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| Times Square |
My trip to New York City two weeks ago was everything I thought it would be. Rather than a vacation, I am going to call it a trip full of adventure. There was nothing really relaxing about this getaway but I LOVED it!
Preparing for this trip, I did ask myself......why do I want to go to this really big city, this place with crowds of people, cement and humidity? I was going to walk A LOT and spend a wad of cash to eat and be a tourist. I have been a tourist with a fanny pack around my waist several places. Why was NYC one of the top places on my list?
I think it just might have been my way of getting an adrenaline fix for this month or maybe even the summer! Other than a pure adrenaline rush, the best way I can describe this entire city is, surreal.
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| The High Line Walk |
Adrenaline. After packing lots of ibuprofen, tylenol, a heating pad, a fanny pack and suitcase full of nuts and popcorn and three of the most comfortable shoes I had (and money and clothes of course)...I was on my way. Adrenaline (excitement mixed in with some anxiety) kept me awake for the first 2 nights of my 5 night trip. I was ready to experience what this city had to offer me except for my lack of sleep.
My friends and I arrived when there was a 101 heat index and predicted storms the first afternoon we were there. The humidity and rather terrifying taxi drive to the hotel did not shock me. It's what I had imagined. I just couldn't believe this was going to be the next 4 days of my life! Also, why does anyone drive in NYC?? It's surreal and I'm allured to hear anyone justify why driving there is a good idea. I'd rather move away - to Pennsylvania or anywhere with safer driving conditions.
Gradually, I eased into the heat, the movement of the crowds on the sidewalk to arrive at my brother's building, Bloomberg on Lexington Avenue. My brother works in Manhattan - full time. Like on "Mad Men." I don't know if I really grasp this notion, still, even though he gave my friends and I a tour of Bloomberg and showed me his desk on the 26th floor. It's almost like he was on an adventure too and met us there for a day. But that's his life now, every day. There was a thunderstorm after we had lunch with my brother. So, the anxious barrier of walking and taking a tour in the heat and humidity left my thoughts. The humidity broke and we had a beautiful week to be in the city and walk around.
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| My view from our hotel room, for when I couldn't sleep |
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| 9/11 Memorial |
Speaking of walking around. According to my Health App on my iPhone I walked on average 8 miles a day except for day 2 when I walked 11.4 miles. I was certain I was going to collapse! But since I was running on adrenaline and this was all a surreal experience, I made it!! I truly enjoyed everything I was seeing along the way. Sometimes, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, which is no surprise. I saw every type of person imaginable except for cowboys! Naked cowboy whom I've read about was MIA from Times Square the 2 evenings I walked through. I sat on a lot of benches as often as possible and also stretched as often as possible. Standing still during a tour of the Ellis Island hospital on day 3 was actually harder on my legs than walking. The best 2 miles that I was hesitant to complete was the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. On the last day my feet were more than happy to pedal a bike thru Central Park rather than walk until I approached the great hill. I'm not sure if that was added in there on purpose or if they flattened the rest of Manhattan but it was probably my most un-welcomed surprise.
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| Central Park |
When scoping out the 9/11 Museum and the World Trade Center area, the word surreal entered my mind again. As I walked up, thousands of tourists were walking around as if we were in Disney World. I wanted to give my respect and begin to understand what that horrific day must have been like. While in the museum I saw a woman's pair of high heel shoes with blood on them. The description explained this woman ran from the towers to the ferry to cross over to New Jersey. This was a part of her daily commute. She made it to the ferry and headed home. When she looked down her feet were blistered and bloody from running in her heels through the streets of the city. I thought of my effort to wear comfy shoes and mindfully stretch. I also thought of the many professional women I saw that week in their professional work attire wearing their comfy shoes to complete their commute to work. For a few brief moments in my mind, I paid my tribute to the horror everyone in this surreal, alluring city went through on that day. It was becoming more of a reality and those shoes in that museum are something I'll never forget.
We also took a tour of the Ellis Island Hospital and walked around the main gathering room in the building where immigrants were first inspected to enter or not enter our country. I'm still allured by the fact of how huge of a port NYC was for immigration and still is.
I returned to the mid-west with bruises on my legs and sinus congestion. I never will know if the sinus congestion was from the smog and other allergens or touching too many handrails in public areas. But it had been years since I had been that congested. As for the bruises on my legs? Who knows....it was me against the city that never sleeps! Once I arrived at my Siesta Hut in Mason - I slept for 4 days (10-12 hours at night) and naps during the day.
I knew New York City was big, the center of American Culture and has the biggest variety of people clumped into a tiny space but experiencing it all was very well worth it!
