3 Bucks! 2 Bags! 1 Me!

What is it about you
You're big
You're loud
You're tough
NYC

Too busy
Too crazy
Too hot
Too cold
Too late
I'm sold
Again
On NYC

The rich and the rundown
The parade
Goes by

You crowd
You cramp
You're still
The champ
Amen For NYC
The shimmer of Times Square

The pulse
The beat
The drive!
The city's bright
As a penny arcade
It blinks, it tilts, it rings

Oh, NYC
The whole world keeps coming
By bus
By train

Just got here this morning
Three bucks
Two bags
One me
NYC

That's way up high
Tonight
The "Y"
Why not
It's NYC

That is pretty much exactly how I felt about New York City, but maybe not quite so enthusiastic. (It's from Annie by the way). The city was very dirty and gross, and the subway was DISGUSTING, but it was all very charming nonetheless. There were just SO many exciting things to see and do. I really did love it.

If I wanted to, I could make this post exceptionally long. Instead, I'm going to start with Day 1 and be quick about it, and then publish the other days in installments. I don't want to overwhelm my readers.

DAY ONE:

We caught the bus at Dupont Circle at 3:00pm on Friday. It took us pickin' 5 hours to get there. It was a very long ride, and I hate trying to fall asleep sitting up. But, we did get there eventually. The first memory I have of New York City is the subway. And it was gross. It smelled like pee, there were no security guards, the walls were grimy and peeling off, the train itself was really dirty and full of stinky people, etc. I was suddenly VERY grateful for the lovely metro in Washington, D.C.

We checked into our hotels first- the boys at the Hilton, and the girls at Park Central. They were about a block apart, both very close to Times Square. By the time we met up again it was after eleven, and not one of us had eaten any dinner. I WAS STARVING. While walking along, searching for a good, cheap place to eat (we found that those places are very hard to come by), we came upon, well, a movie set!! I think they were filming a chase seen. There were cars in trailers with cameras moving down the road and people with lights and everything. While we were standing there watching, another car came, and guess who was in it???!! Nicholas Cage!!! Famous person alert!! Movie being filmed alert!! So, we followed the car up the street a little big trying to take pictures. Yes, we were classic, very annoying tourists. BUT, Tyson got a great picture:
Click on it so you can see Mr. Cage up close. It was cool to see such a well-known star, but just think about how much cooler it would have been to see a good-looking well-known star!

We found dinner at a little Halal stand. It tasted great, but it was very HOT. Like miserable, spicy, we were all crying hot. The nearby sights of the night included the Today Show, Radio City Music Hall, St. Paul's Cathedral, fancy stores on 5th Avenue, and Times Square/Broadway. And let me tell you, Times Square is a happenin' place. When you hear people say that New York City is the city that never sleeps, they are telling the truth. It was one in the morning when we went back to our hotel, and there were still literally THOUSANDS of people walking around. It was ridiculous! Pictures from the evening:

The Gang :)I had to include this one just to show how many people there were. It was very crowded. And, look at the crazy neon signs. It was very bright. I kind of wished I had sunglasses. :)

Stay tuned for day 2!