There was no parking at the Croton train station, so we missed our train. We were about to drive to the White Plains station when we managed to get a metered spot across the street in Croton. On the way to the track, a giant drop of water fell from the overhang right onto my nose. We got stuck with a local train ride into the city, stopping frequently. An hour and a half later, we emerged from Grand Central.
After failing to realize we were facing South out of the Station, we continued by walking East instead of West to head to Times Square several blocks. Thanks to iPhone GPS, we got back on track and fought our way through the city. Alicia was on a mission to rush through Times Square simply because we were in crowds. I, of course, wanted to savor the sight, so I had to slow her down. (Alicia's note: If people knew how to walk then I wouldn't have to try and pass them all.)
We veered away from Broadway slightly and stopped in at a little deli to grab a bite. It was already after 4:00. A giant drop of water from another overhang fell on my left shoulder. WTF. I wanted to see the Bethesda Fountain, which Alicia had never ventured to, anyway. So, we strolled through Central Park until we reached it. Alicia wanted ice cream, and there were a few little stands nearby. (A/N: There were several thousand stands, actually.) I decided to flash back to my childhood by getting one of those cartoon character heads as my ice cream. Spongebob was my choice. As my brother said when I emailed him a picture of Spongebob, "He looks like a nightmare." (A/N: Vampire Spongebob!)
We sat along the perimeter of the Bethesda Terrace to enjoy our frozen treats. Before I could take my seat, however, a man approached me and, in a uncomfortably close proximity, asked in Spanish if I could speak Spanish. Caught off guard, I was unable to form the sentence, "No habla Español" and simply shook my head to the same effect. He asked, "Inglés?" I said yes, however it was clear that he didn't know Inglés as soon as he rambled on in Spanglish. I could make out two words, so I repeated back to him, "John Lennon?" He chuckled as if I had misheard him, although I hadn't. He spoke his quick Spanglish again when Alicia, sitting there, calmly explains, "He wants to know where John Lennon's house is." (A/N: Why yes, I DO know spanish.)
Okay, smarty pants. Neither of us knew where John Lennon's house was, so the man had to leave from us with nothing after all that. Oh, and Alicia did not understand him, after all, but caught the word "casa" which happens to also meant "house" in Italian, the language she studies. It was easy to put two and two together from there. (A/N: well, yeah, ok. But only cassie knows that.)
I could finally enjoy my ice cream, which I had to do quickly since Spongebob's cherry pants were melting with haste. Once we enjoyed the view for a while, we began to make our way back towards Times Square, taking our time along the way. As we left Bethesda Terrace, we walked by a honoring for the god, Thoth, which was accompanied by a man holding a violin decked out in what looked like a skimpy, gypsy-inspired, Aztec costume that included bells around his ankles. He was standing still as a statue. We walked by him, and he burst out in song and dance with a voice high enough to be a female Opera singer. I wish I had gotten a picture.
We laughed to each other and pushed onward. We reached Broadway and continued South. Wandering along, we found a John Lennon Murder Van (A/N: !!!) wanting to get the truth out and told "sick New Yorkers" to get a clue on the windshield. We found it quite entertaining. (A/N: I particularly like the dripping blood.)
We browsed around in Urban Outfitters and discovered fun things like an underwear repair kit that included white out. We got closer to Times Square and decided to finally go into a gift shop for some goodies. I was looking through the New York tees and found a retro-type one that I liked. Then, the store clerk pointed out that the shirt I chose is the one John Lennon wore. He showed me another t-shirt they sell that shows John Lennon wearing it. Well, Lennon seems to be the theme of the day, so now I had to get it.
I picked out a shirt for me mother and went to ring the stuff up. As I waited for the cashier to calculate - with a calculator - how much 10% off means (A/N: Don't judge), I feel a giant drop of water fall onto my right shoulder. I look up and notice a clear plastic bag of water above that is obviously leaking while remedying a leak. The cashier apologized, but I told her, "That's okay. It's been happening a lot today."
I remembered that I wanted to see the Apple Store, so we headed back towards Central Park via 5th Avenue. Partway up the 12 blocks, a woman stopped us and asked if I was a tourist (was I that obvious? I was carrying a camera in my hand; maybe that gave it away). So, I admitted that I was, and she explained that she is from Time Out magazine and looking for a tourist to ask a New Yorker a question pertaining to the city that would be useful to readers.
Well, I was put on the spot, I had to think for a second... not to mention that we had to act like Alicia was from the city and not Westchester County. I decided to ask, "How intimidating is it to drive through Manhattan?" Alicia's answer involved, "Cabs are The Bringers of Death" and "It's because of [tourists] that New York City is bad to drive in." The journalist asked where in the City Alicia lived, and Alicia had to lie and say "The Bronx." (A/N: "Where in the Bronx? Riverdale?" "Uhhh I don't really want to say.." "ok!") The woman took a photo of each of us for the magazine. I guess she thought we didn't look too fugly to be in the article. She didn't have her glasses on though.
We looked around at the nearby H&M before completing our journey to the Apple Store. I didn't realize how huge this Apple Store was down below! It was packed with people, so we browsed briefly and hopped into the elevator to go back up. A male couple gayer than Carson Kressley on Christmas morning were tongue diving immediately behind us.
We sat for a minute outside of The Plaza and decided to take a picture of ourselves together. This attempt continued for several minutes until we were remotely satisfied with one. God, I hope we don't look that awful in the magazine.
It was time to find some tasty grub, so we just decided to wander around until we found a place of interest. After a lot of wandering with Alicia constantly having to grab my arm to slow my long legs down now that she wasn't in a rush like this morning, she spotted a place called Thai Basil. It was tiny and original, so that's where we went. The atmosphere is highly modern inside and the food came out much quicker than expected. I, of course, ordered some Thai iced tea, as well. The food was delicious and only $8 per entree for a total bill of $21.70. Can't beat that!
Each of us used the restroom before leaving the restaurant, at which time we discovered that, during dinner, our legs had had time to tighten immensely. Now, we were going to make our way back to Grand Central. We found Broadway and followed it South through Times Square. Woohoo! It looked a lot better at night!
It was also a lot more crowded. With me sightseeing and Alicia apparently not paying attention, I realized we were at 39th Street. Oops. Then, for some reason, we each immediately turned right to walk the block West. After a few steps, however, I stopped us and said, "Wait. Why are we walking a block to turn around as if we're a car?" After laughing at ourselves, we headed back North on Broadway until we reached 42nd Street and made our way East until we saw Heaven, known to the rest of the world as Grand Central, and made it home with Alicia halfway crippled. All in all, a great trip to the city.
