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Midwesterner, Northwesterner, now New Yorker
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| Thank You Card |
[Mar. 16th, 2008|02:43 pm] |
It's the end of the hockey season and so we got our coach a gift and a thank you card. I *cracked up* when I saw the card. This one shall to go under the cut.
( Thank you card ) |
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| Law and Order Spots |
[Apr. 30th, 2007|11:15 am] |
As I was getting dressed last night for a hockey game at Chelsea Piers a teammate came in and said that she couldn't find a parking space ANYWHERE and so ended up taking one of the Law and Order spots. She said she figured they weren't filming anymore for the summer and that she was only going to be there for two hours so hopefully they wouldn't tow her. I just smiled to myself and loved the fact that I was playing hockey in a place where people were worried about parking in the "Law and Order spots". It’s a strange and dream-like place. ;) |
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| Journey to The Upper West Side |
[Nov. 20th, 2006|05:10 pm] |
I got invited to play with the B team (the upper level team) in my hockey club this weekend. The only downside is that most of the B team members live on the Upper West Side so getting a ride meant getting myself to the Upper West Side.
But I didn't mind so much. I'd never been to the Upper West Side. Sounds like fun. Let's do it!
When given the address of the person I was to get a ride from: on Fredrick Douglas between 113th and 114th, I got out a map and saw that this "Upper West Side" address was actually on the border between Washington Heights and Harlem. OK. That's OK. I can do this....after I take a few deep breaths.
I had planned to take the A or C train. But the person who's apartment I was going to said (in a quick rush), that the A and C trains are express and don't stop where I want to stop and the local B doesn't run on weekends but the D which is normally express stops at every stop on the weekends so I want to take the A/C to 59th then transfer to the D. I said "Okay" as if I had understood what the heck she was talking about, then poured over subway maps, committing as much to memory as possible and then just leaving the rest up to chance.
With a few more deep breaths, I set off to the Broadway and Lafayette station with by bag over one shoulder and my stick in my hand. The plan I kept repeating in my head so I would forget was to take whatever train came first to 4th St and then at 4th St transfer to the A/C and then transfer again to the D at 59th.
Well, the first train to arrive at Lafayette/Broadway was the D train so what a piece of cake! I found a little corner by a door of the train where I could put my gear down and hold on to a railing for the long ride up to 110th St. And here was my ride:
At 4th I almost got out, forgetting that I didn't need to transfer, after all.
At 34th St a woman started getting on and she said to me, "Does this train stop at the Time Warner building?" My response: "I have no idea."
I panicked at the 7th Ave station because it was 7th *Avenue* and all the other stops had been Streets not Avenues. I just kept telling myself: I'm supposed to be on the D. I'm supposed to be on the D. And I am. So chill.
At 72nd Street, someone entered the train, took in my bag and the stick I held in my hand and proclaimed, "Cool! You play soccer!" I didn't quite know how to respond to that so I just smiled and nodded.
I fell in love with the 81st Street-Museum of Natural History station. The walls were lined with tile mosaics of dinosaurs and other various animals. I almost got out to take pictures. I made a mental note to return sometime to do just that.
I started getting nervous at the 96th St station. I knew I was entering Harlem and despite hearing that it's gotten much safer in recent years, I couldn't help but get a little on edge. I'm not necessarily proud that I was getting nervous, but on the other hand, a healthy dose of awareness of ones surroundings probably can't hurt.
At 110th, I hoisted my hockey bag over my shoulder and got set to emerge from the underground and see what the Upper West Side/Washington Heights/Harlem is all about.
I came up right at the northwest corner of Central park and was literally drawn to the trees and the leaves on the ground and the beauty of even just the little corner of the park that I could see. It was getting towards dusk and I had my hockey bag so I didn't wander too far into the park, but I did walk several hundred feet into it, kicking at the leaves at my feet and admiring the quaintness of the lamp posts.
I then headed to the apartment of my ride. The ride was fine (four of us and our gear in a Toyota Prius, lol). And I have now experienced life on the "GWB" (George Washington Bridge).
As for the game itself, the rink was wonderfully cold and the ice was fantastic. The other team waaaaaay outclassed us, though. The final score was 8-1. But I was only a minus one: I was on the ice for two of their goals and for our goal. In addition, I had two shots on net, three really good defensive plays, and one face off win that resulted in our team getting a shot. Overall, I think I did OK. I was definitely on the bottom end of our team skill-wise but I wasn't completely outclassed. And it was such an inspiration to work harder and get myself back into shape. |
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| Hockey in New York |
[Oct. 18th, 2006|04:13 am] |
I imagine there’s some blogger out there. Some young woman or man who, like me, is new to New York and saw something funny today that she’s telling all her friends about. She saw this person, walking down Broadway. Grey sweatpants and pinkish fleece. Over one shoulder was, of all things, a hockey bag. That hand also carried an umbrella to fend off the rain. Wrapped around the other arm was a hockey stick. And here this person was, this blogger will write, just walking down Broadway with a hockey bag like it was the most normal thing in the world to do. How funny was that, they’ll say.
And they’ll be talking about me. Because that’s what I did tonight. I had to walk about 8 blocks to meet up with the person giving me a ride to practice tonight and though it was raining and though I was admonished to take a cab my Colleen, I walked. Of course. And it was a beautiful and fun walk. Hardly anyone gave me a second glance (which I found highly entertaining in and of itself; as if someone walking down Broadway with a hockey bag and stick really *was* pretty run of the mill stuff.
Upon return from practice, however, I was met by a fine Irish gentleman. I got out of my ride’s minivan and hopped onto the sidewalk. He’s outside a bar smoking and he says to me, “You play ice hockey?” (Imagine that said with an Irish accent).
“I do play ice hockey, I responded.”
“That’s beautiful. You’re beautiful for playing. Just beautiful.”
Yeah. I’m guessing he was just a little drunk. But kind and innocent enough. He asked me where I played and I told him in New Jersey. He asked if hockey was worth going to New Jersey for. “It’s worth going anywhere if I can play,” I told him.
His response: “That’s beautiful.”
This place cracks me up. |
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