Seaworld!

Getting there was such a trek and was really hard for me simply coz I really, really hate public transport. I had to catch two buses there and back and my first bus of the day, I had a new driver who didn't completely know the route. So that made me feel nice and calm.

But the ride back was super easy and much faster so all good there :)

I don't know why this keeps happening to me, but it's like whatever I dress for in the morning, the weather thinks it'll be funny to do a 180. Like, when I was on the East Coast, I mostly wore my 3/4 leggings or 1/2 jeggings, and would be freezing while everyone else wore their jeans. I wore my jeans to San Diego Zoo and everyone's wearing 3/4 or 1/2 pants while I'm semi-melting. I wear my 1/2 pants today and what do you know? Overcast, chilly wind and the first day in forever I didn't bother to pack a jumper. I even went so far as to take my gloves out of my backpack. Damn.

But the weather ended up being really, really good because it scared most of the crowd away from Seaworld I think! There were times when I wished I had a jumper but for the most part I was okay. Even when I had my hand in water such as when I PATTED A DOLPHIN and a few dozen MANTA RAYS and went on the Journey to Atlantis ride (twice!). For that ride, there was literally no one else there, so when my ride finished, they asked if I wanted to go again and despite being soaked and freezing, I'm not stupid, so I said yes and I went again xD I didn't even bother hopping off.



 

Manta Ray, my best bud



lol crazy random shot I took



















Speaking of rides multiple times, I went on this one epic rollercoaster at the beginning of the day and loved it so much that I went on 4 times in a row coz there was no one else there. I had to stop eventually because I kept blacking out at the same portion of the ride in the last 3 goes. Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

My poor brain.

And I saw tons of shows! I saw Shamu, some dolphins and this adorable Christmas story thing where a sea otter took Santa's Naughty/Nice list and a sea lion helped the main dude get it back. But my favourite show was this pets one where the family went away for a few hours, so the dog had a party and invited all his friends (cats, dogs, pigs, ducks, a completely random but cute kangaroo...) and they decorate the house/stage with Christmas stuff. It's hard to explain but it was very cute. I took vids.

Shopping!

Went to Horton Plaza today which is a Westfield that's half indoor half outdoor and crazy layout-ed. It's super fun and cool looking when you get there, but it's like Machu Picchu when you're loaded down by shopping bags. Which I so was xD

Llama

Bought tons of stuff at Bath and Body Works and some dresses at Francesca's (that place never does me wrong xD Went in for skirts ONLY, promised myself no dresses - come out with no skirts but 4 or 5 dresses). Oh oh oh and my favourite part - bought the below shoes I've been eyeing off since Seattle. Not only were they $10 cheaper than Seattle and San Fran, but I also got a 10% discount coz I'm International. My aunt Julie would be very proud at my bargaining ways.

And then I saw Wreck-it Ralph again after an amazing lunch (ask me about it and I will give you step by steps of how they made it in front of me omg yuuuum). And this time, I was prepared for the epic soundtrack and also for the tears - had my hanky handy. And it was awesome. Again.

Then I came home and looked at all my pretty new things! Just wondering how to transport them to L.A....

San Diego Zoo

Is where I was today. I only managed to cover the Lost Forest (which is huge) and half the Urban Jungle, but I got a 7 day pass for the zoo, the safari and Sea World so I'll probs come back on Sunday. I also got the Backstage Pass so I got to play with rhinos and flamingoes and cheetas and a whole bunch of other animals that I can't remember the names of. They were so cute! I wanted to take them all home xD

 

Oh oh oh but fun story, I was standing behind a wall of glass watching some monkeys or apes or whatever, for quite some time because they were so hilarious and fascinating to watch (okay, also because they reminded me of Titan and Jas - which pretty much every animal did in one way or another), and after a while, one of them just suddenly runs straight up to where I'm staying from way, way away. He then throws himself back-to-the-glass just like below and then turns his head to stare at me over his shoulder.

 

 

 

And naturally, I'm like 'kk?' but the guy next to me (who I think is a keeper since he recognised which one it was) said that Junior (le ape's name) wanted a backstratch. So I stood there and rapped my knuckles on the glass so that the vibrations went through and the monkey just stood there like that for a few minutes enjoying it until apparantly I stopped doing it right and moved on to possible-keeper-guy and pressed its hip to the glass as if to say 'no, here'. I'm not even kidding. You can't make stuff like this up.

 

 

 

And here's a photo of a photo of me petting/feeding a somethingorotheritsalongnamebutitsadistantrelativetothebobcat. I had this one printed complimentarily, the others were put on a CD so I can't see them until I'm home :( Shame, since my face as a rhino eats from my hand or as I'm preened by a very affectionate flamingo is quite hilarious. Maybe I'm born with it. Or maybe it's Maybelline.

:D

So I should probably mention that I'm staying in a super, super dangerous area. I can't remember if I said so before, but if not, well, I am.

I'm minutes away from Union Square, which for those who don't know what that means, and to quote the historic Tramcar driver yesterday; shopping, shopping, shopping.

I went toWestfield (is that a thing here? I thought it was Australian o.O) with a Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom and heaps of those kinds of stores. There's a Forever21, Sephora and Lush (BAM! Right next to a Burger King) etc. I also found my first Icing by Claire's which was so great and I enjoyed that massively. Going back to that store in LA for suresies.

So today I bought a ton of jewellery, makeup, jackets/cardigans (Francesca's has done it again!) and 3 travel sized shower gels from Bath and Body orks (for only $10!!! WHAT? Sooo going to buy hundreds more before I come home). Spent a few hundred, but I'm so okay with that because of how much I got for that! Like, at pandora, there was a charm I bought for Emerica that was $40 but would be about $60 at least back home. Bargain!

So I also decided that San Fran would be the city for shopping, and San Diego would be the city for attractions and activities and doing stuff.  And I'm SO psyched for San Diego like omg.

You guys are gonna be so jeal when you see everything I bought today. SO JEAL.

My only regret is I bought these FANTASTIC nail polishes that changed colour depending on temperature (mood changing haha), and another few that are magnetic so you can change the designs as they dry to become a pattern because there's pieces of iron shards or something in them, but then had to return them a few hours later coz I realised I still don't know the deal with flammables/nail polish on planes. I was so devo as I returned them. DEVO.

Alcatraz!

Is where I went today. Spent a few hours going around the island, and came to the conclusion that had I been a child during the 40s or 50s, I would have loved to grow up there. Or even be a wife/mother living there. The kids and women had it goooooood.

Bought myself an inmate's uniform shirt which looks super cool and slightly starchy but I don't care coz it'll be the only long sleeve top I have. YAY WARM CLOTHES FOR WHEN THE WEATHER DOES A 180!

But I did love how today was overcast and sprinkled with rain and was so foggy you couldn't see half of the city buildings or most of the Golden Gate bridge! It totally leant itself to the eery island, and though the wind had me freezing during some parts when I was outside at the top, I much prefered it over yesterday's summer-y weather. It just wouldn't have set the right mood.

Sitting at a chair and table in cell 147, C block

Also, here's a fun story! So when I got to the block where they had a few solitary confinement cells, they had a dude (who works there, obvs) who would let you in and close the door so you can experience what it's like to be in that pitch black cell for a minute or so. Inmates could be in there for up to 19 days at a time. Anyway, so he asks who wants to go in next and all the people around me are like 'oh no, no, no!' and back away and I'm game so I'm like 'let's do it, man' but am disappointed when a few others join me coz I wanted to do it by myself. Coz it's solitary confinement and all. So we go in and there's about 5 or 6 of us and the door closes and we're standing there, but then the groups start talking amongst themselves and taking pictures with flash. So, if you know me, you'll know I was getting seriously pissed coz I wanted to really experience it properly. But I recognised the accents! So we're all standing there in pitch black and I go "are you guys all Aussie?" and it turns out that everyone in the room was (despite being only groups of 1 or 2)! And one guy from Melbourne says as we're being let out about how the Aussies were the only ones brave enough to do it and I was like YES. And my irritation at their talking and flash-photography abided, thanks to my Sense of Belonging with My People. I could have written a HSC essay on it. Dude.

Spitting, bikes and buses

First off, what's with the spitting here? Like, wtf? It's so disgusting. People (okay, guys) just spit wherever and whenever they want. As if Border Security doesn't chuck those people out?

Moving on. Went to Golden Gate Park today which is actually 20% larger than Central Park. I rented a bike, which would have been utterly hilarious to watch if I'd been anyone else. Because - and here is a life lesson I'm helpfully imparting to you, my friends/family/weirdos who've stumbled upon this blog, do not even attempt to rent a bike if you don't know how to ride one and are by yourself. Seriously. I may not have fallen off (success!) but I certainly looked ridiculous. I had trouble steering, so I was wobbling all over the place, and then the whole "gears" thing like a manual car had me freaking out so I stayed in first which probably didn't help, and let's not get started on actually getting the bike going. Omg. I did have fun though, please don't get me wrong. I was 50% having the time of my life, 50% scared out of my mind I'd fall down all those stairs around the concourse (or I'd smash into a car on the road I was supposed to share). Especially since I was like I'M NOT PAYING A $4 INSURANCE FEE! Which I probably should have done since the bike was worth like $400 at least.

Okay, maybe like 45%, 55%.

But I saw stuff and rode public transport for quite some time, so that's some growth there. I loved the Conservatory of Flowers (was free today for some reason. YAY BARGAIN!) and the Japanese tea garden and whatever that pretty thing that I thought was Shakespeare something or other, was.

And I don't even feel guilty about that super greasy and cheesy angus burger from that random street vendor because I had to walk UPHILL to get back to my hostel (which I looooove btw. Fantastic location/room/beds/private bathrooms etc) and I did look a fair bit embarrassing when I arrived back because I was super red faced and sweaty - but NOT puffed out! So thrilled with myself. All that walking everywhere has paid off!

PICTURES?

$5 pasta night at the hostel last night! I FINISHED IT ALL

A tiny view of the Japanese Tea Garden from the top of a
very, very bizzare bridge I literally climbed to get ontop of

"PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN" - oh yeah, it happened.
IT HAPPENED ALRIGHT.

I swear to Disney that this is the coolest thing I've
ever seen. Doesn't it look like a seal wearing
a sombrero? YOU'RE WELCOME

Highlights of Seattle

Friday: bought several dresses, a cardi and a scarf (excellent for wearing back home this December) at my new favourite store, Francesca's Collection, then spend the rest of the day at the movies. Marathoned Hotel Transylvania, Wreck-it Ralph and Pitch Perfect. I had absolute NO idea what Pitch Perfect was about, but I ended up loving it so much. Now, having seen the trailers post-movie, I realise I would not have chosen to see it coz it looks like another Step Up or Bring it On film. But no, it (and Wreck-it Ralph) was/were fantastic. Favourite Seattle day.

Sunday: Bought many, many things at Bill Speidel's Underground Tour gift shop. Successfully found 6 books (mostly hardcover) that I love at Pike's Place Market for $45. Strangely enough, I found a near-mint condition Blinky Bill book with an inscription from 1985. In America. Blinky Bill.

I know.

Authentic Halloween Experience

Was going to stop blogging here for a few weeks since I was getting pissed that my RL friends weren't bothering to comment on it since they're the only reason I'm keeping this. I've got my own personal journal so it didn't bother me giving this up. But since I was asked for an update and this was just too awesome to pass up, I will give you this post. Shaun and Katherine, this is for you.

Arrived safely in Seattle, well away from Sandy, late on Monday night. Got up early on Tuesday to catch a train to Tacoma where I met up with Marissa and Jesse. After a delicious yet giant (read: American) breakfast, we decided it would be epic fun to explore the lava tube/cave of Mt St Helens. The website mentioned we needed to bring the "10 Essential Items", but forgot to include the minor detail of what they were. So we went home and prepared the best we could - thank goodness I always always manage to pack a torch with me. I trace that back to my Nancy Drew days.

The lava tube was SO COOL. Omg. So it was pouring down raining and we bought some umbrellas at Kmart on the way, and it's a good thing we did because it was still raining on us, despite being underground. Marissa, Jesse and I descended into the black depths of despair pitch dark cave and had a torch each and walked for a kilometre or so? Or two? I can't remember distances here anymore since it's all said in miles. But it was a long trek. And wet. Very wet, with the stream on the ground and the slime on the cave walls and the chilly breeze breathing down our necks. And the rain, don't forget the rain.

Then I had my very first Blizzard at the DQ and it was like a McFlurry (the old kind, before they got all shit last year) but made with sunshine and magic and happiness. Omg. I loved it.

After all this, we cruised around looking for good pumpkins to carve and hit the motherload where the pumpkins were over 30 pounds so the scale stopped being able to weigh them. AND THEN WE MASSACRED THEM INTO HALLOWEEN GOODNESS. And had pumpkin pie (YUUUUUUM!).

 
To avoid having to train it and back, I stayed the night on a couch more comfortable than my hostel bed and woke up in the middle of the night to one of the cats sleeping in the crook of my knees! ILY, KITTY. God, I miss my two babies. But it sure helps when you can cuddle with someone else’s pet.

For breakfast on Wednesday, I had biscuits and gravy, checking that off my To Eat list (Aunty Yvonne, there’ll be a postcard heading your way). Feeling very full as I had been THIS CLOSE to finishing my first full American-sized meal, we went to the museum of glass which was very interesting and had so many pretty things! But I was also scared to death I’d knock over something worth like, $200k or more. Which I didn’t (yay!). Banana cream pie (finally something triumphs over mozzarella sticks for my new favourite American food. And much easier to make once home, I imagine) and a rented movie followed. Has anyone seen Ruby Sparks? It’s fantastic. You should.

We met up with some of Marissa and Jesse’s friends who were really cool and went to the Fright Factory (a haunted house experience). Now I wish we’d taken a Before and After picture of us because it was scary, man. I was screaming and jumping all over the place most of the time. Picture me as that annoying character in any horror film who is first to die because no one can stand their whimpering. Mmm. Click here for an idea of what one section (the very end) was like.

And after two wonderful days of Pure Awesome, I returned to regular Emerica life of hostelling and vending machine food.

 

Interesting pit stops I have

Alrighty then, so I'm in Detroittttt. I had to googlemaps it when I got here coz I had no idea where it is, other than west of Boston. The flight was good, I had complimentary cookies (the best kind) for breakfast. And then Taco Bell for lunch. YAY TACO BELL! Another item crossed off my To Do/To Eat lists.

I still have like an hour and a half until I start boarding but so far my gate hasn't changed so I am thankful for that. I'm sitting here at the gate next to the charger stand with my devices all charging around me like an electric octopus, and I'm about to crack open the kindle.

The reason I am here and not in Seattle where I am supposed to be, despite my swearing that I will never ever again catch a connecting flight here in America - because the airports are RIDICULOUS - is that Alaska Airways cancelled my flight and then had no one at their check in, so I went to Delta to ask what's going on and they booked me on a flight I was not supposed to be able to get a seat on. Yes, some sneakiness went on but only because I am so charming. Also I may have been trembling a bit because let's face it, no one wants to get stuck at the airport during a Hurricane. They spent about 30 minutes getting me my ticket and then I had about 10 to run all the way to my gate before it took off without me. I got to bypass most of the security line and everything. YAY VIP!


But still. Damn you, Sandy. Ruining my plans.

HURRICANE SANDY, GET AWAY FROM ME. YOU EVIL WITCH

Are you a good witch?

Or a bad witch?

That's right, I spent my Saturday in Salem! Witch-town! It was really fun, although I wish somewhere in the brochures/guide books/websites they would mention that 90% of the place accepts cash only. I only brought $70 with me because I usually use my card for most things and I ended up SAVING MONEY because I couldn't BUY THINGS. What rubbish. I tell you, I rewarded those market stalls/shops that accepted Visa.


CRAZY AWESOME DOUBLE RAINBOW I SAW IN SALEM

Yes, so I bought some sailor necklaces, had a psychic reading, ate some Ben and Jerry's, went to the Witch Cottage show as well as the Witch Hysteria Museum and whatnot. Heaps of stuff! I really wanted to try the Haunted House, but Americans take Halloween so seriously and I can't even play Snap! properly without hyperventilating so I had to give that a miss. But I absolutely loved the whole hysteria thing (aka the history). It was so crazy and awesome and slightly spooky but just wicked cool. Makes me want to write something around it.

OHOHOH OH and I met this guy who looks IDENTICAL to Johnny Depp's Captain Jack from POTC. LOOK AT THE PHOTO! Although photos never truly capture what reality displays. But trust me, in person, you could not even tell the difference. He even had the voice! "'ello love" he said to me, which caused severe internal giggles.

And as for personal growth lesson of the day, I caught 6 trains (3 each way). SIX! That's more than I catch in Sydney in a year. I got the red line to the green line, the green line to the purple which is a commuter rail and incredibly scary, and then stampeded with the crowd to get myself a good seat. Thank goodness for years of St Andrews, where one of the qualifications you recieve is how to cram yourself into a tiny space such as a lift or a train carriage. Although this one guy took that as an opportunity to stare at my boobs, so I had to level him a really pissed off look. My sunglasses came off for it and everything.

Got excited thinking I'd found a Poker machine at the train station but alas :(

SO MUCH PRETTY ALL IN ONE DAY

Today had it's ups and downs. It started with a 7 AM ALARM. WUT? This week I hadn't left the house till 11ish... But I needed to send my package home and had to do it during quiet hours of the post office... Anyway, so I caught a bus up the street so I'd only have to walk a few minutes with the 11kg box. I caught the wrong bus however and ended up having to carry it further than I would have, had I just walked from the house.

Spent the morning in Downtown Boston again because yesterday's shopping was so much fun. I discovered some fantabulous products and Bath and Body Works that I intend to go back for, found a skirt I was practically drooling over at Macy's (if I find it again in L.A., it's mine), and bought two reeaaally pretty dresses at H&M. WITH TULLE!

Then I wandered over to Boston Common and walked through and around that for a while. I also went on the historical carousel! Only thing is, there was about 10 people on it when I bought my ticket and then when it was my go, it was just me.... So for like 2 minutes, I just sat sidesaddle smiling awkwardly at people who walked past and noticed I was the only one on the ride. When I finished the Common I wound up at Boston's Public Garden. AND OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN. If I've ever called any place in the world 'beautiful' before, I was young and naive. Boston's Public Garden is the single most beautiful place on Earth. I sat on a bench facing the lake and went through a whole playlist before I got up and started walking around. It may not be very large but it's just so amaaaaaazing.

 

If you're ever homeless, use the last of your money to get to Boston's Public Gardens and live your life out there.

And then I bought a pint of ice cream on my way home and came home to a GORGEOUS LITTLE BUBBA JUJU PUPPY DOG! HER NAME IS MAGGIE AND SHE IS SO CUUUUUUUUTEEEE

 

Oh yeah, and then I watched The Little Vampire, which is a movie I've been dying to rewatch for a couple of months now. YAY HALLOWEEN MARATHONS, ALL OCTOBER LONG!

Boston - Emma's next home

Today I caught the T to Boston where I had a tour guide take me the first 1/3 of the Freedom Trail. I loved my guide, so for once I tipped becaue I wanted to, rather than because it's what you have to do here. Anyway, I plan to walk the entire Freedom Trail sometime before I leave, but if I run out of time, I'll just catch the T to Bunker Hill (the end) so I can walk up the monument. 294 steps, bro. I can do it. America has made me fit. Also, I eat carbs like, every day.

Old City Hall.... Now a Steak House

Then at the end, while I was feeling pretty rad about having only spent $12 today, I wandered into a market. Watched a street performer. Had broccoli and penne for lunch, after discovering PEACH ICED TEA (what I thought was fruit juice is actually iced tea here. SNAPPLE). Bought three beautiful necklaces that I'm so stoked about. One is a silver prism that reminded me of Sailor Moon, one is all red roses that reminded me of Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and one is just this hectic statement necklace that I want to wear everyday for the rest of my life. Because I myself am just one big statement.

Then I found my first Claire's, which I've been in love with since the wee days of Hannah Montana (I discovered them since they were the only store to sell HM-esque wigs that weren't a trillion $). They had a buy 2, get a 3rd pair free! deal on earrings, so I bought all the below. Can't wait to wear them all (but saving that for when I get home).

I'm obsessed with teeny tiny studs, which I have yet to find in Aus

Then I lounged around in the late arvo sun in Boston Common which was so pretty and peaceful and when the bells started tolling.... Dude, I was in heaven.


JETTED OFF TO ROME FOR THE ARVO, DID I?

Just your everyday, portable (and FREE!) library in the park

 Such a fantastic day.

ATTN

Can Beth, Valesca, Claire B and Lily F please facebook PM me their addresses? Ta

Education can be fun!

Today I visited MIT and Harvard. They are SO big and SO smart looking. Like, geez. Intimidating, much?

Kidding. Maybe.

No, they were so beautiful. There were trees everywhere and they were all green/green-yellow/yellow/orange/burnt orange/brown and even in one case HOT PINK WTF? I took a photo, naturally. I took many, actually. It was just so picturesque! If it weren't for the fact that it was a place of learning, I'd go there every day just to chill. But you know how I feel about learning.

Oh! I did spend about $150 on MIT and Harvard clothes though. I'm going to be the classiest tshirt collector in Sydney. Dude.

MORE EMERICA GAMES! You will be given multiple choice answers and must choose the answer you think I have made up.




a) MIT students played a prank on the MIT police by putting an MIT police car on top of the Great Dome

 

b) MIT students made a giant tetris game out of this building

c) this library was bought for Harvard by a guy's mum after he died in the Titanic



Emerica Game!

Today we're going to play a game called 'Where's Emma?' It's like 'Where's Wally?', only better. It's all the rage these days - all the kids are playing it.

 

 

Cambridgeport

So, I can't remember if I wrote about this last night but AHHHHHHH my bed is SO COMFY! And I have DISNEY CHANNEL IN MY ROOM! and WIFI ACCESS. I'm in heaven right now. In fact, it took me til about 11.30am this morning just to get up!

Did some walking around Cambridgeport. This place is SO BEAUTIFUL! I've always wanted to live here and this week is only going to make me want to move over within months. Just gotta get Titan and Jas warmed to the idea of moving away from their friends first! Anyway, so I did some walking around today on my way to the Post Office, which is like part CASTLE or something coz they're all colossal and white pillared and stuff over here. Bought the biggest box that was allowed internationally and took it back to the apartment so I could pack as much stuff as I could to send home. Amazingly, absolutely everything I want to send home fits perfectly! Not an inch to spare, even.

Spent the rest of the afternoon watching tv on my COOOOOOOOOOOMFY BED. Had meatballs and ziti (basically penne) pasta, garlic bread, salad and mozzarella sticks so that I would have enough dinner for tonight and tomorrow. INSTEAD, I reckon I'll have enough for dinner until Thursday night! Possibly even Friday, since it doesn't take me long to get full here.

After dinner, I used the MAGIC SHOWER which is just the coolest thing you've ever seen. You can choose to have the steam just go nuts and at one point, I couldn't see a thing in front of me. It was fantastic.

Watched Full House and the Nanny while emailing mum and now it's time for bed. What an excellent day.

SOMETHING SPOOKY IS GOING ON HERE

So the day I left Sydney, I noticed I had a new mole/freckle growing on my palm. And it irritated me to no end because my hands were no longer identical (yeah, I know). It drove me crazy and for a week or two, I kept trying to get rid of it with tweezers by pinching the skin until eventually it would just be yanked out. But that didn't work and it really hurt to be honest, so I gave up, thinking maybe I'd just try a brightening cream or get my GP to cut it out when I got home.

It was there yesterday, still mocking me. TODAY IT WAS GONE. WHAT?

Then, later that day, I'm washing my hands in the bathroom and I noticed my face is a little red on one side but not the other. I wasn't remotely hot so I was like ???? and turned my head a bit only to find a NEW mole/freckle (srsly, what is the diff?) on my lower left jaw. And it is the darkest one on my face. And I'm 89% it was not there yesterday because dude, I would have noticed.


DID THE MAGIC MOLE MOVE? AM I LIKE THAT WEIRD PRINCE JOHN GUY IN ROBIN HOOD'S MEN IN TIGHTS?

Dude, we're on the verge of Halloween. I'm thinking paranormal activity.

No linear structure at all to this post. Does it even make sense?

Well, I am here in Boston/Cambridge now and it is soooo pretty!! There are trees everywhere and they are all different colours coz of the season. Wish I'd marathoned my Sabrina collection again before I left. But anyway, I digress.

Met the people I am staying with and they are soooooo nice! I had plans to go to Salem on the weekend, but now that I know that they're bringing home a PUPPY on Friday night... Well let's just say I'm not planning on going anywhere now.

Today was okay, for a travelling day. I met a really nice lady on my shuttle to the airport (the shuttle was really late, I was starting to freak I'd miss my plane AGAIN) whose step-daughter lives here in Cambridge (where I'm actually staying)! I have passed on my info :) The plane ride itself was quite good, my seat was 15E (10p if you can guess why I liked this) so I felt lucky - like that Gweneth Paltrow movie about 5s, but opposite - not to mention it was a super short flight.

Since I didn't eat breakfast or lunch at all, by the time my plane landed, I went to Dunkin Donuts and bought half a dozen jelly filled and a hot chocolate. But by the time I was halfway through my 3rd doughnut, all the sugar got to me and I had to save the rest for dinner.

So excited for tomorrow, but first stop'll have to be grocery shopping and post office-ing. Which means I'll probably have to get up early :( Lame. BUT DUDES, YOU SHOULD SEE HOW COMFY MY BED IS AHHHHHHH

Hopping off now, got me some OUAT and Revenge to catch up on before vid chatting with le parents.

*ALSO: DON'T THINK I DIDN'T NOTICE THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE AIRPORT'S NAME AND THE FACT I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO MOVE TO THIS CITY. BECAUSE I DID.

Best day in NY yet

Caught a cab to the Minskoff theatre today where I saw THE LION KING ON BROADWAY. AHHHHH! After I swapped my reservation for the actual ticket, I had an hour to kill before coming back so I'd planned on looking around and then going to Bubba Gump next door for lunch (a reccomendation from a family friend. I WILL EAT THERE SOME TIME, JULIE!) only when I came back out onto the street, I realised I was directly opposite the giant Disney and Toys R Us stores. And near Sephora. And the MnM store. So I visited all them. It was very hard not buying anything, but my resolve stuck only because I'd packed my suitcase yesterday and holy apples, I will be lucky if I can get everything to Boston tomorrow (UPSing stuff home Tuesday morning).

Played a game in Times Square on a giant screen. CAN YOU
FIND ME IN THE PICTURE? (hint: I am in black and white)

Then I found half of Broadway had been closed off for a flea market. YAAAAY! I bought a GIANT smoothie made on the spot for $6 (strawberry, mango and pineapple. YUM) and that ended up being my lunch. Along with Reeses Pieces. Bought another pair of pj pants because you know I have an addiction, and I got them for $4 less than I should have because the shopkeeper and I got talking and turns out he has family in Sydney. ANOTHER POINT SCORED FOR BARGAIN-BASHER EM. Few shops later I bought an NYPD tshirt and then figured 'okay, I've spent enough today. Let's get back to the theatre now'. Only, I had forgotten about Broadway show merchandise. Oh man, that lady sure made a lotta money off me today!

The show was freaking amazing, and I made friends with the family next to me coz they asked if I was Aussie. I tell you, this accent is like a verbal VIP pass. People love Australians! Mate. ALSO ALSO ALSO HOLY BLANKETS I HAD PROBABLY THE SINGLE BEST SEAT IN ALL THE SHOW, AND FOR ABOUT $100 LESS THAN THE CRAPPIEST SEAT, THANKS TO MY INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CARD DISCOUNT. AHHHHH IT WAS JUST THE BEST VIEW EVER.

Caught another cab, this time to the other end of Broadway for the NYU bookstore where I bought a "sweatshirt" (jumper) and t-shirt. This is so I can feel smugly superior when I wear them back home, since American universities seems to be all the rage at Kmart and Target and stuff, and I'll be wearing the genuine stuff. Also because I'd looooooooooove to actually go to NYU to study writing - only I'd hate to actually live in NY so I guess that ain't gonna happen :\

Caught a cab home, had another (if you saw last night's fb status) chicken burrito for dinner with some greek yoghurt that made my face insanely attractive at our in-hostel cafe. And now here I am, reliving it all for you benefit. No need to thank me.

Best shopping yet!

Today I met up with my friend Aimee with the original plan of touring some of NYU, only coz it was pretty much raining the whole day, that plan had to be vetoed, sadly :(

Instead, we did the giant Disney and Toys R Us stores! AND IT WAS SO MUCH BETTER THAN 5TH AVENUE!

My Macy's paper bag got shredded in the rain so I had to hold the bulky bundle to my chest as we walked a few blocks to the Disney store, and since my hands were full, I couldn't carry my umbrella and I got drenched! By the time I got to Disney, I looked like a drowned rat and staff told me where I could get a bag big enough for my Macy's purchases and so I got that all under wraps and good and done. FINALLY bought myself a soft toy, which I'd been meaning to do since Orlando! It's a 12" tall Donald Duck and he's very huggable! Also bought some EPIC Disney villain mugs - 2 for $16! And let me tell you, they are freaking huge. SO BIG. Spied a few other things I wanted, but didn't buy them coz I still have Downtown Disney in L.A to spend any extra Emerica money on. OMG SO PYSCHED.

Bought the Evil Queen (SW) and Maleficent (SB), may buy
Ursula and Cruella in L.A if I see them again

And the Toys R Us was fantastic! Not as me as the Disney store but still incredible. There was a giant ferris wheel that now, back in my hostel, I wish I'd ridden (Barbie's pink convertible, Scooby Doo's Mystery Van and the cart with Tommy Pickles and Jimmy Neutron were the 3 I really wanted to ride!). Perhaps I shall go back. Next year! But oh wow, found my new residence in there as well. Who needs an apartment overlooking Central Park when you can live here?

It was too large to fit in one photo. Believe me, there's more

Bought myself a wonderful Barbie book that details her history and then documents (photos) how her look changed over the years until present day. I'm dying to read it but keeping it wrapped up in its plastic for better shipping, so I can send it home and read it then. Also bought these fantastic little worms x squirrel things but won't go too into them atm coz I want to show them off when I get home. YAY FOR MORE PETS!

Made a quick stop to Best Buys (which is basically our JB Hi Fi - with the exact same shade of yellow! Also, pretty much same logo....) to get the soundtrack of instrumental Disney music I heard playing in the Disney store. Seeing as the CDs were so cheap, I didn't buy one. Or two. Or even three! I bought 5. Not bad, Bargain Basher Em.

All in all, a pretty wonderful day! I loved meeting Aimee for the first time, but am sorry we didn't get to do NYU and that the rain was so against us today :( Bad weather! Bad!

EVERYONE, LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL DRAWING AIMEE DREW FOR MEEEEE

Sailor Moon meets Harry Potter meets EMMA

AND THE GOODIES SHE BROUGHT ME! I CAN START DELVING INTO MY 'MUST TRY' CANDY LIST NOW! POW POW POW! KNOCKING THEM DOWN THIS WEEK.

More walking

Today I had a ticket to see the 9/11 memorial but needed an extra hour of sleep so I decided I'd see it on the weekend instead. So instead, I started with the Empire State Building (don't bother with the 102nd floor, aside from the fun elevator ride, it's the 86th that is really impressive), where I walked 6 flights of stairs to skip an elevator line and severely regretted it. But the views were very impressive and I loved the Percy Jackson feel of it all. Inside my head, I mean.



86th floor

102nd floor

Then did Macy's and 5th Ave and lots and lots of shopping. On 5th, I pulled my hat down and wore my sunnies and strutted a bit, pretending to be a famous person trying to be inconspicous. Ha! It was funny until my playlist changed. On 7th, I found these AMAZING jackets but didn't get them, of which I now really regret. I also bought 3 triplets (the equiv. of pairs) of socks at Little Miss Matched and got 5 TRIPLETS FOR FREE. Booyah. That's 24 single socks mwahahaha.

OH OH OH OH OH but the best part of the day! I was coming up to 50th st and saw a huuuuge crowd and thought 'oh awesome! A protest or parade or something' coz there were heaps of police cars and stuff. But no! Here is how it all smacked down:

Me: Excuse me, do you know what's going on here?
Lady #1: *speaks in Italian* *stares*
Me: Uh huh. K, thanks.
Lady #2 from out of nowhere: Obama's in town. He'll be driving through here.
Me: OMG YAY!
Lady #2. I know! Romney too.
Me: *wrinkles nose* Oh.
Lady #2: Yeah, I know.

And then like 20 cars all went through and had Obama not been waving out his window, I wouldn't have known which car he was in! Which I think is the point... So why he did it...?

 

Today's playlist of choice was the Lizzie McGuire movie soundtrack because I felt her trip to Rome was very similar to mine. And Supermodel inspired the 5th Ave mockup haha. And I will add that it got a bit weird listening to On an Evening in Roma on the Empire's 86th floor...

OH OH OH OH and here's a fun fact! You know your jeans look good when you're walking down the street, drop something, and 5 or 6 guys offer assistance. Hahahah. That has never happened to me in Sydney. Boys, where you at?

Time to go grab some dinner before heading to the comedy show. FISH FILLET AND VEGGIES. YEAH!

The day I took 512 photos like a total tourist

What a day. What a day! I FLAGGED DOWN A NEW YORK TAXI TODAY. That was on my To Do lists. I wanted it to be like this epic flinging of the arm to the road and a cab squeals as it brakes right in front of me like it does in the movies, but I was more like a polite Jenna Rink from Suddenly 30... Anyway. I didn't realise they LOCK YOU IN until you pay. Dude. I'm 19, do I look like I'd do a runner? Especially since I don't even look remotely fit enough to pull it off.

Anyway, so I spent the morning at Madam Tussaud's, which was fantastic! I loved it. Unfortunately I can't pick just one or even three photos, so none are going up :( FEEL FREE TO ASK TO SEE MY SCRAPBOOK IN DECEMBER WHEN IT HAS BEEN MADE!

Then caught the Hop on/off bus around downtown. Got off at Ground Zero on impulse, but it turns out you need tickets (despite being free) so I'll have to go back tomorrow. It was a bit eerie/chilling to be honest. Like, being in a Haunted House but much weirder coz you're outside in the middle of this thriving financial district, surrounded by people.

Had lunch at Burger King, which despite being Hungry Jacks with a different name is SO DIFFERENT. I said I was eating in, so they gave me a number, told me to walk upstairs and I was SEATED AT A TABLE BY A SERVER AND WAS BROUGHT MY MEAL. WHAT? IT'S ONLY A WHOPPER MEAL. CALM DOWN.

Nah, it felt pretty fancy, in that 'hehehe I'm so cool' kind of way.  Also, the guy in charge was pretty cool, talked to him for a while. He called me Boston coz of my jumper haha.

Then I just bussed around the entire city getting my feel of everything and came home exhausted but with a plan for Thurs-Sunday. So everything is all set. My week is going to be so busybusybusybusybusy (especially tomorrow) but it wouldn't be NY if it wasn't, would it?*



A magnet I liked because it sums up me pretty perfectly

All right, HAD to put this one up

Oh and I made friends with a guy in the kitchen tonight who works at a restaurant across the road. Scored myself a croissant for breakky, baguette and banana for lunch, and he'll be bringing me NY meatball sub for dinner. ALL FOR FREE! YAY!

*Mind you, NY is not as busy as they lead me to believe. However, this may be due to having lived in Sydney my whole life, which has me used to large crowds. But still, I was picturing this city to be like ants around an anthill :S WRONG

PICSPAM: DAY AT THE MUSEUM (get it?)

 Today I crossed off one of my Emerica To Do's.

HAVE A BAGEL WITH CREAM CHEESE AND BACON FOR BREAKFAST

See? Heather Wells would be so proud.

Also, it was freaking delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 Like omg. No wonder everyone in America is obsessed with bacon. If it's like this morning's, okay, okay, I approve. I also had some fruit coz I was thirsty but wasn't going to shell out money when I had an empty drink bottle in my bag.

Meant to take a pic of the whole bagel but it was too good to stop,
so here's half

Then I met up with my friend Leaa and we went to the Museum of Natural History. It was great! Very big and very diverse in exhibits. My favourite part was the show Journey to the Stars which was narrated by WHOOPI GOLDBERG OMG. Had a geek out moment when a line she said was almost word for word what Puumba's definition of a star is. You know, since TLK is my favourite Disney movie. Tied with Tarzan.

Bizarrely small head for such a giant dinosaur

I saw many things, most of which I decided (outloud) that they reminded me of Titan and Jasmine. I also saw a giant wheel - jokes, it was the Aztec stone of the sun. Yeah, that one that predicts life as we know it ending this December.

I can take on 21/12/12

 

References to my babies cropping up everywhere

Almost identical to my screensaver of them



 

Weight on the Moon



Weight on a Neutron Star



 

My weight on the Sun (I realise you can read the picture regardless)



My weight on a Red Giant Star - and my favourite. LOOK AT
WHAT ALL THIS WALKING HAS DONE TO ME



 

Worst tattoo job ever (blue lips symbolise
eligibility for marriage)