Scenes From A New York Weekend Pt II

Read Part I here.

Our journey brought us to the Turntable LP Bar. A few of us wanted to do karaoke, but not in a private room. Alas, too early for that. Regardless of the brief disappointment, we did end up in a cool little spot. While we discussed the logic in ordering a beer tower, a table nearby erupted in encouraging shouts for “Patrick,” whoever that was. We joined them. Soon enough, one of the fellas took our group picture. It’s one of the best images ever shot in New York, to my knowledge. I also re-learned long division. Thanks, team!

Escape!

The evening continued with a Jurassic-themed escape room. Vic, Cloth, Will, and I were teamed with three other people, complete strangers. It was a concept for sure. This was probably the most difficult escape room I have done. Yet, I felt uninvolved for the most part. There were too many of us in the rooms. I found myself saying “Sorry, sorry” sliding past our new companions. They were very nice people, but there’s still that awkwardness you find like during ice breakers when you think you can sneak next to your best friends, only to find there are assigned seats and your boss knew your plan all along. Regardless, it was entertaining. Although those folks were super great to work with, I did intend to spend that time with my family.

Prince Street

 We concluded our night with Prince St. pizza and cake from Milk Bar. Well, actually, we ate birthday cake even before the escape room, just to tide us over. The line for Prince’s was too long, but foretold of excellent quality. When we returned to Prince Street from the escape room, the line had shrunk. Pictures of celebrities I knew and didn’t know covered the walls like a bulky sweatshirt. I’m sure the pictures are holding up the establishment. Will, Cloth, and I grabbed slices while Vic, gluten-free queen that she is, went all in on a full pie. The Fancy Prince slice is delicious, topped with basil and mozzarella. 

You order your slices, most that you see before you. They pop ‘em in the oven, charge you, and then call out the type of pizza when it’s warmed up. Will and I had found another pizza joint much like Prince St. It was a little less fancy and we were harassed by a couple of homeless guys, but the pizza was solid. Everyone spoke Spanish in there. I preferred Prince St. pizza, but I like trying new places. The pizza concluded our night and we got home to sleep, ready to cheer on Victoria in her race. 

The Race

The next morning, Will and Cloth got Victoria to her starting point. My knee was quite sore from all the walking, so I hung back. They came back to grab me a bit later and we took the subway to Grand Army Plaza. Cloth tracked Victoria on the marathon’s app. We watched thousands of people in all manner of body type run past. Runners were serious, smiling, quiet, loud. We cheered on others until Victoria appeared. Go VIC! Go!

Clothilde, Will, and I grabbed another metro ride into Manhattan. The race finished in Central Park. From our vantage point by an old oak tree, we had the best spot to observe the runners finishing up. There was only one girl puking too. Way to go, champ!

Victoria cruised by at a great pace. I am proud of her running achievements. She killed this half marathon with a PR of 2:06; for 13.1 miles, that is an amazing pace. We all celebrated with Moes. That just about brings us full circle. Almost. There were a couple hours left before I had to leave. We finished with drinks in downtown Manhattan, mostly to keep us awake. Silly, I know.

I took the metro to the New York Transit Authority and a bus to Newark Airport. There were three delays for my flight to Portland. My dad had plans to pick me up for 11pm. With the delays, I wasn’t going to be in Maine until 1am. I told my dad I’d get a hotel room and he could get me in the am. Thankfully, I was blessed with the presence of a couple heading to Oakland. After a brief mental map calculation, I asked if they’d drive me home. They were kind enough to drop me off at my folks at 2am before finishing their drive to Oakland. Many thanks to you, Derek and Aaron. I am grateful, once more, to live in a state with the kindest of people. Trips like these remind me of all the good in the world: family, strangers, and those in between.