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hrrytraver
Posts: 1270
Registered: 7/16/2005
Rank: Platinum Critic
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 4/2/2007 1:54:03 PM
i hope readers are ready for another meandering TR from the offices of hrrytraver and associates...
i had a nice day yesterday at the millionth annual TPC CON at coney island USA. it was a cold and clammy day for sure, but the hard grey weather lent the appropriate funereal air to the last ever opening day at astroland amusement park. it felt like the right atmosphere for such an event IMO, because only the true soulful devotees came out to represent, leaving a lot of calm mental and physical space for the VIP TPC CON members, a handful of ACErs, a modest band of polar bears, several colorfully plummed burlesque dancers, and 3 large marching bands to wander around the beach, boardwalk and amusement parks in a dreamy, wistful, yet hopeful state of reflection.
in order to make my bus from b-more to nyc, i had to rise a bit earlier than is my habit - 7:30am. it won't come as a surprise to anyone who knows me that i dragged my feet getting started. what would catching a flight or bus be if it didn't include a white-knuckled preamble of me in my car, pushing the time envelope as far possible and cursing myself aloud for my molasses movements/lackadaisical processes?
so i started the day in true form - sitting in my house brooding over strong coffee (this time beans grown in the mexican chiapas highlands) while the clock ticked away. instead of assembling my travel accessories, i carried my mug outside and pondered my my rose bushes for a while. i was pleased to see a lot of fresh growth on the hearty little plants(see above photo). i love roses, because they are shrewd survivors, but also graceful, fragrant, and elegant. wonders of nature...
eventually i got my head out of my ass and realized that i needed to get to my damn bus. i crazily drove through empty baltimore sunday streets to the "rondezvous" point of the so-called "chinatown" bus. the c-town bus, for those in the know, is an ultra-budget coach line that connects the chinatowns of the major northeastern cities. it is not a glamorous busline - as east coast chinatowns are not glamorous places. baltimore is unique on the line, though, in that it doesn't have a "chinatown" - so one must simply show up on an ugly piece of sidewalk in an ugly industrial part of town and wait for the bus, en route from DC, to swing by and pick you up. the bus actually came, to my relief, and swept myself and two cute chinese girls up 1-95 we went.
the c-town bus driver was wailing and we landed in chinatown new york in just under three hours. anyone familiar with the 1-95 corridor will know that b-more to nyc in 3 hours is an olympic performance. i found myself standing on e. broadway in the heart of chinatown, smelling the garbage and over-ripe produce displays and feeling the gurgle of a hungry stomach.
here is a view of east broadway from the offical street corner "depot" of the chinatown bus. notice the slate sky hanging over the manhattan bridge. we did not get so much as a ray of sunlight the whole day.
right next to the F-train subway staircase was a typical chinatown dump of a cafe, which served me a gorgeous styrofoam plate of fried pork dumplings. the haphazard technique used to form the dumplings told me they were not manufactured but rather hand-made, homemade snacks. they were delicious...a good buy at 3 bucks.
as i chomped on my dumplings, i heard the DJ on the radio say something along the lines of "opening day at astroland amusement park...maybe the last opening day ever..."
i had to get going...down the steps into the humid dirty subway and onto my train to coney island.
to be continued....
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