Despite many years of traveling to places around the world, there has been one place that I’ve intentionally avoided: NYC. I can’t exactly pinpoint the reason but, perhaps, I’ve always associated the place with huge numbers of people and traffic. Earlier visits always gave me the feeling that I should not return again until I’d had several years of detoxification from the crush of humanity. Since I began using JFK for international travel, however, I’ve gotten a bit more comfortable using the public transportation, found some patterns in the street/avenue names and come to appreciate the amazing variety in the city’s neighborhoods that I’ve passed through on my way to catch a flight. Still, I’ve mostly done duck-in/duck-out visits and not really tried to immerse myself in the Big Apple. That changed this weekend - the logistics of my later return from Europe yesterday forced me to wait overnight for today’s Dartmouth Coach. Months ago, I’d reserved a hotel ((Hampton by Hilton on E 43rd Street) close to the bus stop and Grand Central Station and this gave be a base of operations close to landmarks in Midtown that I already know. Went to bed early last night (due to six time zone changes) so didn’t really experience the “City That Never Sleeps” - unless you consider that the nightclub 20 floors below was rocking loudly until 4 AM... As a result of this noise, I didn’t sleep well and ended up getting up at 0345 (!) to read, blog and Duolingo. It wasn't hard to fit in some bag packing and I was able to hit the hotel breakfast buffet at 0600 (right when they opened). After a hearty meal, I did some more aggressive exploring of the "Big Apple", forcing myself to build some knowledge and confidence. Activities included: 7 AM Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue (wow), a walk across Central Park between Trump Tower and Trump International HQ (dodging runners, bikers and dogs; first time in the park since 1988), an A Train (express) ride from Columbus Circle up to W 125th Street (interesting), a visit to Grant’s Tomb in Riverside Park (green and shady), a stroll on the edge of the Columbia campus (it was “Move In Day”), another subway ride on 1 Train (local) down from W 116th Street to W 42nd Street (hot car, ugh) and some people watching in Times Square. Lots of NYC movie scene (and “Law & Order”) deja vu throughout… Only consulted my map once (when concerned I’d done something wrong with the A Train). Overall, I was away from my hotel for close to four hours and enjoyed a pretty summer morning in NYC. And, because I didn’t have any experiences to deter my curiosity, I can imagine returning to try some other things (e.g., LIRR to Babylon or points east, checking out more sights Downtown, Yankees Game, Fleet Week). Perhaps an overnight trip on Dartmouth Coach might even be worthwhile… Those of you Manhattan-philes are probably laughing at my narrative but this small town boy needs to work his way up to “I ❤️ NY”! As my morning exploring was ending, I got a call from Brenna (her car had been damaged when she hit a deer!). After that, I spent time decompressing in my hotel room (1015 to 1200). I then checked out but left my bags with the hotel front desk so I could walk over to Third Street to eat lunch. I ended up enjoying a Haus Dog, with a flight of beers, at Bierhaus NYC (a Hofbrau affiliate). I was finished eating at 1245 and walked back to the hotel to get my bags. Soon after that, I was at the (nearby) Dartmouth Coach bus stop, ready to go. I was able to board at about 1300 and then we departed at 1330. The driver drove north on Manhattan until he could access the RFK bridge - after that, we used I-95 all the way to New Haven. There was a young mother with a screaming son in seat across the aisle and this made it difficult to sleep (believe me, I tried). We hit a huge traffic jam in Connecticut but finally got on I-91 (almost 30 minutes late). We stopped to pick up another driver north of Hartford before continuing north on the Interstate. By that point, I started listening to music and exchanging texts with Monte. We made another stop (for a driver change) near Greenfield, MA and finally arrived in Hanover at 1905 (late). Unfortunately, we then spent more time driving all the way around the Dartmouth construction zones... Monte picked me up (1915) and took me home (arrived at 1935). After that, I did some unpacking, mail sorting and relaxing. Ominously, my left foot hurt when I took off my sock - hopefully, the bursitis will calm down soon. As usual, I shared a "Smurfey photo" with the girls. What an amazing trip - I won't soon forget it!
