After only semi-frantically packing and searching for my missing rain coat, I was on the way to DIA. Mom had decided she wanted to walk me into the airport and get me checked in, but Departures doesn’t have a short-term parking lot so we had to circle back around and go to Arrivals. We had a mini freakout when my backpack was too fat to fit in the carryon sizing thingy, but soon remedied that by stuffing my check-in even more.
As per the plan, I was an hour
and a half earlier than I needed to be, giving me time to play some fiddle
tunes on the DIA train. My brother and I had been hugely successful last
summer, raking in over a dollar per minute – slightly better than a good night
on Pearl Street. This time, however, I thought it would be more fruitful to
play in the train boarding room. Then every single person flying through Denver
would have to pass by me (unless they decided to be boring and take the
walkway to Term A. Who wouldn’t take the train???). I had been playing, to the
varied satisfaction of travelers, for close to 45 minutes when I saw two
menacing looking security guards aimed at me. Shit. I stopped playing and asked
if there was a problem, to which their response was along the lines of
"move or the cops will have to escort you out". So on to Plan B – Ye
Old Train. I figured they wouldn't really care about me playing in the train,
and hey, it's better to ask forgiveness than permission.
Soon I was boarded and soon
after that I was board: The pilot was taking his pretty little time ambling
around the airport and didn't board the plane until 15 minutes after takeoff
time. Well, he eventually arrived, and we took off. I slept through the
beverages which always makes me really pissed. If I'm paying to a plane ticket
I sure as hell want that half-can of Sprite. With an hour left of flight time I
started watching Divergent – an epic
movie, especially in 1080p on my new ThinkPad Yoga.
Soon we arrived in Wilmington,
which has now become my new definition of Ghetto. The airport was literally a
large-house-sized building with flaps in the walls for the luggage to be dumped
through. You then walk 20 feet and your standing in the road. I'm not even sure
if they have Security. Soon I was in a taxi, chatting it up with the driver
about what size violin he should get for his 12 year old daughter, and then
after parting with enough money to buy 6 Subways I was at what the driver
called "the Chinese bus station". If there is any question as to what
this "bus station" is like, the name pretty much says it all - It's
what appears to be a vacated Chinese restaurant (yes, there is still a Chinese
food menu in the window) with a tiny checkout counter in the back corner. When
I showed the assistant my emailed receipt, she illegibly hand wrote a note with
my confirmation number and departure time and told me that it was my ticket.
I finished Divergent on the bus ride. Really good movie, watch it if you have
a chance. (Also, side note, but if you’ve seen The Fault in Our Stars, Shailene Woodley plays the main characters
in both movies and Ansel Elgort plays her brother in Divergent and her lover in Fault.
Interesting relationship twist). The seat was pretty comfortable, and there
were little adjustable foot rests hanging from the seat ahead of me. The bus
was operated by a Chinese couple, the man driving and the woman carrying her
purse around and collecting tickets. When the bus had finally pulled up, half
an hour late, I was surprised to see that it was bright pink and had no
markings whatsoever. Or maybe I wasn’t surprised, looking back on what the “bus
station” was.
Once in NYC, I bought a
weeklong Metro card and hopped on the N. Unfortunately Angela and Adaire live
in the middle of the West side where the closest subway station is a 15 minute
walk. Not too bad on a normal day, but I was loaded down with a massive duffle
bag, backpack, and violin. Add to that my sprained ankle and it was quite a
long walk. Adaire met me at the door and an hour later Angela came home. It was
great seeing them again, I think the last time I saw them was five or six years
ago at a family reunion.
We ate spaghetti, I napped, we
went shopping, ate dinner, watched Man of
Steel (throughout which I kept dozing off… probably missed about half the
movie), and went to sleep on bright green silk sheets with a glowing face next
to me. Goodnight NYC.
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