The Statue of Liberty in all her grandeur.Something happened to me on Friday the 13th. I was waiting for the bus to head back home to Rochester. I was sitting in the back portion of the bus, as usual, and had reclined my seat to read my book. It was as if the passengers have assigned seats. People of color filled the bus with their voices. I was engrossed in reading the book when there appeared David. Unexpectedly I frowned. I was confused. I thought he had thought of picking me up to eat at a restaurant near the school. Friday fish fry, I thought.
I was wrong. David drove toward Rochester. Along the way I was chattering about the day’s happenings when he told me to pack my things when we arrive home. Uh-oh, I thought. Don’t ask any questions, just do as I say, he said and enumerated what I should pack.
At 5:15 p.m. I was running from room to room in David’s house looking for things to bring with me. We were going on a trip, but I didn’t know where. A few minutes later, David’s friend, Pam, formerly Mrs. Rodriguez, came knocking on our door. When David didn’t give her a hug I suspected something must be going on which I don’t know. But what? However, my own obedient self persisted.
David had packed food and whatever’s important. Pam said we will be taking her car. She was smiling, asking me if I knew where we were going. When she opened her trunk I saw her fishing rod. I thought we were going fishing, staying overnight at a log cabin somewhere along a lake. But I realized I don’t have a license to fish.
At about 6:30 p.m. we’re off on the road. Two hours later were in Syracuse. David and Pam were debating on the route they should take. David, who is at the wheel, kept asking Pam, who was armed with the route downloaded from the Internet, for directions. Good thing David knew I could not be trusted with directions, especially with using a map. So, I just sat in the back seat and looked at the beautiful scenery.
While traversing the mountain-side I saw a sign that indicate the distance to New York. Aha, a thought popped in my mind, we’re going to New York City! This was later confirmed by David.
Another hour passed and we were in the State of Pennsylvania. Later we are crossing the New Jersey State. The weather was gorgeous, as David would say. No fluffs of clouds present though there was still snow on top of the mountains we passed by. We arrived in Manhattan at midnight. We checked into our hotel at 1 a.m. They said that all rooms in the city were occupied or reserved. We were lucky to find accommodations at a Holiday Inn Hotel just 10 minutes outside the main city of Manhattan. I was amazed that both David and Pam barely looked tired. I was worn-out from sitting. They were discussing their plans for the morning when I dosed off into a deep sleep.
At 9 a.m., after surviving the heavy traffic (and going through the Lincoln Tunnel) and finding a spot to park the car we took Manhattan by storm. Or, perhaps, I should say I raved over the sights. David and Pam have been regular visitors to “the city that never sleeps.”
One has to have strong legs as roaming around the blocks is annihilating to the soles. My concern was for David who has plantar fasciatis. Even though he has his $300 foot inserts, he was complaining of the pain on his heels. My feet ache at the end of the day, too.
I was wrong. David drove toward Rochester. Along the way I was chattering about the day’s happenings when he told me to pack my things when we arrive home. Uh-oh, I thought. Don’t ask any questions, just do as I say, he said and enumerated what I should pack.
At 5:15 p.m. I was running from room to room in David’s house looking for things to bring with me. We were going on a trip, but I didn’t know where. A few minutes later, David’s friend, Pam, formerly Mrs. Rodriguez, came knocking on our door. When David didn’t give her a hug I suspected something must be going on which I don’t know. But what? However, my own obedient self persisted.
David had packed food and whatever’s important. Pam said we will be taking her car. She was smiling, asking me if I knew where we were going. When she opened her trunk I saw her fishing rod. I thought we were going fishing, staying overnight at a log cabin somewhere along a lake. But I realized I don’t have a license to fish.
At about 6:30 p.m. we’re off on the road. Two hours later were in Syracuse. David and Pam were debating on the route they should take. David, who is at the wheel, kept asking Pam, who was armed with the route downloaded from the Internet, for directions. Good thing David knew I could not be trusted with directions, especially with using a map. So, I just sat in the back seat and looked at the beautiful scenery.
While traversing the mountain-side I saw a sign that indicate the distance to New York. Aha, a thought popped in my mind, we’re going to New York City! This was later confirmed by David.
Another hour passed and we were in the State of Pennsylvania. Later we are crossing the New Jersey State. The weather was gorgeous, as David would say. No fluffs of clouds present though there was still snow on top of the mountains we passed by. We arrived in Manhattan at midnight. We checked into our hotel at 1 a.m. They said that all rooms in the city were occupied or reserved. We were lucky to find accommodations at a Holiday Inn Hotel just 10 minutes outside the main city of Manhattan. I was amazed that both David and Pam barely looked tired. I was worn-out from sitting. They were discussing their plans for the morning when I dosed off into a deep sleep.
At 9 a.m., after surviving the heavy traffic (and going through the Lincoln Tunnel) and finding a spot to park the car we took Manhattan by storm. Or, perhaps, I should say I raved over the sights. David and Pam have been regular visitors to “the city that never sleeps.”
One has to have strong legs as roaming around the blocks is annihilating to the soles. My concern was for David who has plantar fasciatis. Even though he has his $300 foot inserts, he was complaining of the pain on his heels. My feet ache at the end of the day, too.
It was sad enough that we decided not to pursue the trip on top of the Empire State Building even if we had waited in line for two hours on the second floor of the building to get a ticket. However, we decided to visit other places in the city and come back the next day. We took the subway and headed to Battery Park. Flocks of young people have gathered at one side of the park to call on a cleaner environment. We soon purchased tickets to board a ferry for a visit to the Statue of Liberty Park and Ellis Island, the gateway through which more than 12 million immigrants passed between 1892 and 1954. There was a long line waiting for the ferry. It was humid, almost 70 degrees Fahrenheit. But we waited for our turn. The almost two-hour wait was worth it. We took many pictures of the welcoming Miss Liberty. Returning to Manhattan at 5:30 p.m. we headed for Bryant Park, the site for the annual Project Runway finals.
Sunday was not a good day. The rain was pouring hard and we just toured around the city in Pam’s car. David and Pam acted as my guides. However, we decided to visit Grand Central Station at 11 a.m. before we headed for home. By noontime we hit the road, crossing the Hudson River at the George Washington Bridge and traverse New Jersey. By 9 p.m. we were home. We were exhausted and went straight to bed.
The next day, when I got my copy of The New York Times (given by the president of SUNY Brockport for students for free), I was shocked to see the picture on the front page. A “spring northeaster” has hit NYC, causing floods and intense winds. It also caused power interruption and several businesses had to close. Thank God we decided to come back home early.
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