THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS!

Following the homecoming, two weekends ago,  the whole weekend was filled with cleaning, and just a little bit of 'not'.  I spent the majority of Sunday with a 'wet wipe' in my gloved hand, and a bucket of hot water by my side.  By the time Sunday evening came around, my kitchen cupboards had all been cleaned and my floor washed, more than a few times.  Baseboards and door frames had a second round and I was feeling a lot better about the whole project.


The following Monday was a holiday.  Dana went into work early, and I changed the bed linen. There was popcorn on the mattress!  I am not sure how it got under the sheets, quilt and ample plastic covering, but it did!  After two hours, I drove to Samantha and had a few hours of respite, before I headed back to pack for my mini-holiday!  Did I mention we had our mother-daughter weekend planned for the next weekend?  I had been concerned that I would not be able to get to my cases, let alone my clothes!  Dana came home just as I had finished ironing and packing.  I was very ill-prepared for a trip that was going to start very early on Thursday morning.

Therapy on the Tuesday morning following Presidents Day was cooking!  I had not been able to get to my oven for a week, and as I had used my cooker to store some pots and pans, I hoped I would remember to remove before turning on the power!

I did manage to get everything packed by Thursday, putting the 'extendable' suitcase in the bottom of my carry on bag.  We 'got rid' of our guests on Wednesday evening reasonably early.  A four o'clock alarm awoke me out of a deep sleep, but the words of my father sang through my ears, "Wake up Trace.  We are going on holiday!"  I repeat it every time I get up early to go on a trip, and smile.  He would have been rather excited for us, I think, as we were heading for the 'Big Apple', which was one of his favourite haunts!

Samantha and Edward drove into the cell phone park, and I was swapped for the dogs!  Dana took Sparks and Harry, and Edward took us to the terminal.  It was particularly busy at five in the morning, but the restaurants were open.  I was rather surprised.  Although we were due to board soon, I was wanting a cup of coffee, but the queues were very long.  I spotted a small stand, with two large thermos flasks, a couple of smaller flasks with milk, and a small, see-through box, marked '$3'.  This is Austin, where honesty is expected, and not an option.  I paid my $3 and poured my coffee.  

After enjoying a slice of lemon cake, (which I had made Tuesday morning, and was at its best,) an apple juice, and a pretty funny film, we arrived in Newark and headed to the taxi stop. A ticket was printed for the 'flat rate' fare, which did not include tolls, and handed to me with specific instructions to give to the driver when we reached our destination.  We drove from New Jersey, under the tunnel and as we rounded the bend, arrived in the Empire State, heading towards the city that, reportedly, never sleeps!

Arriving at the hotel a little after eleven, the driver asked for the ticket.  "You were given a ticket!" he said, rather upset with me, as I could not find it. It had been in my hand the whole time, but I must have inadvertently put it in my bag when retrieving my purse.  I was not very coherent.  I had not slept properly for over a week, had left my house still in turmoil, and had been up since 4 am.  I panicked.  However, thankfully, I was with one of the 'little Misses', and as we were on our annual trip, 'Little Miss Bossy' was in charge.  "Get out.  Let me look", she ordered.  I didn't listen,  but it did shake me out of self-pity, and I checked my bag.  "Here!" I said as I handed it to my driver.  He told me the fare with added tolls, and then said, "and....", but stopped short of adding that a gratuity would be expected.  I am afraid I have a problem with being reminded, vocally, about a tip, as it is at the debtors discretion.  I do not know why it bothers me so much, other than I would never have suggested a tip when driving a taxi, which I did for some years, as it is optional.  However, I digress.  I had planned to tip the driver, and my choice is that if he reminded me I would have given the expected percentage.  However, as he did not I gave him what I had planned originally.  Without getting into politics, I know that the yellow is suffering in the New York area, and as an ex-licensed driver, I want to support them.  'Nuff said! We were too early to check in, but headed up to the 8th floor, to reception, to see if a room was ready, as it was last year, and the desk clerk said we may as well go ahead and take it.  The rather stern desk clerk (not the same person as last time) told me that she could get me into a room on a 'higher' floor, with a view of 'the' Square, now, if I paid an excess fee.  I declined.  I don't think the hotels are suffering like the yellow!  We left our luggage with the 'bell hop' and the receptionist said someone would call when the room was ready.  "About what time?" I asked.  "Check in is at 4!" she barked.  I hoped this false start was not going to be the taster of what was to come!  The man who took our cases was most delightful, and I felt a lot better.  We headed down to the ground floor with our coats, hats, gloves, earmuffs and scarves.  It was not as cold as last year, but it was below freezing.  We were on a mission! 

Heading out, we walked to the train station and bought a couple of tickets to go 'uptown'.  The cash machine was broken.  I had to use a credit card.  I had to smile.  Not only was my husband paying for my trip, he was going to have 'subway' charges adding insult to injury.  Not only was he not getting to enjoy a holiday he was paying for, he was having to work, and look after the dogs!  What a guy!  We got our tickets and headed to the platform. Samantha had wanted to buy the dogs some new harnesses, and apparently, this was the place to buy them!  She had ordered some on line but wanted to see what the actual shop, based in New York City, had in stock.  The shop was no bigger than a minute! However, it appeared to be rather popular as there were two other customers when we arrived, and the place was overcrowded.  She spent a considerable amount of time deciding which harnesses would suit which dog, and eventually left with enough stock to allow another person access!  I relied on Samantha to take us back to Grand Central station, as we had an unofficial appointment for lunch at the deli!  We started to walk.  After a while, I questioned whether we should walk across a block and walk along the parallel road as it seemed busier, and not so 'back street'.  Thankfully, I did as we found out that whilst it was right to walk 'straight down' to the end of the road, we were walking down the wrong road.  The 'watch' had shown the path, but we had not turned 'a quarter' before we started.  We had walked about two miles, and decided that as we were totally lost, we needed to head back.  The 'watch' told us to walk back!  As time was ticking away, (a saying that no longer means anything, as the 'watch' does not tick, unless you ask, 'Siri, tick',) we decided to take the train, after all, it is always exciting to 'arrive' at Grand Central by train!  I sat on the train and tried to catch Samantha's attention, as she sat on the seat opposite me.  A young woman next to me wore a mask, presumably to prevent breathing in germs, yet she wore no socks or tights to protect her bare legs in sub zero temperatures.  I know you can't catch a cold, by being cold, but common sense says 'cover up' everything. Not just your nose and mouth!

A phone call to say the room was ready came at around two.  We headed back, and 'checked in'.  The current  receptionist (the same lady as we saw last time) was as happy to see us as the previous one had been 'not'.  Our room was on the 24th floor, and overlooking Times Square as we turned our head one way, and the Hudson River as we turned the other.  It was rather spectacular for a New York hotel, but very, very high.  It took me a little while to adjust.  Unlike the plane, I did not have an oxygen mask!  However, we were in New York City, and there was no time to waste adapting to my surroundings, (including the popcorn on the ceiling and walls, from which there seems to be no escape,) and we needed to get to Union Square.  Our mission this year was to find me a winter coat.  Why?  Because I cannot find one in Austin!  Boring as it may seem, we thought that as we had done most of the sightseeing tours, and seen everything we had wanted to see, we could do something different, including a bit of shopping.  

"You need to take the subway!" announced the concierge when we asked which way we should head.  "No, we will walk".  He seemed a little horrified.  "But it is like, um, twenty blocks".  Yes, it is!  Two miles.  We can do it!  After all, the one thing that does not deviate is the amount of walking. "Perhaps we can get the train back", we told him, and he seemed a little happier!

There were no 'traditional' coats.  We wandered around the store formerly known as the 'coat factory', and I found nothing.  There were plenty of modern styles, but nothing classic.  However, we were in New York City, and life was good!

Walking back to the hotel, we were stopped by several people dressed as Disney characters, wanting us to pay them to have our picture taken standing by their side. The odd thing was that they did not put down their 'head' before approaching.  In full costume, their actual face was still showing when they came up to us.  At least
pretend to be the character!  I used the 'breast stroke' method to move through, by moving my arms in a swooping movement.  It did not work.  However, the vocalising of 'don't touch me', did!  "Princess.  You need photo with me".  Need?  And what is with 'Princess'.  The Lego Shop machine told me I was a Queen!  Samantha was a painter.  Perhaps she should have got to work on the popcorn in the room!

By nine o'clock, we were getting hungry, and despite taking the train twice, we had walked twelve miles.  The hotel's 'daily charge' (which, apparently, they are obliged to charge,) was returned in the form of a credit for purchases at the restaurant, bar or room service. We ordered our flatbread pizza and chips with dip, and took it to our room.  We turned on the television and watched 'reality' television, which I usually avoid like the plague, but when in New York....!  Although we were exhausted, we headed back out a little before eleven, for our hot chocolate, and a wander around Hershey's and the M and M store.  It was late when we returned, and having had a very early start, not to mention a couple of weeks of no sleep, despite being in the city that never sleeps, I was ready to slip away into oblivion!

I slept really well, despite the lights that were flashing into the room from the billboards all night.  We refused to draw the curtains, as we did not want to shut out the city.  There was a coffee machine in the room and after making a cup, we got ready to go out for the day.  It appeared there was a 'youth' conference on one of the floors, and the participants were staying at the hotel.  The signs indicated that they were promoting a better youth, but the fact was they were not succeeding!  Children of all ages, accompanied by equally rude parents, barged past to get in and out of the lifts, without a 'by your leave'.  "Excuse me usually works quite well", I said to one parent, who seemed to be oblivious to anyone else in her path.  It was going to be a battle of wills!  Push or be pushed!  Shove or be shoved!  Bring it on!  However, we were in New York City!  

Our breakfast was eaten on the go.  We picked up croissants from the most wonderful patisserie, Mason Kayser.  The smell of baking was incredible, and we could have been transported to Paris as we walked through the doors.  The 'uniforms' were cute, typically Parisian, and the pastries very 'continental'.  Once outside, reality hit, and the traffic was at a standstill with hooters being depressed constantly.  We were on another mission!  One of our long time 'associates' in the same industry, office on Broadway, so we thought we would 'pop in' to say "Hi!"  Perhaps I should have called first. As we entered the building we were 'carded' and headed up to the fifth floor.  Upon entering, I asked for several people, by name.  "And who are you?" was the question posed, very sternly.  Once I introduced myself, they were very friendly, and delighted that we had made the time to come and see them.  We were only there for a couple of minutes, but put faces to names, and felt it was a good job done!  "They seemed a bit cagey", said Samantha as we left.  Of course they did.  We went in, as strangers, asking for people by name.  They are a process serving company!  It was possible they thought we were there to serve them!  I did not realise how close they were to what was the sight of the 'twin towers' and I made a mental note to see how it affected them when they next called us, or we them.  

At Ground Zero, we took pictures of Samantha's latest crocheted 
character, made for a friend, and soon to be part of a 'In New York City' book, which she plans to make to accompany the character!  There were signs around reminding people to act with decorum and not to be disrespectful.  "Is this disrespectful", asked Little Miss Doubtful.  I told her that it was probably not.  After all, it is a tourist attraction, no matter how macabre.  I called my mother from the outside of the new shopping mall, built on the site.  Yes, life goes on, and this is a prime example of how the residents will not be defeated, thus reiterating my thoughts that Samantha was not being disrespectful.  Mum is always a bit more chatty when we are in New York City.  She relives her memories of when she visited with my dad, and it makes me smile.  However, we were running out of time to get back to the deli before it closed, at two.  Although there are many options for food, the deli's are so much more like home, and this was literally a taste of home!  We had to take another train!

The deli staff had already started to pack away, but we were able to buy sandwiches, and soup.  It was as good as yesterday.  I returned shortly before they closed completely and bought a snack for a homeless lady who had been sitting at a table yesterday, and who looked like she could do with some decent food.  We went to the ice cream vendor and treated ourselves to an iced delight.  "Where did you get ice-cream", asked a lady who was entering the station as we were departing.  She had never seen the booth!  I guess if you are not looking for it, it is easily missed, just like the homeless lady!  

After ice-cream, we headed to the ticket sales cubicle.  The queue was already quite long, despite there being an hour before it opened.  Unsure of what we wanted to watch, we stood in line.  Eventually, we were told of an 'app' which showed what was available for what price.  We bought tickets for 'The play that goes wrong', and went back to the hotel to 'dump' our stuff!  

Although we have most of the stores in Austin, we found that there is no tax on clothes.  Without being too personal, I thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of Victoria's Secret.  I walked into the large store and headed to the stands.  "Can I help you find anything?" said a youth who would look more at home barging through to the lifts at the hotel, than serving in a lady's lingerie shop.  I opened one of the drawers.  "There is a bigger selection through there", said the lad.  I took his advice.  Oh my!  Really?  I picked up the pieces of coloured dental floss and did not wonder 'why?' as much as 'how?'  Which way around does a piece of string go?  The 'why' was 'why did he send me here?'  It was all very confusing!  

I do not remember the last time I laughed continuously through a show.  Perhaps 'Faulty Towers' was a contender, or the Pink Panther movies but the play was so funny.  We had front row seats, and whilst I did not think it was such a great place to be, I soon realised that it was perfect.  "Do you have a hammer?" asked the stage hand shortly before the programme began.  I realised it was all part of the show, but had I not been sitting there, I could not be part of it! I laughed virtually from the moment I sat down until the moment we left.  "Could you get any closer to the stage", asked a 'hand' during the interval.  Samantha said "No, we tried".  The 'hand' responded, "Perhaps you should have bought tickets earlier, and not been so cheap!"  It was all very amusing.  It was so cleverly written.

Our dinner was late, but we enjoyed it.  Flatbread pizza etc. "Can we pinpoint our room from downstairs?" I asked, pondering how we could show 'our room' on a picture.  Hanging various bags from the bar by the window, and then placing the light directly in front of  said window, we thought we may be able to spot 'our room'.  We went downstairs and stood at the top of the stairs in Time Square and it was quite plain which one was ours!  We now had to complete our nightly ritual! The hot chocolate was ordered and drunk.  Hershey's chocolate was accepted, and my bed was most welcoming, a little after one in the morning!  

Walking thirteen and a half miles the previous day, we wondered if we would be able to match it on Saturday.  It was an early start.  Our last full day.  We walked to Union Square. The farmers' market was interesting.  We bought some scones for breakfast, and rolls for our journey home on Sunday.  We had visited the patisserie again, and bought some croissants, but then saw the scones.  We had also bought a loaf for our sandwiches, but then saw the rolls.  We were going to take back a lot of food on our return flight!  A taste of Paris from New York City to our family in Austin!  Sitting in the sunshine, we watched the chess players.  "Can I sing for you?" asked a stranger as we sat on the steps.  "No!" we said in unison.  I called mum as we sat, but the line was very scratchy, and I had to hang up.  We walked, and walked, and walked.  Lunch was very late. In fact, it was almost supper.  Second Avenue deli is almost as good as the deli at Grand Central.  It is twice as expensive, but this is.... yeah!  Right!  It was an amazing lunch, none the less.  The deli was just 'around the corner' from the Grand Central, the 'corner' being a couple of miles round!  We walked back to Grand Central and had an ice cream.  Why would you not have an ice cream in sub zero temperatures!  We were on holiday, after all!  Traffic was crazy.  The 'app' on Samantha's wrist told us that it would take two minutes longer to walk than it would drive.  "Ten minutes to drive, twelve to walk".  I somehow doubted it.  We were much quicker than the cars!  A policeman crossed the amber lights, and another, directing traffic, shouted at him, "Choose a lane".  Everyone is equal!

We walked to the Rockerfeller Center, and watched the ice-skating. after which we went to the Lego store, and then walked back to Time Square.  We looked at the shows, looking for special offers, but decided that it might be counter-productive to see another one, as it could be a bit disappointing, no matter how good the production, as we had enjoyed the previous night so much.  "Want cheap tickets?" said a tout.  He pointed people in the direction of the 'bureau de change'.  The 'cheap' tickets were more expensive than the box offices!  

After getting a 'sort of' likeness caricature from San Francisco, many years ago, we had promised ourselves a 'good one'.  There were several artists along the street, and all seemed to be quite impressive.  Of course, we picked the one that was not along the street of the impressive!  After haggling the lady down to a reasonable price, we sat down, expecting her to draw.  However, a man came along and seated himself in front of us.  He started with Samantha and seemed to be spending a long time studying her.  A few people walked by, and one couple actually sat down to have theirs done.  We assumed he must be quite talented.  I am not sure whom he drew but it was someone with my hat!  Actually, it was someone with a hat, the same colour as mine, but not quite mine. Who was in the picture? It wasn't me, and certainly wasn't Samantha.  It was very funny.  It would have been nice to have a decent likeness drawn, but it as par for the course.  I only hoped the other couple liked their pictures, as they looked exactly like us!   

"You can't order here!" said the waitress, when we went back to get our daily offering.  Strange, as we have never had a problem before. "You have to order from the bar. Okay, what's your room number.  I'll do it!"  Was she related to the original receptionist?  Or perhaps she had been to one of those conferences as a child!  We were charged a 'take out' fee, which had not been added before, and as she did not deliver the goods to the table, I chose to exercise my debtor's discretion regarding the gratuity!  

Dinner was most enjoyable, after which we went out for a final night on the town!  We wandered around the square, with our hot chocolate.  Suddenly, we heard the tones of a fire truck.  We had watched the emergency services attempting to get through traffic several times, and there was no stress in their faces.  They were obviously used to sitting still for long periods, despite the urgency. They could not move.  The police directing the traffic stopped the wrong line of cars, and a tourist crossed the road, stopping in the middle of the crossing to pose for a photo.  I must admit, I shouted. "What are you doing".  This was not Abbey Road!  "Why isn't the traffic moving!" I looked directly at the traffic cop.  (Arrest imminent?)  It would seem obvious to go across the light, if safe, even if it were red, just to get out of the way of the fire engine.  It took some time for the policeman directing the traffic to work this out!  I do not wish to insult New York's finest, but the people on duty that night must have been a relief crew!  Eventually, the poser got out of the way, and the fire trucks got through.  

A little after midnight, I asked Samantha if she was ready to head back to the hotel.  "Are you?" she asked, reluctant to be the one to say 'Yes'.  "Are you?" I asked, reluctant to be the one to say 'Yes'.  The look on both our faces said 'Yes'   We headed back, exhausted.  Packing had been almost done, with the 'extendable' suitcase was now 'extended' to two thirds of its capacity, and very full.  We fell into bed and to sleep almost instantly.  We had walked a little over fourteen miles.

Awaking just before seven on Sunday, I made coffee, finished packing and we were ready to leave around eight.  A taxi took us to the airport, and all went without a hitch.  The debtor's discretion was accepted with such gratitude, I thought he was going to hug me!  He did not, despite me not vocalising, "Don't touch me", nor did I perform the 'breast stroke movement'.  After security, we bought coffee and went to sit down by the gate.  "I can look after your bags if you want to get something to eat", said the man next to me.  We were heading to Austin, and for some reason I trusted him.  We did not need to go and eat, but needed to 'plug in' our electronics, and had to move to a table.  He must have noticed our boxes of food that we had prepared at the airport. We thanked him but declined.  I called my mum from the airport.  Yes, we had a great time.  Yes, we walked a lot.  Yes, we went to 2nd Avenue deli!  Our flight was on time and we boarded.  I tried to slip the picture of the 'two strangers' at the side of the seat in front.  The passenger sitting in front of me pushed it back. "Sorry", I said.  "Oh it's not mine", she said.  When she realised that I was not pushing it 'back' to her, she said we could leave it there.  "It might actually look more like you", I said, "As it doesn't look a think like me!"  We arrived in Austin early, after enjoying lunch, and patisserie desserts and Dana was in the cell phone park waiting for my call.  Edward collected Samantha, and as they drove off, Dana came down the ramp. He opened the car door from his seat, and so sat.  He did not realise that I had checked a bag.  "Let me help you with that", said the man who had offered to watch our bags.  I thanked him, and wanted to apologise for my husband, but there was no time.  In the bags went, and off he went, with my thanks following him in the wind.  Dana looked curiously at the extra bag.  "I didn't know", he said, suitably apologetically.  We were home shortly before three.

I fell asleep very early, having unpacked and putting some washing into the machine to get a head start on Monday.  It had been an amazing weekend, and despite all the stress about the 'bad timing', I was glad we went when we did!  I still feel very blessed to be able to take off and have a weekend in New York City, or anywhere else for that matter.  I was going to be back to work on Monday, and a full week, which would probably not be as exciting, awaited me.  It was not as exciting, but it will be ...... another story!