In A New York State of Mind

Holiday travel is grinding. There's no other way to describe it. Everyone and his aunt is trying to fly from one place to another in time to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. The result of that is that in order to make a 7:00 flight, you have to get up at 4:30 in the morning.

I got caught up in that same mentality this morning, waking up a mere 3 hours after going to bed, and driving to the airport at oh-black-hundred. Cleared security just in time to board my flight to Vegas. That flight got in just in time for me to board my connection to Philadelphia. Arrived early in the City of Brotherly Angst, retrieved my children from my former sister-in-law (the Ex flew to Texas for the holiday), and went to the train station to travel up to New York. We sat and waited two hours for the train, then rode the rails up to the Big Apple. Checked into our hotel in Chelsea - nice place, decent room.

I love this city. I've loved it for many many years. I'll never forget being held up at gunpoint in Grand Central Terminal, back about 20 years ago. I was a young, very naive kid at the time. It was only my second or third time in the city, and I had no idea how to handle myself. I now know how to take care of myself in such a place, and will never put myself in a situation where something like that can happen ever again. And there's just so much about the city that I love - the constant go-go-go! pace about it. The fact that anything can happen, and often does, at all hours. I wanted to stay here, back when I graduated from Tax School. I wish I could come back. Perhaps one day, it can happen.

After checking in, we walked down to my old stomping grounds - Greenwich Village. I lived a block from Washington Square Park. We'd intended to visit our favorite ice cream shop. Sadly, Mary's Dairy is no more. The grate in front is shut, and a sign above reads "store for rent". We walked across the street to a newish chocolatier, who confirmed that Mary has gone the way of Elvis, and left the building. It makes me sad.