First Day of Spring: Coney Island

When I grow up, I want to be like this man.

As you may already know, I'm a big fan of Coney Island. Coney Island is essential to a complete NYC experience. It's just SO WEIRD it cannot be missed! What better way to welcome spring and to enjoy the 70+ degree weather than to schlep on down to good ol' Coney Island? My beloved roommate/dear friend wrote about our adventure here. My Coney Island croonies were lovely Hannah-Jane and the incomparable Kersti.

Octokites!

I don't know about you, but I can't think of a classier wedding backdrop than Sideshow by the Seashore (note Lizardman). Pure Coney Island class.

No trip to Coney Island is complete without a visit to my favorite ghetto aquarium.

Walrus high five for spring, everyone!

Molokai, Hawaii

Kapuhi Beach

For those of you unaware, there exists a small island in the Pacific called Molokai. It’s in the chain of Hawaiian islands, but it is rare that a native Hawaiian has ever visited Molokai. The island is roughly 38 miles long and 10 miles wide at its widest point and is home to about 7000 people. It is known as the most Hawaiian island (the birthplace of hula) and is fondly referred to as “the friendly island”. I simply refer to it as Heaven.

Spanish goats frolicking on sea cliffs

In order to alleviate the winter blues, and with the generous help of my parents' frequent flyer miles, I escaped to Molokai for a week and a half in February. After an obscene amount of time on three different airplanes, I landed in the tiny airport (see map) and was greeted by my goofy, welcoming parents.

We had fabulous adventures climbing seaside rocks, basking in the sun, hiking, biking, and I had my first flying lesson. I flew a small Cessna from Hana, Maui, to Kaulapapa (the leper colony on the north side of Molokai) and back to the itty bitty main Molokai airport. I took off and landed twice and I'm proud to say that I didn't kill anyone. Success!

Such a bad idea.

Gorgeous Molokai sea cliffs (note my arm's reflection!)

This is the "airport" on the Kaulapapa Leper Colony. Only 2% of commercial pilots are able to land on the first pass. I am both pleased and slightly disconcerted to report that I am better at landing than 98% of commercial pilots.

Gerald Ford (small plastic dinosaur extraordinaire) basked in the sunset.

Not only did I have an incredible reinvigorating adventure, I discovered where my creativity comes from. I handed a bit of clay to my dad and a few minutes later he had created this little guy. When asked what he is called, my dad replied, "Um..... Fartblossom!" Is the man a genius, or is he a genius?

Coney Island is so weird...

My favorite part of Coney Island is the artwork on a glass wall in the subway station. Creepy. Vibrant. Kind of demented. You don't even have to enter into the streets of this strange place to get a dose of awesome oddness.

Dino Fun Time

I have a small ugly plastic dinosaur named Gerald Ford (no reason in particular, it was the first name that popped into my head) and I have toted him around the City taking silly pictures of him for the entire summer. Personally, I think they're hilarious. Two of my faves:

Dino stomps West Side Story

Dino scales a building.

When not stomping on Broadway or scaling skyscrapers, he fuels up on cupcakes. His favorite is from Billy's.

A Salute to Summer

Summer usually means the following to me: Colorado, mountains, hiking, climbing, swimming, gorgeous cloudless days and cool nights, camping, friends, family and relaxation. This was my first summer in New York City and let me just say that I am thrilled to embrace the fall. NYC can be a pretty nasty place to be during the warmest season. Although this summer was rather mild, so I hear, I can't wait to say goodbye to:
-oppressive humidity!
-everyone sweating literally all the time
-sweltering summer nights that provide no relief from the heat and actually seem hotter than the day
-descending the stairs into subway stations = descending into the pits of hell. that's how hot it is down there.
-subway trains with broken air conditioners
-rainy days that manage to not be refreshing because it's still relentlessly hot!
-garbage baking in the sun on the sidewalks

I did have a few fantastic NYC firsts and summer-specific adventures. Highlights include a sunset cruise around Manhattan, free concerts in various parks, Nathan's 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest (68 hotdogs in 10 minutes. Intensely gross and I secretly loved it), the strangeness of Coney Island and the strangeness of the fact that I went there 4 times, lazy Central Park days, zoos and the aquarium, my birthday, a tranny in a bad blonde wig's bad impression of me (totally jealous of my natural locks), cat-sitting for a kitty that drools when she's happy, and the relaxed pace that the City adopts. The City offers endless summer attractions, free entertainment options, street fairs, festivals, restaurant week, etc because without them, this place would be an empty smelly oven.

The view from my summer residence on the Upper West Side of the Hudson and New Jersey.

Manhattan from Brooklyn.

A sailboat, the Hudson, and New Jersey. Taken from the water.