"How?" you may ask. Well, I've decided to let you in on a little secret:
MAKE FRIENDS.
Networking is so very important in business, but I think it may be even more important in pleasure. I have two new friends who are Juilliard musicians. Their circle of connections is quite exciting. One of these friends has family in a little town called Glen Cove on Long Island. This little beach town is the setting for our story this afternoon.
Please indulge me as I relay to you the joys of my little mini-vacation.
Emma, my violinist friend (I introduced her to the joys of wearing shorts during the summer - together we bought her first pair ever!) text me one evening to tell me she was house-sitting for our friend Doug's family in Long Island. She didn't want to spend the entire weekend in this strange house by herself, so she invited me to join for a couple of nights. I had never been to Long Island before, and I was a little worn down from the craziness of the city, so I eagerly agreed to meet her out there on Thursday evening for a little bit of relaxation.
I packed my pretty pink weekender suitcase and as soon as I was released from work Thursday evening, I rushed down to Penn Station to catch the LIRR train to Glen Cove. I had never been used the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) before, so that's where the fun started. I wish I had taken a picture of the insanity, but I didn't want to look like a tourist (Darn my New York pride...). To find out on what track your train will be stationed, you have to watch an ever changing board for the route name, the departure time, and the track number. There are literally hundreds of people staring up at this board, and every few seconds a new track will appear and dozens of people will take off running towards the entry portal. It would have been hysterical if I hadn't been in such a panic to find the right train. Eventually I figured out the system and made a mad dash for track 15 where I just barely boarded the train before the doors closed and we departed for Jamaica.
The LIRR is much nicer than Manhattan subways - partially because people have much longer commutes and they pay a lot more for their tickets. The seats are cushioned and have arm rests. I was too slow to catch a seat, though, so I stood in the aisle, straddling my suitcase, praying I was headed in the right direction. I transferred trains at Jamaica and felt much more comfortable as I actually sat and enjoyed my ride to Glen Cove.
When we arrived at the station, I stepped out onto a quaint little outdoor platform with a ticket pavilion and a parking lot. That was pretty much it. I was only about an hour from mid-town Manhattan, but this was a COMPLETELY different world. Emma picked me up in the car, and we drove through the town to our weekend home.
As we pulled up to the house, Emma said she hoped I didn't mind animals... We were greeted at the door by the fluffiest, sweetest, happiest dog ever (except for my old dogs - they were the best). Mocha and I immediately hit it off and I could have just sat and petted that sweet dog all evening.
We wanted to see the beach before sunset, so we drove down the little path to the local beach and walked along the water and sat on the rocks just chatting and enjoying the fresh air. A storm started to appear on the horizon, so we watched the water wall approach the shore. If you don't know, a storm on the beach is one of my all time favorite sights. This was heavenly. We couldn't pull ourselves away until the wind starting pushing so hard it became difficult to stand. Then we started to get a little scared and ran back to the car.
That night, Emma made us a pizza and we were just going to hang out and watch a movie. We had just settled down with full bellies to watch our movie when all of the power just shut down. Power outages are always a little scary, but when you're in an unfamiliar house in a strange town, it gets really easy to freak yourself out. We were absolutely positive we were going to die. It was the perfect scary movie - two new friends house sit for a relaxing weekend, then a storm rolls in, the power goes out, and BOOM there's a killer around the corner... Don't even pretend like you wouldn't have though the same thing. We tiptoed around the house with our iPhones as flashlights, looking for candles or anything else that would give us some comfort and some light. After lighting enough decorative candles in the living room to give off a nice full glow (and enough light to see anyone who might try to attack), Emma and I sat with the dog and cat and chit-chatted for a few hours. Girl talk can be so delightful... If you've never tried it, I would recommend it. When the power came back on, we reset the clocks and went straight to bed.
Friday was full of small-town fun. We spent the morning out on the beach tanning and reading, then went into town for lunch and Batman. It was pretty incredible. We bought lunch and a movie ticket for the price of one ticket in Manhattan. We were also the only ones in the theatre until right at start time (even then, there were only a few others). Any time you see a movie in the city, the theater is full. I've never seen a movie in Manhattan where at least half of the seats aren't filled - no matter what time of day. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home to get ice cream, then went back to the house for the Olympic Opening Ceremony!
I was so thankful to have a big couch and a real (big, flat screen) TV to watch the Olympics. I had spent most of the week worrying about where on earth I would be able to tune in. We don't have any kind of television set up at my apartment, so this was beyond ideal! Emma and I ate an entire carton of ice cream and enjoyed every second of the broadcast whether we were overwhelmed with Olympic spirit or having great fun making fun of the opening ceremony. (You've got to admit, there were some pretty ridiculous parts. My favorite comment from the announcers was "I'm not sure if that's cute or creepy" referring to the big baby in the middle of the arena after Voldemort and the army of Mary Poppinses had their duel... EXCUSE ME WHAT?? Heavens...) After just barely maintaining consciousness through the entire parade of athletes, we ended our night in a wonderful sugar-coma induced sleep.
After a morning jog and fresh breakfast, we went back to the station, boarded the train, and returned to real life in the bustling city. At first, I didn't want to leave Glen Cove. I was having such a delightful time. However, as soon as I stepped foot back in Penn Station and felt the energy of the city smack me in the face, I was exhilarated and so glad to be back! There's nothing like being away from the city to make you appreciate it even more.
So there you have it - I guess that's what New Yorkers do on vacation... They do things that the rest of the country does every day - they slow down. I'll admit, it's a nice feeling, but I couldn't handle that all the time anymore. I guess I'm a city girl now. :)
Grace Be With You,
Lindsey Shea
The LIRR is much nicer than Manhattan subways - partially because people have much longer commutes and they pay a lot more for their tickets. The seats are cushioned and have arm rests. I was too slow to catch a seat, though, so I stood in the aisle, straddling my suitcase, praying I was headed in the right direction. I transferred trains at Jamaica and felt much more comfortable as I actually sat and enjoyed my ride to Glen Cove.
As we pulled up to the house, Emma said she hoped I didn't mind animals... We were greeted at the door by the fluffiest, sweetest, happiest dog ever (except for my old dogs - they were the best). Mocha and I immediately hit it off and I could have just sat and petted that sweet dog all evening.
That night, Emma made us a pizza and we were just going to hang out and watch a movie. We had just settled down with full bellies to watch our movie when all of the power just shut down. Power outages are always a little scary, but when you're in an unfamiliar house in a strange town, it gets really easy to freak yourself out. We were absolutely positive we were going to die. It was the perfect scary movie - two new friends house sit for a relaxing weekend, then a storm rolls in, the power goes out, and BOOM there's a killer around the corner... Don't even pretend like you wouldn't have though the same thing. We tiptoed around the house with our iPhones as flashlights, looking for candles or anything else that would give us some comfort and some light. After lighting enough decorative candles in the living room to give off a nice full glow (and enough light to see anyone who might try to attack), Emma and I sat with the dog and cat and chit-chatted for a few hours. Girl talk can be so delightful... If you've never tried it, I would recommend it. When the power came back on, we reset the clocks and went straight to bed.
Friday was full of small-town fun. We spent the morning out on the beach tanning and reading, then went into town for lunch and Batman. It was pretty incredible. We bought lunch and a movie ticket for the price of one ticket in Manhattan. We were also the only ones in the theatre until right at start time (even then, there were only a few others). Any time you see a movie in the city, the theater is full. I've never seen a movie in Manhattan where at least half of the seats aren't filled - no matter what time of day. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home to get ice cream, then went back to the house for the Olympic Opening Ceremony!
I was so thankful to have a big couch and a real (big, flat screen) TV to watch the Olympics. I had spent most of the week worrying about where on earth I would be able to tune in. We don't have any kind of television set up at my apartment, so this was beyond ideal! Emma and I ate an entire carton of ice cream and enjoyed every second of the broadcast whether we were overwhelmed with Olympic spirit or having great fun making fun of the opening ceremony. (You've got to admit, there were some pretty ridiculous parts. My favorite comment from the announcers was "I'm not sure if that's cute or creepy" referring to the big baby in the middle of the arena after Voldemort and the army of Mary Poppinses had their duel... EXCUSE ME WHAT?? Heavens...) After just barely maintaining consciousness through the entire parade of athletes, we ended our night in a wonderful sugar-coma induced sleep.
After a morning jog and fresh breakfast, we went back to the station, boarded the train, and returned to real life in the bustling city. At first, I didn't want to leave Glen Cove. I was having such a delightful time. However, as soon as I stepped foot back in Penn Station and felt the energy of the city smack me in the face, I was exhilarated and so glad to be back! There's nothing like being away from the city to make you appreciate it even more.
So there you have it - I guess that's what New Yorkers do on vacation... They do things that the rest of the country does every day - they slow down. I'll admit, it's a nice feeling, but I couldn't handle that all the time anymore. I guess I'm a city girl now. :)
Grace Be With You,
Lindsey Shea
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