New York City - Times Square

Marvin's Misadventures
With little anticipation and even less expectation, I present you with the first installmant of my blogs: "Marvin's Misadventures". My intent in becoming a blogger is not to bore you with meaningless minutiae and frivolous banter about the places I travel or people I meet. Instead I'll focus on one experience or two in each blog, capture the moment, and peel the onion just a little bit to see what lies beneath waiting. It's in these experiences I hope to give you a taste of life, at least my life, whether I'm sitting in a musty wine celler converted into Jazz club in downtown Prague or simply eating a pannini sandwich from the corner store at 7th & 42nd Streets in Manhattan. Wherever it is I hope you can savor the experience with me.

The Bus Ride
Well, this being my inaugural blog, it only seems fitting that it's set in one of the greatest cities in the world: New York City. It was Saturday, July 3, and my two cousins Lori & Leslie, along with my brother Mike & I were riding the bus from New Jersey into the city. It cost $6.75 from Lake Hiawatha, a rather sleepy suburb where my other cousin Louie lives. The day was beautiful, sunny, with a translucent blueness in the sky. I stared at the city as it arose in the distance in an array of odd shapes, block buildings, and jutting points reaching upwards. It grew impendingly large as the shapes began to fill the landscape. I made a conscious effort to turn away from time to time, because I learned when I was young not to stare out the window too much in fear of getting nauseated from motion sickness.

We arrived at the Port Authority on 42nd & 8th streets at 4:30 p.m., and having drank plenty of water I had to go, if you know what I mean. As I walked into the men's room, there stood a tall gangly guy with stringy hair, kind of hunched over, standing awkwardly in the middle of the restroom. He looked like he was in pain when he suddenly knocked impatiently on a stall door shouting, "Are you almost done in there?" I held my laughter as the look of urgent distress came over his face (I guess he had to really go). Then suddenly, he got on all fours to look under the stall to see if anybody was actually in there. I walked away with a remote nod of my head, whispering to myself, "Only in New York. Classic."


Times Square

New York City - Times Square
We walked out onto 42nd street and into the moving wall of people that amassed outside the station. We stopped at Starbucks (where else) for a frappucino and trekked a block up to Times Square. Time Square has this chaotic brilliance about it. I think it's the way the street erupts as people wrestle their way along sidewalks, navigating corners, avoiding street vendors selling "I love NY" t-shirts, and street urchins playing the drums on buckets as they collect pennies and nickels. Meanwhile countless videoscreens feature Diet Coke, Samsung, Cadillac, Discover, Toys R Us, all hypnotizing as you wait to cross the street. It's a Chinese buffet-like feast for the eyes and a cacophonous symphony for the ears. Yet somehow it all comes together in a wierd harmonious way like an urban fractal. Times Square is the butterly that flaps its wings setting chaos into motion forming something utterly breathtaking.

Virgins
Traveling with my brother and cousins to NYC was a treat. My boisterous cousin Leslie was in sheer delight, begging me to take her picture at each corner. She giggled like a little girl as she proudly announced, "I'm a virgin to New York City." My brother Mike in his own quiet way was awestruck, head looking upwards as the sounds of horns honked, smoke filled the sidewalks, and the pungent smell of humans pervaded our nostrils. He too was a virgin. My ever stylish cousin Lori sauntered along with calm coolness, as if the streets of NY had no effect on her. You could tell she was not a virgin. As for me, this was only my second time in NYC, and there was still a pulsating rush in my veins. I guess you could say I am a bit of a virgin too (if that's possible).


Lori, Mike, & Leslie (All as Bubba Gump)

Final Thoughts
I vaguely remember the first time I was in NYC even though it was only a couple of months ago. I was by myself then, but this time I was with family. The cool thing about being with them was that they put NYC into context. I'm the type of person that tends to remember the moment more vividly when others are around. The colors seem brighter, the smells are stronger, and the pictures are more meaningful. It's all about having someone to share with, laugh at (or with), and take your photo without the fear of your camera being stolen. Mike, Lori, & Leslie were all that for me!

- Marvin A