Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy 4th of July!

All the way from New York City. This was my first time spending Fourth of July in New York, and it was truly magnificent. This was just a day that allowed me to bond even more with my fellow floormates. 

The day started off as an immediate waste of time. As my group and I have planned, we were to leave for Long Island Beach at around 7:45 AM. That didn't turn out so well, as many of the girls were still asleep and had not prepared for the beach. Anyways, the the group of guys and girls, along with I, resumed our plans and went off to the subway. There, most of the guys were cranky and still sleepy. It was also there that we noticed that because we waited for others to prepare, we had delayed our trip. Our train going to Long Island was to leave at 8:45 AM, and we had just arrived to the station at the time. It was then that the cranky guys and I decided to return to Columbia and go back to sleep.

Later, when waking up at around noontime, some guys invited me to play some football in Central Park. I agreed and went on my first visit to the grand park. The weather was the most beautiful weather that I had yet to experience in my one week in New York City. The temperature was about 80 degrees Celsius, and the sun stayed out longer than usual; it was perfect timing to go out and play football with the others.

After the exhausting game, some other guys and I returned to Columbia, where we ordered humongous pizzas at pizzeria close to campus, the Coronet. I then took a nap and woke up in time to leave to watch the fireworks at Riverside Park. The night was perfect as well; our relative location to water made for a windy ambiance, along with a cool night temperature -- reminding me of my sweet home back in California. 

The fireworks display was stunning; I truly admired the array of color bursting from the harbor. The entire day was fun -- really fun. This was a day that I fully spent hanging out with my floormates as well as other people within the program. I feel like I've been in New York City for so long now, but I know the remainder of my time here will be fun due to the great times I spend with my roommates.

2 comments:

Don Gosney said...

Gabe,

Sounds like you had grandiose plans that fell by the wayside when some of the participants lost their desire to follow through (this should be a warning if they want to team up on any academic projects).

At least you regrouped and made the best of a short day.

Charles Tillman Ramsey said...

Now you see why being on time matters. Your day was disrupted because others did not feel the need to be punctual. This is a valuable learning lesson, especially when you start working as an adult. Take stock of that day, July 4 2009, it will serve you well in the future.

Gabe, I do want to know what you think about Columbia and the East Coast. Can you envision yourself going to school away from the Bay Area? I know that many talk about what they want as a future, but many students are unsure. Let us know how you are dealing with the myriad of issues.

Hope all else is well.

Charles T. Ramsey, Esq.
School Board Member
West Contra Costa
Unified School District

Post a Comment