Return to NYC

Last year I told my niece that for her 16th birthday - April 3, 2017 - I would take her to NYC. The date finally came, and on Sunday I boarded a plane bound for New York City. Since Ivy was coming from Seattle, literally the other side of the country, I put her on a red-eye to arrive first thing in the morning on her birthday. In order for me to be there to meet her at the airport, I needed to arrive the day before.

I moved to the city in September 2007. I left in May 2009 and haven't been back since. So I was excited to be back in the city that never sleeps. I knew the trip would be great when, at the long-term parking lot at Love Field, the shuttle bus pulled up playing '70s soul music. The driver was talkative and friendly, and we jammed to the tunes as we made our way to the terminal and then fist-bumped as I exited.

Right away I felt at home as I got on the M60 Bus and then the Subway to make my way into the city. Everything felt so natural and normal. The subway smelled exactly the same. The trains were the same. The only difference was everyone now staring at their phones.

While on the bus, I found out that I had won the lottery for the matinee performance of Cats. I had really wanted tickets to Hamilton, but did not win those. I felt pretty lucky to win any lottery tickets, and I only had an hour to decide if I wanted to purchase them. I decided to go for it. If I had known how the week would turn out, I would have given up the ticket I won and tried to see Waitress. But hindsight only works after the fact.

I found a place to deposit my luggage for the day while I roamed around and went to the show. I knew nothing about Cats, but was excited when I was shown to my seat right in the front. It is a strange show. It's more of a dance performance than a musical with a plot and story and interesting characters. Most of the time I had no idea what was going on or how the songs connected to each other (a friend later told me that Andrew Lloyd Webber based the play on a book of T.S. Eliot poems). The most well-known song, "Memories", is beautiful.

After the show I just walked around, reacquainting myself with the city. I went to Central Park, which was packed as this was a beautiful day. I went to Grand Central Station, mainly because I was in need of a bathroom. I went to Bryant Park, which was serene and lovely. I then took in the Times Square craziness as I waited for the friend I was going to stay with to text me that she was on her way home.

I stayed in Harlem with a friend. It was rather late, and I had to get up early to meet Ivy at JFK for her 6 a.m. arrival. The real adventure was ready to start!