New York City, NY Day 01
I'm starting off this blog with photos of the market where my sister gets groceries. It's actually a pretty big market and has everything you'd ever need but it's so intensely small. I mean I never really realized how relaxed we are in downtown SLC until I set foot in this place. I mean our grocery stores take up like an entire square block... hers is about the size of my apartment but I'd argue maybe has even MORE food and choices than your local Smiths or Albertsons. Seriously, forget using a cart. The isles aren't even three feet wide.
I know a few ppl in SLC that wouldnt even be able to get through that isle to buy food... time to slim down just to grocery shop. awesome! haha
Oh stop it. I haven't been to NYC in like 10 years so I can get excited about whatever I want to get excited about. haha
So here's the breakdown. I haven't been with my sister on her birthday in like 6 years (maybe 7). She just graduated from high school and is attending Columbia AND Julliard in New York City on fat scholarships for a 5 year duel program. For a birthday, graduation, and congratulations present I decided to build her a custom bicycle to use while she lives in NYC. I compiled all of the parts, painted, shined, etc. all in SLC and then boxed them up and brought them via airplane all of the way out to NYC to build her up a bike on her birthday. Woo!
I arrived last night (thursday evening) at 3:30am. After catching train after train and meeting some wonderful people (2 new friends made from London and Ghana!) and getting soaked in the rain, I finally plugged in the blow-up mattress that my sister rented me for the weekend. I'm staying with her in her single dorm room at Columbia University. I laid down, closed my eyes and, then, before I knew it, it was 10am.
My sister stayed up a little after me and was awake before I was. It feels AWESOME to be chilling in a college dorm without any deadlines above my head. While she was finishing a paper I was sleeping. It was the best feeling ever. (sorry sister!) haha. Columbia has a beautiful campus. Their library alone seems to be larger than Utah's state capital... and dare I say... much more majestic. Aside from the constant rain and the very slippery ground surrounding each building, it's a nearly perfect university. It's not too large, not too small. The campus doesn't go on forever but includes everything it needs AND they have tons of great food I can actually eat in their cafe. This morning I had perfect oatmeal with grapes and flax. It was yummy.
After breakfast I spent the rest of the time building her bicycle. The only thing that really gave me trouble was her front break. I brought the wrong size break and so we had to make a few stops at bike shops to get it right. We finally found one that could help, however they didn't do a very good job. It's workable but I have to get it to a better shop tomorrow morning to make sure that it's in perfect working condition for her before I leave.
The box I dragged across the country
Workin' on Geeta's bike
I am SOOOO proud of this finished bicycle. Here it is in all of it's glory!
I rented a little commuter bike downtown for pretty cheap (since it was raining the shop gave me a pretty good discount) and we tried to catch the NYC Critical Mass but missed it by about 30 mins. This is a total bummer obviously but not to worry... we still had a grand time on her maiden voyage! We rode alongside the Hudson River on what is called (and appropriately so) the Riverside bike/ped path. It is GORGEOUS and bypasses all of the nasty roads. It runs throughout Manhattan island from top to bottom. What a great resource for commuters! It even has bicycle lights that are little lit-up bicycles that coincide with the traffic that sometimes runs alongside of it. We rode almost the whole thing.... in the rain!
Geeta on her bike in the rain with the Hudson River behind her.
After riding down Riverside for a while we ended up in Chelsea! How cool is that? We didn't even plan it. ANyway they have this huge complex called the Chelsea Peer that actually has an ice-skating rink on the roof of one of the buildings. We took a break there and re-grouped to plan the rest of the night.
Riding bikes on the roads here is like riding on highways so when we ended up in Soho and decided to walk the bikes around and find some food to eat. We both decided that my sister should get more used to her bike before we attack the roads. We found a burger joint and had a really filling dinner. I haven't had a burger in forever so it was a treat fosho! Afterwards we followed our noses (literally!)to a super cool little cookie place in Soho called Insomnia Cookies that is open late and even delivers their cookies right to your door. NO JOKE. Apparently there is one in Ann Arbor Michigan too.. just never knew it. As we all know I can't eat cookies but Geeta can so she went in and bought some. The guy actually gave her a free one for me just to be nice and she took it to give to a friend back in the dorms. She also took a carry out menu to try their delivery service during those late-night study sessions. Why wasn't there an Insomnia Cookies near my dorm when I was in college?!
Waiting on the burgers
decided to avoid the rain and catch the subway back
I'm always on trains with bikes.
I've rediscovered that my hair can actually look nice without a straightener... and that in humid places it is wavy and STAYS that way. I'm bent on growing it out now- my sisters hair looks amazing and it's long and actually low maintenance. Oh humidity. Funny, when I lived in Savannah and it was SUPER HUMID (wayyy worse than NY) I never had hair long enough to curl. Half of college I had dreads and the other half i had shorty hair. Anyway, bed time. We had a great day!
We could be closer than you know,
Chelsea
So here's the breakdown. I haven't been with my sister on her birthday in like 6 years (maybe 7). She just graduated from high school and is attending Columbia AND Julliard in New York City on fat scholarships for a 5 year duel program. For a birthday, graduation, and congratulations present I decided to build her a custom bicycle to use while she lives in NYC. I compiled all of the parts, painted, shined, etc. all in SLC and then boxed them up and brought them via airplane all of the way out to NYC to build her up a bike on her birthday. Woo!
I arrived last night (thursday evening) at 3:30am. After catching train after train and meeting some wonderful people (2 new friends made from London and Ghana!) and getting soaked in the rain, I finally plugged in the blow-up mattress that my sister rented me for the weekend. I'm staying with her in her single dorm room at Columbia University. I laid down, closed my eyes and, then, before I knew it, it was 10am.
My sister stayed up a little after me and was awake before I was. It feels AWESOME to be chilling in a college dorm without any deadlines above my head. While she was finishing a paper I was sleeping. It was the best feeling ever. (sorry sister!) haha. Columbia has a beautiful campus. Their library alone seems to be larger than Utah's state capital... and dare I say... much more majestic. Aside from the constant rain and the very slippery ground surrounding each building, it's a nearly perfect university. It's not too large, not too small. The campus doesn't go on forever but includes everything it needs AND they have tons of great food I can actually eat in their cafe. This morning I had perfect oatmeal with grapes and flax. It was yummy.
After breakfast I spent the rest of the time building her bicycle. The only thing that really gave me trouble was her front break. I brought the wrong size break and so we had to make a few stops at bike shops to get it right. We finally found one that could help, however they didn't do a very good job. It's workable but I have to get it to a better shop tomorrow morning to make sure that it's in perfect working condition for her before I leave.
I am SOOOO proud of this finished bicycle. Here it is in all of it's glory!
I rented a little commuter bike downtown for pretty cheap (since it was raining the shop gave me a pretty good discount) and we tried to catch the NYC Critical Mass but missed it by about 30 mins. This is a total bummer obviously but not to worry... we still had a grand time on her maiden voyage! We rode alongside the Hudson River on what is called (and appropriately so) the Riverside bike/ped path. It is GORGEOUS and bypasses all of the nasty roads. It runs throughout Manhattan island from top to bottom. What a great resource for commuters! It even has bicycle lights that are little lit-up bicycles that coincide with the traffic that sometimes runs alongside of it. We rode almost the whole thing.... in the rain!
After riding down Riverside for a while we ended up in Chelsea! How cool is that? We didn't even plan it. ANyway they have this huge complex called the Chelsea Peer that actually has an ice-skating rink on the roof of one of the buildings. We took a break there and re-grouped to plan the rest of the night.
Riding bikes on the roads here is like riding on highways so when we ended up in Soho and decided to walk the bikes around and find some food to eat. We both decided that my sister should get more used to her bike before we attack the roads. We found a burger joint and had a really filling dinner. I haven't had a burger in forever so it was a treat fosho! Afterwards we followed our noses (literally!)to a super cool little cookie place in Soho called Insomnia Cookies that is open late and even delivers their cookies right to your door. NO JOKE. Apparently there is one in Ann Arbor Michigan too.. just never knew it. As we all know I can't eat cookies but Geeta can so she went in and bought some. The guy actually gave her a free one for me just to be nice and she took it to give to a friend back in the dorms. She also took a carry out menu to try their delivery service during those late-night study sessions. Why wasn't there an Insomnia Cookies near my dorm when I was in college?!
I've rediscovered that my hair can actually look nice without a straightener... and that in humid places it is wavy and STAYS that way. I'm bent on growing it out now- my sisters hair looks amazing and it's long and actually low maintenance. Oh humidity. Funny, when I lived in Savannah and it was SUPER HUMID (wayyy worse than NY) I never had hair long enough to curl. Half of college I had dreads and the other half i had shorty hair. Anyway, bed time. We had a great day!
We could be closer than you know,
Chelsea
Labels: adventure, autumn, bicycle, Brigid, family, Geeta, New York
posted by Chelsea at 10:27 PM
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