I'm in New York City, day one of a three-day groovy girlfriend getaway. Although it technically isn't a work trip, the reality is me and the gals signed up for Jeff Pulver's 140 Conference. The theme of this twitter-inspired series of talks is “The State of Now”. The irony - what happened today on the way to the conference was EXACTLY that.
Here's why.
Before we left Toronto, each of us was sent a gorgeous itinerary for the three days organized by our amazing girlfriend Joanne - including high tea at The Plaza Hotel with maternity clothing designer Liz Lange, tickets to see Regis and Kelly and a half day shopping adventure.
But a funny thing happened along the way. Things didn't work out as planned.
After a lovely decadent time with Liz Lange (who designs the maternity collection at Target) we had to rush to the other end of town for the kick-off VIP dinner for the 140 Conference. But there was a problem. It was rush hour and there was no way we were going to get there in time unless we veered from our plans.
High Tea with Liz Lange
Me with Liz Lange
Instead of taxis, we voted to suck-it-up and get a taste of the notorious NY subway. The six of us headed underground dressed in heels and cocktail dresses. But we had no freaking idea how to pay, which train to take or how not to get robbed on the subway. So we started to make friends along the way.
First, the ticket taker guy had a good laugh at the six giggling moms who needed directions.
In the New York City Subway Tunnel
Then we meet Johnny - a handsome young guy on the train who, he told us, worked at Victoria's Secret. Johnny was more than happy to share his subway expertise and made sure we got off at the right stop.
Except we didn't.
So we headed up for air to regroup and get our bearings. So, what did we do? Stop a police car with couple of handsome cops. They had a good chuckle at our enthusiasm then pointed us in the right direction. They even contemplated letting all six of us squish in the backseat of their car which was littered with weapons.
Asking the NYPD for directions
Instead, they suggested, we RUN for the bus that was just ahead. So we did - in heels, hair getting messier, makeup starting to melt.
The bus driver waited as we jumped in out of breath and we asked him how much the fare was. He just looked at us, shook his head and waved us to the back of the bus with a smile. SCORE!! Free bus ride in NYC!
As this next leg of our journey continued, our fearless leader Joanne nervously checking the time - we were already 15-minutes late for the VIP Conference dinner - we drove by a huge civil demonstration outside City Hall. We felt a part of the real NYC.
Civil Rights Demonstration
Our friend the bus driver let us know it was our stop. We jumped out, only to find ourselves in front of Ground Zero. We stopped for a couple of photos, craning our necks to look back as we rushed on to our planned dinner.
Ground Zero
We finally arrived 20-minutes late, slightly disheveled but giddy from our crazy trip downtown.
Dinner was fine - but nothing compared to the unexpected hilarity and excitement we experienced on the way there.
Today was about the journey - not the destination. That's the real state of now.
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