Manhattan

Last Sunday Steve & I took a day trip to Manhattan.
We took the Bolt Bus from Baltimore and it was perfect. Features: plenty of leg space, power outlets, and free wifi, $20 each way. If you buy a ticket in advance, you're guaranteed a seat. Good deal.

So we did a lot of walking all around the city. Hit Chinatown, walked up Bowery, subway from Lafayette&Houston to Times Sq, walked north up 5th/6th Ave (there was a Polish Parade on 5th), went to the NY Public Library's upstairs (to the room that Ghostbusters was filmed in), misc stores along the way, Rockefeller Center (Lego store!), then walked thru about 2/3rds (!!) of Central Park and came on out the west side, walked down to Columbus Circle and took a subway back to Times Sq-area, got dinner and caught the 8:15 Bolt Bus back to Bmore. Somewhere in all that we hit Tannen's and also Fantasmo magic shops (David Roth was demo'ing at Fantasmo!).
Steve & I were also on fire, we met 3 separate chicks around our age; each I felt I would ask to hang with me/us later that night even after very brief conversations... except it was Sunday and we were going back to Bmore: a different world.
Got home around 12:30am, which was kind of late for a Sunday, but totally worth it.


While eating dinner & relaxing before heading for the bus home, I came upon a revelation: I need to live in NYC.
Need to.
Now, certainly I've felt that I don't belong in MD for a long time. That's pretty standard when you grow up somewhere with noticeably different culture traits than where you're forced to have moved to. I didn't chose to live in MD; and I'm only here now due to circumstance & convenience.
But this came as more than a thought -- it was a feeling. I'm feeling it with every fiber of my being. I want to make this happen.

After texting that night and then tonight talking with my cousin Joe, he's on board. We're each going to start looking for jobs in/around Manhattan; as well as apartments.
Joe said something that activated the rebellious nature in me. He said that it feels like our respective parents have kept us from moving/living/working/going to school in NYC. That's kind of true, and it's probably because they did grow up in the city (in Ozone Park, Queens).
I want to chose where I live. I choose NYC.


Also, the fortune in my fortune cookie this week read:
" Discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or a nation. :-) "