– What a weekend… eventful enough to contain a full week.
On Friday I got up then went back to bed to sleep in, but just a little. I actually spent three hours at the DMV exchanging my expired Michigan license for a valid New York license. Of course, in a month I’ll have to do the same thing with my New York license in Illinois. The DMV is one of the most frustrating places on the planet. I do not recommend it. I’ll leave it at that. I left at half past four; just enough time to hurry home, get in the car, and drive around the Atlantic center for twenty minutes picking up Sam. We went back to my place and Sam took a nap while I worked on my AC unit. But soon enough, Lindsay called from Penn Station and we drove out to pick her up. Then, back to Brooklyn. We picked up my wife and let her off at home, then, driving on, meandered through Vinegar Hill, DUMBO, and the old Fulton district before finally stepping onto the Belt Parkway. We ate at El Greco in Brighton Beach and drove back through Brooklyn taking Ocean Parkway. We took the bridge into Manhattan for the second time of the evening, drove around looking for a parking spot, and decided that Williamsburg was good enough. So: We took Delancey to the bridge and stopped in at the Lucky Cat for drinks… unfortunately all the Earshot kids were gone by then. We, ourselves, got home around three, and that was Friday.
On Saturday we took our time building speed, but after dropping off the car in Boerum it was a flurry of motion to Penn Station, the Empire State Building, Times Square (where I bought a CD from a rapper who, it turns out, was from Flint… he came up to me when he saw my Tigers cap), and Grand Cental. By the early afternoon we stopped for lunch at a bar in the Village, and then I went to pick up my wife while Sam and Lindsay hopped from one bar to another. Circa ten we arrived at Sarah G.’s birthday party in Greenwich Village… a strange bar that was snootier than its menu or clientele seemed to warrant. Still, I got into a rousing political duel with Lindsay, and we went on to talk about presidential politics and personal dramas. Early on, Lindsay was plying me with Manhattans, but since I was the designated driver I had two and then drank pop for several hours as the effects wore off. Afterwards, we drove the perimeter of Manhattan, and stopped for McDonalds on the way home. Even after rolling back an hour, it was well after two AM.
By Sunday our insane schedule was starting to catch up with us: we got up early enough but spent the morning drinking coffee, eating breakfast burritos, and watching YTMNDs. Still, we managed to leave at about ten to drive up to Manhattan to meet Sam’s friend Ben and go to the American Museum of Natural History. We didn’t try to take it all in, but just spent several hours looking at the marine hall, the human evolution section, and the dinosaur skeletons. A bit of a contrast for Sam who took a trip recently to Kentucky’s Creation Museum. We stopped at a Chinese/Peruvian restaurant on the way out, dropped off Ben and Lindsay, and then Sam and I went for a drive. We followed Flatbush to its end on the Rockaway, and explored the extremes of Breezy Point and the Far Rockaways. We then spent an hour taking Jamaica, Bushwick, and Myrtle home from there. It was an amazing tour, but at eleven PM, a comparatively short night. We split some Olde English, watched YouTube, and I was asleep by one.
This week? It may be as easy, but not as frenetic. Sam will leave tomorrow, but I will only get to see him again briefly, because he’s staying the night at his cousin’s place. Of course, in a month my wife and I will be back in the Midwest.
– QUESTION OF THE DAY –
Whatever city you’re in now… if someone had one day to touristify there, what ought they to do?