I decided to finish off the Europe trip with a blog about my final week abroad, which was spent in New York City and Washington D.C.. Unfortunately the plan to climb with Bucky in the Gunks was derailed by a last minute trip by Bucky to the West coast, but he left me in the capable hands of Ainsley and we managed to have a great time. The biggest highlight of my first stint in Brooklyn was the Hash run. If you haven't done a Hash run before, you should. We got an email saying where the race was going to start and just showed up and waited at the intersection for the race organizers to arrive. In the meantime we got the lowdown on the regular's nicknames which were all vulgar, and all had funny, non-vulgar stories behind them. Once the race organizers showed up they explained the rules of route-finding and we were off. We ran around Brooklyn following arrows that were marked on the sidewalk in chalk. Every once in awhile we would come across a circle with an X in it rather than an arrow. At these intersections the route could go in any direction and we just had to guess and check. Sometimes we guessed correctly the first time and found three subsequent arrows in the direction we chose. Sometimes we guessed incorrectly and would find only two arrows before the route would disappear and we would have to backtrack and try again. There were also backcheck markers where we would have to backtrack a few arrows and then guess a new direction to run in! At about the 3/4 mark of the run there was a drink station, which consisted of a gatorade/vodka mix. We finished the approximately 4.5 mile run at a bar where we gave the organizers $20 and proceeded to drink and eat until the money was spent. It was a really fun event and lead to a very lively night where we ended up dancing to a live (and awesome) country/folk band until we were ready to pass out. Ainsley also brought me to my first ever yoga class which was more physically demanding than I would have guessed. After spending the weekend in Brooklyn I caught a bus for the four hour ride to Washington D.C. to meet up with some old friends. I kept myself busy until they got off of work on the National Mall at the Museum of Natural History, which was fascinating. Once Erik got off of work I met him at Dupont Circle for a lovely oyster bar dinner, followed by smoking pipes on the roof of his apartment building into the wee hours of the night. The next day I went back to the National Mall, this time visiting the Museum of American History and Botanic Gardens. The "America at War" display in the museum is incredible. I think I spent two hours in the Cold War display alone! After joining Erik we met up with another old friend, Kate, and had a great time of reminiscing and updating on our lives. Of course, with three people of such diverse political leanings, in our nation's capitol, we couldn't help but get into a short political discussion. It was a great time getting back together with some of my best friends, but unfortunately I had to cut the trip short and head back to New York. Bucky had come back from the West coast in the meantime and he, Ainsley, Dan, Charlie, and I went to a concert at a bowling alley. I didn't have any information going in to the night, but when I learned that it was the Eli Young Band playing at a bowling alley in Brooklyn I freaked out! I love Eli Young Band! And bowling! We didn't bowl, but the music was first rate. After Eli Young Band was done there were more treats in store. Questlove, from the Roots Crew showed up and DJ'd the rest of the night! I met Charlie, with whom I had a great time talking and dancing. Dancing to country music and DJ music in a bowling alley in Brooklyn on a Thursday night hit all my fun buttons! A few thoughts on the differences between Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Washington D.C.:
After spending the week in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and D.C. these are my rankings based on general layout, architecture, and atmosphere.
1. D.C.
2. Brooklyn
3. Manhattan
I had so much fun in Brooklyn last weekend that I could see why people enjoyed living here. It has a really awesome energy. But D.C. takes the cake because it is so open, with parks everywhere, and the architecture is so grandiose and striking I could (and did) just walk around for hours checking out all the different buildings. Manhattan is really hit or miss, I feel, depending on where you are. Central Park and the surrounding area is really cool, but then you get to the office park areas where everything feels dirty and claustrophobic. Just my two cents.
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| Enjoying Eli Young Band at Brooklyn Bowl |
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