(This is Monday, written on Tuesday, and backdated)
Time to head home, I guess.
I have to say, the weather was so fantastic, we were so lucky on this trip. To be out and walking around for hours, wearing a light sweatshirt, no sleet, no heat, no freezing, no whining (by me. None by me. Celebrate this fact with me).
This felt like the perfect weekend. Hell it wasn't feeling like it was perfect, it was perfect.
We took our time in the morning, and went back once again to Hudson Bagel. Why mess with a good thing? Why go somewhere else and get a bad bagel. But can you get a bad bagel. Hell, I didn't want to find out. Stick with what you know and love!
On a weekday at 9am it isn't nearly as crowded as the weekend days were, and the girl behind the counter recognized me when I came to order coffee while the bagels were making.
Have to admit, this section of Manhattan has been a rough place for many years but right now, I felt as safe as anywhere. Having grown up near NYC we always heard stories about how shitty Hell's Kitchen was but it just feels like a neighborhood. Real people working there, and fewer tourists than two blocks east. Smaller buildings in a little gully between skyscrapers. I really loved it. I had never really explored 9th avenue, and it was delightful. Want pizza? There are dozens of little storefronts. Thai, Turkish, Chinese, Dive Bars, night clubs... 9th's got it for you. Want to go to Kiehl's, get some facial scrub, and then some Indian food, oh they are right next door. Bakeries, Bread and cookies, smells to delight. 9th avenue was pretty spectacular.
Our hotel was really nice, Doug did a good job finding this one. It is old, for sure, but has that Lord Baltimore feeling that I like about old hotels. The room was a decent size and the very comfortable King bed filled it up well, which was fine because it was comfy and I wasn't in there to host a square dance.
The view was spectacular, worth the price of admission. The bathroom was indeed small, but the shower pressure was amazing. And again, not there for a square dance and I don't need Doug in there with me when I'm pooping or showering. It was super fine.
Flat screen TV with great sound but the on demand streaming was fucked up thanks to Spectrum Internet. Still, we got to watch Sunday night football comfortably, in our underpants with a beer. The ironing board that didn't scream at us when we opened it which is always something that brings me joy.
My only complaints were the elevators took forever and a day, we had to run the air conditioner because the heat was on and there is no way to control the temperature in the room. My little environmentalist heart felt horrible about doing that. We could open the windows but of course, noise! It's New York City, baby! right? Fire trucks, ambulances, all kinds of sirens all night. Thankfully I use sleep aid chewables and was able to fall asleep very easily. And we never made it to the hotel bar, which looked really cute.
So Monday, after breakfast, we headed back to the room and chilled out, checkout was at 11 and our train was at 12:10 so timing wise, there was no rush. We walked back over to old 50th and 8th, got the E train, and Penn Station was two stops away.
I had suggested to Doug that we walk from Penn to the Hotel either direction and he told me I was crazy, but really we could have done it if he wasn't using a roller bag. The wheels on his bag are failing, so he needs to pick himself up a new one anyway (the one I stole from my mom last year doesn't wheel good either). City sidewalks are no friends to wheelie bags. I watched so many people struggle with theirs.
I used my red backpack, which itself is due for retirement, to be honest. It was Geoff's school bag back in Middle School, and the chest strap busted years ago. I packed about 20 pounds of stuff into this bag, and wearing it around to the train, from the train to the subway, subway to the hotel, it was all no problem at all. Little red backpack, you've lived quite the life since about 2010.
We got to Penn Station really early, and grabbed coffee, sat by the Food Court. It was hard to hear the loudspeakers inside the "terminal" because it was so horribly echoey but in the food court it was audible. Our train was right on time, they announced us 10 minutes or so out from departure so we got in line. I was amazed at the amount of humans that were on line, and how there were still seats available together for us, even though this train had originated in Boston.
So much better than driving. So much. Doug said he'd like to do this again.
Next time, we'll stay in Brooklyn though. There was so much he had his eyes on, and the subway gets you there easily from Times Square but. Let's stay in Brooklyn.
We got to DC and I was hungry so we went to Pizzeria Uno in Union Station in DC. It wasn't as good as I'd remembered the pizza being (it's been years since we've gone to one) and the service sucked. I would have had a second beer if the dude came back around at some point... but no. Houdini just came back to ask us, upon seeing all our plates and glasses empty, if we would like anything else. No, just the check, sir.
We were home by 5.
Digits below this little dog who made me nervous in Brooklyn. Be safe, little buddy!
digits
exercise: 12/12 hours. Walk from Hotel to subway was solid 25 min. 10,400+ steps by bedtime
blood glucose:
8:15am: 162
n/a midday reading (on the train)
10:30pm: 177
food:
coffee/water
9:30am: everything bagel w/scallion cream cheese
11am: Metformin
4pm: caesar salad, pizzaria Uno "Numero Uno" w/veggies, sausage, pepperoni; beer
6pm: metformin+jardiance
No comments:
Post a Comment