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| [[ a few pictures from the terminal are from flickr. creative commons search. ]] |
friday :: (7/8) :: day 8
We got up in the morning feeling a little bit somber since it was our last day. It was weird packing everything back up into our bags after just getting used to our temporary living situation. We got ready for the day, double checked the room, brought our things downstairs, and checked out of The Manhatten Club Hotel. The lobby was packed with new guests, so perhaps it was not such a bad thing to be heading out. We paid the concierge to hold our bags for us, and headed out into the morning. This was by far the earliest we had made it out of the room the entire trip.
One of my goals this time around was to eat at a real Jewish deli, and I had my heart set on a bagel and lox for breakfast. Leah had told us about a place called Barney Greengrass to check out, so we headed that way first. This was the perfect little old man deli. We walked in to a little deli area with so much salmon, pastrami, and home made pickles it was insane. Oh, and sturgeon... I guess this place is famous for the stuff. Turning the corner we noticed a small seating area, and made our way to a table. Our server was quick and had the accent, he definitely seemed to be in place. I ordered an onion bagel with cream cheese and lox which came with a pickle. It was really good, but really salty. I do not know how you could eat the whole thing yourself! This place definitely hit the spot though.
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| [[ outside. rabbi mints. coffee. interior. breakfast. brownstones. ]] |
Since we were not meeting Leah until lunch time, we walked back up along side the park to the American Museum of Natural History, for some air conditioning and to kill some time. (We passed tons of beautiful Brownstones along the way).
After we left the museum it was time to meet Leah, so we made our way down to the subway and headed over towards NYU where she was meeting us. The scene over there was definitely a lot different with many more college aged people dressed extremely casually. I cannot imagine going to an undergrad school there, it would have been such a different experience. We found Leah and headed in to Ippudo, which is a little Japanese ramen place where they make everything from scratch. Oh. My. God. It was delicious!!! Plus, the restaurant itself was adorable and I loved all of the decor. We shared some noodle dishes, some steamed sticky buns, and a variety of sides. I was so full and happy when we left. The setting was pretty dark though, so sadly I did not get great pictures of the decor. But, I can assure you it was pretty sweet.
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| [[ wall of plates. napkin. kanji. samuri. making the ramen. bathroom sign. rice paper wall. ]] |
Leah had been pretty insistent throughout the trip that we should go see Grand Central Terminal before heading home, so we decided that now would be a good time to do that. She was right, that place is amazing.. It is so much more than just a train station with all of its architectural detailing and hidden treasures, like The Campbell Apartment bar (which I really wish we could have gone in for a drink, but they have a strict dress policy that Pat was in complete contrast with). Aparentely this used to actually be someones apartment in the early 1900s? and has now been converted. Since we were denied entry, we made our way to the underground restaurant The Oyster Bar for a farewell drink. This is the oldest restaurant in the station according to Wikipedia, which would explain why there was a bathroom attendant in the not so fancy womens bathroom. That was a weird experience... I am washing my hands minding my own business and all of the sudden this woman is squirting soap in my hands for me. Um, thanks? And then she brings me a paper towel. I guess you are supposed to tip them, but one, I did not have any cash at all, and two, I would really rather get my own soap. Seriously odd. Anyway, we just sat at the bar and talked for a while watching business men come in from work.
I was really sad to leave Leah, because I knew that meant we were actually leaving for good this time. Plus, I always miss her when she goes away, now I do not get to see her until Christmas. :( I know she was sad too because she kept texting me not to leave! Silly sister.
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| [[ grand central loveliness. the oyster bar. our last subway ride. ring. the cab ride out of the city. ]] |
It had been threatening rain all day long, so by the time we left the station and reached our hotel to grab our things and a cab, it was pouring! That sort of made it easier to part with the city... so maybe I am thankful for it? We were lucky enough to spot an airport shuttle van and rode that to our terminal. The cab driver was really nice but a CRAZY driver. I thought we were going to hit someone several times. Fast forward through the craziness that is checking in and airport security, and we were playing the waiting game. Our plane was twice delayed before we even got to board it, giving us plenty of time to find snacks and magazines. Also while we waited I called my mom and told her the engagement news, to which she responded "It's about time!" (Towards me, not Pat who would have done it years ago if he had it his way). At that point is was time to make it "Facebook official", so the relationship status was changed from "in a relationship with Patrick Matthis" to "engaged to Patrick Matthis". So weird! That triggered an explosion of texts, posts, and phone calls, which is exactly why I had wanted to wait until the end of the trip to do it. I am thankful Pat allowed me to do so. (By the way thank you Facebook for picking the most ridiculous series of couple pictures to put together, just wow, we are awesome).
Finally the plane boarded... but through a series of unfortunate events there was no take off for not one, not two, but three more hours. By that time all plesantries had worn off and I was ready to get home already! After a long, sleepless, uncomfortable flight, we touched down in PDX around 3 in the morning. We were both WAY too exhausted to make it the extra hour and a half to Corvallis, so we settled for my moms vacant house in Tigard for the "night". We were finally in bed around 4.
At noon we woke up, showered, grabbed our things and headed home. The official end of our first New York Adventure together. The first of many I hope!
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| [[ online announcement. silly faces on the plane. ]] |
**(it is not quite over yet, i have some extras to post tomorrow followed by a quick little summary/wrap up of events. friday will conclude new york month)**
