We Are Family

I seem to be back to my once-a-month random posts :P bleh..

Two trips to NYC in a week..it's been crazy!!! But I couldn't even begin to describe how totally different these two trips were.

Case 1 : 6 friends from Philly decide to try and cover as many touristy things in New York that they can fit into 2 days. Madame Tussuad's, Empire State, Times Square (walked up and down for some reason or the other at least 6-7 times!), Rockefeller Center, Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, Ground Zero, Brooklyn Bridge, Little Italy, Jackson Heights. I think we would have easily walked around 30 miles (read 48 kms) in those 2 days.
We stayed in this 'hotel' which had small cubicles as rooms. It reminded some of us of prison cells and if you want to be a little more imaginative - those tiny bunks that you've heard exist in battleships ;) There were rules stuck in every possible crevice - "Don't be afraid of your freedom", "Please try not to slam doors or talk in your room after 10pm when your neighbours may be SLEEPING." , "Please flush frequently. Do not over stuff the toilets with paper. They clog easily. We appreciate your cooperation.", "Price subject to change according to customers attitude". Boy, were we glad to get out of there in the morning!
Overall..it was a trip to remember :) I'm pretty sure that the next time we go, we probably won't be staying overnight!

Case 2 : The congregation of 3 cousins. I just loved it. I haven't necessarily met these cousins many times before. There were the usual doses of chaotic family get-togethers, weddings and brief house visits. And there we were, all well into our 20s (as much as we'd like to deny it :P) , attempting to make a new beginning. Laughs turned into giggles and then eventually snorts over nothing much in particular :) Conversation flowed..opinions were exchanged..we had a lot to catch up on!
What I found weird was that even after all the years that have passed, we still had some vague sort of connection. Numerous attempts to get in touch earlier had failed for some reason or the other. But what was nice, was the fact that it had worked out this time :)
It's a refreshing change to meet someone after so long and for them to accept you unconditionally. For them to probably have more faith in you than you might have in yourself and vice versa. The fact that you can just kick back and relax - be yourself. I guess that's the magic of family. I just needed to be reminded of that..