I strategically chose to go on the second Saturday of my spring break because I knew I had to work M-F that week and it would be a great slice of vacation from school (ahem, my one class). The night before, I ran around gathering my outfit for my trip. Yes, I did not want to look like a tourist. Just a stylish young woman with a backpack. I think I succeeded. Since it was a day trip, I had nothing to really pack, just my camera, my bus ticket, and something from my job (which I later realized I did not pack). I woke up at 4:45 am and quietly got myself ready, trying not to wake my roommate up. I made it for my 6 am bus and settled in for the ride. The sun shone brightly through New England, so much that I didn't want to go to sleep. I tried though.
By 10:30, I made it to Manhattan. The first thing I saw was FIT, where we were dropped off. It was so great arriving when the sun was actually out. It was my third time in New York, but the previous times I had arrived at night. After breakfast, I headed down to Brooklyn to visit the Brooklyn Museum. I had looked up the trains to take beforehand, and I had a fairly easy route to take, thank goodness. The museum was awesome, and I actually looked at the artwork. I'm not a huge fan of art, but contemporary art is freaking great to me. After gathering a few goodies from the gift shop, I headed up to Harlem.
In Boston, I live in an area where I see a diverse number of people, so it's been a while since I had seen a lot of black folks in one place. I felt a little at home, seeing people who looked like me. My second stop was The Studio Museum Harlem on W 125th, a block away from the Apollo Theater. In the small, literally studio space, lay contemporary works done by black artists. I loved it. It was very out-of-this-world, crazy, inconceivable concepts. Yet, somehow, my highlight was finding a book in the gift shop that I hadn't seen in forever: Anasi the Spider. I remember hearing this story during story time in elementary school, and I stood there and read it again. It is my firm belief that this book is underrated.
By then, my phone was starting to give out, so I (happily) found a Starbucks and (sadly) paid for a drink with my own money. But hey, I gained an opportunity to stay and charge my phone. There I was able to just sit and people watch, both in the cafe and outside. There were street vendors galore, some having lit some strong incense sticks. You had a Rainbow-esque store next to a MAC store. The most famous street in Harlem is quite the mixture of businesses. After giving my phone some juice, I headed back down to Midtown.
My phone started dying all over again, and when I found myself at the Carolina Herrera store, they were nice enough to let me charge my phone. In the meantime, I made conversation with one of the salesman and admired the pieces. Something I have done since coming to Boston is visit higher-end stores and boutiques to check out the fashions there. I usually feel self-conscious because I know good and well I cannot afford such things, and sometimes I think it can show on me, as if my outfit or even my skin tone says "she cannot buy anything from here," but I have never been treated in such a way. That gives me hope that I can be really sweet to these people when I'm in a position to acquire something from the designers I like. I was very tempted to try on this one dress, but I decided against it. No use in getting my hopes up in a dress that I couldn't afford.
Six in the evening had arrived, giving me 2 1/2 hours to visit some stores before my bus departed. In that time frame, I:
- Went to FAO Schwarz and finally met Patrick and Penelope, their signature plush dogs. I wanted one when I was about 12 years old, but I never asked for one.
- Found the famous Bergdorf Goodman and failed to find the Jason Wu section. Turns out I went to the wrong floor. I was running out of time, so I snagged a catalog
- Walked past the flagship H&M
- Breezed through The NBA Store, which I had no idea existed. Too much Lakers gear, not enough Rockets gear
- Spent a bit of time at the 5th Avenue Barnes & Noble. This is where the big whigs come for book signings, like Robin Roberts and Pele. I found a magazine I knew was only in New York and snagged it. Snagged a puzzle too.
- Took the bus to reach Turntable Mad for Chicken, a restaurant I visited with friends last March. Their Korean Fried Chicken was so delicious that I had to get some. I failed to think that Saturday would be a busy night, so it took some time to get my food. By then, I had about half an hour to get to the bus.
After gathering my wings, I hightailed it down 34th street to get to my bus and made it with a few minutes to spare. I got to catch my breath, eat and celebrate a successful day in the city. There was a nice fellow that I sat next to, and we kept each other company on the late ride back.
I learned a few things about New York. You cannot underestimate what you plan to visit, no matter how good a traveler you are. Harlem is great. I smelled some fish and was transported to Houston for a second. You never know who you will meet when you get out of the house and go somewhere.
New York treated me very well, and I look forward to visiting again under warmer terms. I hope you enjoyed my crazy adventure!
Drika
