3,720 miles in 6 days and the sky is amazing

Michael with the most
not normal person he knows

Michael said 3,720 miles in 6 days is "disgusting."   I think 3,720 miles in 6 days gives me street cred.

We learned many things on this trip.  Michael now knows what the inside of a South Dakota cop car looks like and therefore hates South Dakota with a fire of a thousand suns.  (That is not a hyperbole.)

I learned that in Minnesota, I am an "unknown" ethnic.  I actually like South Dakota with it's Great Plains, Black Hills, and I want to marry Wyoming.  I also learned that when going across the country, it is good to brush up on your US History so you can fully understand what you are seeing.

At home, in California

I also learned that somehow over the last two years, I have become a certifiable New Yorker.  For the first time, I introduced myself as a "New Yorker" and I found two things that constantly amazed me on this trip:  the size of bathrooms in public places and the size of the sky.

Bathrooms in this country are huge.  You can fit more than two people in them.  You don't have to push your way in, slam into something as you try to squeeze through the door.  There were bathrooms in restaurants bigger than my bedroom and that is just...such an excess of space.  I remember going to a restroom in South Dakota and stopping to marvel at the square footage.   I found no bathroom that had microscopic stalls, layered tagging, tiny sinks, or themed designs.  There were simply organized extravagant bathroom facilities.  My mind was blown.

Wyoming

And then there is the sky.  You see the sky in Wyoming and you suddenly understand country music.  There isn't a town for hours, there isn't a car for miles, all you have is the great big blue and it consumes you.   For the first time in months I could feel myself relax.

In New York, everything exists in inches and seconds.  How can I put more books in my small bedroom, how can I fit more clothes in my tiny closet, how many people can sardine their way into a rush hour 5 train, how much closer is that guy's backpack going to get to my face, how loud do those headphones have to be, how long do I have to "continue to be patient" as the subway stalls at Fulton and all I need to get to is Wall Street!

Grand Tetons

And then you get to see mountains at Big Horn and skyscrapers are no longer marvels.  The awe inspiring chaos of navigating up Broadway to get the 7 at Times Square doesn't hold a candle to the expansiveness of the plains.   Seems like a pointless revelation but New York City is all time and no space and that makes you forget.

So when you see a road sign that says your destination is 267 miles away and all you have is a full tank of gas and box of unsalted cashews, all you can do is take in the scenery.  And every subway delay that put you on the verge of a psychotic anger fueled meltdown is instantly made ridiculous.

Empire State Building

But despite New York's hustle and bustle, New York is also about people.  I get to meet amazing people from everywhere you can imagine and I have never felt more comfortable going through cities no matter how barren or manicured their main streets are.  Seeing the country means understanding the country and for me it means I get to put places with faces and I am a lucky gal to live in such a melting pot city.

If only I could get more sky.