A New York Minute: Freaking Friday or the Day of Funny Discussions

Before I get started on my recap of Friday, I want to introduce you to a concept I figured out while in Brooklyn:

When reality is less than expectation the result is huge disappointment.
Artwork by me.

Yes, I do in fact love The Big Bang Theory...but, the point is that Friday was a disappointing day.  I'm not sure what I exactly had in mind, but whatever it was the day did not live up to it.  I'll start from the beginning...

First things first, I ran 3.02 miles Friday.  And while running I watched the Weather Channel and saw that NYC was in a "Gael Warning".  Now, I had no effing idea what a Gael was, so I didn't think much of it.  Not the best reaction...you'll see why soon.

I also saw that it was raining so I decided not to get all crazy trying to straighten or really even bother with my hair since I knew it'd be a lost cause.  Thus, we were up and out the door pretty quickly.  We decided to try breakfast at the "Tick Tock Diner" which was in our hotel.  While waiting to be served our food, Briggs started to fall in love with my curly hair.  So...we took a picture.

This was just the start of the curls...they get worse, or better,
depending on who you ask.  But, isn't my scarf fab?

Waitress showed up finally, and I ordered the huevos rancheros as it is one of my favorite Mexican breakfast dishes.  This is what showed up...

Huevos Rancheros...sorta...

It looked...okay...any huevos rancheros I'd ever had (including in Mexico) had had red sauce on them.  None to be found.  I ate it, because I was hungry, but this would be the first disappointment of my day. 

Next we ran down to the gift shop to grab a couple cheap umbrellas and then headed to Penn Station and onto Brooklyn.  The ride was pretty uneventful and we decided to get off at the stop right next to the Brooklyn Bridge so we could take some pics...

Brooklyn Bridge...I like the buildings almost as much.

The Bridge was cool, and while walking around we decided that we dug Brooklyn.  It had a nice vibe and seemed very chill.  Much, much, much less busy and hurried than Manhattan.

The rain gradually started to become harder so we popped into a West Elm we passed by to take a break from the rain and get directions to the Brooklyn Museum.  The person we asked (a security guard) was probably the most unhelpful person in Brooklyn.  First off, he had no idea that there was a Brooklyn Museum (really?) and then he was completely surprised and a bit put-off when Briggs and I informed him that we weren't from Brooklyn and thus didn't know the trains.  Here's what I recall of the conversation...

Me: "Sir, the Brooklyn Museum is by the Brooklyn Public Library.  The main branch."
Security Guard: "Okay, you're going to go...wait, where are you going?"
Me: "The Brooklyn Museum.  My phone says to take the 2 or 3 train to Eastern Parkway...but we don't know where to get on the 2 or 3."
Security Guard: "So, you don't know the trains?"
Briggs: "No, we aren't from here."
Security Guard: "Really?  You look like locals.  Okay, what's the address?"
Me: "200 Eastern Parkway.  Really, we just need to get to the right subway entrance."
Security Guard: "Okay, well, you are going to go up...wait, where are you going?"
Briggs: "The Brooklyn Museum.  Next to the library." (she was losing her patience)
Security Guard: "Is that in Flatbush?"
Me: "We don't know...we aren't from here.  Remember?" (turns out it was)
Security Guard: "Oh, yeah.  Well, you're going to go up the hill and get on the A and then go to (street I can't remember) and (street I can't remember).  That should get you there."

We walked out of the West Elm and looked at each other and had a psychic moment.  We both knew we weren't listening to that guys directions (later, I looked up the streets he told us to get off at, because I could still remember them and was curious, and they were in Stanten Island...umm...).

We decided to walk back to the subway stop we came into Brooklyn on, even though we knew that the 2 and 3 didn't stop at it, just to ask a subway worker directions.  They were equally unhelpful.  Their mic kept cutting out and all Briggs and I could figure out was that they were gesturing for us to walk further up the street.  So we did, but there wasn't a subway entrance that we could see...but we did eventually find a bus stop.  We found a bus with a driver that was waiting and asked if he knew the best bus to take to get to the Brooklyn Museum.  He said his was and told us to hop on.  He also razzed us a bit...

Fun Bus Driver: "Where you from?" (Obviously, noticing out Midwestern accents)
Me: "Iowa."
Fun Bus Driver: "You walk here?" (Noticing that we were quite damp)
Briggs: "Yep, all the way from Iowa.  1300 miles.  We thought we'd just hop a ride these last couple miles." 
Fun Bus Driver: (howling in laughter) "I like you girls!" 

And we liked him...he pretty much gave us idiot-proof directions from the stop nearest the museum and the actual museum.  Also told us where to get picked back up if we decided to take the bus back.  First, and only (on that day) helpful person we met in Brooklyn.  So, Fun Bus Driver, this Bud's for you!

Image Source

At our stop, we took some pics...

I don't know what it is, but I liked it.

Main Entrance to Brooklyn Library

After snapping pics, I realized that I'd left my umbrella on the bus.  "Oh, well", I thought, "the rain has stopped and it was only a couple of blocks to the museum.  What could happen?"

A shit storm, it seems.

About one block into our two block walk, the clouds opened up and all hell broke loose.  It was the type of rain that comes back up from the ground when you walk.  We kinda ran, huddled under one umbrella (not that it really helped) the last block and since it was pouring, I have no pics to show you of the outside.  But, here's their website: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/.

We went inside and started literally wringing ourselves out.  Luckily, we had both had the foresight to bring a spare pair of shoes in our bags and changed into the dry pair.  Checked our coats.  Then started walking around.

The main floor had some Asian Art (great for Briggs) and a Norman Rockwell Exhibit (great for me).  I don't have much to say on either...check the website if you're interested in such things.  At this point we were both cold and hungry so we decided to grab some grub at the Museum to help us warm up.  At this point, I was super tired and grumpy.  You all should probably know that I'm kinda like a cat...I only like to be wet when its MY IDEA.  So, being wet for the better part of an entire day was torture for me. 

After lunch, we set back out...you should know before you go to the Brooklyn Museum: it's huge.  There is no way you are going to see everything in it, but Briggs was gonna try.  I was losing my patience quickly, as I don't care much for the classical art she was studying, so I split from her to go check out the Mummy Exhibit.  There was some super cool stuff...and they allowed pics...

Ceiling in Egypt/Mummy Exhibit

Right after taking this photo...my camera died.  I almost started bawling right there because I didn't bring its wire to charge it with me.  It was just the diarrhea-flavored frosting on this shit cupcake of a day.  Thank G-d for my iPhone, because I was able to take a couple more pics...

Goddess, the writing talks about how they emphasize her female
parts while making her head/brain very small. 

Lions.  My favorite animal.

Briggs finally found me again and we headed up to the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art which is where Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party is kept.  I've studied this piece of artwork since my first year at Iowa State University and have wanted to see it ever since.  No pics, but here is a link to the Museums pictures and audio on the piece.  I'll let you look at it there as I think it can educate you more than I could.  I will say that my favorite place-settings belong to: Primordial Goddess, Sophia, Judith, Sacajawea, Sojourner Truth, Margaret Sanger, and Virginia Wolf.

We then ventured upstairs to see the Post-Modern/Contemporary Art.  My heart wasn't really into it...but I did take a pic of this because it made me think of Alice in Wonderland... 

Alice in Wonderlandesque. 

I was done.  I wanted to go to the hotel and dry off.  So, after some more misadventures getting onto the right subway, we did just that grabbing a Starbucks en route.  At the hotel, we changed and since it had stopped raining, we decided to venture out and do what women do when they are in shitty moods...shoe shopping!

Don't get excited, we didn't get any Manolos or Louboutins, we actually headed first to H&M but eventually ended up at Famous Footwear.  I found some boots and Briggs found some new flats.  The young man who checked me out, Chris, must have noticed my Midwestern accent because he asked where I was from.  I told him Northern Iowa and his eyes lit up...

Chris: "I'm from Mankato (MN)! Where in Iowa are you from?"
Me: "Okoboji.  Do you know where that is?"
Chris: "Yep!  My friends and I in college went down there to party in the summer!"
Me (laughing): "Nice!  How did you get out here?"
Chris: "Grad school.  What brings you out here?"
Me: "I want to move out here to go to grad school too, so I'm here checking it out.  How do you like it?"
Chris: "Love it.  What do you want to study?"
Me: "Arts Administration.  What are you studying?"
Chris: "Archeology at Columbia.  Where do you want to study?"
Me: "Either Pratt or NYU."
Chris: "Great schools..."

At this point, Briggs showed up as she was done and Chris handed me my receipt and we left.  We headed back to the hotel to change into our new shoes (of course) and at that point I finally looked at my receipt...Chris had wrote his number on it with "Call me when you get here".  Smooth.  Honestly, if I hadn't lost the receipt, I might have!

At this point, I was feeling much better and decided to check myself out to make sure I was presentable for dinner.   Holy balls.  My hair hadn't been that curly since I was in Jr. High.  Surprisingly, I liked it.  This was my only good hair day in NYC.

And Briggs...her hair was 80s awesome.  We surmised that there must be a time warp in Brooklyn and that's why the day was so weird.  Here's a photo...

Adorbs!

New shoes on and spirits lifted we decided to head to Best Buy to find a charger for my camera.  Found one...which was an unexpected expense, but it made me feel a lot better.  Next, dinner...

I let Briggs lead us, as I was completely sick of making decisions and she just walked and walked...  During this walk we found out first hand what exactly a Gael is: it is wind.  A lot of wind.  In Iowa we'd just call it a Wind Storm.  This was making me cold and tired and I snapped at Briggs.  She snapped back.  This was our only real spat of the trip and it was done as quick as it started.  That's why we're friends.

Finally, we found somewhere that looked good: Bar 6.  Again no pics, but we both ordered burgers and beers (I had more Brooklyn Lagers).  Nice vibe, chill, and the waitress thought the fact that Briggs and I could chug the last fourth of our beers as quick as we could was bad ass.  Do NY girls not gulp beer?

Eventually, we started talking about everything that had happened in my personal life the last few months...with my mom, my grandfather, moving, my job, etc.  Briggs brought up how impressed and proud she was of me for taking the leap and moving out to NYC which of course made me start to talk about my anxiety about the move and trip.  I eventually started crying (which is weird because I normally become silly when I drink, not sad) and kind of started dumping on her.  Briggs sat and listened because she's the probably the most benevolent person I know.

Eventually we got past the sad stuff and started talking about where we want to go for our next vacation together.  We decided on Vancouver in June 2012, because then we could both go to another country and visit the West Coast in one trip and it'd be right before we both turn 30 (knocking two things of my 30 Before 30 list).  After several more beers and a bit of planning for Saturday, we headed to the hotel.  We wanted to shut the door on that day...

Catch up on my trip:

• A New York Minute: Tourist Thursday or the Day We Kept Taking Wrong Turns
• A New York Minute: Whoo Hoo Wednesday!
• A New York Minute: By the Numbers