NY Reac #1

Baggage saga is a story for another day.

Two hours after my arrival (great flight btw) I have all my luggage. Outside, in the Taxi line, it felt good telling the taxi director my destination; midtown Manhattan.
The Indian taxi driver was nice enough. We didn't speak, however, all the way into Manhattan. The only time was to ask him what the neighborhood by the airport was called. "Asturia." I quickly recognized it may have been a mistake to ask if this was Astoria and let the homie take me in needless circles for more curry money.
The building had a green and wood exterior and elegant staircase. I went in without a problem despire the keyhole in the door. I have with me 4 heavy bags. Ranging from I can lift this to holy fuck. Slowly, painfully I carried all of them to the 5th floor. Success. This is it right? I get to lay down my bones for a bit. Toast something to my arrival at NYC...wrong. Steven's e-mail instructed the keys would be under the mat in apartment 5b. Hmm..no mat, and defintely no keys in 5b. OK well maybe it was a typo he kept on repeating. So I checked the mats in the 5th floor. Apt. 5A had a mat and keys under it. Voila. This must be it.
I walk in with two of my bags and sensed something was not right. Why is there a centerpiece picture of three girls? They must be Steven's friends or one of his roomates. But man why do the same three girls keep on apperaing in pictures in the apartment. And the place is so colorful. After putting 2 and 2 and 2 and 2 together I realized I had just broken into someone's apartment.
I quitely left. Not a trace that a stranger walked in and glanced around. I had not given up yet. I double-checked all te mats in the 5th floor. Then I gave up; awaiting for Steven to text and tell me what's going on. I read and charged my iPhone with the laptop in the narrow hallway as people (all in their early/mid 20s) walked by. Poor guy got kicked out, they must have thought. And then the best news as of yet; they're in the mat outside in the door leading from the street. So, 2 hours in the airport and an hour and a half in the hallway. And that's NYC, it's not easy and even though I knew I was going to get in eventually I realized in this city how looking from the outside in makes all the difference. A plank of wood and human fallacy (damn AA) kept me from immediate satisfaction. But, it's a reminder that amnetities hang by a thread, especially here. One minute you're full of aspirations and ready to love it up and later that day you might be going around town looking for shelter or a place to charge a phone.