A Summer in New York: I've never been so lost, I've never felt so much at home

Listening to: "I woke up in car"-Something Corporate.

Reoccurring theme of the day: Things happens for a reason.

Today I got to officially experience waking up and thinking, "Wow. I am actually waking up in New York City!" Surreal.

I woke up early and headed down to the dining room at the W for some much needed coffee. A really cool coincidence occurred while I was down there, and it wasn't even 9 a.m. yet! I actually met another girl from Oklahoma and turns out we even have a ton of mutual friends. We figured this out because of the off chance that I had an OU shirt on while she was wearing a TU shirt. Out of the 400 people here, its pretty crazy we ran into each other, especially early in the morning when most residents are enjoying sleeping late on a Sunday. Guess my coffee addiction paid off today. Thus, example number one of how things happen for a reason, or at least fall into place.

Later in the morning I headed to Penn Station to take my first train ride...well at least in the states. I felt a little nostalgia for my summers past in Europe, when it was common to take the trains.

The ride to Port Washington (on Long Island) was a little over thirty minutes. The train was pretty quiet and actually very peaceful. I think I could get used to taking the train over driving-so much less stressful.

I arrived in Port Washington around lunch time where I met a friend who is living there. It was so great to see a familiar face right when I got off the train at the quaint little station in town. The town and the station looked like something from a movie set...it was everything I would have imagined about a little town on the water.

As if the town itself and the beautiful, sunny weather weren't already picturesque enough, the restaurant we went to for lunch was literally right on Manhassat Bay. The place-Louie's-was buzzing with guests and gave off a great vibe. We sat in the shade on a huge patio out back looking out onto the water. Not too bad for my second day in New York, aye? The people there were incredibly nice, and, with the risk of sounding like a tourist, I loved their authentic, East-Coast accents.

I also learned an important lesson at lunch: eating clams is an art form. I'm usually pretty adventurous when it comes to trying food, but looking at the clam in the shell was the closest I have come to chickening out. However, I overcame my fears of the slimy texture and gave it a try. And you know what? They're really not half-bad. My lack of poise while trying to figure out how to eat it off the shell is an entirely different story...

The relaxing lunch was exactly what I needed. Another example of how things fall into place: connecting with a friend from home, half-way across the country at a gorgeous little town on the East Coast. Who would have guessed that 5 or 6 years ago? It was really comforting to talk to someone who was raised in the same place as me, yet has moved away and is loving life out here. It just reassures me that there will be good people in my life-no matter where I go.

Overall, the afternoon in Port Washington was lovely and I hope I get the chance to explore there a little more at some point. Two days ago I was feeling like 10 weeks was going to be a long time to be out here-but now I'm starting to feel overwhelmed with the endless amount of things I want to do/see/accomplish while I'm here.

When I got back to mid-town around early evening, I had one goal in mind to complete my extremely satisfying day: I had to ride the subway. Dun, dun, dun.

I've done it before, many times, in New York, in different cities, and even different countries. Yet for some reason, the subway is the most intimidating thing for me right now. But I am determined to get it down. At lunch my friend mentioned something about how I should just get on the subway and get off somewhere and figure it all out. I don't know if he knew I was gonna take his advice pretty literally.

I randomly picked Central Park as my goal destination, and I made it there-eventually. I took the 2 from Penn Station to 72nd and Broadway where I discovered a fun afternoon market taking up the street. I decided to enjoy the little detour and wander up and down the street smelling the different cuisines and people watching.

When it came time to find the park, my great sense of direction first led me the wrong way where I discovered Riverside Park. I was so proud of myself as I first walked up the entrance and then quickly let down when I realized this was definitely not central park. However, this park definitely has good running path potential.

Feeling a little directionally disoriented, I decided to use the GPS on my phone to find my location in relation to Central Park and of course it gave me the "long way" to get there...meaning I walked at least a mile more than I should have to get there, but I didn't mind the exercise.

I've been to Central Park before, but I was proud of myself for setting a goal and actually achieving it. By the time I reached the park it was a little after 7 and I wanted to be back in mid-town by 8, so I decided to walk on the sidewalk next to Central Park and head back to the subway. When I finally hit 72nd street, I realized I had to at least run into the park a few steps so I could say I fully achieved my goal.

Here is yet another example of things panning it out in a pretty cool way. Of all the park entrances I could have randomly chosen to run in and out of, I randomly chose the one with a sign for "Strawberry Fields." Yep, I walked right into the IMAGINE memorial for John Lennon. This was epic was for me because this was the only thing I really wanted to see in Central Park during my last visit to New York but I never could find it. Now, completely by chance, I walked right into it.

So, after a day of cool connections and coincidences, I have reaffirmed my belief that things happen for a reason. I have a pretty firm belief that the more we allow ourselves to appreciate and recognize these cool things that happen "by chance," the more they will continue to occur.

On a side note and completely unrelated-when I was riding one of the 2 elevators at the W yesterday, I couldn't help but notice how rickety-and oddly slow one of them moved. I have a HUGE fear of getting trapped in an elevator. Well, when I woke up this morning-that same elevator had an out-of-order sign on it that was later removed in the late afternoon. However, upon entering the hallway this evening I came across an employee and a repair man trying to calm a woman down who was stuck inside that same elevator. Apparently it jammed again. So I'm thinking stairs from now on. It'll be good exercise, right?

Life is good :)