In the City, We Never Sleep

The start of the grand journey was a bit nostalgic on multiple levels: the feeling of setting out at night after being awake all day, a group of four waiting for the train, just barely making it on the bus on time…

Well, maybe not entirely the same ^^;

After making on the Metro for DC, they were delayed many times until it seemed they wouldn’t make it in time for the bus taking off at midnight. They passed the time singing Starkid (like this~)

but when they arrived at Union Station 5 minutes before the bus was to depart from an unknown location, they were more than a little nervous. After running around the station, multiple iPhone and Siri failures to locate the Bus Deck (…), they stumbled upon the garage and endured the bus lady’s “YOU’RE LATE!!!” barrage and driving off to NYC only ten minutes late ^^;;

June 2^nd; Happy Birthday, sis :3

5am: They arrived in New York on a street in Manhattan (not anywhere distinguishable) and they headed to Brooklyn on the subway (after seeing a cute little rat scurrying around the tracks!).

"Welcome to Brooklyn"

6am: The city is just beginning to lighten but it is still shrouded in fog. Even though they cannot see the sun rise, the paling of the sky is bright enough to cross the bridge.

They even found a delightful fire-lit fountain park after crossing the bridge. 

After a quick stop in one of the many Starbucks, they set off for breakfast…

7am: McDonalds’ breakfast! Which was surprisingly satisfying, even the tea.

8am: They set off again to see what they could see~

New World Trade Center Construction

The Wall Street Bull

And having fun dance parties in the park by the docks heading out to Elis Island~

And it was good that they were not getting on the boats that were rocking quite precariously on the waves…

10am: So they got on the subway into Grand Central Station and were off to uptown :3

They passed up more Starbucks’

had 2^nd breakfast from a 7/11 ( that brought back memories… oh 7 & Holdings how you are missed…). Seeing more things like the Library,

the 5^th avenue building, or, the Daily Bugle’s HQ,

How does it manage to look CGI'ed in real life?!

And even wandering through a tiny Toys’R’Us.

11am: Time for the BIG Toys’R’Us in Time Square with THREE FLOORS!!

And the Disney Store that sells Brave toys that spoils key plot elements of the movie *grumblegrumble*….

Both places were enjoyed, however, for the plethora of Marvel paraphernalia they possessed.

12pm: By this time, the lack of sleep was starting to drag on them (considering every time they checked the time it seemed as if it should have been at least 4 hours later…) and they braved the blocks of street venders off of Time Square for some food (after leaving the T.G.I. Fridays that was charging $20 for a chicken strips…), ending up with dry and salty “soft” pretzels >___> After carefully avoiding the pigeon swarms (and baiting them a bit ^^ ) they made their way to a Starbucks to recharge not just themselves, but their apple products (except for the birthday girl’s sister who owns nothing from that company and intends to keep it that way).

3pm: They set the coordinates for the next legs of their journey into different phone and set out. They pass a mob of Wall Street Occupiers (complete with drums and banners and police buying ice cream~), and even see a Kinokuniya bookstore!!! They find Midtown Comics (where even there the Dark Tower comics are too expensive T__T ) and hang out browsing for a while in its two floors. They leave, and walk to the real Marvel HQ, which looked as it should to her: an inconspicuous, and yet tasteful door with no flashing “revealing your secret identity” kind of flim-flam.

4pm: They waited there across the street just talking for a while. And finally set out for a snack.

5pm: They walked back to the Disney Store for a purchase, bought some delicious Frozen Yogurt, and headed a few blocks over to sit in Central Park.

6pm: They leave for the subway again, which, while reminds her a little of the Tokyo JR lines, are a bit bleaker.

They arrive at the Upright Citizen Brigade Theatre for an Improv show that ran from about 7:30pm-8:45pm.  While she appreciates theatre, and laughed pretty hard at the show in the little basement venue (about 100 people? If that?), she was a bit uncomfortable during most of it since the humor they were going for was cruder than she cares for. But it was still worth it ^^;

9pm: They wander up the street from the theatre and find a little Greek restaurant for the birthday girl’s dinner. Ravenous, they inhale the Greek fries appetizer as well as half of the bottle of ketchup, and then destroy their main meals (and another ¼ bottle of ketchup ^^; ).

10pm: The night is winding to its end, and while it was a fun day, the lack of sleep and miles of walking is taking its toll. They buy birthday cupcakes and settle into a table in Time Square to enjoy the last of their time in the city.

12am: they trudge into the convenience store for provisions of juice, tea, and water, and head to the pick-up spot for their bus. They get there around 12:30am and wait to board and then finally leave at 1:15am. VERY slap happy, it takes at least 20 minutes and a person moving to a seat away from them quit laughing and calm down enough to sleep.

Which everyone seemed able to do except for her who kept waking up and not being able to tell If the feeling the bus was going to crash was lingering from  her nightmares or was a waking actuality and the distinction not really mattering to her poor shot nerves.

arrived back in D.C. by 6:30am, got some food, and waited until the metro opened at 7am for them to ride back and her to be showered and in bed by 9am.

A grand adventure indeed <3