to find people making breakfast for whoeva cared to eat it, and others figuring out what still needed to be done before the ceremony...i went with junior's step dad to pick up the flowers, ice, and one other thing i've forgotten...occidental itself is a town, but is very small...so are all the other towns around that area...people live in various places, but you don't really feel like you are in a city at any point...we drove all over, or at least it felt like all over to get the flowers and ice...we also stopped at a small bakery that made organic scones...i'm a sucker for scones...YUM...
not long after dennis and i returned to the farmhouse (they call it the farmhouse, but i don't know if there is actually a farm there) cold cuts were put out in the kitchen for everyone to eat something before the ceremony...everyone started getting ready for the ceremony (we had to figure out who would need a longer shower, etc)...i got a quick peek of the bride before she walked down the aisle, GORGEOUS...it was fun to be around everyone who was involved in the ceremony...
i took the altar flowers down to the ceremony location, then stayed down there, others gradually showed up...i had been told ahead of time that there would be one ukrainian chick at the ceremony, though i'd forgotten completely...then, when i saw her, i remembered being told, and recognized her as ukrainian immediately...it was what she was wearing more than anything else...

clair was driven down to the ceremony in a convertible car...since she didn't want to wrinkle her dress, she was standing up...awesome...the ceremony was short and sweet, and joined two awesome people...
everyone walked back up the hill to the farmhouse and tent area, some people bringing chairs from the ceremony, since they were needed for the reception...seating was assigned, i ended up at a table with a lot of single people, which didn't much surprise me...some of the others had known the couple from when they lived in reno, i was the only attendee who knew scott from garmisch...
probably the best wedding cake i've ever had...soooooooooooooooooooooooooo good...i ate more than one piece that night, and had more of it for breakfast the next morning...if i could've figure out how to take some with me, i would've done so...ridiculously good...chatting with people, telling life stories, exchanging adventures...a great wedding...
another night of sleeping like a rock...i was a little sad to wake up the next morning, as that meant i was leaving...after another lovely breakfast, and helping clean up, i hopped in the car and started my road trip up the pacific coast highway...
a fantastic wedding, and i hope i see scott and clair sooner than the four years that had gone by since the last visit...