Now before I can get into Baltimore, I feel obligated to tell a character-building story. You know all those painful, WTF memories your brain stores for you against your will, just to bring up at night or during the quiet hours of your life to make you cringe and wonder what the hell you were thinking or doing? Well, my weekend started with one of those.
Friday evening I caught a bus from midtown, and it started just fine, even waiting on West 33rd St, I made two friends also on my scheduled departure. The vessel was full, we got separated, and I sat next to a very disgruntled young girl about my age who was not interested in anything. I sat in my seat, working on a story for class on my laptop, before putting on the sounds of Arcade Fire and Death Cab as New Jersey scenery swept by. Before I knew it, the bus was taking a break at a Delaware welcome station. I have had an abnormal obsession with finding myself in Delaware one day. Exhibit A:
And here I was! The bus driver made an announcement I couldn't hear with my headphones in, not to mention his accent was so thick I gave up understanding him before I even boarded the bus, but I take this same bus company to Boston often and figured we had the same 15-minute break. I got out, took some obligatory Delaware pictures, went to the bathroom, got a Starbucks.
There was an announcement inside the station that sounded like my bus, but that couldn't be right, plus the accent and quality were so bad I couldn't even understand it. As I'm making my way back to out, the bus driver recognizes me, beelines to me and starts chewing me out, saying where had I been and didn't I hear his announcement, and everyone is waiting on me (I think, that was what I made from it). I felt angry and defensive and close to arguing back just because, what the hell? Instead all I managed to say was "okay. Well I'm here now" because honestly, what difference did any of it make now? The bus was full, and EVERYONE was in their seats, and my one empty chair sat at the very back. Everyone was staring daggers and it was humiliating to walk down that aisle, appearing late with (of all things!) my caramel macchiato in tow. One guy even said "Okay" all loud and huffy. I paused by his chair, because I felt so defensive, it was an honest mistake and not at all malicious and I'm sure he had NEVER been late for ANYTHING before in his life, right? I was about to bring this up and say so to him. But I thought the better of it and just continued down the aisle to my seat with my eyes fixed on the floor until I reached my place... sat down, lowered myself into a little ball and immediately dreaded this memory ever coming back to me and wanting to be in Maryland and off the bus ASAP as possible!
Palak picked me up from the rainy bus stop at Baltimore's Penn Station, and I told her the whole story and she thought it was hilarrrrrrious and I was still mortified and hadn't recovered, but at least she made me laugh at her laughing about it.
ANYWAYS, I hadn't seen Palak in a year and some change and it was great to be back in her presence! The whole weekend was fabulous... relaxing at her apartment, watching Sleepless in Seattle (awful, awful movie!), enjoying briefly living together again, and exploring DC and Charm City! We spent Saturday night out in DC and definitely fell asleep on the metro back to the Greenbelt stop.
This little boy was posing like this for his own picture, and I'm SO HAPPY that he made it into ours too. He. Is. Awesome.
West Coast Home!
East Coast Home!
So as fun as Baltimore and DC were, Palak and I had the EGGSPERIENCE of a lifetime at this brunch restaurant Sunday morning, called something ridiculous like that, Eggcelent or whatever. The menu was OVERLOADED with all these egg puns, I couldn't even handle it anymore, but it was soooo delicious. And so thematic!
I was so overwhelmed by the edible choices that I was just going to get 2 eggs any style (over easy!) and Palak laughed in my face and said it was unacceptable to come to a brunch place like this and just get 2 eggs any style, so I went all out and had this ridiculous concoction of 2 eggs sunnyside up under a bagel with melted cheese and bacon over it. And we got a cinnamon roll too.
I don't take pictures of food, so I took pictures of us waiting instead. All part of the eggsperience!
It was SUCH A FABULOUS weekend, relaxing and being with Palak, a little piece of home. I sincerely, really love this northeast corner of the United States, I love the East Coast, I love traveling and exploring, but every now and then, nothing compares with being with old friends and feeling like I'm back where I started from. I foresee many more trips to Baltimore.
No comments:
Post a Comment