I had a lot to do today. I bought a ticket to Kinky Boots at 2pm, but I wanted to see the Statue of Liberty before then. Plus, I was planning to see my friend Connie after the show.
I took all the necessary trains to get to the Staten Island Ferry. Another friend of mine had warned me not to take the Statue of Liberty tour because nothing was there. He told me to get the Staten Island Ferry because it was free and I could take my pictures of Lady Liberty from the boat.
As soon as I got above ground, there were 10-20 tour guides swarming people and asking if they had bought their statue of liberty tour tickets. I already knew what was up so I said: “I don’t need a ticket, but where is the Staten Island Ferry?” The lady pointed me in the right direction. I could see them hovering around people that were sitting down and there were more on the way to the ferry. I understood that it was their job so it was what they had to do and I know some people bought those tickets. I probably would’ve bought one if I wasn’t warned beforehand.
Once I got to the ferry, there was a crowd of people that were waiting to get on. I was just one person so I moved through the crowd with ease. As soon as the doors opened, people started running to get to the top. I made it just fine. The only problem was that I was on the side that wasn’t facing the statue of liberty. Once I realized it, the other side was already really crowded. I took my pictures the best I could with other people there. After the pictures were taken, the ride was smooth and peaceful. The ferry docked and everyone made their way off the boat. I saw people running to get on the ferry again and I thought was it that fun? I don’t understand why they want to get back on again. I made my way outside the building only to realize that I was in a different place. I was on Staten Island. By the time, I made it back inside the ferry had left again so I had to wait for the next one. There were other people from the first ride as well so I didn’t feel so stupid.
I made it back and then started on my way to the show. I was so hungry because I didn’t eat anything. So I stopped at some fast food place and got a buffalo chicken pizza with a smoothie. I didn’t have time to eat at a legit restaurant.
I made my way to the Al Hirschfeld theatre to watch Kinky Boots. I had already seen the movie so I knew the story. For those who don’t know, Kinky boots is a about a man named Charlie Price who needs to save a dying a shoe factory. He recruits the help of a drag queen named Lola to design women shoes that are sturdy enough for drag queens. They both have father issues. My seat was all the way at the top because those were the cheapest, but I moved down to empty seats during the intermission like everyone else. The show was great and I was dancing in my seat. I love musicals.
Afterwards, I had some time before I had to meet Connie. I was going to try to walk to Central Park, but I realized it was too far. I stopped and had a bagel with cream cheese. There was so much cream cheese on that bagel, but it was good. I met up with Connie and she suggested going to Central Park which worked out for me.
She showed me around the park and explained the concept of busking to me. Apparently, she has a friend that got signed to a major label while busking and a lot of people make a living by busking. The park was really peaceful and quiet except for the jazz concert that was playing in the background. Connie took some pictures of me in front of a fountain and I appreciated it. I was struggling to take selfies all week. I probably could’ve asked strangers to take the picture for me, but I have trust issues. Plus, I didn’t feel like running after anybody if they did decide to steal my phone.
Connie knew of this nice Thai restaurant so we walked there. My feet were killing me from walking all day, but the thought of food helped me bear the pain. On the way there, we passed Trump Tower so of course I had to put the middle fingers up.
The restaurant was called Obao and it was so edgy. The playlist was basically The Weeknd’s songs and ‘Die for You’ even came on while I was there. Connie told me about the spicy basil fried rice so we both ordered that. I underestimated the spiciness of the rice because I drank my entire glass of water after two bites. The rice was delicious, but it was way too spicy for me. I almost choked because of the spice. Connie being the good friend she was called the waitress over and told them I couldn’t handle the spice and to make it more mild for me. When the waitress returned the rice was sweeter, but still so delicious. I ordered a drink called the Thai Sabai. It was sweet and citrusy with and orange slice and a cherry. The meal was so great that both of us were contemplating whether we should get another order to go. Also Connie was so nice that she paid for my meal since it was my birthday week.
As we were departing on separate trains, Connie was worried about me getting home safely. At that point, I was already a pro at riding the trains and I knew exactly how to get back to my airbnb.
When I got home, I realized that that the night was young and I still wanted to go out. I found this club on Google called Bembe and tonight was afrobeat night. I left around 11pm because Bembe was further down Bedford Avenue and I thought people would still be out. Boy was I wrong! It was dark and although there were some people out, there wasn’t that many and I’m out here with a sleeveless jumper on. I was looking like a snack, but you don’t want to look like a snack when predators could be out. I pulled out my pepper spray and was prepared to use it just in case. The walk felt like forever and I kept going further into an unchartered area. When I finally arrived, I felt safe as a saw young people showing their IDs to get in.
As soon as I was inside, I ordered a mango margarita. It was good, but tequila can mess you up and I was alone so I left a little. Then I proceeded to dance and have a good time!
I played the drums throughout the night and let a few people know that it was my birthday. They all offered to buy me a drink and I declined because I was alone and I don’t really know my limit.
I ended up staying until Bembe closed which was 4 in the morning. What a delightful way to start my birthday. I took an uber home and talked to the driver about the racism and hypocrisy of America.
I was able to cram all of that activity into one day and I was impressed with myself. I was also extremely tired, but it was definitely worth it.
