I didn't know what to do at all and I was so hungry from the last pizza trip yesterday. Yelp rewarded my religious trawling with another cafe that opens at 6am, 10 minutes away from my loft. I TOOK IT!
But not before a shit ton of vain photos with my incredible selfie tripod stick.
Reached The Bread Brother Bagels and the folks were so friendly! I asked for the wifi password and this guy happily went, 'no wifi till I get a hi-fi!' and I hi-fi'ed the shit out of him hahah so adorable.
The bagel was way too tough for me. I tore it apart and ate around it. The mocha was good though, I'm a staunch milo fan but this one was allowed through the taste gates so thumbs up!
I found a 10am yoga event at Bryant Park through Eventbrite (very useful for finding random nonsense to do) and made my way there after breakfast. I ended up reaching two full hours early LOL. I like being early but this was just bad planning haha.
Crashed a little at Pax.
I realize the biggest downer of vacationing is low battery. I cannot be in the mood to be anywhere without at least 40%. As such, I make regular pit stops at any cafes with a charging point.
The beautiful thing is almost every single place I've ate or drank at so far has a charging point. I'd not eat for a stint then stay in the cafe/ restaurant and order something and stay till slowly till my phone gets back to 80%. It's a nice routine.
PAX was a lovely place. All I bought was a bottle of water but they let me sit pretty for two hours while waiting for my yoga to start. But the bigger question is why am I two hours early and still so deliriously happy about it lol yoga is love, yoga is life.
Couldn't take it anymore and decided to go to the park early to see if they are up and lo and behold the mats were ready!!!
The class was pretty slow.
The instructor warned us it'd be. I was hoping so hard there would be inversions but she went though the basic sun salutations, albeit in this weird, limb twisting way that was novel to me.
I really wanted to commemorate my first NYC yoga experience with a photo of a headstand on the podium but they cleared up so quickly. Set up and tear down within minutes. The efficiency, especially for supposedly slow yoga people, was real.
Bryant Park at 11am.
I was very tired by now and wanted to sneak home to rest. I really had to will myself to go visit Times Square with unsightly sports attire peeking out my dress.
But of course, it paid off!
Times Square was honestly less than what my head held but it was probably partially because its daytime and none of the lights could out-glare the sun. Headed to H&M and picked out a sobbingly lax outfit that I changed into shortly.
Headed to Cityhall Ferry Station after.
By now, my morale was running dangerously low. Remember I never done solo traveling and my first one was so extensive. I had a bad bout all the way through lunch (my first real meal of the day) and into the ferry.
I boarded intending to see the Statue of Liberty. I did not want to pay the $18 fee on the other commercialized ferries so I had to settle for the Staten Island ferry. I was initially worried I made a wrong decision after seeing how gorgeous the statue was in persons but honestly?
Taking the Staten Island ferry was the best decision of my life.
I'll explain in a bit.
I boarded my first ferry into the island.
It was slightly scary to be so far away from the city, so I decided to chat with a fellow passenger on the ferry. She was a student at a college in Staten Island and she was explaining Staten Island used to be an island of trash, literally, because it was where New York sent their garbage for recycling.
We disembarked shortly and she left so I was alone again :(
I almost jumped on the first ferry back home; Staten Island had such an extensive array of transportation routes that it threw me off. But I forced myself to stay and walked around the pier, eventually sitting down next to this fashionable black lady.
I spoke to her and asked what's at Staten Island and she was so glad to tour me!
She told me the pier was the best place to unwind for her, but if I wanted attractions, I could go to this museum beyond the construction site. I then told her what the college girl explained about Staten Island as a recycling town and she laughed and said it was no longer that way.
We chatted for a bit more then I left to find food.
A few of the places didn't carry iced chocolate (why?) and by now, I've passed by the terminal's Culture Lounge twice so I went in out of curiosity. The art was pretty meh but I liked this big wall.
Hello my four fellow Singaporeans!
I grabbed a drink at their bar and basked in the gentle ocean breeze for a bit. I wanted to catch the 4.50pm ferry back and it was only 4.30pm so I took my time. It was serene catching the coastal air just like that. I can see why people choose to live here, so detached from New York, now.
The ferry came in a bit and I didn't know which side the Statue of Liberty was at, but I took a bet on the left (it's right, for your reference) and seriously and intently stayed in my spot like a statue for the whole ferry ride, before realizing it was on the right.
By then all the other tourists have crowded the deck and I lost my photo opportunity.
Staten Island looks like the island from Lost from here.
Pitter patter.
I had time to kill so decided to just wing it and try again, boarding the ferry for the third time and this time sticking to the left because opposite routes, right? But I couldn't be sure so I asked the passenger next to me.
And that's when I met Francisco.
He was wearing this fisherman's hat and looking worn out from an obviously long day. I asked him if this side was where lady liberty was the closest and he happily declared this is the greatest view in all of the ferry. My joy was real.
We got to chatting and I asked how he knew it'd be this side. He laughed and said he's been taking it daily for years now because he lives in Staten Island but works in the city. We got to talking about our jobs and our families and suddenly, he stopped and told me to prep myself for the looming view.
He was such a sweet man.
He politely asked some other folks to shift out the way as he photographed me view after view, standing up and squatting down, taking a new shot every single time the ferry moved, giving me a dozen amazing shots with the Statue of Liberty in different positions. I loved them.
After a while we let it go by and continued our conversation.
He gushed about the weekend and how excited he was to be gathering with everyone for the holidays again. He asked how I was going to celebrate 4th of July and I told him I was going to be alone because I don't know anyone in New York.
I also idiotically admitted that I used to think Statue of Liberty was in the middle of New York because all the movies made it look so central. By now, the ferry was docking soon and he made a move to the front of the ferry, so he won't get caught up in the queue. I waved and he left.
I was making my way to disembark when out of nowhere, I see Francisco hahah. I could tell he's rushed up the stairs from the staggered breaths. He invited me to his gathering, reassuring me that there'd be a lot of food, drinks and good company and I needn't be alone.
I was so honestly touched my God. Why are New Yorkers so kind? Technically Staten Islanders, but the main point why are they all such exquisite human beings?
We exchanged numbers and he left for home, but not after insisting I come and telling me how convenient his place was from the terminal. I nodded him off and made my merry way back to the ferry LOL.
This time I didn't want to stay in the island anymore. I feel like I lucked out meeting the kindest man in all of Staten Island already; time to go back happily home and call it a day.
But Staten Island, Staten amazing Island, had another surprise for me.
On my (fourth) ferry back, I missed the prime seats and had to settle for the second best few. An nice Asian man waved me into the empty seat next to him and immediately chatted me up.
'You speak Chinese?'
'Yes I do! Hello!'
'Good.'
And then we started the liveliest conversation ever.
From the Great Wall of China to the twin towers' 9-11, this guy knew it all. He was like a walking encyclopaedia, but a lonely one with little Chinese-speaking fellows to regal. I was fascinated by his stories.
More fascinated by his photography skills though hahah check it.
The ferry passed quickly this time round. I didn't want to part ways so soon with such a fantastic photographer hahah so I took up his offer to tour me around Wall Street.
He continued giving me history lessons on America. I thought it was incredible he knew so much, and he explained he's been here for a long time now. He'd work, save, and spend it here having fun. Rinse and repeat. No obligations back home to fulfill at home. I was so jealous!
We went to the Natural Museum of the American Indian but it was closed so he brought me to see the famous bull of Wall Street instead.
I didn't really understand the bull. We tried to find a plaque explaining it, as statues usually come with, but there was nothing. I would later find the story behind it, but at that point all he was hyped about was me photographing him holding the bull's balls hahah.
I classily passed the opportunity hahah.
After a while, we parted ways. He headed to Chinatown while I headed home. My feet were killing me. It was only 7 but I couldn't drag myself out again. I think I did pretty good today already!
Met the rest of my roommates since I came home early. We actually met under ridiculous conditions.
Me and this Indian girl were chatting about this upcoming Indian convention in Florida (I am not shitting you) that she is dreading. While chatting, I reheated a panini I had from the corner store.
I'm an idiot. I left the panini, complete with the foil, in the microwave. I was continuing the chat but she was already staring horrified at the microwave and just as I turned to see why, the microwave snapped into a flash fire and I ejected the door the fuck out LOL.
We started laughing and she was so confused as to how someone can be so bad with the kitchen. So was I please.
As if on cue, a second girl came in.
She dropped her stuff loudly down on her bed. She then took out a block and a knife and started grinding it. Silently and steadily. It was so fucking creepy. I left the common room and ducked out in my bed.
I tweeted 'what the fuck my roommate is sharpening her knife at 8pm in the night' or something. Then I mused over how there should be a funny account documenting 'Famous Last Tweets'. Mine would make top retweeted.
But after a while, I went out to talk to her and as it turned out, she was a sous chef at quite a famous restaurant in downtown New York. She was interning there almost 7 days a week and this was her first off day in a while. Now everything made sense hahah.
All three of us caught up on each other's careers and lives for a bit, carefully decided the shower schedule (haha) and concluded our early nights in.
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