...can keep their City!
As much as it utterly pales in comparison, I really prefer the ATL :D
I did have tears of joy and excitement to be in such a mythical place...I mean, it's Gotham City, it's Spider-Man's home, it's the home of Sesame Street and Isaac Mendes, of Billy Joel and Paul Simon, the Yankees, Seinfeld, Rick Castle, Law and Order :D just to name a few of my favorite pop culture mentions...
We headed to the Statue of Liberty by way of the NJ side but since we hadn't already purchased Crown tickets online (since the website wouldn't load--you know I
knew that going in, don't you?? Duh.)we decided not to ride the ferry over to the islands. We were close enough.
We headed into the city via the Holland Tunnel. That was sooooo cool. I vowed then and there that I wouldn't even attempt to look cool while in NYC. Nope, I'm gonna totally nerd out and be that tourist. You know the one. So, in keeping with the vow, I videoed the entire passage through the tunnel that goes under....the River? Is that right? We haven't a map proper, been relying upon google maps, so it's hard to tell which body of water is which. And the light at the end of the tunnel was the light of Manhattan. So cool!
We drove around... I dunno where...drove by the Empire State Building... Saw real hot dog vendors and a million fancy baby carriages. I felt like it was a scavenger hunt: Orthodox Jews? Check. Flower vendor? Check. Chinese Takeout? Yellow Cabs? Fire Escapes? Hee....
But then Mike needed to drain the main vein, as is his wont with the Kidney Stone on the Move. And you can't just pull in, stop, park...anything. Hell, we'd've taken a bus or a train if we could have found a place to put the car...
Fifth Ave, Madison Ave, Broadway, Union Station... We crossed the Brooklyn Bridge twice. Finally, right as we started to melt down (Mike and me, not the kids) we found the Burger King. I think we were on Long Island. I could point to it on a map. But-- it had a real live Parking Lot. So, our big fancy exotic meal in New York was Burger King. But lemme tell you, it was the most Welcome and Heavenly Burger King ever! We relaxed and got our bearings-- I mean, aside from "go away from LaGuardia" I couldn't better tell him East or West for 278...since it runs North South in thatspot and then it intersects with itself a bit North of where we were. Wow--and people mock us in Atlanta for having so many Peachtrees? Really!? *sigh*
So we did eventually find our way out of town, up 87 into the Catskills, I believe. We're headed for Upstate. So pretty.
The takeaway? We'll fly in some day, live on foot and really soak up the city. I am so glad I had the chance to take it in, like a sample. That's what it was. A Trial Size portion of The City. Hee. Now we needn't be ascared when we vacate there.
And for the record, it wasn't the honking, the yelling or even the traffic, it wasn't the possibility of Crime. It was just how sheerly overwhelming it was, the enormity of the city and not having any idea where I was. I've been trying to get my brain around the 5 boroughs and all that jazz for almost 20 years now and even after seeing it, I still don't get it. I mean, really, WTF is a borough? Is a city not enough for you people? And then there are neighborhoods, and areas and oh, it's all too much for me.
Gimme my endless, sprawling suburbs. I'd be
SO much more at home in LA. No wonder it never bothered me! It's just like home!
I want to add little bits of excitement and joy about the city:
- Seeing all these people--mothers and babies and kids and schools and all kinds of people just walking around going where they need to. It was like 285, on foot. And that is what they do everyday. All the time. Like, they get to do so much cool stuff like walk here and pick up one of these and there to buy another of those, etc. And they have no idea how cool that is (some of them do, I'm sure). I wanted to hug them. I felt like the Doctor!
- New Jersey really does have an unpleasant odor...at times. I was saddened by that truth.
- Regret? I didn't get to see the 59th Street Bridge. Then again, I'm not even sure that it's in NYC. I just always assumed it was. *runs off to check* Yup, I was right. It's the Queensboro bridge. I bet I did see it and didn't know I saw it. Anyway, it's a dearly held favorite song by Simon and Garfunkel, "The 59th Street Bridge Song/Feelin' Groovy."
- I didn't get to see Ground Zero. I need to go research with my new found mental picture of the geography of the city, where it is/was. I really want to send flowers to all the people who walked home that day. Of course, had that happened in Atlanta, people would have been walking for 30+ miles, so be glad you have an apartment on the upper/lower east/west side of something. Still, I have a profound sadness and respect for New Yorkers since that fateful Sept. day and I feel like I paid a bit of respect today.
- I looked up at one point and imagined Spidey :)
- I forgot to look up at the Empire State Building and imagine King Kong :(
Okay, that's it for now. We're on 84 headed West to Scranton, PA, so we can head North to Buffalo someday! That was a tiring day already and it's only 1730.
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