How 'Bout Them Apples?

New York City.

There is so much to say about it. There is so much crazy and life and happy and wonder and adventure. I think I may be in love. I came to the city a couple weeks ago. I’m so glad for that opportunity to get the “wow” factor out of the way and the stars out of my eyes. I was really able to take everything in this time. Really able to connect to the city. Really able to connect to the people. Really able to just be.

Our first stop was at our hotel, the Hampton Inn. If you’ve never stayed in a hotel in NYC then you’d probably be as surprised as I was to really see what it was like. It was 32 stories tall and like 3 rooms wide. But the rooms were much smaller. Still, we had enough room to be comfy and lay out and relax. The bed was huge and comfy and perfect for the three of us.

This is where we met Nicole. She was the hotel attendant that checked us in. From the very beginning she, and the rest of the staff were so very accommodating. At one point, someone even went out of there way to make sure Sara got some extra pillows even though the hotel was full. They smiled and listened to our story and called us each by name. They were so nice. That was the first idea of New York I got out of my head. The people there are really nice. I didn’t have a bad experience with anyone. Maybe it’s just because I don’t live there, but really, they were so sweet and I could tell that they really enjoyed and had fun at their jobs.

I was so impressed and so thankful for their great service and hospitality that I wanted to make sure Nicole knew just how much I really appreciated everything that they had done. We ended up sitting and talking to her before we left on the train. She showed us pictures of her daughter, talked about her life and growing up in the city and even offered Sara some advice about being pregnant. She was so kind and caring. I told her she had a beautiful soul and she asked to hug us. We even got a picture with her! I think we made ourselves a new friend. She and some of the staff promised to follow our blog and instagram. So hello dear Hampton Inn employees! Thank you for making our stay in the city so great and helping us leave the city with such a beautiful ending.

Now. Fourth of July in the city. (If you don’t want to read about sex, please skip the next 4 paragraphs.)

When we got off the train, we dropped off our bags and went on an adventure. We tried an Irish Pub for lunch and then walked through the big stores til we finally got to the Museum of Sex. As you can imagine, lots of *ahem* gadgets in the thrift store and funny innuendos. The first gallery just showed the progression and exploration of sex and the start of the acknowledgment of visual stimulation (aka: pornagraphy). It was.. interesting and blunt. There’s really no other way to describe it.

The second floor entailed the exploration of self and partners. They had interactive exhibits. One was a room full of mirrors where people were encouraged to check themselves out, and yes, there were mirrors on the floors and ceilings. Another cool one was a tent that they filled with different scents while cutting down vision to show that there are scents that may be stimulating. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) the scents they chose were overwhelming and didn’t actually.. well, work.

The third floor was all about animals and reproduction. Let’s just say that the humans have definitely had the best reproductive organs as far as what we could see. Yeah. That’s about all we have to say for that one. Although, we did learn that dolphins can be kinky little creatures.

Finally the fourth floor was about toys and inventions. Including a bicycle dildo. Actually, it was 2 bicycles put together with extra wheels and a rod and… you know what. You just really need to see it. Or not. It may scare you. So that was that. We wouldn’t say it was educational, but it was definitely an experience.

Okay! Moving on.

After that, we did a bit of shopping and headed back to the hotel. We were already so tired from all the walking and not getting enough sleep. We grabbed a pizza and went and chilled and watched “Keeping up with the Kardashians”. Again, we’ve never done that, so yay! Experiences. BUT AFTER THAT…..

It’s the Fourth of July, baby! We weren’t missing out on a night of fun for anything! So, we got ready and headed out to enjoy our freedom and independence. And promptly got lost. But, we found a family of Aussies that were also lost and we walked with them around the city. They had kids and grandma so we felt relatively safe that they weren’t going to kidnap us. They were so fun and lively. We told them about our travelling and they told us a bit about their lives. Once again, really sweet people that adopted 3 American girls and kept us company.

We did end up parting ways with them. We watched the fireworks which were amazing. They were big and smoke filled up half the city, I swear. There were so many people. I had so many comments about my blue hair. I’m in New York. I definitely wasn’t the only one with blue hair, but so many people said something about it. I think my favorite one was this guy who bowed and called me the “Goddess of Aqua”. That was pretty cool.

We walked with the crowds toward Times Square. At night, you can’t even tell how dark it is because the city is just lit up. This is when the city really came to life. There were street performers, vendors, tourists, shops, 18 Mickey Mouses, naked girls, and flags everywhere. This is where we met Zeb.

Zeb was AWESOME. Us girls were trying to take a selfie (shout out to Adam and Rebecca for the selfie stick!) and he just came up to us and asked us where something was. As we were talking to him he told us that he just drove an hour to get to the city and came all alone. None of his friends were cool enough to come out and see the fireworks in the city, so we invited him to hang out. He plays and teaches golf and told us that he loves to travel. He mentioned that next summer he wants to go to Hong Kong. He plans on teaching golf at schools and making that a big part of his life. We walked around looking for a good place to grab a drink and talk, when he mentions something about karaoke. Hello, bucket list! We found a karaoke bar not too far from Times Square and piled into the room with a TV and some mics. We spent two hours singing, laughing, drinking and taking videos to send to his friends that didn’t come to the city with him. He was so fun and happy. We serenaded him with “Thinking out Loud” and Sarah even did a beautiful job with “Bohemian Rhapsody”. There is no other way we would have wanted to spend that night. Thank you Zeb for your sense of adventure and crazy idea for coming to NYC on the 4th of July all alone. You made our night.

This morning we got up and wandered into the breakfast room and 6am. That was awful. We ate first breakfast and went back to sleep. At 9:30 we awoke for second breakfast (that was awesome) and got ready to go to FIT. Unfortunately, everything was closed since it was Sunday. We did think about trying to get into a student orientation, but we didn’t want Sarah to get kicked out before she even got accepted. Finally, we ended our tour of this great city and Carlo’s Bakery and ate delicious strawberry cheesecake. Now, we are headed home to finish paintings, cuddle with Sara, and pack up to leave for tomorrow. We can’t believe how fast this weekend went. Even if this was the only stop that we made, it would have been worth it. We’ve never felt so alive and so tired at the same time. The energy from this weekend has been crazy awesome. Let’s hope the next stop is even better.

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From Dawn-

Before I go, I will say this. I was dreading this morning. For the the first time I am away from my best friend and husband on a day that is heartbreaking for our family. When I fell asleep, I dreamt of Tim and the last time I spoke to him. Waking up from that after a night that was so happy and full of life reminded me of the way that I felt three years ago. I know that we all miss him. I know that we will all be thinking of him today. But being reminded of him didn’t hurt as bad. Waking up in a new city, and living my life gave me the strength. I know that while Tim was taken from us so soon, he lived his life to the fullest. He made everyday count. That’s what I’m doing now. I am two years older than Tim when he passed. It’s taken me too long to do the things I’ve really wanted to do. So Tim, thank you for being an inspiration for me and this trip. Thank you for teaching me how to love and live fully to everyone. Thank you for being a part of our family and life. You will forever be in our hearts.

RIP

Tim J. B. Jr.

06/05/2012

#nyc #selfiestick #karaoke #fourthofjuly #newyork #bluehair