Tuesday
I had thought about titling this post Maryland's Luck. Largely due to Maryland being the only state in the Union to lose every land rights claim it ever made either due to it being a smaller colony, a multiple decade pre-existing error or their own self-incompetence. This was explained in depth in the book I read on the train ride from Miami to Charleston, How the States got their Shapes.
I woke up on Tuesday with every intention of going out and seeing the city of Baltimore, but I also awoke with the worst headache I'd had since the last time I listened to a Nickelback record.
I think that this was a product of getting next to no good sleep on the bus from Charlotte (2-3 hours at a time before being woken up is not good sleep... Its a bit of a form of torture), having my back contorted in all kinds of awful angles during that night, then sleeping on a bed in Baltimore which was slightly too small and comparable to a pile of bricks, in a room too cold, and too noisy for large chunks of time.
I tried to get up by each time found myself unable to stand without a large amount of pain shooting through my head. So, I went back to bed... And slept, and slept, and slept.
I searched through my toiletry bag and could not find the Panadol that I swear I had packed. Resolved to the lack of painkillers I hauled myself out of bed at about 3 PM, showered, felt just as dirty as before I got out of bed, and walked around the block to the nearby 7-Eleven. Buying some 7-Eleven brand Aspirin I left to go back to the hostel, but before I got there I stopped and bought a sandwich and ate something. It was pelting with rain and honestly it wasn't the kind of day one would consider 'prime' for sightseeing. But, again, had my health been up, the spirit was willing.
I went back to the hostel and sat in the lobby and watched the second half of the Champions League match between A.S. Roma and Manchester City, which ended with the Italians being eliminated by the English club. Throughout I was intermittently falling asleep and sweating heavily, so, once this ended I returned to my bed and laid down again.
I chatted briefly with my mum who told me where to look in my bag for Panadol... I'm glad she was paying attention when I packing the bag, otherwise I'd never have found it!
I spent much of the evening watching films on my computer as I began to feel a bit better. I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (no doubt a result of my time in Tampa Bay and later in Key West) and Russell Crowe in Robin Hood (no reason that I can think of).
A bloke from Hong Kong, also named Sam, was staying in my room and he began talking to me. He seemed very interested in what I was doing on my trip. He did invite me to breakfast though, this was a good result.
I went to bed at about 11 PM after the conclusion of the second film.
When I booked my trip I had the choice of Washington D.C., Baltimore or Philadelphia as a stopover city... My reasoning for choosing Baltimore was that I had never been there before. I had been to Washington D.C. and got to see all the museums (even got to see Fonzie's Jacket). I had been to Philadelphia, eaten my share of Philly Cheesesteak, seen the sights of Intercourse and the Amish, and seen the Historical sites and places in Philly. I'd never been to Baltimore, and I had every intention to see it while I was there, however given that my body or the stresses of travel stood in the way I was unable to see the city... Always another time I suppose... The spirit was willing, but the flesh was spongey and bruised...
Wednesday
Travel day Wednesday... I woke up feeling better than the day before, but still fairly seedy. Sore throat, still a bit of a headache, but the aspirin was helping.
I had to get up to jump in the shower... The hostelling shower business is very dog eat dog, and if you're not up and about early then you're liable to wait for an hour or more. Thankfully I was on the ball and was the second man in.
I headed down for breakfast which involved me making pancakes and talking to my new acquaintance from Hong Kong and a bloke from Austria. This took a little while, but the benefit was that it killed a fair bit of time.
I left the hostel at about 10:45 AM and whilst waiting for my Uber I was accosted for money... This would bookend my travels... I got to the bus station, got my ticket (didn't have to check a bag apparently) and after a short wait listening to CNN talk about an improvement in US-Cuban relations, I jumped on a Peter Pan Busline bus and was on my way to New York, NY, the city so nice they had to name it twice...
I picked the same seat that I have been choosing virtually the entire way through my bus tour of America and as a result was again blessed with 2 seats to myself. We travelled through Maryland, Delaware, the length of New Jersey and then ended up in New York.
I spent most of the near 3 hour trip watching the second Pirates of the Caribbean film, Dead Man's Chest, and watched the world go by... The traffic got super heavy when we hit the Lincoln Tunnel between New Jersey and New York.
The bus arrived shortly after at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, where I had to make the decision as to whether I would catch a cab or the subway up to 103rd Street and my hostel. Whilst making this decision I was accosted for money to catch the bus somewhere... I'm sure that some of the people asking for money genuinely need it, but I can't really spare it when I myself am on a budget.
I got a 7 day ticket, which was more painful than it should have been with the machine refusing to accept cash, then debit and then some time later accepted credit... I then got on the 1 train and rode it uptown to 103rd. This wasn't too bad, but with a massive bag it was a very difficult proposition.
I checked in, got to my room (which was at the top floor and as far away from the elevator as possible), found my assigned bed (which was the one I would have chosen 2nd based on my hostel bed selection criteria), and then needed to head out for some supplies and food.
Before I left the room a German guy named Johann came in, and I went through my trip, his travels and a decision was made to wait for him before going for food. He had travelled from Winnipeg earlier in the day and was pretty wrecked.
First order of business in New York City... Slice of NYC pizza... So, we walked a few blocks down Broadway to Cheesey Pizza and got a couple of slices. Not quite as big as in Miami, but any pizza slice you have to fold is a good pizza slice.
Following this we went by a CVS where I picked up some mouthwash to try to combat the sore throat, along with a big bottle of water.
We walked back to the hostel where I signed up for a tour on Friday night and I spent the rest of the night writing this blog post and watching the third Pirates film, At Worlds End. Some things never change, the wi-fi connection at this hostel is still shit, but the dorm rooms feel a lot better than 4 years ago.
This is an unashamedly short post, largely due to sickness and a travel day... But in the words of a great man: 'What it is, is what it is'
Tomorrow begins 4 days in New York City... The spirit is willing!
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