E. Tinawi and the Weight Losing Giant: New York Adventures and A Weight Watchers Meeting

Almost 5 days in New York and I have already learned a lot. This city is filled with some of the most beautiful, oddest, smelliest, need-to-eat-a-sandwichest, and most talented people.

And while I know I am going to love my summer here, I have decided that without a doubt, I am not someone who wants to live here forever. Therefore, this 3 summers living in New York is PERFECT because in August, I can go home to my dog, my man, my car, my HOUSE, and my friends. :-) However, with that said, I am sure you aren't reading my blog to hear about the things at home that I am missing. New York is a wonderful, eclectic place and I am loving my daily adventures roaming around the city. My top thoughts on NYC so far:

If you sightsee on your own, there is a good chance men will give you their phone numbers. (I got 2 and a free coffee!)
A bad tour guide can make a 2 hour bus ride seem like 5.
Having tourist footwear is better than the blisters that ensue.
Gaming stores in Minnesota are better than in Manhattan.

Everyday I have been writing in my NYC exclusive journal. The hope is that I can really document my summer here and remember all of the adventures that I went on. My journal is filled with a detailed account of each day in New York. And while I wish that I had time to really type out ALL of the things that I have done and experience, I will instead try and give you the Cliff Notes version. So, what I will do is a brief synopsis of each day with a highlight from that day. And at the end, I will close with some advice from my Weight Watchers meeting.

Day #1

After moving in and adventuring around for a bit, I wandered down to Washington Square Park. I walked, read, ate, and enjoyed being in the beautiful weather in NYC. Washing Square Park is alive with performers, kids singing, people reading... There was even a man who had a baby grand piano that he rolled into the park to play for the people sitting around. It was just the perfect way to begin my NYC adventure. The highlight, a set of Twin street performers who spun each other on the tops of their heads and were completely un-PC in their jokes, but completely hilarious.

Day #2

My second day in NYC was all about figuring out how to get around and hanging out with friends. I had the chance to have a lovely lunch with my friends Maggie and Liza on the deck of Maggie's apartment building. We had sandwiches and chatted. I hung out at home for a bit. Skyped with my Ashland coach buddies and then headed to dinner with another wonderful friend and her boyfriend. Anna, Randall, and I hate a great dinner and a chance to catch up. I love knowing that this summer we will all hang out again. The highlight of my day, Obies in NY. Gotta love it.

Day #3

As I mentioned in my first NYC post, I am determined to experience as much of NY as I can. So, I decided that for 2 straight days I would do some of the most touristy things. Who knew that I would barely scratch the surface of touristy NYC. I didn't get to the Statue, Ellis Island, or really most of the big ticket items. However, I got up early determined to go on an adventure. I arrived outside the Spiderman theatre at 8:30 and sat and read until 10. I got my tickets for the show that night and headed on my adventure. I decided the best way to see as much as possible was to spend the day on a double decker bus. Our tour guide was GREAT. He was this big guy from Brooklyn. I would not ever want to get on his bad side. He clearly loved the city and knew so much about it. I learned a lot from the tour. Things that most New Yorkers already know, but I thought were fascinating. Example: SOHO=South of Houston St. The tour was a GREAT way to get the flavor of the different parts of the city. And for me, I made notes about where I want to go back and spend more time. Places that I wouldn't have ever gone if I hadn't seen a glimpse of them on the tour. The bus went all around downtown. It so much fun. One VERY important piece of information that I have to add before I go on to the next part of my adventure was that on the bus was where I also got given my first phone number. The son of a family on the bus handed me his number when he got off. I didn't talk to him or his family at all. I must have looked lonely just sitting there. Ha.

After getting off the bus, I headed to Top of the Rock. Ah! It was JUST beautiful. Breathtaking even. Although, I did learn that it is hard to take your own picture when you are traveling on your own. :-) On my way up to the Top of the Rock was where I was given my second phone number. One of the guys who was working there chatted me up while I was waiting in line for security. After I came out of the bathroom, boom, there he was with his phone number. I told him that my husband probably wouldn't appreciate me calling him, but thank you. Granted I don't have a husband, but I wear the ring that JD gave me on my wedding finger, so the story doesn't seem to unrealistic. Afterwards I sat and read in the plaza. It was just spectacular. Dinner with some of my Minnesota faves, Kris and her daughter! We ate delicious Cuban food. Then I headed to Spiderman, the musical. It was exactly what I expected. A spectacle. Terrible story line. Ok music. Good performances. Glad that I only paid $39 instead of the $150 that the normal ticket was. Then I headed home. These 2 paragraphs can't even begin to really capture what the day was like, however, it was just a great day. The highlight of my day, reading in 4 different parks or plazas.

View from the Top of the Rock

Me at the Top of the Rock

Day #4

Another day of being a tourist for me. Took the bus tour of Brooklyn. Sat next to a wonderfully lovely family. It was HOT HOT HOT. Sweat was dripping all over, all day. No joke. Gross. The day went along fine. I walked around after the Brooklyn tour and went on the NBC tour! That was VERY cool. The day's end was not as great as its beginning. It was almost a tragedy. I went on a "Night Tour". There were several things wrong with my "Night Tour". I suppose it was actually a night tour because it happened in the night hours. However, the pictures made it look like we would be on the bus looking at the different monumental places in NYC when they were lit up at night. Wrong. It was a combination of the downtown and Brooklyn tour at 6 pm. Nothing was lit up. We didn't stop anywhere new. It was just sad. Also, it said non-stop. It wasn't non-stop, we stopped several times. One time so that the bus driver could buy cherries. No joke.

Now, you might think that all of of this sounds bad... but the worst part of the tour wasn't the lack of new scenery or the stops. This "Night Tour" was where I learned how TERRIBLE a TERRIBLE tour guide could be. First of all, he said, "If you will" at least once or twice per sentence. His jokes were just awful. He spent 3 minutes making a joke about Puff Daddy's different names. And I am very serious. It was painful. Uncomfortable. People were awkwardly laughing and looking around. The Australian couple kept looking at their watches and shooting sympathetic looks at me because I had no one to suffer through the tour with. And to make it worse, anytime that the tour guide made a joke that people didn't laugh at, which were most of them, he would say, "Ahhh whatever." In case you didn't think that was bad enough, on the tour he pointed out important landmarks like Victoria's Secret, Starbucks, and the gas station on our right. I am NOT kidding. Painful. Painful. Painful. The highlight of my day, the NBC tour. Our tour guides were HILARIOUS, knew a lot about the studios (although I suppose that was their job), and CLEARLY loved what they did. I learned Alec Baldwin has hosted SNL the most. I also learned that the Dr. Oz studio is pretty small. AND they keep all their studios at 40 degrees using refrigerated air, not air conditioning. Great tour. I recommend it to people visiting NYC.

Picture I took to show my students that even in Brooklyn they want you to read!

Health Updates

The big part of yesterday was that I went to a Weight Watchers meeting. It was actually really good. It regrounded me. I haven't worked out yet. Although, I have been tracking all of my food and walking as much as possible. Going to the meeting reminded me that I can't eat whatever I want JUST because I am walking everywhere. It was good. It was a wake up call. :-) She said something that really made sense to me. When you hit goal, nothing much changes. You only get 2-6 extra points a day. That's not that much. I guess why it hit me so much is that I have been just eating whatever I want here. I can't do that. I need to continue to be conscience. This is a LIFESTYLE change!!! I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!! The trip to Whole Foods last night will help and I will continue working on my summer goals.

Other Random Pictures