New York Wedding Weekend Part 6

The moment we'd all been waiting for, Marathon Mike's wedding day.

Getting there: This trip was the true test of public transportation proficiency. I considered getting a rental car for the day just to avoid the six different connections and missed transactions. Itinerary looks something like:

1. walk to the bus stop (the first bus, a rapid, passed me by so I started walking the 2-ish miles instead of waiting for the bus)


2. board the bus to head towards the Long Island RailRoad


3. get off a block before the Long Island RailRoad, buy a ticket (and the ticket booth was on the track going in the opposite direction, meaning I had to walk up a few flights of stairs on the wrong side of the station, buy my ticket, and walk back)


4. Long Island RailRoad to Jamaica


5. Long Island RailRoad to Farmingdale, call hotel to ask for shuttle from station


6. take shuttle headed to hotel


7. take party bus with other wedding guests to wedding location

Everything went well until the Long Island RailRoad to Farmingdale -- I got on the wrong train even though the train I got on was on the same track as the right train would have been, just five minutes apart. Anyway, the conductors were generous and let me get back to Jamaica, way after the time my original train departed. I called the hotel to tell them to pick me up at another station I could get to sooner. I made it to the hotel before the shuttles went to the wedding location -- success.

There: Jewish weddings are awesome, especially on Long Island. Before the ceremony started I became acquainted with a very warm (Jewish?) couple who knew Mike's mom through work. They essentially took me under their wing.

For all intents and purposes, the actual wedding took only as long as the walk down the aisle. Mike stepped on the glass, they kissed, and they walked back down the aisle hand in hand, guests blowing bubbles all around them.

• pick up name tag and table assignment, sign newly-weds picture book


• enjoy cocktail hour with open bar and lots of appetizers; within the first few minutes, I had said hello and congratulations to Mike - completely exhausting the people I knew at the wedding


• walk upstairs to reception area and enjoy cheese course; I'm sitting at a table of Mike's high school friends, all of whom know each other and find me severely out of place


• clap alot as the groomsmen and brides maids walk into the room, followed by the newlyweds


• salad course and circle dancing


• pre-entree course and dancing with newlyweds in chairs


• entree and slow dancing


• dessert and booty dancing (think http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFeaqB-AAMo on Long Island)


• say goodbyes

Getting home: Good thing I had a round or two of practice riding the Subway around New York. And that the wedding started at 4 - if the wedding had started even at 6, I would have started my commute back to Brooklyn way late.

1. Shuttle to hotel, recruit driver to take me to train station


2. Tip shuttle driver once at Farmingdale station, buy new Long Island RailRoad ticket -- I left the round-trip one I bought that afternoon on the last train I was on :(


3. Wait in freezing cold on platform with graveyard shift construction workers, who complained for 15 minutes about the guys who use the coffee machine at work but don't chip in for the coffee or accoutrements


4. Train to Jamaica


5. Train to Fishburn


6. Bus to Rutland -- good thing this one guy on the bus was helpful, cause I couldn't see the street names and was nearly 100% lost in Brooklyn


7. Walk to Lelia's place, where I visited with her and Zaida before calling for a cab in the morning (4am pickup time)


8. Sleep