Well lately he seems to be doing this to me at an increasing rate; I try to second-guess him, but this time Michael Croom was absolutely right—New York is an incredible city. Sure there are an abundance of crystal meth addicts, good for nothing swindlers, and there is the God-forsaken commercial hellhole of Times Square, but New York also has its many pleasures. I was given the privilege to stay with a good friend of mine, Matt Palmer who is a fourth year at NYU and his roommates Yee, Andrew, and Jake; who live on the East side at 1st Ave and St. Marks Place. Matt and his friends showed me a spectacular weekend that only local, knowledgeable, frugal students could ever manage to do. On Saturday, Matt and a group of his hospitable friends led me through a grand tour of some of the highlights of NYC. And since they are all students, they practiced the immeasurably important lifestyle of being utter cheapskates, so we ate exclusively budget meals and did as many free things as possible. One very notable place was Bryant Park, which is right next to the NY Public Library, and has a giant field with tables and chairs, a carousel, a fountain, and plenty of lawn space; and is enclosed by a perimeter of trees all alike. Followed by a quick walk through of stupid Times Square—complete with its swarm of materialistic mindless consumers, it is the epitome of what is wrong with the US (but what do I really think about Times Square?). Finally, I got a taste of NYU college life when they got me into a few dive bars in their neighborhood by using Jake’s id (which of course was also free because I didn’t drink anything).
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| Bryant Park |
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| A couple of babes getting hitched and taking some photos at Bryant Park |
The next day, Matt (hung-over), Jake (hung-over), and I (very hungry) got on our museum faces and ventured on over to the spectacular Metropolitan. We spent hours going through every single exhibit from Greek and Roman sculptures to Medieval art to Modern art to Contemporary art to the art of the Metropolitan’s delightful restroom facilities and then back in the mix to Egyptian art and so on and so forth. It was an absolutely overwhelming experience for me to see some of the oldest and most famous art in the world. But just to my misfortune, I forgot to bring a spare battery for my camera, so I didn’t get to capture all of the wonders of “The Met” (as the locals call it), but all the more reason to go back to it again. Then, we changed our museum faces into nature faces and walked over to Central Park. We settled on Cedar Hill for a while and let the feeling of complete sublime take over. Then I put on my birthday present from my super-cool-awesome lady-friend Alyssa: Vibram Five Fingers (i.e. a running shoe that still has the advantages of being barefoot), and Matt and I went for a 30 minute run through Central Park, while poor Jake studied for the LSATs :( By the end of the night, I realized how comfortable I felt in NYC. |
| Ancient sculptures from the Greek and Roman section of the Met |
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| Claude Monet |
I feel no regrets at all for spending the weekend in NYC. It was truly an amazing city, but I can’t say it would have been as perfect to me if I didn’t have Matt there showing me a great time. I am so grateful and lucky to have friends that willingly go out of their way to be there for me and show me a good time; I definitely do not take that for granted.
As I continue writing this blog, I am now aboard Air Berlin flight 7451 to Dusseldorf and then to Munich. As I write, I realize more and more how lucky I truly am to have this kind of opportunity while there are so many wonderful, hardworking people that deserve at least the bare necessities and can’t even get that. Or people that work day in and day out and never get a chance to take a real breath and realize how fantastic life is. I know this is probably not what you, the subscriber cares to think about right now, but with all do respect this is very much my blog so I’m just going to keep on keepin’ on. I also have to give thanks to all of the friends and family who overwhelm me with their generosity in helping with this trip in one way or another. I will do my best to try and repay you in some way or another while always adhering to ethics and the legal system of course [wink]. Okay, I am almost to Germany, and I haven’t slept a wink. I’ll post this as soon as I find a little German Wifi.
Song of the day: I’m So Tired by the BEATLES
Still to come, tales of Munich, Verona, Venice, and Barcelona.
Love the blog Nick. Thanks for reminding me how GOOD it feels to travel. And of course, making me laugh. Happy trails...Dr. L
ReplyDeleteOh, and I seem to recall you asking me my advice on if you should take this trip. Am I right/wrong?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good wishes Dr. L! I recall asking whether or not you thought it was a good idea to take a quarter off from my core Kinesiology classes in order to experience culture and to practice another language. And as I recall, you were in favor, right??? I hope things are going well for you and your family in beautiful SLO right now. As much as I love traveling, SLO always sounds great.
ReplyDeleteYou bet I was in favor. Live it up!, plenty of time for school and work. SLO is nice, but I could use another month off.
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ReplyDeleteNick, I have been doing a lot of thinking recently about your comments regarding "the commercial hellhole that is Times Square" and I have to disagree. So yes, I agree there is a commercialized aspect to Times Square that is present not only there, but also in any major metropolitan city worldwide. However, the true appeal of this district of New York is 1. its pop culture influence over the past century and b. Times Square being the center of the theater district of New York.
ReplyDeleteIn essence, people don't go to Times Square to shop and/or be brainwashed, rather to witness this iconic section of New York first hand. From movies to tv shows to Andy Warhol paintings... the picture of Times Square has become synonymous with the wonders of the American dream. In effect, it has become one of the most recognizable places in the world.
Second, the theater district is an amazing part of new york. Every night plays are performed, conveying art, culture, fun, music, etc. to the audience. Personally, I believe It is an extremely important facet of life and brings so much joy to life.
That all being said, I don't think you should be as hard on Times Square. I take offense to such statements. You should be arrested for your statements against 'Murrica.
Nick, I'm so glad your friends made it possible for you to experience a good chunk of NYC in just a couple of days. And I'm with Mikey Greenspan in regards to Times Square. The energy in that location is palpable and is to be appreciated for what it is - a pulsebeat in the center of a city full of Everything. We loved the fact that we arrived in our Times Square hotel about ten PM, then were able to go right out, find an easy pub dinner and inexpensive flowers for our room, all within two blocks. Your museum trip was worth the whole weekend, though. You'll remember that, always. We're headed to Mendocino Thursday, very much looking forward to our little piece of heaven on the north coast. Cheers! Grandboobly
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful look at NYC you got, kiddo. After so many years of wanting to see it, do you think you'll want to go back?
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone, you too, on Times Square. It's a melting pot of heinousness and vibrant culture. I'll send Dennis to do the arresting, though, so you can spend your jail time with us!
I started barefoot walking/running and I so love it. I ordered some cold weather Vibrams and can't wait to get 'em. What type of Vibrams do you have?
I tried walking on the indoor track today and could only get 1.5 miles before my right toe started to cramp up. I need to work up to the hard surfaces. How long did it take before you could run on the road?
Can't wait to hear about further adventures with your super cool lady friend. Hi Alyssa!
Love, your Auntboobly
Well Michael you bring up a good point. While I did say that I do not care much for Times Square, I am solely referring to the shopping district with its distinct buildings at that specific junction that stretches for a few streets. Of course, I have absolutely no problem with the theater district—drama is one of the Arts, and I'm pretty sure that the Theatre District is referred to as "extended Times Square."
ReplyDeleteBut the very fact that Times Square has become so iconic is my EXACT problem. And you can't say that people don't go there to shop because most people had at least one bag in their hand from one of the surrounding stores, and if no one shopped there, there would be no Times Square because it would go out of business. That being said, why does a commercial shopping district like Times Square have to be so iconic in the first place? It is no coincidence that such a famous street also happens to be lined with store after store after store. It is NOT the case that the coolest place in the country is lined with museum after museum after park after charity home. The fact is, Consumerism is cool. It is cool to buy stuff. And where can you buy the best and most stuff? Times Square.
In my opinion, spending mass amounts of money on material objects that serve no necessity should not be a top priority for people. If you want to blow some money on something, do something like donate to the World Food Program to buy a goat for a family in Kenya, so that they can better support themselves; or throw some money at a different charity if goats aren't your thing. Or if you can't live without buying some cool stuff, try looking for it at a local store, so that we can stop seeing so many small bussinesses fail in this economy.
Let me just say that Times Square is a good place to see once because it is known internationally and yes there is a lot of energy in the air, but it is not somewhere I would choose to spend copious amounts of time at. It was interesting to see the hundreds of thousands of different people from every imaginable background, but I would have much rather seen such a melting pot in Central Park.
Thank you all for voicing your opinions. It is a good thing when friends and family can talk about their varying ideals and beliefs. Please continue.
Love always, proud patriot of 'Murrica,
Nicholas Richard Larson
Aunty Susie:
ReplyDeleteYes I definitely think I'll go back to NYC. There were a lot of positive experiences, and a few museums that I didn't get to see yet.
And that's so great that you started running barefoot! It is a lot of fun! I have the Vibram KSO model, and from what I have read and heard, they are the most durable and versatile.
You really have to take your time in getting out to hard surfaces. It is absolutely critical that you understand proper technique. Here is a pretty good video to help with that:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jrnj-7YKZE
I spent weeks running in the grass and beach before I attempted pavement. You have to train your muscles and have the right technique before you move to cement or you will be incredibly sore!!! I waited until I felt like I was ready, and that was roughly five weeks.
Keep me posted on your progress!! I LOVE YOU!
GRANDMA: Have fun in Mendocino and let me know how it goes! I LOVE YOU!