New York Adventure
So since I haven’t had a meaty blog post in a while, I decided I’m going to blog about my one-day adventure in the big city that is New York. Be prepared, I’m typing throughout the day, so even I don’t know what to expect!
5:15am
My alarm went off much too early, but I realized with a jolt that I had to get dressed, make some food, and make sure everything I needed was packed. I was planning to meet a trolley at my good old Preston & Power RIPTA stop, but upon looking outside I suddenly became very paranoid that not only RIPTA but the whole world had crawled into a cave to get shelter from the hurricane, and that there would be no way for me to know.
So resourceful as I can be at times, I called the RIPTA customer service line, which I obtained by texting Google at 46645. If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s really great for those of us who still don’t have internet on their phones. Text a name of a restaurant, store, hotel, or even just something like “movie theatre” and the zip code you’re looking in, to 46645 and a second later you’ll get texts back from Google with names, addresses, and phone numbers of what comes out in your search query! So “RIPTA 02906” came up with a phone number, which I promptly called while getting dressed one-handed, and the first thing this RIPTA hotline tells me to do is “If you would like information on bus schedules, hang up and call ___”
…
What kind of customer help hotline doesn’t even have the capability to connect you directly but that you have to hang up and call a separate number? But no matter, the number was easy to remember, but that number was no help either with weather-related concerns. So I decided to take my chances and meet the trolley, at the last minute realizing that Brook St. was so much closer than Preston/Power, and if it turned out the trolleys weren’t showing up, I could still walk down the hill and make it in time.
5:40am
When I got to Brook St., I couldn’t help but give in to the temptation to walk into Loui’s and see if I wanted anything to eat. I also took the opportunity to ask if they had noticed any trolleys/buses coming around lately. Unfortunately no one had really noticed, but the waiter that was there very kindly pointed me in the direction of the Trolley stop J. I was paranoid about missing the trolley so I decided against getting something to eat, but I have to say that now I’m wishing that I had some pumpkin pancakes.
5:55am
Once I get off the trolley I realize that I have a very big problem. The Megabus pick-up location was said to be on Fountain St. between Eddy and Union St. Even though I had talked it over with Robin and Yeppii a couple days before, I was completely turned around and had no idea of what I was doing. So I did the responsible thing, instead of what I normally do which is wander around until I find what I’m looking for, I asked for directions.
And let me say, Rhode Island people give REALLY BAD directions. That is, if they even offer any directions at all -_-
6:10
But 6 people, 3 wrong turns, and a half mile later, I ended up almost exactly where I started, and thankfully saw the Megabus. I’m guessing if I had gotten off the trolley just 5 minutes later, the Megabus would have already been there and I would have avoided the whole debacle. But no matter, at least I made it safely and soundly. Our driver was a sweet and welcoming older man who kept reminding us to tell him if we’re hot or cold because he can’t tell from the front of the bus. It was really quite endearing.
9:30am
The Megabus is pretty awesome! The inside is just like a Peter Pan or Greyhound bus, but for only $20 I would definitely take it again. They have outlets overhead so you can charge while traveling, and there’s supposed to be wi-fi but I wasn’t able to connect to it. We also didn’t stop anywhere along the way, which definitely made the trip shorter and faster.
10:30am
So you know what I said about not knowing what to expect? The craziest thing, my mom called me just to check in and make sure I brought my passport, and she realized that I was already in the city...and realizing that I would be there for 12 hours, pleaded with me to call my aunt and have them pick me up on their way to Toronto...sighs, I was definitely looking forward to my day in the city, but being able to take pictures and get to Cana-nada before dark was definitely a plus for me. Plus I probably would spend less money if I went to Cana-nada with them now haha.
So I'm currently at a Starbucks, and I'm gonna jet over to a bookstore and grab a GRE book before out 10hour drive. And maybe I can squeeze in some local food and a souvenir. So for now, my New York adventure is on hold! Happy Labor Day to you all!
5:15am
My alarm went off much too early, but I realized with a jolt that I had to get dressed, make some food, and make sure everything I needed was packed. I was planning to meet a trolley at my good old Preston & Power RIPTA stop, but upon looking outside I suddenly became very paranoid that not only RIPTA but the whole world had crawled into a cave to get shelter from the hurricane, and that there would be no way for me to know.
So resourceful as I can be at times, I called the RIPTA customer service line, which I obtained by texting Google at 46645. If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s really great for those of us who still don’t have internet on their phones. Text a name of a restaurant, store, hotel, or even just something like “movie theatre” and the zip code you’re looking in, to 46645 and a second later you’ll get texts back from Google with names, addresses, and phone numbers of what comes out in your search query! So “RIPTA 02906” came up with a phone number, which I promptly called while getting dressed one-handed, and the first thing this RIPTA hotline tells me to do is “If you would like information on bus schedules, hang up and call ___”
…
What kind of customer help hotline doesn’t even have the capability to connect you directly but that you have to hang up and call a separate number? But no matter, the number was easy to remember, but that number was no help either with weather-related concerns. So I decided to take my chances and meet the trolley, at the last minute realizing that Brook St. was so much closer than Preston/Power, and if it turned out the trolleys weren’t showing up, I could still walk down the hill and make it in time.
5:40am
When I got to Brook St., I couldn’t help but give in to the temptation to walk into Loui’s and see if I wanted anything to eat. I also took the opportunity to ask if they had noticed any trolleys/buses coming around lately. Unfortunately no one had really noticed, but the waiter that was there very kindly pointed me in the direction of the Trolley stop J. I was paranoid about missing the trolley so I decided against getting something to eat, but I have to say that now I’m wishing that I had some pumpkin pancakes.
5:55am
Once I get off the trolley I realize that I have a very big problem. The Megabus pick-up location was said to be on Fountain St. between Eddy and Union St. Even though I had talked it over with Robin and Yeppii a couple days before, I was completely turned around and had no idea of what I was doing. So I did the responsible thing, instead of what I normally do which is wander around until I find what I’m looking for, I asked for directions.
And let me say, Rhode Island people give REALLY BAD directions. That is, if they even offer any directions at all -_-
6:10
But 6 people, 3 wrong turns, and a half mile later, I ended up almost exactly where I started, and thankfully saw the Megabus. I’m guessing if I had gotten off the trolley just 5 minutes later, the Megabus would have already been there and I would have avoided the whole debacle. But no matter, at least I made it safely and soundly. Our driver was a sweet and welcoming older man who kept reminding us to tell him if we’re hot or cold because he can’t tell from the front of the bus. It was really quite endearing.
9:30am
The Megabus is pretty awesome! The inside is just like a Peter Pan or Greyhound bus, but for only $20 I would definitely take it again. They have outlets overhead so you can charge while traveling, and there’s supposed to be wi-fi but I wasn’t able to connect to it. We also didn’t stop anywhere along the way, which definitely made the trip shorter and faster.
10:30am
So you know what I said about not knowing what to expect? The craziest thing, my mom called me just to check in and make sure I brought my passport, and she realized that I was already in the city...and realizing that I would be there for 12 hours, pleaded with me to call my aunt and have them pick me up on their way to Toronto...sighs, I was definitely looking forward to my day in the city, but being able to take pictures and get to Cana-nada before dark was definitely a plus for me. Plus I probably would spend less money if I went to Cana-nada with them now haha.
So I'm currently at a Starbucks, and I'm gonna jet over to a bookstore and grab a GRE book before out 10hour drive. And maybe I can squeeze in some local food and a souvenir. So for now, my New York adventure is on hold! Happy Labor Day to you all!
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