From Madison Ave. and Madison Square Garden to Madison.
I made a mistake — the 12th, not the 13th, is/was my return date … I’m glad I figured that out before I missed my flight.
So I stayed up late, packed, went to bed, got up early, and Jyoti and I returned to the West Way Cafe for a near repeat of yesterday’s breakfast. Two eggs, over-medium for me. Rye toast. Coffee, potatoes, OJ.
Afterward I went up the Empire State Building; Jyoti read and watched my luggage around the corner in a Starbucks. The ESB is tall, though not the tallest building in NY. But from the 86th floor observation level you do get a great view on clear days, and our day was rather clear. I took lots of photos and eventually returned to ground level, found Jyoti, and while I tried to get the “Special” at Papaya Dog I was thwarted by breakfast — they weren’t yet serving hot dogs!
So we went back to Penn Station and to Dunkin’ Donuts. I decided to get an iced coffee and two donuts. I thought they’d put each of my two donuts in different bags, and when I opened the first bag I found a chocolate donut, even though I’d ordered a coffee donut. But chocolate would be okay — I like chocolate after all. So I ate the ersatz-donut and drank my coffee. Then I opened the other bag to find 2 pastries.
Oops …
Obviously the chocolate donut was not a mistake except insofar as I f*cked up, for the bag didn’t belong to me. By then, though, it was too late. And they never came after me. But I was the only one in line at the time (there was a lady behind me, but her order hadn’t been filled yet), so I don’t know who the chocolate was for.
So I had three donuts.
Then the NY Transit train to Newark. Computer self-check-in. Security. Find my gate. 114A. And wait. I read some of Kafka on the Shore, but I also listened to some of the 3rd Artemis Fowl audio book. And while I’d listened to some before, it now seems to me that I perhaps listened to the whole thing already. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t listen to it again.
The flight was full and the plane tiny. 3 seats across: A–BC. Not enough room for standing up. Or for storing luggage.
When I arrived in Madison I saw Sara Korpi at an airport bookstore, so we chatted for a while before I had to head to the bus (#24 — to the north transfer point, then the #4 to come home). I then went downtown to return a library book. My trip to Fair Trade was delayed because I got side-tracked by a going-out-of-business sale at the 2nd-hand CD and DVD place. I eventually settled on Hellboy and A History of Violence, each $5.99.
At Fair Trade I finished Kafka on the Shore. In short: perhaps the best novel I’ve read so far this year. And I’ve read a few good ones.
I resumed my A-Z music project and finished the last couple hours of The Beatles. Now I have those somewhat boring chanting monks that were so popular back in ’93. Just my luck.
