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On the Road with Kevin
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Entry 6
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 Are you honking or are you just happy to see me? I had just spent my first night in New York City, and it was easily living up to its billing as The City that Never Sleeps. Although I was already somewhat smitten with the city by this point, and I’ve been to several other big cities many times before, I have NEVER heard such a constant hum of noise and activity reverberating from every nook and cranny as what seems to take place in NYC. Car alarms going off over here, people honking over there, construction happening everywhere … In a lot of places it’s even difficult to carry on a conversation because I couldn’t hear myself speaking, let alone somebody else right next to me or through a cell phone.
 But I was truly loving the pulse of the city and was excited to explore as much as possible. I was meeting “Julie” this day, so I hopped on the subway to head down to the SoHo area. Now I have always heard of SoHo, but was never exactly sure of what it stood for. Julie filled me in that it means “South of Houston,” pronounced “How-ston.” Of course my first thought then, though, was thinking that it should be pronounced more like “Sow-How” since that’s how both words are actually pronounced in this case. Perhaps I’ll have to look into this matter further with Giuliani or somebody as this trip progresses.
Julie and I were going to grab some lunch (or I guess “do lunch,” as I should be saying now), but we first agreed to meet at a Swatch watch store nearby. I was totally off my rocker that they actually still make Swatch watches, as I hadn’t really heard too much about them since our days of feathered hair and parachute pants in the late ‘80s. Come to think of it, maybe I should petition Giuliani for a revival of some of those things as well. Anyway, we met up briefly and hightailed it over to a slick, sandwich-type restaurant she had mentioned she sometimes loves going to for lunch.
 Julie is probably around 5’6” or so, with nice, longer, blonde hair. She had such an honest and attentive personality in her emails and phone conversations, and I really appreciated the type of guy she seemed to be looking for and how she was going about doing so. I think she very much wants a strong connection with someone, and a fair amount of affection and sincerity. She works in marketing and advertising, and just recently moved to NYC herself, so we were trying to learn some of the lingo and intricacies together … You know, ‘Is it considered a faux pas to hunt down Regis and start yelling at HIM for a change?’ … And so on and so forth.
We had a good time talking over lunch and finding out more about each other’s lives, as well as this great city we were deeply ensconced in. After some time, however, she had to get back to work, but gave me some great tips and ideas about making my way around the city, and what to definitely partake in along with what to certainly avoid. She suggested watching out for puddles of urine. No, I’m only playing.
 A site and a sight not to be missed. Leaving Julie, I was very close to both the World Trade Center site and the Statue of Liberty. So I cautiously walked down the street to see the spot where the Twin Towers used to stand so prominently in the sky. This was probably the most apprehensive I had been about doing something on the entire trip, but of course the other overriding feeling is the need to go examine in person some of the emotions and gain an understanding of that fateful 9/11 day. Many others smarter than I have expounded profoundly on this tragic event in our nation’s history, so I won’t belabor the point here, but suffice it to say it was quite possibly one of the most moving experiences of my life. To crane your neck skyward, as far as the eye can see, and strain to imagine the sheer presence those two buildings must have imposed on their surroundings...
 As I was walking away from the site, I heard a large door being thrust open and the familiar sound of a siren ringing in the air. I turned just in time to see a NYFD fire truck exiting its garage, tearing off down the street with an American flag waving boldly on the back of the rig. Man, maybe one of the most heart-wrenching, yet supremely beautiful at the same time, things I have ever witnessed. It’s pretty hard to keep a dry eye at such a scene as that. The whole area was drenched in a feeling of resiliency and determination, though, and I felt a renewed spirit as I headed to see the Lady of the Harbor.
 The Statue of Liberty represents so many of the amazing and triumphant things that still rise up from the spot where those two powerful towers fell, and it was incredible to be able to see one of our most treasured landmarks in the continual pursuit of freedom. It was an eerily gray and misty day, and one of the best vantage points was to see her standing strong from the shore, barely visible while holding her torch high in the turbulent water. Really, really special to be able catch a glimpse of Lady Liberty.
What did we do before cell phones? I was meeting “Ellie” this night as well, so I hurried back to the hotel to clean up a little bit and check in with her about being able to hook up. We decided to meet at a spot on the south side of Central Park first, and then figure out where to head from there. Coming in to NYC, I had no idea Central Park is actually as big as it is. I was sort of naive in thinking, “Ohh these poor New Yorkers … It’s too bad they don’t really have a lot of green grass or outdoor spots to enjoy themselves in.” Well, lets just say Central Park ain’t no small potato (yes, I realize I used ain’t, as well as a double negative, but at least I didn’t put an “e” on potato). I was rather taken with the grandiose size of the park, and the plethora of activities one could potentially do there.
 At any rate, Ellie and I were having trouble rendezvousing at the designated location, so it became a constant game of cell phone chatter back and forth. I think we each were somehow missing the clarification on streets versus avenues, and New York appeared to be merciless if you couldn’t keep that one simple fact straight. We remarkably managed to survive, however, and through the use of cell phones, were able to guide each other till we were pretty much face-to-face. Mr. A.G. Bell should have really given more thought to inventing the cellular phone as well oh those many years ago alongside his other little invention.
Ellie is about 5’7” and had her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. She is involved in the fashion industry and is already designing lines of clothing for some pretty cool companies, and plans to keep working her way up the ladder. It’s just too bad her own clothes were a fashion disaster, as her Jimmy Chen belt clashed poorly with her Fall 2001 Marybella Liptorian evening jacket, and her Marco Antonio earrings did nothing to elongate her Pierre Monfrair shoes. Obviously I’m just kidding, and those aren’t even real people or words. My point being, she actually was dressed extremely hip and was pulled together well.
We decided to scamper off to Starbucks since it was a fairly frigid night. Yeah, I know, a little boring, but I still wanted everybody I was meeting on this trip to feel safe initially in a public place, and I also wanted to actually be able to talk to them and learn a little more about each other. So Starbucks seemed like a good fit on this night. Ellie has a cool energy and liveliness about her, and those traits compliment her pretty well I’m guessing in her line of work. I got the lowdown (or the 411, as the kids say) from her about many of the fascinating details of NYC, and I think we just really had a fun time hanging out for a while. It was great to be able to converse with someone who knew the city so well, and she seemed intrigued by the states out West too. She was impressed when I told her we finally got running water as of last year...
 In search of The Donald. Well, I was off to spend another night in The Big Apple. This city grows on you pretty quickly I was realizing, and I was anxious to delve into more of the sights and sounds the following day. The next day was THE big day too, and I was P-U-M-P, PUMPED … I was going to find Trump’s stylist to see if he could give me some similar help with my coiffure. Ciao for now!
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