The Big Apple

So I guess I should start this going back a couple of weeks ago. Sara and I were sitting around the apartment talking about something and I made the comment that I was afraid. See, I can't even remember what we were talking about, but I do remember her response clearly. "You're afraid of everything!" We had a good laugh and went on about the evening. I didn't take offense because it is true. Save a few bold moments in my life, I am 99% afraid of life. I could list of opportunity after opportunity that I've let pass me by because I'm afraid/squishy/unsure/hesitant/nervous for one reason or another.

Around that time I got an email from my friend Nick letting me know he was going to be in New York City at the end of this month and he asked if I would meet him there. A quick background for you: Nick is a guy I met when I was living in London and vacationing in Scotland. He was traveling alone so my group of PBAers (mainly, Meghan and I) took him under our wing and he was our buddy the rest of the trip. After that weekend, we went back to London and he went back to Australia (at least that is the short version of the story) and I haven't seen him since. Thanks to modern technology and the bursting popularity of social media, we reconnected back in 2006 and have stayed in touch since then. He's invited numerous times to visit him in Australia, but since he is basically a stranger....and that is a long trip and mucho dinero (that means a lot of money in Spanish) I kept putting that trip off. Then last year he and his girlfriend, Ellie, moved to London. Again, he offered for me to visit many times and that is really something that I would love to do. I just have yet to coordinate it with my bank account and school work. So then when I got this email about him being in New York I figured it was the same time zone as me and really I would have zero excuse. So I accepted.

Reason two for the quick trip is one Ms. Nancy Beno. She and I haven't seen each other since May of 2004 when we all left Florida for the land of grown-ups and real life. We talk on the phone probably every 1-2 weeks. She has been in New York (on and off) for the past 7 years and I've been promising a visit for about that long. It goes something like "I'll come when the weather warms up.......{6 months later} It's too hot now, I'll come in the fall........" Play on repeat for years. So when I realized that I was going to journey up to see Nick and Ellie, I figured I would catch a visit with her as well. Lucky for me, she had 1 day left in the city before her big move to Maine for her new counseling job. So the stars aligned and I told everyone I was coming.

Then Saturday night the fear crept in and I found a laundry list of reasons not to go. What if I couldn't navigate the city by myself to find Nan? What if Nick wasn't as nice as I remember? What if people could tell I wasn't a local? (Strange, but it did go through my head.) What if I got stuck there and couldn't get on a flight home? What if it was awkward combining these 2 parts of my life? I had homework that still needed to be finished. There were large scary storms hitting Atlanta so I told myself that I'm sure all of the flights would be oversold due to cancellations. Yadda Yadda Yadda. You see where this mental path is going. I still decided to try and set my alarm for 4 a.m. on Sunday.

I woke up at the first sound of my alarm and could hear the pounding of the storm still against my window and let the sleepy brain take over on the reasoning. I got out of bed, promptly wrote Nick an email letting him know I wasn't going to make it and then went back to bed. As I was closing my eyes trying to back to sleep, God gave me a clear vision. I was sitting in my living room and Sara looked at me and said "So, you decided not to go?" My reply was "Yeah, but I really regret not even trying to get on a flight". My eyes shot open and I had instant clarity. If I know I'm going to regret this action in a couple of hours, then I need to do something about it. I jumped out of bed, showered and drove through the pouring rain to the airport. On my drive there I realized that I rarely step out of my comfort zone to a place where God can really lead me on "adventure" that should be life. Instead I sit at home where it is nice and safe (and boring). I told God that if he had something to show me, that I was all game and if I didn't make the flight that would be OK too.

Sure enough, I got on the first flight....and on first class even! He knows how to show me! I slept most of the way until I realized that I was missing breakfast. A quick bowl of Cheerios and a bowl of fresh fruit and then I was right back asleep until we landed. I took the airport tram, transferred to another train and then got on the Long Island Railroad into Manhattan. Found Nancy perfectly--she was sitting on the steps outside of the Post Office across from Madison Square Gardens. She gave perfect directions and I didn't get lost once. We walked to get the most amazing pizza for brunch (only $1 a slice!) and then sat on some steps chatting and keeping out of the cold wind.

I was in a pickle about how to get in touch with Nick and hated the idea of being so close in the big city and somehow missing him. Thankfully Nan had a smart phone and I could email him telling him to disregard the first email and that I was in the city and happy to meet up. I told him to call me (he has a London cell number so he can call me but I can't call him) with a location and time to meet. Then I proceeded to sit down and put my phone back in my pocket and MISS hearing it ring when he did call. His message said they were in Penn Station and he would try back in 10 minutes. We sat down across from the station to give him some time to call back and just chatted about life and the city. I would jokingly look at all the people crossing and let Nan know that each man that passed wasn't Nick. Then I look across the street and there they were! Nick and Ellie had come out of the station to buy a pretzel and had spotted us. Only God could've orchestrated that meet-up. So the 4 of us spent the afternoon wandering around together. It was great! Nick was just as nice and fun as I remembered. Ellie was so pleasant and laid back (I'd only chatted with her online....so this was our first face to face meeting) and they seemed to get along with Nan well too. We went to Times Square and sat on the big steps under the NYE ball (which already says 2012 for the record) and people watched. Here's a couple of pics from there.

Then we hiked from there to Central Park so I could sit on the big rocks and imagine Kevin McAllister running away from the scary bird lady in Home Alone 2......or picture the big snowball fight from Elf. Either way, now you have a mental picture of where we were. We were playing an ongoing game of what we liked to call NYC Bingo. Essentially, anytime you saw someone out of the ordinary, you could point them out (no finger pointing unless you were far away), and call Bingo. Shelbs gave me that idea after telling me about the Redneck Bingo game that happens at the Minnesota State Fair. So we had plenty of sightings for the day--men in pink feather boas, a toddler beauty queen decked out in fake lashes, matching roller bladers, hot pink tennie runners, the list goes on and on. At one point I tried to get Nan to take a picture with me which led to a series of hysterical shots. Mainly because I was turned around backwards and she insisted on doing heel stretches and all sorts of gymnastics. Pretty funny.

The greatest Bingo find of the park was a teenager in full ballerina gear including pointe shoes posing for pictures in crazy dance poses. Very entertaining. Here are a few more pics of the park although sadly, none of the Bingo finds.

After the park we decided to break for happy hour. Nan led the way and had us stop at this restaurant so I could pose in front of it.

Sitting down was welcomed after marching over the whole city...and the cocktails weren't bad either! I asked the bartender to make me something fruity and had mentioned that I liked sweet tea vodka, so what came back was essentially my go-to STV and lemonade. No complaints here! Half way through our time there my friend Cami came to join us. She and I worked together at Starbucks in Atlanta and she is now living in NYC as a student of Parsons. Take a moment and think lovingly of Tim Gunn. No, she's never met him....but still. I was going to crash on her couch for the night. Since she lives in Brooklyn (which is far far away from Manhattan) she came in to meet us for drinks and dinner before leading back to her place. Soon after she arrived, Nancy told me that she had a surprise for me and needed to take me away for 20 minutes just the 2 of us. I felt squishy (what's new) because Cami had just gotten there and met Nick and Ellie. She was a great sport and took them to the M&M store so Ellie could get her hands on the new pretzel M&M's. Nan and I took off for the secret destination and in the process we ran into her brother on the street. That's right--I got to meet Howie Jr. He's the last Beno I had yet to meet. I guarantee it wasn't on the agenda, but since we were passing him on the sidewalk, it was a bonus for me! She led me to his apartment building and then up all 5 steep flights of stairs, and then onto the roof. I had commented earlier in the day that I would love to see the city from one of the rooftops. And while this was no skyscraper, it was still so breathtaking and beautiful. The sun was just going down all of the building lights were glowing. I was briefly tempted to dance around and sing "America" from West Side Story. Lucky for her (and the people living on the top floor) I restrained myself. We tried to take a couple of pictures together but they really came out all washed out or all my face. And since we all know what that looks like, I'll leave these here for you.

We ended the night at a classic New York diner for dinner and then all went our separate ways to find sleep. Nick and Ellie were staying at a hotel in town but had a booked day for Monday so we shared goodbyes on the street corner. I am still so amazed that meeting up with them worked out and spending time together was as effortless as I had hoped (pre-fear). I'm strongly considering a trip over to London this summer to celebrate finishing up my first year in the interpreting program...and really, who needs a reason to go to London? The streets are calling my name. Or maybe that is the Crepe Man at the market. Either way, anyone interested in going along for an adventure you are officially invited.

Back to this trip. Cami and I headed back to her apartment and I crashed the minute I sat down. I got up first thing the next morning and navigated my way back to Nan's part of town to meet her for breakfast. It was so empowering to move around the city by foot and subway. Standing shoulder to shoulder with people who've lived so many different lives and have so many different stories to tell. I kept myself entertained the entire train ride trying to figure out their pasts. Atlanta is diverse, but you have to get in your car and drive to the different neighborhoods to get that feeling. It isn't something I necessarily encounter on a day to day basis. Being in such close proximity to all of those people really gives you a grasp for how significant (or NOT) your problems are. You always hear that there is always someone better off and worse off than you--but to have the chance to be with them is a nice change.

Nan and I found a little bakery and had a bagel and cup of tea before I had to start working my way back to the airport. Her girlfriend, Suzie, came into the city for the day and I got to meet her long enough to say hello and goodbye before boarding the bus in Harlem bound for La Guardia. I wish I had thought to take more pictures that day. I made it on the first flight back, watched a couple of episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County, and was home in time for dinner. I even beat the rush-hour traffic on the way through Atlanta. That is a miracle in itself.

The trip itself was such an amazing experience. I was in awe of how smoothly everything worked out and even how great the city was. I've taken a couple of other short trips to NYC but have never been enamored with being there and definitely couldn't see the draw of why people want to move there. This time was different. I felt alive as I sat on the subway and I made sure to pause and take a deep breath as I passed Broadway and all of the theater lights. OK, that's not true. I paused and threw out some jazz hands that even Michael Peacock would be jealous of. (I hope my house in heaven has a Broadway stage...and a pair of tap shoes.) I could so easily relive the mental fight I had just the day before on whether or not to come so I felt like I was seeing this trip through the eyes of no regret....and I loved it.

I stopped in before leaving Time Square one last time and bought a New York mug from Starbucks.

Seems like a silly souvenir, but it was a monument for me--a way for me to look back and remember what happens when I step outside of myself and my comfort zone to what life is offering all around me. As I've been working my way through the Old Testament, I see God telling the Israelites to build altars after he does something huge....like crossing the Jordan River on dry land. He tells them that they altars will stand as a site of worship and so they will be able to tell their children of the work their God has done on their behalf. That stuck with me as I was heading out of town, and since I do some serious consuming of tea, I knew my eyes would see the mug often and be reminded of the whirlwind 36 hours that gave me fresh perspective on life.