#92 Unexpected NYC Surprise (and other NYC Badass Adventures)

There have been so many times during this badass project that I have wondered if I should keep writing about the adventures I have. I mean...who really wants to read this?

But I now have solid proof that doing so has changed my life for the better.

On my second day in NYC, after posting about Day 1, I got a message from one of my favorite people in the world, telling me that she saw my post, and that she and her husband happen to be in NYC too and wanted to know if there any chance we could squeeze in a visit.

Becky and Jeff, you MADE my day!!!! It was absolutely wonderful seeing you, wedging ourselves into the tiny table at Junior's on Time Square, and catching up with life. Thank you for being you and for reaching out. I am so glad I got to see you! :)

So I'll keep writing this, with the hopes that other magical things will happen. But for real, this Badass experience has changed my life so much that I will be forever grateful for all of you for reading, joining in, and encouraging me to keep going.

One thing Badass has done is to keep challenging me to "get out there and just try". The last two days were absolutely jam packed with things that I wouldn't have ordinarily done.

10 years ago, if you would have told me I would be wandering around Time Square in the evening by myself, without glasses, totally blind, without a bit of anxiety, I wouldn't have believed you.

10 years ago, if you would have told me I would be slamming shots with my daughter and her girlfriend at a basement drag show, I wouldn't hae believed you.

10 years ago, if you would have told me I would be counting the number of rats in the subway -- out of pure interest rather than out of fear, I wouldn't have believed you.

FRIDAY EVENTS

This was Emily's day to plan. We met up in Grand Central Station Donut Plant to get Glazed Vanilla Bean lattes and Almond Gluten Free Donuts.

She told me we were going to do "something with views" and "Something with espionage". Cool beans.

The "Something with views" was the scenic transport across the water to Roosevelt Island. We methodically calculated how we could get the best views by hanging back and jumping on at the last minute. A bit unnerving that we were plastered against the door that, if it opened, we would plummet into the river far below. But it made for great views and was a fun "only in New York" experience.

The "Something with espionage" was the SpyScape Museum. Oh my head!!! My dreams come true.

Did you know that I'm obsessed with the lifestyle of a spy? And the training that goes into it?

This was an amazing place. You hit 8 stations through the museum which trained and tested you in spyhood.

In the surveillance gallery, you plugged into a headphone and were given various assignments to find specific items on the 50 or so TV screens above your heard. I did fair.

In the Detection room, you were given a lie detection test to see if the computer could tell you were lying (it couldn't) and to train you about what to look for when someone is lying (rigid posture, pursed lips, touching nose) and gave you a test to see if you could identify the liars on a video. I did well on that one!

In the agility room, you had to crawl around laser beams while punching flashing lights on the wall to see how many you could get in a minute. Emily came in to help me do mine, so I'm happy to report I was given the designation of "Excellent Agility" as a reward.

You had to answer various personality tests, brain logic puzzles, and risk taking activities.

And along the way were various displays of real-life spy gear and stories.

At the end, the computer compiled all your results and announced what type of spy you would be good at.

Emily was deemed a "Hacker". Yup. That tracks.

I was deemed a "Special Ops Specialist". Do you think I can put this on my resume?

After stopping at the closest possible restaurant to rest our feet and a stop off at Em's place to play with Bean and take a quick schnooze, we met up with Wiki's parents for dinner at a fantastic gluten-free restaurant. Her family is so kind and fun to talk to. It was lovely getting to know them -- now I know why Wiki is such a wonderful person!

Emily and Wiki walked me to the subway and placed me on the correct train, telling me specifically what stop to get off at. So I took my first solo subway trip, but I don't think that quite counts yet. Next time, I'll do it solo for real.

Oh! And I saw my first rat.

He's in the cup.

Rat count: 1

SATURDAY'S EVENTS

The next day, I had some time before I was going to meet up with the girls, so I headed over to Times Square to check it out. I walked around for a long time and saw all the sights.

Rockefeller Center

Radio Ciy Music Hall

The Empire State Building

Weird Furries trying to get me to take my picture with them

Macy's

and lots and lots and lots of people.

Weirdly. my glasses fell apart right in the middle of this walk -- guess that's what happens when you buy your glasses online for $10 a pair.

So I blindly wandered until I could find an espresso shop where I could sit, rest my feet, charge my phone and try to fix them. No luck. And no eyeglass screws or safety pins were for sale in the pharmacy next door. The only thing I could do was to use my earrings to secure them together. It was quite the look.

Em and Wiki found me wandering around and we headed to Lucky Chen's Drag Show. We were treated to nachos, burgers and unlimited mimosas, which we took full advantage of. When they announced that they were also serving shots, we took full advantage of that too. Got me quite a fine buzz, which helped me loosen up enough to wave dollar bills in the air so the performers would come to our table. Well, actually, I put Em and Wiki in charge of that, but the liquor helped me whoop it up..

At the end of the show, they called one person up from each VIP table to participate in a lip-sync contest. Thankfully, Em took one for the team because nobody needs to see me on a stage shaking what my mama gave me. But that Emily -- talk about shaking what her mama gave her (you're welcome!). She was up there giving it her all. So much so that she ended up in the top three and got to perform in the finals round. Even though she didn't officially win, she definitely got the most applause and screams from the audience. That's my girl!

Wiki and Em headed to my hotel to sleep off the liquor, and I headed back to Times Square to meet up with Becky and Jeff. Did I tell you that Becky is one of the most hilarious people I know. Her story about her "purchase" at Bergdorf Goodman still makes me laugh when I think of it. But I'm not going to share...it's her story to tell. :)

Then, I met up with Em and Wiki for our last NYC experience of seeing Six on Broadway.

It was......

...ok.

Didn't really live up to its hype, but it was a fun show to watch. I especially loved the gold glitter that showered the audience at the end and the costumes were absolutely amazing. I think the cast was a bit tired though and maybe needed a few days to rest up.

Back on the subway to come home. Rat count: 3

Emily and I ended our trip with a mom-daughter sleepover at my hotel complete ith 7-11 snacks, sharing of Tiktoks, and superan onsies.

What a trip! I am utterly exhausted, but in such a great way. Thank you Emily, Wiki, Linda, Joe, Becky and Jeff for making this an amazing NYC experience.

Can't wait to do it all over again when I hit the Big Apple with Julie, Shay and Hemi in a month.