Catching my Breath

Just got back from a whirlwind trip to NYC, with a brief stop in Amish Country, PA. 

Highlights:

* bought homemade jam from the Amish. It is delicious. Their way of life is a little weird and seems to be "off the grid" only when it is convenient. (They can have cell phones but not house phones. Wha?)

* visited the Hershey factory and got intoxicated off the smell. Also tried chocolate-drizzled popcorn, which was amazing.

* took the train to NYC and saw the Pennsylvania countryside, which is very green and gorgeous. Who knew?

* Stayed in New Jersey. No one is nice in Jersey.

* Went to the museum of Natural History to see dinosaur bones and the like. My favorite section was the gems and minerals. Truly like seeing another planet.

* played in Central Park (see pic above) and had a chocolate malted milkshake. mmmm

* Got lost on the subway and ended up in Brooklyn. Exciting!

* Paid $80 for a cab ride. On accident.

* Bought a purse in Chinatown and haggled the price down. Not by much, though. I lack the patience to be a really good haggler.

* Ate pizza, Indian food, brunch, ice cream, hot dogs, burgers and more. Liquid diet is going well.

One last highlight was actually kinda scary. I have inherited my mother's habit of choking on nearly everything...food, drink...air. At one point on this trip I swallowed down the wrong pipe as they say, and started coughing. But it wasn't helping. I felt like I couldn't breathe. And I wasn't eating, so it wasn't food. Just couldn't get any air. Scary. Obviously I'm OK. But I was pretty terrified for a minute.

Anyway, we were gone for a whole week, which was great. And it made the return home that much sweeter. There's something so comforting about your own crappy sheets and dusty nightstand.