Quelle hazing ritual moderne.
Have freelance hackish writers regale screening committee with super details of none other than Empire State Building, post-marathon waiting, cattle prodding, souvenir lashes. All this to be 350 words for a company, Charlie'sAngels-like like the Digital City gig of infamy, that creates cell phone tours for wanderers who pay to have scripted Look Here's and Do This's beamed into their ears.
The first hour is spent in a DMV-like basement, painted French's Mustard Yellow, screaming colour, lined up and as a corner is rounded one might realize that for twix the prix one might circumnavigate this experience and head right on up to floor 2 if one pretends one is interested in seeing a movie about floating over the skyline or some such dirigible thing. Couldn't find the movie/observation deck ticket booth and then with the help of a nice young man I fina-fuckin-ly did. At the window I said Movie ticket please. Then I asked So this is for observationalizing deck, too, right. She said No. She called for her manager who came over and, when she heard the scenario, narrowed her eyes at me and said this ultra-friendly thing: You SAID you wanted the movie ticket ONLY, I was standing right there (gesturing), I HEARD you. (note to self: be afraid of workers who work in landmarks for they are manhandling 35K visitors a day and do not have fucking time for aberrations of any type. period) I start sobbing. No, I am kidding. I said Well I want both. After much huffing, puffing, glares of hatred I had my two tickets and completely took a right towards the observation elevator to 80 then to 86 for the sights. On line in the basement, pre-hate, I met a photog who was cluelessly heading up up and away to, she thought, get some fab shots of Christo's Curtains. I made some internal photog calculations of my own and deduced that this woman not only should not be called a photog of any sort but did not understand angles, the curve of the earth, etc. I suggested she might get into a high room of The Pierre, a swishy hotel on 5thAve I've crashed in before as it's on the southern tip of the park. She looked baffled and atop the landmark/hazing focus/ESB I could see but five tiny orange blips on the horizon = The Curtains! A snippet of. I am glad I did not bump into Esmerelda up there for my look of derision would have been undisguisable.
Began the plan, the trip, this literary foray by sitting in a middle seat, not my usual window/hublot and was in a snit until I began speaking to Rose, the newly-retired former Viet Nam nurse who lives in Cali. I asked her about nursely and otherly things about VN. We discussed our vitriol pertaining to the U.S. president.
About to meet Justy for our traditional night of binge revelry and he's got a head start. Gadzooks.
Tomorrow's agenda: collect self, see The Curtains, see some art, write about the Empire State Building and all its attendant charms. Wow, including the wall of art glass depicting the Eight Wonders of the World which include, bien sur, ESB as well as Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Rhodes's Giant and oso much more.
In the Shiney Apple I learn learn learn.

Learning Love.