Seriously though, if you want to renew your appreciation for the ol' Stars and Stripes, go to Europe for a few weeks. Europe is awesome, but I am so so thankful to live in America. Yeah, we have issues - but we always will. That's never going to change. Our government may have problems, but our founding fathers were smart enough to realize that we should just keep changing up the government every couple of years. That's one of the reasons we're so strong - we constantly evolve, we ebb and flow. It's beautiful.
Also beautiful? A few items from my list:
-water is complimentary at restaurants
-you get actual service at even the smallest and most casual restaurants
-street signs are posted visibly OUT in the street
-our signs and symbols make sense (for the most part)
-we do things in a timely fashion and work on a schedule
-we use 120V in our wall outlets (okay, so maybe that's personal, as is 4G coverage)
-TEX-MEX
-Dr. Pepper
-normal sized soda bottles
-no cobblestones
-better television options as earlier movie release dates
...the list goes on and on. It's just good to be back.
My trip back was nice and smooth, thank goodness. I was really proactive with Dramamine and I make it a policy not to stand up on a moving plane. It makes me too sick! Which is fun on 10 hour international flights...but is rather feel like I really have to pee than like I'm about to throw up. Wouldn't you? (A glimpse into my mind when traveling...)
One thing that's awesome about international flights? Movies and TV shows and music provided (at least on US Airways flights). Best part of the flight was finding this one with 4 hours to go:
So perfect!!! I barely cleared customs and got to the other side of the airport in in time for my connecting flight from Philly to NYC...that was fun. The side lf a strap on my big purse broke. And then when my luggage appeared at baggage claim in Laguardia, the handle that pulls out was stuck half way and it was basically broken. Guys, I am SO glad the universe waited until the end of this trip to destroy my luggage. That would have been a nightmare. I guess I did put it through hell and back, though. Oh well.
I met up with Kali and we grabbed dinner at the Stumble Inn, and then met up with a friend of hers before heading home. Then the next day (yesterday) we planned on coffee and Central Park - and then it rained all day. Sweet. Rent a movie? I suggested The Avengers because she still hasn't seen it, but it was out of stock at EVERY Redbox. Ridiculous. So I just bought it at Best Buy - I mean, we all know I was going to do that when I got home anyway.
I caught these guys' act in the subway after parting with Kali when she went to work:
They were pretty good. The rest of the day, I just explored. I went into FAO Schwarz, which had some awesome Hunger Games merch. I also heard two employees in the corner heavily discussing the parentage of Jon Snow, which was probably a highlight of the evening. I then went to the Ape store, which, let's face it, is really really cool. I played around with the iPhone 5 and ended up buying a cable that basically gives HDMI output to anything with the Apple 30-pin connector. So cool. #nerdalert
I hit Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barnes & Noble... I just wandered midtown Manhattan and relaxed. It was wonderful. And it was rainy the whole day, so the buildings would disappear into fog and clouds. How cool is this picture?
Anyway, it was a fun stopover on my way back to the great state of Texas. Today will (hopefully) involve Central Park and more hanging with Kali before flying back to H-town, where my trip will conclude on Saturday. So one more post! Can't believe it's already over!
