I still hold out hope that I will find good coffee, other than just espresso. A little bit of research on the internet revealed that there was a small cafe in Greenwich Village which served "stick-brewed" coffee (apparently some unique brewing method invented by the owner). So on Tuesday, I went and found the place, and had a small (ie a mug) coffee. It wasn't bad as far as Americano coffee goes. I guess it's hard to compare American coffee to the fancy espresso I usually have.

I saw the rock musical "Spring Awakening" that night. Very enjoyable. It was about a group of adolescents in a German provincial town in the 1890s trying to learn about sex and questioning their parents and teachers, only their parents and teachers wouldn't give them the information they wanted and discouraged them from thinking for themselves. So they find out things for themselves, which eventually leads tragedy.

Yesterday was 4th of July - Independence day. Most of the day just seemed like another weekend. Lots of people out in Central Park. It was overcast, and possibly the coolest day since I had arrived. Rain looked inevitable. I was expecting to see lots of people getting dressed up and decorations everywhere like the ones the politicians use at their election rallies. Didn't see it. The Upper West Side was pretty quiet really. Most shops were closed. There were a few people on the street. Midtown was full of tourists as usual. So not thinking that there was anything special going on, I went out on my own as usual. Went shopping in Midtown, and ate at a Turkish restaurant on 47th Street. However, as I made my way back, there were a lot of loud banging noises, and rumbles in the distance, and the sound of fireworks exploding. It was hard to see with all the buildings in the way. I saw a couple. When I got to the hostel, however, the TV in the lobby was showing all the fireworks live. Looks like I missed it. Still, I comforted myself knowing that it was raining and everyone who was out there watching the fireworks were getting drenched. Hmph.