New York City!!!

I am such an idiot. For years, I have been afraid of New York City. The "Black City" I called it, because of all the skyscrapers. What is my problem, you ask? No idea.

Thanks to my best girl from college, Melinda, and a healthy dose of xanax, I have overcome my fears (of flying and of NYC) and finally visited the Big Apple two weeks ago. What a blast! We did everything I had hoped for and more. Staying in Mel's flat four blocks from Central Park (2 free cats included) was a real NYC experience - and coffee from the Starbucks on the corner each morning and occasional delivery late at night became quite the addiction. Mel was so embarrassed each time I randomly screamed "New York Citeeeehhhh", but I was just trying to express myself.

On Saturday, we walked 40 blocks down Central Park. It was beautiful - wood ducks and all. Random Belvedere Castle (I'm sorry, German castles are way more impressive) along the way and the most beautiful lakes and bridges. Nice. Then, walking along whatever Avenue (Mel was the navigator. I was both impressed and blissfully lost at all times. After two weeks in Germany last September as the only person who could tell left from right, this was quite enjoyable.) we ran across these random rose sculptures. New York is wild.

Sunday was a rainy day, and I was so impressed with us going out at all. We took the train (metro) to lower Manhattan to see Ground Zero. The place looks like a simple construction zone now, but some guy selling viewbooks reminded us that the Twin Towers were three times as tall as the black bank building to our left. Unfathomable. We didn't take pictures, and we did not linger. A dark cloud was still over that place, and while there was new growth and bustling New Yorkers, I was saddened by its past, and I was glad to leave it. I remember 9/11 as if it were yesterday. In fact, it was Mel who delivered the news when we were supposed to work on a French project at High Point. And I saw the crater in the Pentagon when there were still fire trucks outside. I grieve the loss of thousands of souls. But I cannot linger without being pulled down with them. So we walked on.

At this point, it was raining buckets, but we were close to Brooklyn Bridge and Mel found it without a map. Let me tell you, my thing when I travel is always a disappointment about the size of things. Example 1: last time I was in Berlin with my dad we drove by the Brandenburger Tor and I thought "that has to be a replica...the real thing is so much bigger." Well...no. Example 2: Outside Neuschwanstein Castle I tell Deb, "Well, this is a nice castle, but just wait until you see the Neuschwanstein one...it is soooo much bigger." Only to find out...I was standing below Neuschwanstein castle. Whatever.

My reaction to Brooklyn Bridge: "It's so small!" We walked to the first pillar, which was really far away and Mel asks: "You still think this is small?" Yeah, I kinda did.

On Monday, wow! Monday. Wow. In the morning we walked to the Guggenheim, only to find out they were featuring an exhibit on "The Great Upheaval" - European art from 1910 to 1918. I was in heaven. 11(!) Franz Marc paintings, some George Braque, Picasso, Manet, Kirchner and about a bazillion Kandinskys - it was ridiculous. I had seen online that they had Marc's "Gelbe Kuh," one of my all-time favorites. But not only that, they had the Unfortunate Land of Tirol, Stallungen, and Zerbrochene Formen, which almost made me cry, and several smaller paintings. I was ever so patient walking through the museum with Mel. Then I saw the Yellow Cow and I said, can we go see it?!?! And she said, "no, we need to go see this branch-off 'Kandinsky in the Bauhaus' exhibit" (which came first. I am pretty damn sure she'd never heard of the Bauhaus, nor knew how to spell it, but I could be wrong. Anyway, Bauhaus it was. Mel loved Einige Kreise.). When I finally got to see the Yellow Cow my first words were: "It's huge!" Having only been exposed to art in artbooks or, at most, postcard size...this was a treat. I was glad that Mel let me sit on the floor in front of the painting without looking annoyed. I could have stayed forever. I loved the entire exhibit - minus the pornographic modern video art. No, thanks.

In the evening, we met Mel's friend Abe for drinks. Yes, we had cosmos. Cause you gotta. We took a picture in front of the Chrysler Building. I was happy. After that, you guessed it: a Broadway musical: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with Daniel Radcliffe. AH-mazing. 8th-row seats, the real Harry Potter singing, dancing, acting, grinning! It was all I could have asked for (for $200). But still I thought...this theater is SMALL (I mean cozy and intimate) and dang, Harry Potter is short (I mean...yeah, well, he's short).

Bam! New York City was a dream come true. To spend some time with one of my favorite friends, watch movies, hang out and rest was a really nice vacation before advising starts. Mel is such an inspiration to me: she's successful, supportive and sweet; she has more degrees than I do, a JD and 2 LLMs. While keeping it real. What more could a girl ask? Nothing, really.

<3