The New York Water Taxi was one of the best things I've done up here. Even if you've lived here your whole life and you've never done it, I highly suggest you do. You get a completely different perspective of this crazy, hectic city from the water. It's peaceful, sparkling and majestic.
As I've said once before in this blog, I'm a very patriotic person. But I've never thought so fondly or felt so strongly for New York or America, until I saw the empty space in the skyline where the World Trade Center once stood. I thought about the strength both this city and our country have exhibited following that horrible day.
Ever since gaining this new perspective, I've felt differently towards the city I once thought of as a mecca for high-achievers, self-expressionists and non-sleepers. I now appreciate it as a home. I can recognize the pride and unity that it holds, and I see what it stands for in so many peoples' eyes. There is something truly remarkable about a community that can somehow piece back together something that broke an entire country. That day, I felt a nationwide sense of pride and patriotism shining through the skyscrapers and bouncing off the water--it was the resilience of this city.
I once thought it would be the New York Yankees hat I recieved from a friend that would get me to root for the team. Now I realize it's something much different.
Less: because I have a somewhat better knowledge than the visitor regarding what to do/where to go/how to get there More: because I do things like circle line tours
So last weekend (this post is anything but timely, I KNOW. Don't hate me--keep following!) Shae (that's my older sister for you stranger-followers) came to visit. I wanted to jam pack our weekend full of fun, memorable things, and I think I succeeded. Also, Kelsey (my roommate's sister) came to town, as did the one and only MQ. Needless to say, it was a very busy weekend.
On Friday I went to an Intern Fest for the PR interns of the Omnicom Group (that's mine and Caroline's umbrella company, it owns several big advertising and PR firms, Porter being one of them.) It was great. I actually found out that my friend Stacey friend from school was interning for a firm up here. After the convention, a few of us went to a bar called Snafu in midtown and discussed all of the fun and exciting things we've been up to. It was great catching up with a familiar friend and also getting to know my fellow PNers a little better. (PS- shout out to my PN friends: Kara, Kayla, Celia, Nancy, Ian and Phillip. Now that you've been mentioned in my blog, you can expect daily emails hassling you to follow it. = )
I left Snafu and went to meet Shae, Wynn, Kelsey, Caroline and MQ in Central Park to listen to the Philharmonic. We stopped and got a pizza and had a picnic among the trees and fireflies (don't make fun- trying to bring some imagery to the blog.) Unfortunately (or fortunately, I like to think) it started to down pour. Fully satiated from the pizza, wine and beautiful music, we beelined for the exit of the park along with the other 70,000 Philharmonic Phans. Think: a Gator game in which the opposing team's fans leave the stadium because they're losing so badly. Similar to that.
With 2 pieces of pizza left in the box, I simply could not throw it away. It was delicious, and I don't know, call me Krysia, but I just can't waste food, ESPECIALLY when there are homeless people every 20 feet around you. And, after a while, my forearms were getting tired of holding the box over my head to protect it from the rain (it was a lost cause, anyways), so i decided to "pie it forward" to a random man on the street. Not homeless, but hungry nonetheless. Like the good New Yorker that he was, he didn't trust my generosity (it's not often you get free things around here, I don't blame him for being wary!), so I took a big bite out of a piece to show him it was okay. It was like we went from not speaking the same language to sharing an immediate bond over a slice of pie--so Eat Pray Love of us.
Other funny things that happened that night: -Singing New York New York in the rain- perfect way to fool people that you're in fact a temporary resident of the city--sing New York New York. It never gets old. -Showing up to a bar downtown when it only rained uptown and getting looks like "you are really ugly."
On the morning of the 4th, my cousins Matt, Dave and Christian took us (me, Caro, Shae and Matt's wife Tina) "crabbing." After about a half an hour without any crustacea to be caught, we asked Matt if he had ever crabbed before. He responded as if we were a bunch of fools. "Uh, Yeahh...In Nantucket." (Here's my immediate thinking: Nantucket is in Massachusetts-->Boston is in Massachusetts--> Boston Clam Chowder ---> Clams are basically like crabs--> Matt thinks we're being home dinner....)
Finally, after about an hour, we somehow caught the just-hatched sacrificial crab. He was probably the runt of the litter. All the bigger crabs were like, "Go ahead squirt. Just clamp onto that chicken wing. You'll be alright." (insert crab laughter) After some strategic zooming on the camera to try to make him appear larger than he actually was, we threw the little sucker...eh...pincher? back into the water.
Then the funny thing of the morning happened. I started talking about the red, white and blue jello shots (complete with gummy worms) from the night before, and Shae bolted up from her chair and puked (into wind, props!) In her defense, it smelled like fish out there. The boys then threw the Purdue chicken pieces we were fishing with to the seagulls. Somebody pointed out that we were encouraging cannibalism...I didn't get it for a good couple of seconds.
We got a pretty good reaction out of Krys when we told her what we fished with.
In Krysia voice:"Why didn't you bring them home and put them on the grill?!"
(I shouldn't mock her...that actually would have made up for the crab dinner...or lack there of!)
Later on, we all decided to call our morning activity "sitting."
Later in the day when Matt and I weren't catching anything while fishing in the ocean, my wise cousin said something that stuck with me. "They don't call it catching!"
The 4th of July is my favorite holiday. It's right up there with St. Patrick's Day. Somewhat obscure favorites, I know. I'm Irish, so I love St. Patrick's Day (and it's exactly a week before my birthday). The 4th of July celebrates America's independence, it's during the summer, involves my closest friends and family, barbecue, the beach and fireworks--what's not to love?
This 4th, Caroline, Shae and I went "down the shore" (as they say up north) to Sea Isle City, NJ, appropriately acronymed 'SIC'. My Aunt Elsie and Uncle Tony have a 14-bedroom house called "L'Etage" across the street from the ocean. I've been going to L'Etage since I was about nine or ten. The beautiful Victorian-style home has a wrap around porch with rocking chairs and enough Ferguson family rowdiness to keep you there all night.
When I was younger, my older cousins would usually start their nights on the porch and then make their way down the street to the bars. Over the years, my Aunt Els would provide porch paraphanalia to amplify the fun factor, such as kazoos to blow and pantyhose to put over your head (just because it looked funny). Once the fun was had, I was always jealous I couldn't join my cousins when they left to go out.
I was beyond excited this year to finally get to experience the SIC bar scene since I'm 21. But just like when I was 10, I never left the porch. Hanging out with cousins, who are now fathers and mothers is much more fun than any night out...even in Joisey.
The New York Water Taxi was one of the best things I've done up here. Even if you've lived here your whole life and you've never done it, I highly suggest you do. You get a completely different perspective of this crazy, hectic city from the water. It's peaceful, sparkling and majestic. 
As I've said once before in this blog, I'm a very patriotic person. But I've never thought so fondly or felt so strongly for New York or America, until I saw the empty space in the skyline where the World Trade Center once stood. I thought about the strength both this city and our country have exhibited following that horrible day. 
