america: new york city and west point

Kelley drove me to the airport at 2200 Sunday evening, several hours after we had returned from Kokomo. I'd booked a flight to New York City leaving at 0600 the following morning, and I wasn't about to ask anyone to drive me to the airport at 3 in the morning. I've slept in airports for years, and will probably continue to do so for a while.
My flight was supposed to leave at 0600. I was checked in and past security by 0400. Unfortunately, the flight didn't happen as planned. We boarded on time, I had high hopes. Then the pilot spoke to all of us and said we had to wait for a storm coming through. Ugh. After a couple announcements, they said we could get off the plane if we wanted, at 0730, but we all needed to be back by 0815. I didn't bother going anywhere, as I was sleeping.

Finally, we took off at 0900, three hours late. It was only supposed to be an hour and forty five minute flight, but we had to go around the storm, which added time. Plus New York is an hour ahead of Chicago. Instead of landing at 0900, I landed just after noon. Ugh.
One of my rugby friends from Korea had arranged a place for me to stay, so I took public transport to get there, to Brooklyn. Easy! I introduced myself to my temporary roommate, changed clothes, then took off again.
I met up with another rugby friend, my old rugby captain from Korea. We decided to hang out in coffee bean, which I know ice mentioned before is my favourite coffee shop chain. I love their chai lattes! Great to see Nat again, I think it had been 5 years. She still lives in Seoul, but was in NYC to train for a jiu jitsu tournament.

Nat had to go to jiu jitsu training after a couple hours, so I walked around Manhattan, just enjoying the atmosphere of NYC. Lots of people, lots of very tall buildings. I came very close to eating in koreatown, I really miss Korean food. (I just wasn't hungry.)
I walked one of the main streets in Brooklyn for a while before returning to the flat. Always fun to explore a new place, though Brooklyn isn't as photogenic as Manhattan. (I'm sure there are plenty of people who would disagree.)
The next morning I woke up slowly, because I could. Eventually I got on the metro, riding all the way to 86th street. I used my phone to find the closest coffee bean and started my morning with a chai latte. (This company really ought to hire me as a brand ambassador.) Down the street I found a bagel shop, yum.

Then I walked to the metropolitan museum of art, about three blocks. There were hot dog vendors out front, people hanging out on the steps, and giant posters advertising the current temporary exhibitions. The museum is iconic, for good reason. (It's one of several museums on the so called 'museum mile.')
There is no required entrance fee, but the suggested fee is $25. I opted to pay $15. The weather wasn't so great, I was in the museum with thousands of my best friends.
The metropolitan museum of art (often shortened to 'the met') is big. Really big. I spent 3 hours, and I'm pretty sure I missed quite a bit. There was a European section, a pacific island section, ancient civilizations, Asia, etc... It can be overwhelming. No selfie sticks allowed :)
Eventually I escaped, found my way back to the metro and rode downtown. I got off at Washington square park, and walked to a bookstore on the square to meet one of my old rugby coaches. We spent a few hours hanging out, catching up. Apparently this NYC visit was all about rugby folks :)

The next morning I was up early, so I could be sure to make it to grand central station on time for a specific train. While talking to Nat the first day, she had mentioned another of our teammates had just moved to West Point with her husband. I sent a message to Allie (half the team called her Kentucky, as that is where she is from,) who said it would be awesome if I could come up for a day. So I did.
Allie picked me up at the train station, and I realized it is completely inconvenient for people living at West Point to get to the train station. West Point is almost directly across the river from the train station, but the bridges don't connect the two. You have to drive several miles either way to get to a bridge. How annoying.
Allie used her ID to get me on post without a problem, and we drove to her new house. They'd literally just moved, arriving there only a couple previously. Household goods had arrived the day before I came up, so the house was chaotic. Plus they have a new puppy who didn't yet know the rules. So cute.

After a while chatting, we drove to the visitors center for the school and signed up for a tour.
The United States military academy at West Point is old and storied. Many of America's greatest military leaders went to school there. It's a beautiful campus, with plenty of history, traditions, and stories. Academics are rigorous, cadets (students) are busy all the time. In addition to a regular academic education they also have military education. Every cadet who graduates must serve five years active duty starting just after graduation. I know a few army officers who graduated from West Point, they stay in touch with each other and the bond is strong.
Our tour took us to a few highlights of the campus, and the tour guide gave her spiel pretty well. I wish I was allowed to wander around on my own, to see the beauty at a slower pace, and have more fun with photos. Other noteworthy members of our tour group: 3 Buddhist monks, and a family wearing navy gear. The rivalry between army and navy is HUGE (even though navy has won all the gridiron matchups in recent history) so wearing navy anything on a tour of West Point is...interesting.

After the tour we found a gift shop on campus, I bought postcards. Of course.
Next we had lunch at a local place. Highland falls (the name of the town just outside the gates of West Point) isn't big, and I'm guessing nearly everyone who lives there is either directly dependent on the academy, or indirectly.
We found a gift shop back
A couple hours later Allie drove me back to the station. It was sooo good to catch up with her :)
Dinner that night was low key, pizza.
The next day I flew to DC, but not until afternoon. I used my metro card to get back up to 89th street, and have another chai latte from coffee bean.
Then I walked down 5th avenue. All the way to 23rd street. In less than 2 hours, including brief stops in at Patrick's cathedral and a couple shops for postcards. The weather was great, and I love to walk.
Then I hopped back on the metro, went back to the flat, packed everything and made my way to the airport.
Thankfully, this flight left on time :)

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...

continuing around bits and pieces of the states...

after florida i flew to seattle, mostly for lynnae's wedding..i had invited scott to be my date in seattle...he's a friend from my time in germany, it had been a few years since we'd seen each other..he lives in reno, and was able to get the weekend off to fly up..he and i explored the town, the first time for either of us to be in seattle...we both loved it...it's got great public transport, is environmentally aware, and has plenty to see and do..the day we went up the space needle we could see mt rainier and whateva the further away mountain is..apparently it's only that clear about 30 days of the year..the wedding was fantastic...lynnae and colin had organized everything really well..they got married at some gardens just outside enumclaw, which is out from seattle..since it wouldn't have been easy for everyone to get there on their own, a bus had been set up to take us all from the hotel to the gardens..it was exactly what i want in my wedding, if i ever have one...it was all about their family and friends having a good time, and we did...i got to meet colin for the first time, who is just as good looking in person as he is in pictures..and he's really nice..previous to meeting me he had only known me as the girl who sent postcards to lynnae every now and again..at the reception scott met julia, a friend of lynnae's from when she and colin lived in north carolina..(though julia now lives in portland)...hee hee...after the reception was over, there was an after party at a nearby bar..the yella beak saloon..when all of us wedding goers walked in, it was clear we werent dressed to fit in..the next day, i realized i had left my mobile at the yella beak saloon, so scott and i hired a car and drove all the way back..he's a great driver, i was happy to let him drive..the day we left scott and i drove back to the airport, and he checked in for his flight..i had a while to wait, but oh well..
my next visit was to new york city to finally see kristin again, and meet katherine for the first time...she's doing great...and their loft is awesome!!! on broadway, in manhattan...it doesn't get much better than that..i loved it...i'd never been to new york before, and knowing people and being able to stay in downtown manhattan was incredible..i got to walk everywhere...the statue of liberty and ellis island i got to visit one afternoon..you have to buy tickets for the ferry, which first drops you off at the statue of liberty..(a gift from the french, a while ago)..before 11 september, tourists could climb all the way up the statue..that's no longer allowed, which is probably a good thing, seeing as how there were no emergency exits, and they had had a couple health related fatalities over the years..the statue is copper (which is why it's green on the outside) and therefore gets REALLY hot inside, particularly during the summer months..apparently a lot of people attempted the climb up who weren't in good enough shape..from there i took the ferry to ellis island, which is where immigrants to the US all had to process through, back when..that's where the initial health screening was done, as well as information given, etc..they still have most of the records, and it's pretty impressive..it's a place where plenty of names were americanized for easier pronunciation..i took a practice US citizenship test, and aced it..some of the questions seemed like they were designed to trick the testtaker..the sight of the new york city cityline from the water was beautiful..the UN (did you know that the UN is technically not part of the united states? i don't know what it's governance is)..i saw what is known as ground zero..as was the intention of the powers that be, there is no attention drawn to the area..there is construction stuff there, building up the new buildings...i can't remember if it's a memorial, or just another building..the people of new york city want to send a constant message to the terrorists, that life will continue with no differences, despite the attack...one night we went to listen to the new york philharmonic in central park with 60,000 of our closest friends...we brought sushi to eat while listening, and the dogs loved getting out of the loft..one night we went to a restaurant for ukrainian food..yum..i love the amazing variety of food in the city..there are so many immigrants, something that hasn't changed since the city was first founded..one night kristin and katherine hosted a party for a group of their friends..it was to celebrate kristin finishing work at the hospital..she had enjoyed the work, but wanted to depend entirely on her private practice..i want to go back!! it would be awesome to see a show on broadway, check out the other borroughs, etc..plus, kristin and katherine are great people:)
from new york, i flew to toronto to visit brooke...she's one of my friends from korea..it was great to catch up with her, she's been through a lot...she looks amazing, maybe even too skinny..she started weight watchers during the year i taught at psa, and ended up losing quite a bit of weight..she's really strong, and controlled herself really well once she started keeping track of her points..i was there the weekend of toronto pride, so we checked that out..great music, good food, lots of fun..one of my nights there brooke and i continued our tradition of date night, which involves ridiculously bad fast food and a movie..i met her roommate tasha, a british chick..tasha has a strong personality, to put it mildly..i didn't get to see much (or any) of the city, but that wasn't the point of me going to toronto..getting to and from the airport in toronto was easy, there is a train the whole way..there is also good public transport around the city..brooke usually walks to and from work, though she could take the tram if she wanted to..
my next visit was to chicago to see megan...awesome...i knew her when we were both in germany..i took the 'el' into the city from the airport, and met her at one of the stops..the first thing we did was go to breakfast at ihop, my first time ever eating at an ihop!! i know it's not the classiest place, but i really wanted breakfast food..she has a great apartment, and a great roommate...the flat is huge!! i slept in the living room, on an air mattress, falling asleep to movies on the projector each night..we went to the taste of chicago...lots of yummy food!!! i'd heard that it is an expensive thing to attend, but it wasn't all that bad..there are tons of stalls set up, each one manned by a different restaurant from the city..each stall has a menu, consisting of just a few options..usually three choices, and a "taste" option..each choice costs a certain number of tickets..we walked all around the area to get a feel for what was there, then went back to places that interested us..using both of our sets of tickets, we tried a lot of different types of food, and loved most of them..after stuffing ourselves, we went to a concert by joss stone...i had heard her name ahead of time, but didn't really know her music at all..fun times..and great weather...one day i got to see megan's workplace, she works at argo tea..it's kinda like the starbucks of tea..there aren't nearly as many branches, but they have a huge menu..who knew there were that many ways of serving tea!!...i shopped a bit, and wandered a bit...chicago is a great city for wandering..so many people to see, so much going on all the time..it's another city with great public transport..i wish more cities were the same..
after chicago i went back to indiana for one last week, to pack up and figure out what i'll need for the next year and a half of my life!!! i also spent the 4th of july in bloomington, something i hadn't done in years..hana, dad, ann and i went to the fireworks put on by the city, around the football stadium..we set up our chairs on the lawn of one of the churches across the bypass, we had by far the best views i've ever had of the fireworks...
during the weeks i spent in bloomington, i realized that bloomington doesn't feel like home at all anymore...i felt rather unwelcome most of the time, as if i was intruding...seeing people around town was nice, but what used to be my home most certainly isn't anymore..now i feel homeless, and have no real desire to go back to bloomington for a long time..