New York, New York

Every time I say that, 'New York, New York', it definately makes me feel pretty groovy. New York, New York is both an awesome and cool place, and a very sad place. When I arrived on Friday (I missed my train on Thursday) it was late at night and it was pouring rain when I walked out of the station and my first thought was 'oh crap it's raining'. the handle on my umbrella had broken off up in Montreal so I was holding on to this little stick and trying to keep my backpack dry because all my books and important things were in the top, so this meant that I got soaked, but I got used to the rain after a while and it really didn't end up being too bad, it added atmosphere to the city (although I'm still glad that it's sunny right now). Right across the station was madison square garden so I snapped a picture of that and started out into the city with no idea where I was going and no maps or even an adress or number for a hostel. I should have gotten a map at least from the train station, but I didn't think of it and before I knew it I was on the street and walking. My first instinct was to head toward the place where all the excitement and people were coming from so pretty soon I hit broadway and then turned along that and walked for a couple of blocks and then, sensing that it was nearby, I asked someone where times square was. They informed me that I was in it and I was a bit confused for a minute because I though squares had to be these big open spaces, but then as I walked onto the median in the middle of the street, the whole place sort of expanded around me, until when I was standing on the subway grate in the middle, with an almost musical sound coming up from the underground and all the taxis and people yelling and honking and the hundreds of flashing lights and big screens blurring my vision and me spinning inside it all, it felt like it was the center of the world and the world was spinning around the ground where I stood, it was truly a magnificant feeling. Evidently, however, New Yorkers also think that New York is the center of the world and sometimes it can be hilarious to see people walking down the street who obviously think 'I'm all that' and how visible, without saying a word to them but just in their fashions and the way they walk, their conceit is. it gives it a pretty cool feeling though. the sad side of New York came later in the night. I had decided that since it was so late and all I knew about where I was, was that I was in times square, I wasn't gonig to look around for a hostel too far from the square, but instead I was going to stay up all night and wander around in the close area. So I pretty much explored every corner of times square and though they say that the city never sleeps, there was a time from around 3 to 5 in the morning where there were very few people on the street. However, at this time of night you could walk down Broadway and on every streetcorner there would be a pusher trying to sell you drugs and depending which street you walked down, there could be half a dozen guys walking down the street with a hooker. It was definately a sad city at that time and not a very safe place, even though the city has being swarming with police since Bloomberg I'm told, but fortunately there were a few 24/7 mcdonalds and starbucks in the direct vicinity of times square so I spent a good percentage of my time in those (or standing under the big overhanging broadway theater signs because it rained the whole time). I made it through the night, but I was really tired the next day and didn't do a whole lot except for walk from times square to Amsterdam and 103rd st. (trust me it's a long way, especially with a backpack in the semi-rain) and check into the hostelling international hostel there. today I didn't do a whole lot either, but I went to church this morning (at about noon) and met a bunch of cool people and went for lunch with them, so that was pretty good I guess. right now I only have about a minute and a half left on my internet time so I'm going to have to wrap up, but I took a bunch of videos in New York and I'm going to see if I can find somewhere to upload those.