As many of you know, I’ve been preparing for weeks (more like months, actually) to head to New York City and present some awesome sessions about technology integration to second-year teachers. I’ve been super excited about 1) TEACHING AGAIN! (if you can’t tell from my recent posts, I kinda miss it…) and 2) visiting the big city and exploring.
I flew in Friday morning and grabbed a cab to the Teacher U office.
CAB RIDE: 3
Definitely worth a couple of points that 1) I didn’t have to fight the subway carrying all my bags (okay, so there was just one, but come on, it was kinda heavy) and 2) I didn’t have to pay for it.
That being said, I tend to get car sick. Really car sick. I have vivid memories of Okuba-san, a driver in Japan who would pick us up from the airport when we lived there, and his shocked face when I started puking out the side of his car on one of the busiest highways in the world. I had to spend an hour recovering from every trip with him.
While this ride wasn’t quite as bad, I definitely thought I might throw up at times. Opening the window usually helps, but how do you explain to a cab driver why you want to open a window when it’s FREEZING outside?
+1: I made it with no vomiting!
I started off with some work there, and then headed back to the hotel to check in and drop off some stuff.
MY NEW YORK CITY HOTEL: 9!
We’ve got a winner here. I walked in the lobby and it was definitely city chic. Not that Raleigh/Durham isn’t chic (okay, it’s not really), but this was exactly what I would expect from a classy NYC hotel. And the room was just as good 
I walked in and felt, for a second, like a housemate on the Real World when they first discover their house. Part of this may be due to my mom’s preference for cheap hotels when traveling (TOTALLY not complaining, as now that I pay my own way I’m exactly the same. See example…)
See evidence:
A sign of a good hotel is always a nice bathroom. This one definitely passed
-1: it was about four blocks from the subway (uphill on the way there) and COLD!
I spent my time in the hotel to figure out the best way to bundle up.
COLD WEATHER BUNDLING: 9
I’d say I did a pretty good job Warm and fashionable, all in one.
-.5: Everytime I needed to use my iPhone to find directions I had to take my gloves off, so my hands got pretty cold 
I saw a woman on the subway with gloves that had fingers that flipped off- BRILLIANT for iPhoning. I may need to find some of these…
-.5: I got a couple itches that were IMPOSSIBLE to get rid of. First I had to lift up my long coat, then attempt to scratch my leg (which had a layer of long underwear beneath the jeans) with a gloved hand. This did not go well.
After some exploring (FAO Schwarz, 5th Ave, Times Square, etc.) I met up with a good friend who lives in the city. We found a great Japanese restaurant right off Times Square with a pretty brilliant selection and affordable options.
HARU JAPANESE DINNER: 10!
We started with Happy Hour rolls, and got a Spicy Tuna and a Spicy Crunchy Salmon. Both delish. I then got the recommended Sea Bass, served over Mei Fun noodles (despite asking the waiter, I’m still clueless as to what this actually means). ALSO brilliant. Plus a little white rice on the side, classic green tea, and great company, I have no complaints
FINDING MY FIRST ‘OPERATION BEAUTIFUL’: 10!
I’m easy to excite. I’ve heard a lot about Operation Beautiful for some time now (I follow Caitlin’s food blog, Healthy Tipping Point) and think the concept is brilliant. After teaching 7th and 8th grade girls, I absolutely value the importance of building self-confidence young, and the goal of Operation Beautiful is to help every woman truly value their own beauty. Folks leave a variety of messages in random places, and I finally found my first one! In one of the stalls in the Women’s bathroom at Hunter College High School I found my very first, simple yet powerful. ’YOU are beautiful! Operationbeautiful.com’
I don’t have a picture… I thought it might be creepy to take my camera in the bathroom.
So far all around yet another great trip to the city. But I’m excited to be back in North Carolina Praying the snow doesn’t keep me away tomorrow!
Until then, just living for the tens
