Day 9 in NY

So I woke up extra late again today, which meant that I wasn't up in time for mass. Oh well, its not the most important thing ever. I also woke up too late for the hostel breakfast and I was starving so I did what many New Yorkers do on a quiet Sunday morning/afternoon... I had brunch.

I really was craving crepes ever since I walked past this little crepes shop in SoHo the other day. I used my phone to search Google Maps and found a crepes place only a few blocks away. It's called Golden Crepes. I got a Dulce de Leche with mixed berries crepe. It was delicious. If I lived here, Golden Crepes would be my new favorite shop. They also make panini but I was so full after the crepe that I decided against ordering anything else lest I add to my body's already sufficient energy reserves.

After brunch, I took the train out to Brooklyn. I ended up getting off at a very predominately Spanish speaking neighborhood called Highland Park. It was a really interesting experience for me. I have never truly been immersed in a culture as foreign to me as this. I noticed on the train out there that there were only three other white people on the train with me once we passed a certain subway stop. Everyone else was brown and black. I loved it. For some reason I apparently enjoy being the 'odd man out' as it were.

I walked to the nearby park after wandering through the neighborhood and sat on a bench just trying to understand what the people around me were saying. I could only pick up a few words and phrases here and there... just barely enough to know what language they were speaking. As I walked through the park, I came upon a woman selling sliced mangos. I bought one from her and said "thank you" before realizing that I should be saying "gracias"--so I quickly corrected myself and she repeated as most sales people do, "thank YOU" (except in Spanish, of course.)

It was a delicious mango. I continued walking until I found what I'd been looking for in Brooklyn all along. The Evergreen Cemetery. I figured it would be a fit place for me to be on Memorial Day weekend. I walked around the cemetery looking for names I might recognize from the PAF file I had looked over a few times. I didn't recognise any names until I was almost back at the exit, at which point a "KOEHLER" popped out at me. Probably not necessarily relates but I was fascinated all the same. I snapped a quick picture and found my way back to the subway station.

Instead of going back to the hostel to let my phone charge, I took the train up to Harlem. I wandered the streets for a while and explored the shops and houses until I found a power source. I plugged in my dead phone and searched for the nearest subway station since I had gotten myself completely turned around. I made my way back to midtown and Hung around at Bryant Park. I took a few pictures that were pretty cool but my phone was a jerk and didn't remember them. I watched a group of older gentlemen of all colors playing a hale called Pelanque or something in the park. At first I thought it was some sort of urban horseshoes game but I guess the rules are a little more complicated.

Anyway after that I went back to the hostel, took a shower and started packing extra things into a box that I got at FedEx the other day. I taped it up and took all my dirty clothes to the nearest laundromat. I got all my clothes nice and clean and came back to my room. I randomly decided to double check my flight time for tomorrow and discovered that I'm a dummy. You heard me correctly, I'm a dummy.

My flight doesn't leave tomorrow. It leaves Tuesday. I had a momentary panic moment when I realized that I reserved the wrong number of nights for my stay at the hostel. I have to check out tomorrow. I considered just buying a last minute ticket back home but the cheapest one costs 400 dollars. I said, "No thanks,"and considered my options. I could try to get the hostel people to let me stay an extra night, but I've been having some serious trouble sleeping here since there is no air conditioning and my room gets up to at least 80 degrees at night... and so stuffy its difficult to breathe. There is also no screen in the window so I can't leave it open at night.

So I checked my options and decided that I would be willing to pay no more than 200 dollars for a better place to stay tomorrow night. I made a reservation for 150 and the only thing I care about right now is that the rooms are air conditioned. I would pay pretty much my life savings just for air conditioning right now. (lol not really... but really...)

Anyway so for those of you who were expecting me to be back in Utah tomorrow night... psyche!!! My flight doesn't get in until 710pm Utah time on Tuesday, May 31st. Do I presume correctly that someone is willing to pick me up from the airport at that time or thereabouts?

Time to toss and turn in the sunburned heat!

AKA, buenas noches.