Sometimes the Rain Can Be Charming...

One of our fearless crew members drove our boat of a Chevy Van into Manhattan. She fought through afternoon traffic, at one point boldly cutting off a MegaBus. This just furthered my personal fear of making a wrong turn out of Astoria, and ending up in the Lincoln Tunnel.

My first mission back in New York was to stop by my apartment to pick up/drop off a few things. It felt so good to be home, although the room doesn't resemble how I decorated and lived in it. I am already started to "nest," and thinking of ways ot decorate the apartment and start to really settle in. After all, its been 8 months since I officially moved to New York. Its time to make it feel like my space.

I've been spending the day catching up with old and new friends from New York. It feels so good to reconnect, to remember that even though I've been traveling all around th ecountry and making some new friends, I have a support network waiting for me in January.

Its a pishy sort of rain here today, but it can't shake the smile off of my face. I was a little nervous about returning to New York after two months away; maybe I'd forget how to take the subway, or forget how to walk quickly through a crowded sidewalk.

After a brief moment when I realized I needed a subway card to actually ride the subway (duh), it all came back to me. It feels like I never left.

In Astoria, there are banners of lights connecting the sides of the street, a few feet above the traffic. Christmas music is playing from speakers attached to light poles. At first I thought I was hearing things, but no, there is just an overwhelming sense of holiday cheer. It feels like a movie.

Its so good to be back. Although I still have a few months before I come back for good, I needed this little hug from the city to remind me that I still have roots here.