Fireworks in the City: Part 2 Current mood: accomplished Safa, Jason, and I walked all over the island of Manhattan, wandering the streets, looking at the shops and enjoying the evening. At one point as we walked I just stopped and beheld the wonderful sights before me. Safa and Jason looked at me and asked what's up. I almost burst into tears because of how excited and how happy I was. I was in NYC during the fourth of July. Only a year ago Angie, Jessica, Amanda and I were sitting in a park in Santa Maria watching the fireworks having just as good a time. My life and my experiences flew through my mind in an instant. I am so blessed. I am so fortunate. I have been able to travel and see so many cool things. I've met so many interesting people and experienced so much, and I'm only 23. I know that when I get older and if ever I decide to have children, I'll have stories to tell them. I have experiences and adventures to share with my friends, my family, and the people in my future. I have gained knowledge and wisdom through my escapades and am Alive! That moment, was amazing. A moment of self awareness, of appreciation, a complete Serendipity! We continued walking, not really sure exactly where we were but we came to a more open part of the city. The skyline and horizon lacked the crowdedness of tall buildings. We sat down near a fountain taking in the scenery and environment. I was exhausted. My feet and ankles hurt and deep down I knew I had to be going to work soon. It was some time after 1.. probably 1:10ish. The three of us decided it would be wise to head back to the train station and hop on the next train out to Poughkeepsie. Once we had reached Grand Central Station, we noticed that the streets had emptied a considerable amount. The doors arond GCS did not open and close with busy people rushing off to discover the city anymore. It was late.. so no big deal. As we searched for an open door, I noticed the sign on the door: Open 5:30a-2:00a. I looked at my cell phone which glowed that it was 1:45a. My heart jumped into my throat and we rushed inside to see if there were anymore trains to Poughkeepsie, fearful that we had missed the last one! Up on the screen which showed the times and destinations the final train time flashed at us in it's Chartreuse taunting brightness. The last train was set to depart at 1:50am. We bolted towards the terminal, scrambling to find our ticket stubs. In the depths of the train tunnels, you would assume that it'd be cooler. This however is not the case, the atmosphere was damp, heavy, and hot. But the heat that fills the undergound passages seems to mostly come from the hot engines and motors of the train. Yes, the last train was still there! We had just made it! The three of us boarded and found seats among other groggy visitors. We laughed as we realized we had just barely averted catastrophe. Had we waited 10.. nay, 5 minutes more out by the fountain, we'd have been stuck in NYC till the morning. What would we have done?! Where would we have stayed?! We made up scenarios of sleeping in Central Park, entruding on Megan, Angelo, and Anthony in Brooklyn, or calling up one of Jason's old buddies. Lol. The ride back seemed to take ever so much longer than the ride down. We stopped at every stop, letting people on and off. Safa and I talked, keeping each other awake, discussing her heritage and family. I've learned so much from Safa in this past week and especially during our fun filled Fourth of July. She is writing a play and I'm going to get to design costumes for it. It's going to be a lot of fun. After making a transfer, our train finally pulled into Poughkeepsie at 4:00am. Jason had to bust his window because for some strange reason his truck locks wouldn't unlock. I felt so bad that it happened, but there wasn't much we could have done else about it. We were all so tired and just wanted to get home and in our beds. Of course that wouldn't be so easy. On our drive back, the main road we take to Vasser was blocked and baracaded off. Police and Fire trucks flashed all along the main street and smoke filled the air. We couldn't believe it. We were sure Vasser was burning to the ground or something, the cause of a stray Firework. I remembered a back way to get onto campus and soon found out that it was not Vasser that was causing the uproar. Still.. we have no idea what happened. But at 4:30am we got back to our Apartments. Jason left immediately for Penn, Safa wandered back to her TA, and I silently slunk into the darkness of my room.

Fireworks in the City
Current mood: tired

My fourth of July was kickin! My buddy Jason from Pennsylvania came out here to Poughkeepsie to visit me since we hadn't seen each other in over a year and because he's so close. He arrived Monday evening. We had a good time. Went to dinner, went to the drive in and watched "Superman Returns." Great movie by the way.. go see it. We stayed up all night talking, getting reconnected, and catching up with our lives.

Tuesday, the fourth, we went grocery shopping, had lunch at this great little Pizza place called "Tony's" and then along with my friend Safa, we headed out to the Galleria for a bit of shopping. The three of us were chatting it all up, really enjoying our day off and each other's company. After having exhausted the Galleria we decided to see what lay South of Poughkeepsie. We hoped in my little blue saturn, The Getaway Car, and cruised down Hwy 9. At first we drove through some little towns but soon we were enveloped by rolling mountains and hills, weaving in and out through turns, singing songs that blared out through my radio. It was a good time to be had. We started talking about the mini firework fiesta that New York Stage and Film had prepared for us. Next thing we knew, we had U-turned with plans to catch the next train and head down to watch Fireworks in the City. Why not?! We were so close and how kewl would it be to spend the Fourth, our Independence Day, in New York City!?

We caught the 7:33 train out of Poughkeepsie and headed South. This was my first 'real' train city ride. We talked and talked, Safa and I quoted Bhutan, and watched the country side melt away into the darkness of night. At about 9:30 we arrived in the city and all the passangers swarmed into Grand Central Station. I walked into the train station in awe, overwhelmed with the familiar feeling of admiration, excitement, and wonder. I really enjoy NYC and I hadn't been there since Jan. of last year. I was so happy to be back and almost couldn't believe I was there. Immediately we rushed out into the city night. We were hit by the familiar smell of the city, a mixture of cigarettes, hotdogs, garbage, busy people, and I don't know what. But there is something about that smell that in a way is so comforting and thrilling.

Hundreds, thousands of people roamed the streets of NYC. Many shops and businesses were still open. We bee lined to Time Square, almost inadvertanly. We were drawn to the noise, the lights, the color, and energy; kind of like bugs to a lamp post. Signs of celebration were everywhere. People of all shapes, sizes, and cultures rushed about happily through the crowded streets, enjoying all the same things we were enjoying. We walked around, looking at the different shops and signs. I remembered so many of the places that I had seen only a year and half before. Memories of my mother, my struggles at URTA, and the cold of winter ran through my mind. It was sensory overload to the max!

The three of us stopped at a Starbucks to refresh our vigor, we had dinner at the TGIFriday's, stopped by the Hershey Shop to indulge in our chocolatey desires, and window shopped till our feet could hardly take another step. On 28th street we stopped by this cute little coffee shop called "Cafe 28" and got more coffee. Fireworks flashed through the different screens and intermingled with the bright lights of the city.

To Be Continued.....