On Foot Diaries

yesterday was a good day. it was a happy news day. a new crit partner day. an everything is bright and sunny kind of day.

and it was spanish class day. going in, i felt like i could chatter on for hours, but then remembered we were watching a movie. for the entire class.

now there's only like 8 or 10 of these classes anyway, so i have to admit, one class spent entirely on a movie seems a little like a cop out. not to mention, we watched Motorcyle Diaries.

yeah, yeah, yeah, you can't have too much Gael Garcia Bernal, but me and 89% of the class had already scene this film. not to mention, they speak with Argentinian accents, which sounds a little like someone whispering spanish. you think it's related to the language you're used to, but your just not quite sure, because you can only make out one in a hundred words.

so basically, yesterday in my spanish class i read me some english subtitles.

but i was in such a good mood, it didn't matter. plus by the end of the class, Che's trip had taken him to Peru, where the accents are closer to what i'm used to and i was shocked to find, that suddenly i didn't need the subtitles at all.

Motorcyle Diaries is a pretty okay movie. i didn't love it the first time i saw it and i liked it marginally better the second. BUT when i left class -- after watching all that travelling -- i definitely didn't feel like going home.

is this happening to you? all your friends are posting status updates that say things like: Paris here i come! or: I'm off to explore ALL of Southern Europe! if you're anything like me, you've hidden a few feeds this summer. but suffice to say, when i left class and saw all the international tourists exploring my city i decided to join them.

care to join me?

one of the things i love about New York are the hidden gems that only come out at night. i'm sure this is a nice spot to eat lunch, but at night this courtyard with tables and chairs turns magical.

since my class is in the financial district it was only a few blocks to the 9/11 site. i'd heard they'd made good progress on the new buildings, but still, i was amazed.

after that i really had no destination, but felt like walking a long more. which is when i saw the below sign.

ever since i've moved here, i've wanted to cross the Brooklyn bridge on foot, but never have. so when i saw the signs pointing in that direction, i knew it was just the thing for my wanderlust.
i thought it might be creepy, walking the Brooklyn bridge alone at night (says the girl who camped out at Coney Island). but i immediately hit a wall of tourists that flowed around me for just about the whole time. below is not the best picture of it.

honestly, if it was that crowded at 10 on a Tuesday, i don't know how people walk across the Brooklyn bridge during the day. no, seriously, how is it physically possible?

as with most tourist attractions -- excepting the grand canyon, i'm sorry, i just never really liked it there -- it's easy to understand why so many people go once you get to the heart of it.

think what you like about the city, it puts on a good show at night.

i smiled and giggled to myself the whole time i walked the bridge.

i was on an adventure (minus Gael Garcia, boo) in my own backyard! which yes, granted, is NYC.

soon enough, it was back to Brooklyn. where, word of advice, take the first exit off the bridge that you come to. otherwise you walk forever, end up in the heart of downtown, get lost and then find your way home.

sighs with contentment. yesterday was great.

today, meanwhile, i was woken up at 8:15 by a text message. (bedtime for me is 2 or 2:30). perhaps in retribution, a half hour later, i accidentally emptied my water bottle all over my cellphone. and believe you me (isn't it weird that the prime minister of Britain said that during his big conciliatory moment. doesn't 'believe you me' seem so un-prime ministry?) sorry, anyway, and believe you me, cellphones don't like water dumped all over them. in fact, it renders them useless.

unless you can think of something to do with a constantly vibrating, otherwise unfunctioning, small device.

erm, shush, ladies.
going somewhere great this summer? pfft. good for you. not? then i highly recommend taking a day to be a tourist in your own town. to make it even more fun, do your adventure at night! unlike those travelling through all the exotic ports of the world this summer, the sense of freedom, laughter, and fresh appreciation for where you call home when you explore your home, don't cost a thing.