What a Weekend!

Friday, 7:30 AM: I woke up early so I could take the 8:32 train from Grand Central to Stamford, CT. I rented my car from Enterprise in Stamford because the rates were so much better there, less than $20/day versus around $60/day for a car from Enterprise in Manhattan. I thought the savings would be worth the hassle because I'd be keeping the car for four days. I was on my way to Richmond, VA, to celebrate a friend's recent wedding.

Friday, 9:45 AM: I reached Stamford and walked to the Enterprise lot. I remember it being very cold that day. I didn't know exactly where the lot was, but I asked people for directions and made it there in like twenty minutes. Unlike New York, since people don't walk as much, a lot of the sidewalks hadn't been cleared properly. I was slipping and sliding on the ice as much as I was walking on it.

I got to the lot, and it turns out they have to put a $250 charge on a credit card before they'll let you rent from them. I didn't read that in the email they sent, because it wasn't stated. I had a debit card with that much on it, but no credit card with $250 on it. And they won't let you use a debit card to rent a car unless you're from CT and have a CT license to prove that. I have a PA license. And, though I had thought about it in the morning, I hadn't brought any other credit cards with me. So, to make a long story short, I couldn't rent the car.

I was a little peeved at this point, but I also knew it was partly my fault for not having been more careful in checking what I needed in order to rent the car. Oh well. I took the train back to New York, wondering how I'd get to Richmond now. I called Jerrod, my friend I was going to see, and told him I might not make it till tomorrow. I felt awful about not being able to show up when I said I would.

Back in New York, I realized I could take the bus there and decided on a Chinatown bus, Apex Bus, that would get me to Richmond for $40. Nice! Finally, a little bit of luck.

Friday, 5:00 PM: Fortunately, I got to the bus station in Chinatown by 4:20 because the bus was full by like 4:40. The bus left at 5:00. Assuming a normal travel time between six and seven hours, I would be in Richmond between 11:00 and 12:00. I'm especially happy because I got this roasted pork sandwich that I love from this one tiny little store near where the buses leave from in Chinatown.

Friday, 10:00 PM: We go through DC. Don't ask me why they needed to stop there, but apparently they were changing drivers. Going through a city is the best way to make a long trip longer. And then, in DC, we're held up for like forty minutes. The reason? The Apex Bus office in DC was robbed a few minutes before we got there. As a result, the bus driver who was to complete our trip to Richmond couldn't leave until the police detective arrived. At this point, people are pissed. There's like heckling from the back of the bus, for real. The worst part is we have no idea when the detective is going to show up, or how long he's going to detain our driver after he arrives. While we were waiting, the bus driver tried to explain how it wasn't his fault that we were being held up, but no one gave him a chance to speak. I felt sorta bad for him. Anyway, luckily, the detective showed up in like forty minutes and he spent just a minute talking to our driver before he lets us leave.

Friday, 1:00 AM: Finally, I arrived in Richmond. After the last conversation I had with Jerrod, I realized that I was supposed to stay at an inn. I know that's something I should have realized from the beginning, but I forgot since, when I stay with most of my friends (especially the Desi ones), we always crash on someone's couch or just on their floor. So I hadn't made reservations or anything. Luckily, there was an Inns of Virginia right next to where the bus stopped and they had rooms available. I remember being surprised by how loud it was in the lobby. It was because there was a nightclub in the inn and people were partying it up.

Saturday, 12:30 PM: I spent the the day just hanging out with Jerrod. It was awesome! Just like when we were best friends back in middle school. His story is amazing. He had a rough time after Saudi. His mother and his stepfather divorced. In fact, he was even homeless at some point. But he got himself odd jobs, basically supported himself all the way through. And now things are finally looking up. He's in Army Aviation. He's married. He's on his way to Germany, where he's going to be posted for the next few years. His wife, Shannon, is going with him. I'll elaborate on my time with Jerrod, and put up pictures, in my next post.

Saturday, 8:30 PM: We partied at one of Shannon's friend's houses. There was a keg of Miller Lite outside. Jerrod and I were the only ones who braved the cold to go get beer from the keg, although the smokers did make the trip out every once in a while as well. Smokers go through some serious pain to get their fix.

Saturday, 1:00 AM: I got a ride back to the inn I was staying at with two girls who were also staying there. Shortly after we got back, we heard gunshots. We, in such a smart move, ran outside to see what was going on. It looked like there was a big brawl at the nightclub in our inn. Shortly thereafter, we saw a mass exodus of people from the club and we heard police sirens approaching. The girls were sketched out. They decided the best thing to do was go stay somewhere else. I was recruited as security, and we were out of there. As we were leaving, we saw blood on the floor. There were 11 cop cars outside. We ended up staying at a Sheraton a little ways off. They gave us a great deal because the the girls related our harrowing story to the guy at the front desk.

Sunday, 10:00 AM: We went back to the Inns of Virginia. I needed to check out, and the girls were determined to get their money back because of what happened that morning. So the inn has like 20-foot vertical glass panes in the lobby that are like 5 feet across. Two of the panes were boarded up. Another had bullet holes in the Plexiglas. I put my knuckle in one hole to feel it. I used my knuckle and not my finger because I didn't want to get arrested for leaving finger prints behind. I know, silly. One of the girls took pictures with her digital camera. I'm going to try to get those so you all can see the bullet holes for yourselves.

Sunday, 11:00 AM: We all met at this diner for breakfast. On the way there, a couple who were at the party the night before saw a guy who had just been shot. While they drove by, they saw him lying in a pool of his own blood by his car while someone was covering him with a blanket. He was dead. The cops and the fire truck were just approaching. Needless to say, they had lost their appetite. I'm glad the rest of us missed that.

So, all in all, a crazy trip! I'm so glad I got to hang with Jerrod, meet Shannon, and celebrate their marriage. Still, next time, I think I'm going to ask them to come visit me in New York. Safe, wonderful New York.