Day 12

Today I woke up at 7 to go to the city! We got a group of 10 people together to get a discount train ticket and left Poughkeepskie at 9:30 (4 people drove to the train station). When we got to Grand Central we automatically lost 2 people- 1 of which we expected to catch up to later that day.

We walked outside and decided our first goal was to find brunch (its about 11:30). We wondered aimlessly around the city, taking in the surroundings, watching a marathon of cycles, scooters, and rollerbladers go by, basking in the sun. As stomachs started to growl we became less picky and migrated into a Jewish diner. They had such things as tongue sandwiches and egg cream drink. Some people in our group got the fun foreign food and shared bites. I had a cheeseburger and onion rings. I needed some greasy food after weeks and weeks of gourmet food. We were stuffed

Afterwords we went to little Italy (after an hour of walking we finally found it). Stomachs a little less than full we decided gelato from little Italy would be perfect. The gelato was great in my mind and we headed for China town.

Now, I love my friends back home with every fiber of my body, but having a day being with other culinarians made me realize somethings I would never think of suggesting to do was really fun and fulfilled a part of me once ignored. In China Town we went in and out of meat markets, fish markets, and produce stands. We found pig feet, hanging chickens, cooked fish blood, fuzzy cucumbers. It was wonderfully satisfying to a part of my soul that wasn't hungry until fed. We played in the markets before finding a cute china restaurant for dim sum. Now I don't know how well informed my readers are if I have any-but I had no idea what dim sum even was. I was in for the best surprise of my life. 7 of us all sat around a white tabled clothed table with red walls (we lost one back in Little Italy). As Chinese waiters and waitress all gathered around with trays of food and yelling their titles at us Leslie and Dillion took control and started yelling back, saying which tray to leave and what tray to take away. As we passed around familiar food like dumplings and foreign food like shrimp stuffed rice noodles, the pace and adrenaline gave me a high that made me buzz and glow.

After little china we took off for the financial district, checked out ground zero, and then took the subway back to east village. In east village we went to a coffee shop in the gay village and gloried in the stereotypical chic coffee shop for a rest. As we did so we discovered we had eaten on the hour almost every hour. After the sun had gone down a little we found a Spanish restaurant in the hipster part of NYC and shared 7 tapas. Again the conversation was ever flowing and wonderful.

As the city lit up with the setting of the sun and the rising of night life we made our way to time square. When we arrived I was in awe. I felt so small, so big. The lights were so bright it felt like day light and the world felt so... in that moment.

That moment passed and we found an American diner for our last go around of New York Cheesecake. Again the conversation was vibrant and I laughed so hard that I made no sound. You know that laugh? The best laugh in the world? Your entire body spasms and just the fact that you cannot stop laughing spurs more laughter. As I grabbed my white napkin to wipe away tears off came a beautiful eyelash shaped black smudge, which brought the laughter back.

The night waned on and after several sequences of events half the group ended up back at Grand Central Station (found the guy who we lost in Little Italy). Communication strained and the clock ticked. Finally the half group checked train times. One train left at 11:12 and another at 12:08. It was 11. We waited in line until we discovered a room full of ticket machines. We bought tickets. It was 11:08. The other half runs across the plaza to buy their own, 11:09. All but me, Alex, and Leslie were at the train. Leslie had trouble getting his card to be approved, Alex was with me because my knee gave out earlier. Finally I get it to transition for him, including a girl next to him taking the 11:12 train to Poughkeepskie as well. 11:10 We get the ticket and run to the train. 11:12 We sit as the train starts to move. 1:3o we land in our room.