NYC Trip Part 6: People Suck So Much, I'm Surprised There's Oxygen Left

Around 12:30, I turned my little light off and decided to try and get some sleep, and I end up just laying there with my eyes closed for awhile. Then I (and the rest of the floor, I guess) hear this couple come in, and while they're whispering, it's the kind of whispers that carry. Not exactly a stage whisper, but we can still hear exactly what they're saying. And it's clear that they're not happy with each other. I'll spare you most of the drama, but it was completely ridiculous. And it went on for at least an hour. And the guy started crying at one point and, I shit you not, he sounded exactly like that crying woman's voice that Dane Cook uses. “I just don't understand! You just get so angry!” I was torn between laughing out loud and screaming. All I could picture was this whiny little emo/hipster kid in some skinny jeans and eyeliner and a bad haircut. The worst part was, this guy kept repeating “I just want to leave! I just want to leave so fucking bad!” and it was all I could do to stop myself from yelling “THEN JUST FUCKING LEAVE ALREADY, YOU WHINY LITTLE BASTARD! AND DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU IN THE VAGINA ON THE WAY OUT!!” But that wouldn't have been very nice. Eventually, though, the little emo soap opera spins itself out, and things are finally quiet. For about 10 minutes. And then, just as I'm finally falling asleep, a group of foreign guys come in, who apparently couldn't read the signs that basically say “Shut the fuck up; people are trying to sleep in here,” and decide to carry on a conversation at full volume (actually shouting from room to room a few times) in a language I didn't recognize. Something that sounded vaguely Russian, but wasn't. By the time they shut up, my alarm clock said it was around 3. And I was pissed. Really? Possibly the most important night of sleep in my life, and I have to deal with this shit? But it's not like there was anything I could do about it at that point. So I managed to get some sleep on and off for the next few hours, and ended up waking up just before my alarm was going to go off anyways. I decide to turn it off, and just close my eyes for a few more minutes. 

When I open them again, it's 7:15, so I'm already running late. Awesome. I jump out of bed and head for the sinks so I can start slathering some of this makeup on. It takes longer than I expected (Are there really women who do this EVERY DAY? Madness!), but eventually I'm done. I put on my dress (this day just got weirder and weirder) and then the sweatpants and tennis shoes I'm going to wear in case I'm stuck waiting outside. I make sure my music binder is in my bag, along with my character shoes, a snack, and the makeup in case I need more, and then I set off for the nearest subway station. I get there just in time to watch the last car of my train slip out of sight. Sweet. It ends up taking a good 10 or 15 minutes for another train to come through, which means I'm getting later by the second. Eventually it gets there, and then I make my transfer and emerge onto the street near the audition. I manage to turn the right way this time, but it turns out that I'm on the wrong side of the street. Apparently, there are two exits to that subway station, and I took a different one from the night before. So I wait for a break in traffic and then run for my life across the street. I yank open the doors to the right building, and end up in the middle of a group of girls who look like they're going the same direction I am. We all crowd into the elevator when it arrives and make our way up to the 12^th floor.

NYC Trip Part 5: Conquering My Aversion to Toys 'R Us

Okay, so, who has two thumbs and is officially the WORST. BLOGGER. EVER?? This girl right here! I'm really kicking myself right now because, while I did write out more of my NYC trip than I ended up posting on here, I didn't actually write down all of it. And now it's been almost a year since my trip. A lot of details still seem fairly fresh in my mind, but I'm sure for every one thing I remember really clearly, there are five that are fuzzy, or completely forgotten. Also (and even more unfortunately), my phone crapped out on me back in May, and I ended up losing all of the pictures of my trip that I managed to take with it. My fault, for a variety of reasons. Still, I'll do my best to pick up where I left off, and finish up the (not-so-)thrilling tale. Because there are more adventures to document, like house hunting! That was a long, tedious journey that we appear to be (FINALLY) nearing the end of. But I won't believe that until the day I have keys in my hand. In the meantime, back to New York, New York...

 

After a little bit of wandering (and snapping a few of the requisite Times Square pics), I decide to look for a present for my neice at the ginormous Toys R Us that's right nearby. Fun Fact: This was the first time I had set foot in a Toys R Us since I quit there in 2007. I was expecting to twitch at my first glimpse of a Geoffrey cutout, but really, this TRU and the one I worked at couldn't have been more different. This place is 2 or 3 stories high, and the first thing you see when you walk in is a Ferris wheel. Seriously. A fucking Ferris wheel. And not a mini one, either. I'm pretty sure this one is at least as big as the one at Comerica Park. And each car on it is decorated differently; I remember a Monopoly car, a Sesame Street one, MnM's, Barbie, etc. It was pretty damn cool. But I'm afraid of heights, so I didn't go on. Although, I'm not sure if a fear of heights would really apply if you're looking at people shopping right next to you when you're at the top. Maybe I'll test that next time.

Wandering through TRU, I quickly realize that I won't be able to get much into my suitcase to take home for her, so I head over towards the clothing section. The first thing that caught my eye was a T-shirt that had Mickey Mouse on it, with him in sunglasses that say “New York” on them. There was a slightly different one with Minnie on it nearby, but I stuck with the Mickey one. Gender roles be damned! I wait in a short line, and then make my way back out to the street.

At this point, I decide to start heading back home, since my feet are getting sore from all the walking. I use my phone to find the nearest subway station, and then make my rather uneventful way back to the hotel. I get there and head upstairs to grab my phone charger and my book, and then I head down to the TV room to find an outlet. I end up hanging out down there for the next couple hours, reading and watching TV while my phone charges. Then I realize it's time to brave the showers (since there's no way in hell I'm getting up even earlier to do it in the morning). I go back upstairs, gather up my stuff, and head down the hall to figure out which of the three showers is going to be the least psychologically damaging to use. After peeking in all 3 (none of them are occupied), I decide that the one closest to my room is probably best. So I lay out the hotel's towel on the floor to put my stuff down on (since there were no shelves or hooks to use) and then used my own towel to dry off (yes, I brought my own, and I'm glad I did! Lol). The shower wasn't as bad as I expected. There was plenty of hot water, and there wasn't a bunch of other people's hair in the drain, so that was good. But the shower curtain reeked of mildew, and the towel they had laid out as a bath mat was completely soaked, and freezing cold, and possibly the most unpleasant thing I've ever stepped on in my life. And unfortunately, in the 5 or so minutes I was in the shower (I know!! Only 5!! Aren't you all proud? It's amazing what a little motivation can do for a girl.), I managed to forget how much it sucked, and I stepped on it again on the way out. BOOOO. But, anyway, I survived the shower, and went through my nightly routine, and then decided to call Tim before bed. By this point, there were several other people up in the sleeping areas, and it was after the 10 PM “Quiet Hours” had started, so I decided to find another place to talk. (Side note: I don't know if I've really described the structure of the hostel yet, but it basically went like this. The floor was divided up into tiny little rooms just big enough for the beds in them, with the tops left open. So you can hear everything else going on on the entire floor. And I mean EVERYTHING.) I grabbed my coat and headed downstairs to talk outside. About 10 minutes into the conversation, I realize that I'm wandering out in front of my hotel in pajamas, flip flops, and a coat, with wet hair and a cell phone pressed against my head...and nobody cares. I love New York.

During the course of my pacing and conversation, I start to realize that there is a Subway right next to my hotel, and that the smell coming from it is wonderful. And then I realize that they're open until midnight. And THEN I realize that I haven't eaten much besides the sandwich from Katz's. So I decide to break my rule and get a sandwich. (The fact that it was $5 footlong month didn't hurt, considering I was still amazed at how much my Katz's sandwich cost.) I don't even like Subway, generally, but that sandwich was awesome. I ate half and found out that there's a fridge you can keep stuff in, as long as you label it. So I labeled my sandwich, stuffed it into the fridge, and then went up to bed. Since this is me we're talking about, and it wasn't very late at this point, I ended up reading for awhile before trying to sleep. This is where the fun began.