day 1 recap: chicago, giant rodents, masturbating man

yesterday was a whirlwind of activity. my plane landed (on time! and uneventfully) aorund 1:15. i took a cab to manhattan (east 53rd) and met my friend. it was as if no time at all had passed. it seems to always be that way with good friends. i was starving, because i hadn't eaten for nearly 24 hours. we picked a good little mexican diner near her house called blockheads. the food was excellent, as seems to be the case everywhere you go in NYC. i guess because the competition is so fierce? at any rate, we filled up on delicious mexican food then went to visit the famous AMC (animal medical center) where she is doing her internship.

it amazed me that after a mere oh...8 hours away from home and work, i was already yearning for the presence of a few fluffies. we visited the exotics ward, so i could get a brief birdie fix. aftewards, we roamed the city like bandits. we visited madison ave, 5th avenue, rockefeller center (the tree is amazing), stopped in at gucci and betsey johnson and nine west, and generally drank in the city and all its pulsing life.

whilst in rockefeller center, we met a handsome mounted police officer in his mid
20s who tried to pick us up. my best friend gave him her number, i demured and stood in the background, trying not to crack up. after all, shouldn't he be doing...oh, i don't know - cop stuff?? and my friend is always complaining about not being able to meet men. we met three on our stroll around the island! and we never left our side of the island!

afterwards, i told her "hey - at least you know he likes animals!" his beautiful quarter horse was impeccably kept and wonderfully fit.

we ate a very light dinner at a bar and grill (charley o's) in times square and then went to see chicago at the ambassador theater. it was not exactly what i expected. for one thing, the backdrop was the same the entire show. the actors wore the same costumes, with very mild changes (additional jewelry, different shoes), the whole show. i guess i expected crazy, flashy, incredible sets and costumes...because it is broadway, after all. it was a good play. it wasn't fabulous. i wasn't completely blown away, but i thoroughly enjoyed myself. i had a long island ice tea (which has NO tea in it) at charley o's. that, combined with my small size, general lack of drinking habits (i haven't drunk anything alcoholic in weeks), and my exhaustion at traveling and just coming off overnights, pretty much made me slightly more tipsy than i expected. it made the whole experience that much more enjoyable.

afterwards, we strolled the leisurely 11 blocks or so back to home. on the way, i wanted to stop and take a picture of radio city music hall. as i was standing in the square across the way, trying to get the light right, i felt something aggressively brush/grab my lower leg. i thought a person had grabbed me. i glanced down and to my HORROR saw a large rodent dashing for the nearby landscaping arrangement. i kid you not. a drunk (he must have been, to run into me like that) NYC rodent tried to maul me.

it only got better. as we stood on the corner of park avenue waiting to cross, a man in a dodge neon crept by us very, very slowly. i thought he must have thought we were prostitutes or something, despite our conservative garb. that was until i noticed that he was masturbating with the window down as he cruised by.

ahhhh...welcome to new york city!

in all seriousness, it's 8am, and i can't get back to sleep. the city awaits. my friend is working, but i have all day to roam around and see the place. amazingly, it's in the high 50s here, so i'm not going to have to wear 37 layers and be miserably cold. i can actually wear a light jacket and be comfortable.

i promise that there will be more to come as i commence my next 4 days in the big city.