Day Seventy-Seven- 3/18/11 NYC Extravaganza!

Day Seventy-Seven: 3/18/11
New Thing: NYC Extravaganza!          
Inspiration: Kara, NYC       
Cost: $??? 

Time: All day.          
Bottom Line: NYC is for ME! 

The sign and my attitude tell you it's Brooklyn.

Reflection:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE WORLD'S BEST LITTLE SISTER, ALI!! After my last post, I kissed my darling family goodbye and hoped a bus to NYC to visit one of my best friends, Kara, who is now a New York native. I have to say that I was incredibly excited about visiting her for two reasons: (1.) I really miss her and needed a good dose of Kara time. (2.) I knew that she would be the perfect person to help me have a city adventure because she has a balance between an amazing working knowledge of the city and an understanding of the spirit of this project. So, I think that the best way to document this trip is to simple make a list:

And she takes great pictures.

1. Took the subway across the Manhattan Bridge to Kara's to see the amazing view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Stature of Liberty with the sun setting in the background. Wow! 
2. Had my first truly vegan meal on Thursday night with Angelia (our mutual friend from college) at Kara's favorite restaurant "Wild Ginger." I had pumpkin and yam fritters as an appetizer and some kind of delicious protein stew as a main course. Delicious! 
3. We started our Friday by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was the perfect way to start the most beautiful weather day of the year. 
4. Headed over to China town for a little eating challenge. "Kara," I said while I was still young and naive. "Kara, let's find the weirdest thing that we can find that is edible and I'll eat that." Stupid, stupid, Hillary. I should have realized that in Chinatown, all bets are off. At first we had a hard time trying to find something that wasn't a full meal (like a duck with all of its parts still in-tact), but then we found a little innocent-looking candy shop. In the back, they had an entire section of jerky that kept getting more and more bizarre as we walked down the line. Finally, we knew that we had found our mark when Kara almost got sick. The "food" of choice? Spiced, Dried, Cuttie Fish. It. Was. Awful. I have never had anything so terrible in my life. The texture was all wrong--crunchy when it should have been soft; gelatinous when it should have been firm. And the taste not only lingered, but increased in potency as the moments wore on. We had to run across the street where I had my first ever mango smoothie to help rid myself of the taste.  I also got my little sis a birthday present!
5. Headed over to Union Square and sang some hymns in front of people. This is way harder then it looks. Also, I am not sure that they were hymn people. The skateboarders seemed to hold more of the crowd's attention. 
6. We picked up some awesome vegan sandwiches to have a picnic at Strawberry Fields (which I had never been to). As we were there, we saw a couple getting married on the "Imagine" dial! 
7. From there we took a walk in Central Park and rented a row boat that we took out onto the lake for an hour. (Both firsts--this may have been my favorite thing that we did the whole time).  
8. Went to Annie's Groceries to watch our college friend Vince's band play (they were great).
9. Had noodles with Lindsay at mid-night!!
10. Sang Karaoke for the first time (Madonna's "Material Girl") and witness the best karaoke-ers ever when Kara and Lindsay took the stage. Wow. They know how to turn this into an art-form. 
11. When home very, very late. 

Lenten Meditation- 

Prayed for: AWW (The Birthday Girl!)

Prayer Walk/Yoga- I walked all over the city including the Brooklyn Bridge.

Journal Topic with Ken- I have to say this area did not happen during the trip. 

Music- Sang in Union Station Square and at Karaoke, but you could not really call it meditative.  

Fast-Blew it-not so much in what I ate (since I was eating all vegan) but more in how much of it I ate. Also, I did try a canolli at my first ever trip to an authentic Italian bakery. So, yeah...blew it. By it was really good. 

Daily Office- Noon Day Prayers were done while watching a couple get married at Strawberry Fields.