final destination...for now

DAYS 18-19, BALTIMORE/NYC

i left jacksonville yesterday and headed for baltimore to visit a couple of friends. it was so nice to see them - they always make me feel so loved. i don't think their cats cosimo and bia care for me anymore, but i hadn't met squeaks until this visit. i think squeaks is now my favorite cat of theirs. she LOVES me :) she keeps coming up to me to request petting her, and apparently, her eyes follow me when i get up and walk out of the room. she's so sweet and has really large beautiful eyes. i almost stole her.

the couple live in a really awesome neighborhood - the surrounding buildings are a little rundown, but they have so much history to them - the difference between east coast and west coast cities. the room in which i spent the night has moldings that resemble what my friend deemed to be neoclassical. there are also small skylights that remind me of a time when electricity was more of a luxury than a necessity as we think of it today. trees line the streets, and when i had arrived, families were sitting on their porches with the kids running around on the sidewalks. it'll be nice to be able to visit my friends again soon :)

today, i finally arrived in nyc! it's a little weird arriving on the 5th year anniversary of 9/11. the george washington bridge had a huge american flag flying over it - not sure if it was something especially done today or if it's always there. betty and i noticed 2 giant beams of light shooting up to the sky from downtown. betty thought it was kind of eery because the beams looked like they were shining from the clouds, like alien spaceships in movies when they're about to attack our planet. i thought it was weird because it reminded me of batman. i had planned on arriving in the city tomorrow, but b was off work only today. well, maybe arriving today will end up meaning something.

the apartment is not too bad - i hadn't had a chance to see it until now. it's a decent 2-bedroom. b generously gave me the bigger bedroom. the water pressure is a little weak - i wonder if it's a cheap landlord tactic. there are so many people here - it's just weird to see people out and about, whereas in la, i guess people are in their cars. my dad took us to dinner in chinatown - it'll be nice to be able to practice my cantonese more often. i wasn't getting enough practice while in la. there's a supermarket and a laundromat closeby, and the train station is only a block away.

not sure if i'll stay here forever, but i think i'll get used to it pretty quickly. since moving out of my mom's house, i haven't lived in any city for more than 4 years. we'll see how long nyc will last...