Fifteen minute free write about my Monday in NYC

Me, Angela, and Victoria dragged ourselves out of bed at 8:30 in the morning and realized that if we were going to get tickets to Conan we had to book it to the Rockefeller Center. It was about a fifteen minute walk from our hotel in Time Square. We made it there just a few minute before nine and I asked a security guard where we needed to line up to get tickets. He told us that Conan tickets are only handed out Tuesday through Friday. I was crushed since this was the only chance we had to attend the taping. But being me I insisted we go into the NBC store and ask someone who worked there just in case the security guard was wrong. We asked the cashier there and she told us that people were lining up on the south side of the building. We were relieved but also mad that we could have missed our opportunity to go because of a misinformed security guard. We got our will call tickets and were told to check back in at 4 but there was no guarantee that we would get in.

In the meantime Angela and I decided to take the Subway down to lower Manhattan. We got off in Soho and walked through the neighborhood to Chinatown where we both learned how to barter. I learned that you need to pretend like you don't have any money. "But I only have five dollars?" That is a line I used frequently. And then you need to act like you are disinterested and are going to leave. They usually come running after you and lower the price a few bucks. I know this sounds mean, but that is the way it works. Angela purchased a purse and some glasses and I picked up a few Pashmina scarves.

We asked a girl Chinese girl on the street where she thought we should eat lunch and she pointed us to a little Chinese roastrant in the heart of Chinatown. We sat down and they brought us tea. They got mad at us when we didn't start drinking it. "Drink the tea!," our waiter said, so we poured ourselves cups of tea and pretended to drink it. The place was full of Chinese people. There was a cute old man sitting behind me that I so badly wanted to take a picture of. The food was very authentic. So much so that I didn't really enjoy it. But the atmosphere was worth it.

After lunch we had some more time so we decided to walk to Tribeca. Upon reaching Tribeca we asked a one eyed, half deaf door man what there was to see in Tribeca and he said the World Trade Center. So we walked down to ground zero. I didn't really know what there was to see there. Ground zero is surrounded by tall buildings and it is very obvious that something is missing. There are pictures up on the fence in front of what used to be the WTC. They are pictures that were always on television right after the tragedy. I don't know if it was the pictures or the bum playing amazing grace on his flute, but I started crying. The feeling there is somber and people try to sell you albums full of pictures from 9/11.

and my fifteen minutes is up.