New York City.
The taxi's leather seats are hot and I wind down the window. After spending every summer in Ireland for as long as I can remember, I am completely baffled by the unrelenting heat. The wind is hot. The air is hot. The sun is very, very hot. That night I fall asleep ridiculously early beside the open window,the warm air blowing in chattering voices from the trendy bars along the street below.
Since then its been a crazy few weeks of trying to find somewhere to live and starting CUNY. When I went to my first class at the Graduate Centre I had to stop and stare at the building for a few minutes.
I finally went inside, got a student card and voila: student again, complete with library access and homework. My fellow classmates are all much older than me but they are welcoming and nice. They say nice things about my writing.
I wander around a lot. In the sun New York has a sweet smell like dusty leather.
The humid nights make for terrible sleeping but great exploring. Last night I was on my way home from dinner with some friends on the Upper West Side on a subway line I didn't know. I suddenly had this urge to get lost so I jumped off the train at a stop I didn't know and wandered through downtown New York in the vague direction of home. I'd turn one corner and get this great view of the Empire State Building all lit up against the night sky, and then turn another corner and be on a quiet street completely surrounded by darkened buildings, alone except for a tall black transvestite in towering red heels who smiles at me as we pass.
I spent a really great weekend in Rhinebeck.
The house we were staying in was part of a Barn Tour so we got to go with them and see some cool barns and attend a cocktail party in the fanciest barn/poolhouse I've ever seen. I was wandering around taking photos when I noticed a caterpillar floating in the pool, wriggling wildly. I don't know why but seeing it made me incredibly sad. I almost fell in trying to rescue him but eventually was successful and deposited him safely on some nearby grass. I got some weird looks, but I was happy. Early the next morning we went riding through the fields and forests and it was completely great. Afterwards, the woman we were staying with brought us to visit Rokeby (here's a cool article in the NY Times about it).
It's a beautiful old mansion and estate, and after borrowing a flashlight from the eccentric owner Ricky, we wandered around the barns, climbing up rickety wooden steps to find ourselves in an attic full of monsters. Literally.
They build the floats for the East Village Halloween Parade there. They invited me to come and help out this year which is definitely something I am hoping to do.
Other than all of the amazing things above I have been drinking a lot of hot chocolate (and iced chai), reading, watching Buffy, lusting after bikes, walking dogs, falling in love with dogs, and taking up Power Yoga which is both awesome and painful. I have been brought to some really cool places by Kate, who has been a life-savingly cool guide/friend/general person. My favourite place was a hardware store on Metropolitan Ave in Brooklyn that have a pet miniature pot bellied pig called Franklin who made me so happy about just the fact that he existed.
I really need to go and read for class today, so I will wrap up this rambling post of ramblyness with the song I have been listening to on repeat.
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