new york, day 1 (finally)

Flight: my sister dropped me off at the airport, I checked my bag, got through security, and I had just enough time to use the restroom and fill up my water bottle before they closed the door. I know, pushing the time limit just a little. But a least I didn’t have to wait to board at all right? Got on the plane, found my seat, and saw that there were open rows everywhere! Sweet! I switched to an emergency exit row (more leg room) and settled in for the flight. Oh no, the captain comes over the loudspeaker and says, “due to the fact that we would arrive way too early, we are going to sit on the runway for 20 minutes before take-off.” SERIOUSLY? Come on people! Early is always better, especially when I have a 40 lb bag that I have to drag around New York City in 5 hours. Just leave already! Ok so we finally take off, someone sat in the same row as me (sad) but at least there was still an empty seat between us. I watch HGTV the entire flight, and now I want to buy a house haha. No way that is happening any time soon. Got off the plane, got lost a little bit in the JFK airport, found the baggage claim, and had a great reunion with Hayley! No, I was not looking in a mirror, the girl I stayed with is a good friend from BYU who now lives and works in Manhattan (awesome!) and she picked me up. Oh yeah, so we ended up getting in 20 minutes later than the original landing time. So really, we didn’t need to wait on the runway in SLC for 20 minutes. Stupid airline people… not my fave.

So Hayley and I talked and caught up and waited for my luggage, finally found it, and she told me that we needed to head straight to where her friends/fellow wardians were waiting with blankets to watch the fireworks later that night. So, lugging my large, heavy suitcase onto the air train and then a couple subways, and then through about 4 or 5 blocks in manhattan, we found the group and settled in for a hot, sweaty, long wait before the show.

I really think I’m cursed. It was in the upper 90’s and super humid the entire week I’m in New York, and I’ve heard that it since has cooled down. Same thing happened when I went to King City (where my parents now live) for the first time. Mom brags to me all the time that King City’s weather is beautiful! Sunny but not too hot. And the two days I’m there it’s miserably hot. I have the heat curse. At least its heat. If it were snow I’d probably die.

Anyway, back on track. We played Uno and Catch Phrase and people learned to call us Hayley B. and Hayley J. to differentiate between the two of us. It got confusing at times when people forgot an initial, which hasn’t happened in a long time. But whatevs, it was still awesome to be there. Finally the fireworks started, and it was totally amazing. 26 minutes of loud booms and bangs, and you could see 6 or 7 of the same show going on down the street. (same show from different locations along the Hudson.) After the fireworks we headed back to the subway (crowded like a can of sardines, and I had my suitcase with me) and finally got back to Hayley’s apartment and quickly turned on the AC. We took rinse off showers to wash off the nasty sweaty feeling and then went to bed. I was so excited for the weeks’ adventures it took me a while to go to sleep.

Stay tuned for Day 2...

^the last 30 seconds of the fireworks show, in case anyone misses the 4th of july...

there are better pictures coming, by the way.