Post-test escape to NYC Part I

I just spent a scorching weekend in New York City.   The trip had just slightly more forethought than the other trips I make out of town. 


My Friday was kind of a scramble.  After the immunology exam I was playing catch-up trying to get all the errands I put off for weeks completed.  One of the tasks was to sit down and draw!

I am taking an elective called Training the Eye: Improving the Art of Physical Diagnosis.  We were given a sketchpad, pencils and charcoals.  I have weekly drawing assignments and get to spend an hour or so on Fridays in the Museum of Fine Arts or the Isabella Gardener Museum.  It is a great way to end the week.  Too bad it ends at 4:30p and I had laundry to do before I headed out to South Station at 6:30p.

I caught the 8p Lucky Star bus to NYC.  I had heard that the line was a decent one.  For $15 you get wifi and make it to the city in 4.5h.  Well they didn't say that you get wifi "if the service is working" and to make it in 4.5h you might nearly crash into other cars a few times.  Let me be brief by saying, it was exciting.

We arrived in Chinatown around 12:30a and I made it to my friend SA's place in Brooklyn by 1:15.  I chatted with her and her friend C who was subletting until about 3a and called it a night.  My plan to help set up for the May Day rally at 7am was offically scrubbed.

Later Saturday I got an Americano with C at Breukelen Coffee House.  On my way back to the apartment I caught up with SA just leaving.  I thought I was going to grab a quick pastry for breakfatst and be off to the rally but SA had other plans.  We strollled down Franklin Ave to a bakery where she knew the owner, we chatted and left with more baked goods.  Tasty but not part of this complete breakfast.   She invited me to visit a friend who is battling two very rare forms of cancer, and I said I would not mind joining if her friend did not mind.  On the way to his place we stopped at Cake Man Raven.  I don't know if it beats my Mom's but man they make a mean Red Velvet Cake!

After grabbing the cake, and visiting her friend SA and I made our way to the rally.  It was intense.  I didn't have my camera so no pics.  After the rally we marched from Union Sq towards Wall St.  The march was against the legislation recently passed in AZ that would essentially legalize racial profiling in the name of enforcing anti-immigration laws.

There was singing and chanting, banners and flags were waving.  People where hanging out of their window in apartments buildings chanting and blowing horns to show support.  I looked up to a perfectly clear blue sky.  The people showed up.  The heavens heard us.  It was powerful.

That night we went back to BKLYN and had some Senegalese food at Jolof, it's was aight.  We agreed it was nothing to write home about.  We ended the night at the Brooklyn Museum's First Saturday with drinks, art, music and dancing.  Very fun!