New York, New York
Arrived in New York
Wow. It's stunning! =)) I don't remember exactly what happened or how, but I walked a lot + bought a one-day subway pass for $5, which turned out to be a waste =/ I drank four liters of Coca-Cola and ate 5 bananas that day. Started my income/expense journal.
I was on Broadway, 5th Avenue, Times Sq, had a snack on the grass in Central Park among a couple hundred office workers, tourists like me, and all sorts of people. Squirrels are jumping between people; the place is beautiful overall, even if trampled in places. I was on Wall Street, nothing interesting, though I got there at night =) I only remember the dark walls of endless skyscrapers; the street resembles a gloomy, narrow gorge =) At sunset, I arrived at the park at the very tip of Manhattan, where the free ferry to Staten Island leaves from. I looked at the statue from afar from that ferry - the ferry is almost entirely packed with tourists who are just going to gawk at the Statue of Liberty =)) They go there, get off, and immediately get on the ferry back =) I got confused and missed the ferry back. I sat there in the wind over the bay, trying to process what was happening...
I had an idea to go to Brighton Beach, take a look, and swim (hey, I haven't washed in three days!), but it was too late, there was no one in the subway, and it felt sketchy to go far. So I left Brighton Beach for the way back... But I really want to get in the water, I thought I'd find a fountain and take a dip. I spent an hour looking for any body of water and found one. In the end, a black policeman made it clear to me that you can't use the fountain like that =/ Damn it, I'll go wash under a flower sprinkler! Said and done =) Changed into clean clothes, mood is good again. On Times Square, I took a lot of photos with an octopus =) Cool thing! Everyone around is curious about what I'm mounting on the edge of the trash can... =))
On a skyscraper, there's a huge scrolling ticker: "Russia has announced the start of troop withdrawal from the territory of Georgia." Many people here think Russia is the aggressor; they keep harping on it on TV. Anyway, at 3 AM, I made it to the Port Authority station. By the way, they close it at night for entry for those without a ticket. You can spend the night, which many do (though it's awkward; my heart bleeds when I look at them curled up on bags, newspapers, or just on the floor =)). Well, I don't have time to test my sleeping bag - I need a bus to Boston. By the way, the line and boarding here took about an hour, and having a sleeping pad/sleeping bag/gear, you can save a spot in the boarding line and comfortably settle off to the side =) instead of crowding and shifting from foot to foot like the other penguins =)
My mood is excellent!
The road to Boston is just wonderful, 10 out of 10! I got settled perfectly on two seats, and the sleeping pad came in handy, plus it's cool on the bus and I remembered that I bought special warm soft socks =)) Temperature, lighting, views from the window - everything - couldn't be better! I love Greyhound buses!!
