The City That Never Sleeps

It's 4:07am local time, and I'm in Manhattan. Tonight's post will be rather short, but I'll just say that I love the energy of this city. Earlier this evening, I was walking up 14th street near Union Square, and as I was on my cell phone with a good friend, all of the crowds and sirens and insane taxi drivers gave me a good feeling, a feeling of forward motion. I was moving with the city. It wasn't a herd mentality; rather, it was a feeling of being connected while being a total stranger with the person next to me. It was about having shared individuality, if that makes sense, sharing the feeling of going somewhere.

I realized that I didn't bring shampoo, which I should probably have no matter what, so I got some nice Herbal Essences at Duane Reade. I've stopped using conditioner altogether because I think my hair looks better without it. On a related note, I kinda forgot to get a haircut before leaving. Maybe I'll find a barber in St. Petersburg? On a related note, I forgot to bring an alarm clock or watch of any kind, but I don't like watches anyhow. I'll be resourceful and use my computer as my alarm clock. I may still need to buy an ethernet cable, though.

I was fortunate enough to see some relatives who live nearby, and I got the brief chance to chat with them and partake of some delicious homemade spaghetti. Afterward, I went to a rooftop party in Brooklyn with my NYU hosts. It was a beautifully indie/hipster evening, but not in an annoying way. I truly didn't know any of these people yesterday, but it was a great time. With every experience I have, I tend to feel that I am growing as a person and further developing my idea of myself and how I feel about life. It's an interesting process to be aware of.

After all that, I wanted something American--something I won't be able to get for the next ten weeks. As luck would have it, we came off the Q train at Union Square right across the street from a McDonalds. As it turns out, the McDouble is predictably underwhelming, and I won't be interested in McDonalds food for a while.

Also, the rats in the NYC subway are unexpectedly cute. Still, I wouldn't go near one.



Here are a few things:
My Skype name: rednaxela88
My AIM screen name: rednaxela1120
My Twitter (warning: I don't like Twitter): rednaxela4
If you're wondering, "rednaxela" is Alexander backwards. That's really all it means.
While I'm in Israel, I may not be able to update much, so be aware.

I also encourage you to check out my last.fm page. It chronicles the music I've been listening to, and it updates constantly. On the plane I listened to The Album Leaf (I tend to always listen to them on planes) and afterward to The Arcade Fire. Good stuff.


Tomorrow at 2:30pm EST, I will leave the United States.