I decided I shouldn't burden you all with a day to day of our trip so I'll wrap it up today. Before I start let me say this: I love New York...the city and the state. Upstate New York is some of the most beautiful real estate I've ever seen and all the people living there and in the city, I guess we should call them natives, have always been so friendly and helpful. When I was young and would watch movies about crimes in New York I wondered why anyone would choose to stay in that horrible place. Why didn't they just all pack up and move to Texas where it was safe. Little did I know that a good percentage of them would do just that starting in the mid 70's and continuing today.
I had to make a business trip to Albany, NY when I was in my 20's. It was my first business trip and I was a nervous wreck. On top of it all I was worried that I would surely be mugged at the least and probably killed before I ever got to go home. I made my supervisor promise me that I did not have to go through the airport in the city to get to my destination. I was blown away with the laid back attitude of the people in upper New York. They were so friendly I had to call home just to tell Debbie about it. I fell in love with upstate New York on that trip but still had some serious misgivings about going to the city itself. I didn't make that trip until I was in my early 60's. I discovered I loved New York City and promised myself I would make the trip a regular part of my travels. My opinion didn't change with this last trip up there. Even though I've made some questionable remarks about New Yorkers....and will really lay it on heavy in this story, I have to say they are wonderful people and visiting the city is a joy. Okay, let's get on with the business at hand....
Day three of our stay began with a brisk walk down the block to the Warwick Hotel. Cody and Cayce had made reservations for a suite where we could watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade from a heated and very comfortable environment. There would be snacks and comfortable seating...sounded great. When we arrived the hotel lobby was very busy and quite crowded. We made our way to the back of a line leading into a reserved area. This is where we met the "select party only nazi". He took Cody's paperwork and looked it over for several minutes before shaking his head negatively and telling Cody he "did not have the proper credentials". We would have to go somewhere else to watch the parade and I don't think I'm making it up when he referred to us needing to sit with the common people. I know he did say his room was for a select party only. Cody showed the man his reservations again and insisted he had paid for a suite to watch the parade. Nazi man shook his head again and told Cody to "go away and, oh yeah, have a happy Thanksgiving". I have seen Cody get really mad before but it's been a long, long time. He took his paperwork to the front desk and had a talk with one of the hotel managers. A few minutes later we were escorted to our suite. We passed right by Nazi man but we didn't make eye contact for fear we might say or do something to lower New York opinions of Texans. The suite was shared by several other families but it was really fancy. We felt like we had been escorted into a fancy restaurant just for us and a few other "select parties".
The room was a corner suite on the second floor with windows all around. The parade would pass right under us and the floats would be eye level. The "snacks" consisted of a full buffet serving finger foods, a complete breakfast offering, desserts of every imaginable make and a full Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, ham, pork chops, and all the trimming. So much food, so little time. Oh, and there was an open bar for those wishing to imbibe. Several parade watchers did so wish. Our hostess was a bubbly young woman who appeared to be having as much fun as we were having....and she was pretty. Don't tell Debbie I said that. Cody and Cayce took their kids outside to watch the parade for a few minutes at a time. I forgot to mention how cold it had turned overnight. Most of us were content to sit and watch, and eat, and watch, and eat some more with possibly a light beverage just to be polite.
It was a wonderful experience for everyone but especially for the kids. It was a joy watching them watch the balloons float past right in front of them. After the parade was over we all hit the buffet line again to enjoy out Thanksgiving dinner. What a day! Thank you Cody and Cayce.
The remainder of the day was relaxing. The women, except for Debbie who hates to shop, disappeared to all the fancy stores at their disposal. Cody, Andy, Debbie, and I took a carriage ride through Central Park. It was freezing but the park was still full of strollers, flag football players, and frizbee tossers who were having a great time. Our carriage driver gave us a huge blanket to cover up with so the ride was real enjoyable. We all met at the hotel and walked to a small deli where we had an early dinner before attending the Rockettes' Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall. This was one of my bucket list items so I was glad to have a chance to experience it. The only other bucket item I covered was having a Nathan's hot dog in Central Park. I'm a simple guy and Andy was kind enough to experience it with me...as long as I paid. We caught Uber rides back to the hotel after the show ending another perfect day.
I could go on and on with little incidentals about the trip but I'm afraid I would begin to bore even the most enthusiastic reader. Our trip home was a bit chaotic. Charlee had trouble with her ears again and told everyone on the plane that her tummy hurt during the last hour of the flight. All in all, the little girls handled the trip very well....and when they got a little tired and testy they were just too cute to stay mad at for very long. Carter was as close to an angel as a human can get. He is so laid back and easy going. He either inherited this trait from his uncle Kent....or possibly me. I doubt it was me though. I didn't become laid back until a year after I retired! Andy assumed the role of guardian angel to me and his mammy. We didn't take a step that he wasn't right there helping us and making sure that we weren't going to fall! Cody and Cayce have a beautiful family and the Garrison's are a joy to travel with...even Allie who is directional savvy don't ya know!
Thank you for reading. I'll try to keep my stories down to one at a time from now on.
No comments:
Post a Comment