One day like this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NFV8dHrZYM&feature=artistob&playnext=1&list=TLRBh0kte84Aw

This is my song of yesterday - by the great band Elbow (who I am priveleged enough to have seen twice already)

I will have to tell the story of yesterday...it was the best day I've had in New York so far.

It all started Wednesday night at about 2am. I was in the kitchen with Joe and Tuan, talking. Ludmila came out and told us that the walls are paper thin and we were being loud (hmph, no we weren't) but anyway...so me and Joe decided to go downstairs and watch South Park, via laptop-TV link up.
Then suddenly it was light outside and people started coming downstairs to leave for work. And at 7am Joe said 'let's go on adventure' so I said 'yes let's' and off we went. Well it wasn't quite that simple...see, I'm always suggesting we do daft things at silly times of day and night and don't get any takers, so I just go on my own. So it was quite turn up for the books having Joe suggest doing something...at 7am, no less.
We hopped on the subway to get to 61st St and 3rd Avenue, based on our Google search for 24 hour diners with a view. This one specifically had a view of the Roosevelt Island cable car, which is a pretty weird thing to have a view of but it was a view nonetheless! And got giant breakfasts (corned beef hash, potatoes and 2 eggs over easy, plus about 6 coffees each) and then sat in semi-comatose state for a long time.

Then we wandered out, and the first thing we saw was Dylan's Candy store, which is like sweets Mecca. Really big, 3 floors, and something like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Or even better - imagine that me, I, Tessa - am a shop. I would be this shop.
That lollipop is BIGGER THAN MY HEAD.

We then headed across town, to Central Park. It was pretty cloudy, but not actually that cold.



We found a nice rock to sit on, or rather I said 'OOOH let's climb the rock' and Joe reluctantly followed.
See? Reluctance.












Next destination was Fifth Avenue. Bear in mind none of this is planned, we are just drifting along in our extremely full and sleep-deprived state, laughing at pretty much anything.

We stopped to stare at beautiful shoes and jewellery in the windows of Cartier and Louis Vuitton. Then we passed the Trump building (well, one of many) and wandered in just to see what it was like...gold, that's what. He likes his gold-y decor. We were both sporting attractive pale-skinned, purple-eyed, scruffy-haired looks, and I'm sure people wondered what the hell we were doing in there, but there you go. (I am going to coin a term for how we looked and it is 'Trampires' - tramp vampires)

Then we wandered a bit further down and came to the Apple store, where we had fun listening to music on amazing headphones and dancing to Paint It Black in the middle of the shop floor.

Next destination was the Lego store, the logic being that we'd already been to one children's fantasy land of giant things (Dylan's) so we should just carry on. Very cool Lego version of Rockefeller Centre which stands opposite the store, and a giant dragon...and y'know Lego.

THEN we went to see St Patrick's Cathedral. This door is huge, like 20ft high, but not in use as a door. It is very, very beautiful inside. Joe fell in love with the organ.

I'm sure there were a couple of other stops along the way. But I cannot remember them. We did an awful lot in 6 hours. Lot of walking. Lot of talking. Lot of senseless hysterical laughing.




We ended up people-watching at Grand Central Station for about an hour. Where the worst and possibly funniest thing of the whole day happened. We were standing at the top of some stops, leaning on the balcony and gazing out at the throngs of tourists, mostly school field trip parties. A guy set up his camera just next to us on a tripod. Into our field of vision came a family - a mother and two young girls. One about 8, and one maybe 5/6. They looked pretty lost, and the mum started walking off with the older girl, leaving the little girl trailing behind. When we saw this, Joe and I both started commenting loudly about how crazy that was, and how the mother was not doing a great job - this is Grand Central Station at lunchtime, it's heaving with people. And, y'know, we weren't wrong to be saying this - although perhaps some of the phrasing wasn't so great - but then it got really bad. The older girl walked away from the mum, and began coming up the steps we were standing at the top of. So of course we started saying 'oh my GOD is that woman crazy? You can't do that here! Does she not know?!' Then we realised the guy who had been taking photos next to us WAS THE GIRL'S DAD and she was coming to get him.
Oh my gaaaads.....sheer mortifcation. While Joe was doubled over beside me laughing, I looked down at the family. And the dad turned around, speaking to the mum, and pointed at us...ooooops! So, sorry blonde family from out of the City. Our bad.

Bloody funny though.



When we finally got on the train to head home, it was around 3pm. We came out of the subway into bright sunshine, and warmth. It was t-shirt weather! Beautiful and unexpected - it's still February.

So then we had the brilliant idea to go up to the roof! All I can say is - sun, a beautiful view, good company - what more does anyone ever need?


This is beautiful Agustina, one of the RAs


THAT IS THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING and Manhattan skyline. It doesn't look too clear in this picture but it's amazing from the roof.






And here we have the view if you face the other way...ok it's not so Majestic. But. DO OR DIE BED-STUY, Bedford Stuvesant pride!







Jose Nelmarro 'I'm so disoriented'
His t-shirt, for the record, says 'Music is Life, the rest is just details'
Mine said 'I'm losing my fucking mind'

This is when I taught Joe the phrase 'Dirty stop-outs' as in 'We are such...'













So yeah. Agustina had to go back to work, and we stayed on the roof til the sun went down and then I had a very confusing sleep which started at 4pm Thursday, ended at 4am Friday, then guess who went to get breakfast at 7am again, that's right the Trampires, then my sleep started again and finished at around noon.
But this is ok because tonight we go E.S.B! And I am so excited because I love it so much!

I leave with a sentiment from Dylan's Candy Store
Unless your name is Jess or Ellie in which case I leave you with ARGH ARGH HELP ME! SHITE! Hahaha love love lovexxxxxxxxxxxx