May 16, 2015 in Uncategorized

NYC Adventures: The Sequel

Waiting

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Just waiting for the train. Smile!

#46 GO TO 50 CONCERTS OF 50 DIFFERENT BANDS/MUSICIANS (12/50)

#59 GO TO A CONCERT OUTSIDE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

04/26/2015 at Rockwood Music Hall

New York, NY

Elizabeth and the Catapult

 

Day 2

We got in very late so I expected to be able to semi-sleep in but not really because we still had to leave early and pick up the rental then head to NYC, but I still expected at least a little more time than 9 am. I know thats not extremely early but on a Sunday morning, a WEEKEND!, thats like waking up at 5 am.  And why did I wake up so early? Good question. My nephew and dad decided to call me and wake me up. I had bought a bus ticket for my nephew to get back to WA from OR and apparently he didn’t share the information or was trying to convince someone else to pick him up from the bus station. Sp Either my nephew didn’t share info or talk to his mom to confirm he had someone picking him up or just more “I don’t want my mom to blah blah” anyways, I tried to sleep more but it didn’t happen after my dad’s call.

Ron left early because he had to meet up with his cousin, then we were going to meet him in NYC after we got the rental car from the Newark Airport. Since we didn’t have much time and I was starving, I ate my halal food for breakfast. So so good. That white sauce is amazing! And the spicy sauce is really spicy. I’ve never had halal but I got the combo chicken and gyro meat. It had this crazy yummy, orange looking rice. Heaven. Even the day after.

We picked the car up at Newark. Jenny’s google maps hates her and kept getting us lost but we made it. Then I got in line not knowing I could just grab the car. Whatevs. They gave me a beetle. It’s baby blue and tiny and oh man the blind spots. So many. Not my favorite but I’ll deal. I followed Jenny to Newark Penn station and once again her google maps took her a weird way. Siri kept yelling at me to turn and I had to tell her “Siri, simmer down. I’m following Jenny” hahaha

We ended up parking in a shady lot that told us for $15 we could get our cars any time even though the sign said they closed at 6 pm. We asked multiple times and he laughed and said “why would I lie to you?”…I don’t know but he better not have. Jenny and I will be walking back to the cars together…maybe holding hands…with our keys out to shank anyone that tries something haha…I’m only half kidding. We weren’t planning on staying too late since I still had to check into the hotel, so we figured it would be okay.

Bought tix to the NJ transit train to NY Penn station. We weren’t sure where we were going at first but we found our way. We could have taken the PATH for less money but I think Jenny is used to NJ transit, which is fine. I’m down for whatever. She then figured out how to get us to the Brooklyn bridge for more sight-seeing. She’s the best tour guide.

Have I mentioned how beautiful the weather was in NY? Don’t get me wrong, the night-time is cold as fuck but during the day it was beautiful and springy. Waited for Ron and his cousins at Penn station. Grabbed coffee (it was $0.99) and an apple turnover and chocolate croissant. We couldn’t eat the chocolate croissant because we got too full. Then got the call. They weren’t meeting us at Penn. We were meeting them in Brooklyn. So began the game of “let’s meet at…blah blah” and then “nope, not gonna happen” part deux.

We got to Brooklyn and waited for Ron and his cousins again, but then they got off at an earlier stop so Jenny called and tried to figure out plans. It was decided that we would meet them at Smorgasburg so we started walking that way. There were some cool buildings along the way so I took some pics. As we were walking we saw Sephora so we stopped in for a quick minute to look if they had my CC cream. They did not, but Jenny found her deodorant and bought that. This is important to know for later.

We then walked towards pier 5 along the cutest street. Something lemon. It had some awesome looking brownstones and cute little houses. It made me want to move to Brooklyn! I could totally see myself living there, except for the whole “it costs more than I make in a month” for rent. Dreams dashed. We finally made it to Smorgasburg and surprise…they weren’t there. This was a recurring theme throughout the weekend so, while it was frustrating you just got used to it and let it go.

We ended up meeting them closer to the Brooklyn Bridge. Plans kept changing and messing up. They were supposed to meet us at pier 5 because that’s where Smorgasburg was going on but they ended up on pier 1. So we walked towards the direction they were in and finally found them near Brooklyn Bridge park where they had stopped to take pics. We spotted them in the crowd walking towards us. Introductions were made but then we told them we would meet them at Smorgasburg after we took pics by the Brooklyn Bridge. Hey, it was our touristy day too. So adventure time with Jenny. It was pretty hot and my deodorant started to feel like it was failing but…luckily that was what Jenny bought at Sephora. I didn’t know it was deodorant at the time it was purchased but was glad that’s what it turned out to be. Sadly I didn’t get a chance to put it on until later but that’s okay.

After pictures with the bridge as our background we headed back to eat. There were so many booths at Smorgasburg. So. Much. Food. I got a Jamaican curry chicken patty (they were out of jerk chicken) then later we shared hand cut fries, fried cheese curds, donuts and I had some dairy free, gluten-free, vegan ice cream. Chocolate coconut flavor with gluten-free cinnamon and sugar tea cake crumbles on top. So yum.

It was getting late so Jenny and I had to get to the Rockwood so we left them in search of a bar to drink at and made our way to the Lower East Side where Rockwood was located. We had decided on the way to catch Elizabeth and the Catapults at Rockwood to continue our tradition of seeing a show at the Rockwood every time I’m in the area. This would be show #12 and would also take care of seeing a show outside of the PacNW. 2 for 1 deal. The walk to the subway was great. We saw lots of cool street art/murals on the way and Jenny was nice enough to let me stop to take pictures. NYC has so much art everywhere. Even the graffiti looks cool. Then on to the F line.

Downtown Brooklyn

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Red Sculpture

We went in the wrong direction getting off the subway (my fault) but because of it, we found the cutest little park! It reminded us of The Secret Garden. It was so peaceful and nice and in the middle of the city block. A hidden gem. I loved it. It was called Liz Christy Garden. There was also a plethora of cool street art/graffiti along our walk, so we strolled leisurely to Rockwood. We had plenty of time as the doors didn’t open until 630 and the show didn’t start until 7.

We got there right around 630 after missing the street. One side is apparently 1st and the other is Allen. Which is what we were looking for. There wasn’t really anyone there yet so we had the pick of spots in the room. We (I) chose the balcony since I had never watched from that spot before. Elizabeth came out thanking everyone for coming out for an early show. She seemed like a cool person, kind of hyper. Little did we know, she was a bit of a kooky entertainer. Not in a bad way, she was funny and a little strange at times but it worked. I loved her. I went down stairs for a song to try to get a better picture. She asked if anyone had any requests and the girl standing next to me made one for a really old song and Elizabeth said “I can’t play that, it’s too long. Like 5 minutes and too many years full of heartbreak to delve into” long. I laughed but the girl didn’t seem too amused. Oh well, can’t win them all. So she played another song. We tried to meet her at the end but didn’t work out because she was in deep conversation with her drummer.

Elizabeth and the Catapult

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Live at Rockwood Music Hall

Then we decided to get food before heading back to NJ. Jenny called Ron and they were in K-town so we headed their way. If the rest of those guys were anywhere near Ron’s condition then they were drunk off their asses. Haha He was so red/purple. He suffers from the Asian flush. Badly. We ate at Mandoo, a Korean dumpling place. We ordered dumplings and seafood jap chae. Delicious! Ron for some reason ordered a beer…not a good move and put him over the edge later. After food we were going to have to run for the train but Ron didn’t have a ticket yet so after discussion and him feeling bad about us missing the train we decided to stay. He was in no condition to run or to be left on his own , so us meeting him at his car in Millburn was out. He might have made it, but if something happened I would have felt horrible. We stayed and got bubble tea from Gong cha instead. Yay for tea!

They ran out of the coffee bubble tea he wanted. It was a fun moment when they both kind of made grunting monster like noises and motions when he asked the person what was similar. haha. I think you had to be there. I got the lychee oolong tea. They have you choose your sweetness level and ice level when ordering. It was weird but a great way to do it so you got what you wanted. Ron got taro, which normally I dislike a lot but I tasted his and I actually liked their taro bubble tea.

Oh, did I mention that Ron is the king of selfies? Not like, selfies of himself but of taking group shots and without a selfie stick. It’s impressive. Anyways. Selfies with Ron at Gong Cha, then the cashier took a pic of us too. My phone was dying so I shut it off because I was worried about getting lost and not having a phone for directions to get back to their place and then the hotel. At Penn Station, I charged my phone and Ron left for a bit to go to the bathroom and came back with coffee and a donut at Dunkin donuts. Dude is a trooper and loves food haha

On the way home he said he could go to sleep on the train or he wouldn’t wake up to get home. So we kept him awake. Jenny mostly, me a little. He felt so sick, I felt horrible for him. When we got back to the apartment he told us to go ahead. I didn’t ask but I think he might have puked somewhere out there. Ewwww. Sadly, this was the end of my NJ adventures with Jenny and Ron. I packed up all my stuff, we said our goodbyes and I headed to New Brunswick for my training class. Luckily it wasnt too far, I was exhausted and needed to sleep. Great weekend. Couldn’t have asked for a better time 🙂

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