Traveling solo is one of the hardest things to do when you are in a Long Distance Relationship. On one side your mind gets somehow hooked on the idea that if you are getting on a plane for over 5 hours, you’re bound to meet your other half on your destination. So it’s always a weird feeling, the one of arriving to a cold, empty hotel room.
On the other hand, it feels like cheating. You visit places you both have planned on doing together, but you do it alone. And finding the motivation to do some of those things become harder, because your mind is programmed to think that anything would be better with him, so what’s the point, really? What’s the point of grabbing a cold beer on beautiful Greenwich when he’s not there asking for ice on his. Or going up the Empire State when you know he’d like that more than you would. Having a nice hotel room when, well, not much will happen there.
When I heard I was going to NY for work and have a couple of off days on the weekend I was both thrilled and feeling like all the above. After all, we’ve been planning of one day doing Christmas in NY ( blame it on Home Alone, right?).
So to make it feel less like cheating and to somehow share the experience together, I found a way to bring him along. Well, not actually him (that would be costly) but his Kinder Surprise version: Minion Joshie.
He’s just like him: tiny, yellow (after all he is asian), with a silly smile on his face and versed in Tagalog (I’m pretty sure that is Minion language).
So I brought him wherever I went, be it work or a stroll on Central Park, and did some of the things we had thought of doing together.
Not all of it though.
I looked up at the Empire State building from the corner across it and thought “Not today, next time, with the real life Minion”… and then I had some Starbucks, because I felt like it.
Here are some candid shots of Minion Joshie in NY.
Minion Joshie was holding his breath of excitment for the entire flight. He loved flying Emirates.
He did feel the hotel for the first night was a bit crippy and couldn’t sleep much.
He was so excited with the Empire State. Look at his face.
He ate a lot during the trip! Mostly burgers.
But to be fair, he did burn some of it by Power Walking at Central Park.
Selfie time!
But not all of it was vacation, as he helped me in some note taking activity during the conference.
He also partied hard. Here’s him returning from a club in Brooklyn at 4am. Sleepy head.
And to make sure he was safe, a quick visit to the NYPD Bomb Squad HQ.
Here’s both of us in front of the FRIENDS building. He was clearly embarassed by my fan-girling.
A fun meet up with his pal from Bohol under the Brooklyn Bridge. What a coincidence!
He might be tiny, but he’s not one to refuse a tall glass of Blue Moon.
We had to exchange seats at the theater. The guy in front of him was too tall and Minion Joshie missed all of Chicago’s fist act amazing dance moves.
At least he secured a great view at the Top of the Rock.
Minion Joshie still haven’t got the hang of this selfie thing, and focus is a hit-or-miss type of thing. But hey, Lady Liberty looks great in the shot.
Just like me he enjoys some alcohol and gossip during flights. Soulmates.
Minion Joshie was so destroyed after the return flight that he couldn’t wait to get out of the taxi and crash into my bed.
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