Day 1

After traveling for about a day, I'm finally in New York. I arrived this morning, and as soon as I got off the plane, my stomach growling for something solid, I got myself my old breakfast habit of bagel and cream cheese. It felt good. It felt good seeing the skyline from the highway from JFK. It felt good coming down Williamsburgh and running straight into the Lower East Side.

We swung up over to the west, and I finally got dropped off at Lia's place. I looked out her window, and I saw the park and the buildings over on the east side. I took a shower, put on some new clothes, and headed to the comic convention with Ramon and Neva. It wasn't my scene but it was great seeing the art work appreciated by solid fans.

Still, I left them there, and not wanting to crash, I got a Redbull and headed over to Union Square. I dropped by the huge Barnes and Noble just to see if it was still the same. It is. I dropped by the big Virgin store on the other end of Union Square, the one with the huge digital clock. They're going out of business and everything is on sale. Even the store fixtures are being sold.

Strand, over at 12th and Broadway, provided a sharp contrast to the sadness that was the Virgin store. The aisles were full and the lines were long. I love Strand, with it's musty smell of old books. I just went to see how the place looked but ended up spending over a hundred bucks on two books. I've been looking for these two because they were books I've always wanted to own. They had fifteen bucks slashed off their list prices, and these were new condition, hard-to-finds. I swear. Anyway, I now own Todd Hido's House Hunting, and Alec Soth's NIAGARA. And that's the last of my purchases. In New York at least.

Right now, I'm back at Lia's place. Ramon and Neva are probably still at MoCCA, and Lia and Ling are at the park for Frisbee. I have the place to myself, and I'm trying hard not to zonk out. I like that in a city like New York, you can still find lots of places for some solitude and quiet. That's how great this city is. I'm glad I still know it, and it knows me. It's been five years, but it's like I never left.