New York City...Entertained (Last Act)

I know, I know...I've been dragging this out forever. But here it is...the final chapter in one of the best trips I've taken. I hope you enjoy!

Also, D has agreed to answer questions. They can be questions about me and her, our trip, her and Nelly...well you get the point. Anyway, if you have a burning question just post it in the comment box. I'll email them to D and then I'll post her responses. She said to bring them on...the good, the bad, the ugly, and the lewd!



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The story I am now about to tell was the highlight of my trip. Read very carefully!

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Steffany took my picture in front of the “Trump International Hotel and Tower” sign, and then we headed up the block to Lincoln Center. As we were passing the front entrance, we both curiously looked up to see if we could see inside. I noticed this big black man walking out of the door. My first thought was, “Who is he supposed to be?” Everyone knows that the only people that stay in a Trump hotel are rich people and famous people. We kept walking just a few steps when a new idea hit me. “What if he is someone’s body guard?” I thought. I turned my head back to see if he was protecting someone, and indeed, he was. As he walked down the stairs, someone else came into view. IT WAS NELLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s right, multi-platinum selling, washboard abs having, grill wearing rapper, NELLY!!!!!! I was like, “OH MY GOD, it’s NELLY!!!” To which Steffany responded, “Who?” I explained to her that he was famous rapper. I immediately handed my camera to Steffany, and said, “Oh my God, Steffany, I have to see if he’ll take a picture with me.” I was going to ask his bodyguard if I could take a picture with him, because he was talking to another fan at the time; but then he started walking down the stairs. I looked up at him and said, “Will you take a picture with me?” Then he said, “Yeah, real quick.”
We turned toward Steffany, HE PUT HIS ARM AROUND ME, and Steff snapped the picture. Then I turned to him and said, “Thank you SO MUCH. I’m a big fan!”
Then he said, “Thank you.” AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! He then got into the white Escalade that was waiting for him, and left.
When he left, I immediately freaked out! The first person I called was my cousin, Jennifer. She is the biggest Nelly fan in the whole world. The conversation went a little something like this:
Jennifer: Hello?
Deniece: Jennifer?
Jennifer: Yeah.
Deniece: It’s Deniece!
Jennifer: Oh, hey…
Deniece: Guess who I just met! Guess who I just took a picture with, and he put his arm around me!”
Jennifer: Who?
Deniece: NELLY! (I yelled it so loud, that she didn’t understand what I said.)
Jennifer: What?
Deniece: Girl, I just met Nelly!
Jennifer: For real?!
Deniece: Yes, girl! (This is where I explain the story I just told y’all above)
Jennifer: You’re evil. I hate you.
I hung up the phone, and we headed to Lincoln Center

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We got to Lincoln Center and took pictures in front of the Metropolitan Opera House and a beautiful Christmas tree decorated with illuminated blue snowflakes. Since cabs were so expensive, we decided to walk more than 40 blocks back to the hotel. Steffany got tired, but I was walking on cloud nine and didn’t feel a thing. I was just taking in everyone and everything it was amazing. Walking down Broadway at night with awesome New Yorkers was the best. I’m totally going to live here one day.

On our way home, I saw something that one would NEVER see in Wichita Falls, Abilene, or anywhere in small-town Texas. Hanukkah decorations!!!! There were illuminated Stars of David decorating the tress down Broadway. Although there is a synagogue in Wichita Falls, there is zero acceptance for anything other than the status-quo. In Wichita Falls, the status quo is Christian Christmas. This is another reason I want so desperately to move to New York City. The DIVERSITY!!!!! In one day, you could hear or see 15 different languages. It was AWESOME!!!!

When we got back to the hotel, Steffany was bushed and in for the night. I wanted to go back out and do something, so I went to… Starbucks. My plan was to get a latte, sit by the window, and people watch. However, when I got to Starbucks, there wasn’t a seat available and people were actually standing around drinking their coffee. I just got my coffee and left. I didn’t go straight back to the hotel, which was across the street. I wandered down a block or two and wandered back down toward the hotel. When I got back, Steff and I watched a little more TV, then we turned in. Remember, we have been waking up before God every morning, so the fact that we went to bed at a decent hour is not pathetic. At least that’s what we told ourselves so we didn’t feel like complete squares.
The next morning, our last morning, we got up and went next door to the diner for breakfast. I had some more of that delicious sausage.

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Let’s all take a moment of silence in honor of breakfast sausage. Amen.

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After we ate, we went back to the hotel to pack. Actually, Steffany packed while I hurried to shove my mess back into my suitcase. We put our luggage in a storage room, so that we could do a little more sightseeing. Check out time was noon, but our flight wasn’t until later in the evening, and we wanted to take advantage of every minute we had. We went back down town and took pictures in different places. We even found one of the fire stations that lost fire fighters in the Trade Center attacks. It was a very solemn experience. I was humbled by their bravery. It meant a lot to Steff, because her grandfather is a fire fighter. We did a lot more walking downtown, because I wanted to see Trump Tower. I had seen one of his towers before. You remember… when I saw NELLY!!! But I wanted to see the one where they film The Apprentice. We searched forever for it. Steffany was getting tired, but honestly, I didn’t feel that bad about it, because I had been all over Chinatown for two questionable Louis Vitton bags.

After walking forever and my bad sense of direction, we finally found it. I took a picture in front of it. There were limousines everywhere, and I wanted to hang out to see who got out of the cars. I really wanted to see if I could catch a glimpse of The Donald. But by this time, Steffany said that she was starting to get cramps, and we immediately looked for a taxi. Tired feet is one thing, but I know all about those painful cramps, and I didn’t want Steff to be out there walking around if she had cramps. Steffany flagged down a cab (for the first time since we arrived I might add), we went back to the Hotel Newton, thanked them for their hospitality, got into a $70 (that’s right $70) car, and headed to the airport. Our driver was really nice. To get to the airport we went through Harlem, and I asked him questions about it. He had a thick Latin accent, but I still understood every word he said. I asked him about Bill Clinton (his offices are in Harlem), and he said that he sees him sometimes. He only had good things to say about him, which was nice to hear.

>> Fast Forward >> Arrive At Airport >> Wait in Long Ass Line >> Security >> Ghetto Bitch Security Guard Would Have Gotten Slapped About My Earrings If It Wasn’t For Homeland Security >> Late Airplane >> Bumpy Take Off

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Seeing the lights of New York City was beautiful and depressing. I loved the city and I want to live there. Reality Check: There’s a good chance that may never happen. The flight itself was okay. I slept most of the way home. I was uncomfortable, but I was also exhausted to it was easy for me to dose off. When we arrived in Texas, the captain said, “Welcome to Dallas.” My initial reaction was “Whoop-dee-Freakin’-doo!” I was happy to not be living out of my suitcase and to see my family. However, I missed New York already. Anyways… My cousin, Sharie, picked us up from the airport, and I immediately filled her in on my NELLY encounter. We went by Jack in the Box (Hell Yeah, Ultimate Cheeseburger!), went to my aunt’s house and crashed! This was the best trip ever!

Although there’s good chance that I won’t find myself hailing cabs and dogging wiener carts again, I still have an intense dream of living in that amazing city. When I’m watching TV shows set in New York City, and they show a shot of the skyline or one of the many landmarks, my heart aches. I didn’t think it was possible, but I think I hate small-town Texas even more. I need to New York City!!!!

Update: It has been about 3 months since our trip, and Steffany and I were reunited for the first time this weekend since we’ve been back in the Lone Star State. We had lunch and looked at each other’s pictures. Again, I’m glad that Steff took so many pictures, because she’s making tons of copies for me. However, I’m not a total amateur when it comes to snappin’ shots! I saw the pictures that I took of Steffany with her camera, and … I’m awesome! I must say that I took some very good pictures of Miss Steffany in the City That Never Sleeps! Anyways, it was really good to see Steff, because I miss her so much!


Well folks...that's it. My amazing trip from both mine and now D's point of view. Hope you enjoyed the show!