Today was my first day properly exploring the city (read: getting very lost very often and loving every second). Honestly, this all feels like some surreal dream that I’ll wake up from at any moment. I’m here, I’m here on my own, I’m here because I can afford to do it on my own, and I’m seeing places and people that I’ve only ever thought of conceptually. My mind can’t seem to wrap around the idea that this is actually possible for me. My world feels like it has expanded three hundred-fold in the past twenty-four hours. I will scream it from the rooftops until the day I die: receiving proper nutrition and hydration is an absolute miracle. None of this would be possible without the medical care that I have received over the years, and the medical device in my abdomen.
While I spent a lot of today just getting lost and soaking in the energy of the city, there were a couple of planned trips as well. I had “breakfast” at a cafe in Chelsea called Milk Bar, a place that serves food more akin to the lucid dreams of a five year old than standard baked goods. I got coffee as well as one of their iconic dishes: soft-serve ice cream designed to taste like milk at the bottom of a cereal bowl (seen below).
I rushed back to my hostel briefly after my food to drop off my jacket as it was getting too warm out for it, and then headed back out to Manhattan to pick up tickets that I purchased for a last minute Broadway show: Dear Evan Hansen. Knowing only the soundtrack, albeit loving it, I didn’t know what to expect from the live performance. I’ll be honest, I’m not usually a musical theatre fan. I am, however, a music fan; and dear lord did this show ever deliver on both the musical front and the emotional impact front. Sitting in a crowd hearing songs that I have only ever heard through my headphones, or belted alone in my bedroom, was an incredible experience. In addition to not usually being a musical theatre fan, I am not usually one to cry at plays or movies; yet this one had me shaking and overwhelmed with emotions that I don’t even have words for. I want to capture the feelings from those few hours and hold on to them forever.
I was also fortunate enough to meet some of the cast after the show as well as get photos and signatures, thanks to a tip from a friend. By the time that I had found my way back to my hostel, showered, and called some friends and family to update them on my day, it was already nearly 7pm. My legs are very tired so I’ll probably just sleep soon. I have a tattoo planned tomorrow that I’ve been waiting on for a long time, but who knows what else the day will bring? I can’t wait to see.
Sabina Catherine 