Our upcoming family vacation will be in the Big Apple. It would be our second visit. During our first visit, we attended a Celine Dion concert, visited Wife's family, sight-saw the Big Apple for a grand total of 10 hours. We drove to Manhattan on one day and took the train there on another day. Driving in the Big Apple – especially Manhattan – was quite the experience I do not wish to repeat. That's why the upcoming vacation will be a guided tour.
So what happened the first time?
September 2008. We were living in Orange County, CA Mom and Sis were visiting from Krypton, so I thought it was a great idea to take them to see the Big Apple. Both arrived the weekend prior to 9/11 and stayed with us for two weeks. It was quite a cozy living arrangement for five in a 875-square-foot, 2-bedroom / 1-bathroom apartment. Son was 11 months old then. Mom couldn't wait to spend quality time with him. She was present for his birth and was the first family member to hold him. Sis was a hodophile and was more than happy to join Mom.
Day 1: Ellis Island & Statue of Liberty
On Sep 9, we took a red-eye Jetblue flight from Hollywood Burbank Airport to the Big Apple. It was early in the morning of Sep 10, a little after 6am when we arrived at JFK Airport. We rented a car and drove to Secaucus, NJ. On the way, we passed through Manhattan –traffic was light. I do not remember the name of the motel we stayed in the Newark area other than it was a 3-night stay, cost $217/night, and provided complimentary hot breakfast and a bar.
Our suite had a king-sized bed and a queen-size sofa bed. Next to the sofa bed was a kitchenette. It was inexpensive as I could find in the Garden State that had everything we need. When Wife and I visited the Lone Star State a year earlier, we stayed in a similar motel suite with similar amenities (including complimentary breakfast) at less than half the rate!
After unpacking, we went to Wal-Mart to get baby supplies, and then returned to our suite where I took a short nap till it was lunchtime. We ate in a cafe somewhere in Newark and then drove towards Jersey City. We drove by a school area where the streets and roads were packed with students on their way home. Driving slowly but steadily, we arrived at Liberty State Park. We purchased ferry tickets and were looking forward to see the Statue of Liberty.
Ellis Island was the first stop. The Ellis Island Immigration Museum was quite a sight. Photos upon photos of immigrants from generations past adorned a wall. In another section, bags, baskets, luggage and chests piled upon each another on display. Next stop was Liberty Island. The statue itself was not opened to visitors apparently because of 9/11. So we walked around the island, took photos and chilled. I kept looking at my watch and was relieved that the time to leave came soon enough because we had an appointment to see Celine Dion later that night at the Prudential Center.
For details about the Celine Dion concert, go to Great Moments: Celine Dion's "Taking Chances".
Day 2: Empire State Building & Manhattan
Before heading out to Manhattan, I stopped by an ATM for cash. Sis accompanied me, curious to see how American ATMs operated. Arriving in Manhattan, I entered the box at an intersection and wasn't able to exit because there were vehicles in front of me. A law enforcement officer came by and ordered me to hand over my driver's license. He didn't care that we were tourists. I was cited for blocking the box and fined $115. I eventually found a parking service located at a multi-story building. All I remember about the building is it had a vehicle elevator going to the basement, and it was within seven minutes walk to the Empire State Building. I gave the car keys to a server, and watched as he (or another) drove the car into the elevator. We then went on our way.
At the Empire State Building, we purchased tickets and waited in line to take the elevator to the Observation Deck. Some questionable peddlers tried to offer a short cut past the line for a price. We declined. After about 45 minutes, we entered the elevator and arrived at the Observation Deck. It was crowded. While waiting for the next opportunity to approach the ledge, I noticed metal fencing on the ledge surrounding the entire Deck. "I ain't going to attempt suicide here," I thought. The view was breathtaking, buildings after buildings as far as the eye can see. (Thank you, SkyscraperPage.com!)
We had lunch at a nearby diner, and then took a stroll down Fifth Ave. Views of skyscrapers and familiar landmarks helped to distract from the megacity's penetrating stench – a mix of human sweat, worn clothes, vehicle tires, exhaust fumes and residual scent on the streets where someone had recently slept. I recalled walking past the G.E. Building but the rest was a blur.
At some point, I saw a Bank of America branch; its high ceiling and indoor walk-up ATM services proudly visible from the outside. None of the branches in Orange County, CA had that. Sis and I saw Orthodox Jews for the first time (I didn't see one in in California.) We called it a day before 4pm, picked up our rental, and returned to the hotel.
Back at the hotel, Wife called her relatives in the Newark area and made plans to visit them. First, we met the eldest niece Tyesha, her husband and their cat Gigi in their high-rise apartment. The windows were sealed, resting on low-level sills that were deep enough for a person to sit. Some of the sills had vents for air-conditioning. Tyesha gave a gift for Son, while Wife told her how much we enjoyed last night's Celine Dion concert. I took a picture Gigi next to the exercise bike.
Then we all went to meet Wife's sister Priscilla and her other two children – Tyesha's younger siblings – at their home. It was the first – and the last – time my side of the family met Wife's. We chilled, caught up on each other, and made tentative plans to meet tomorrow evening for dinner. Two things made the drive to the hotel memorable. One, Taq driving up beside us, telling us what directions to go, and insisting that I followed his directions; and two, a traffic congestion on a freeway that lasted nearly half an hour for reasons unknown.
Day 3: Central Park & FAO Schwarz
Not wanting another traffic ticket in the Big Apple, I decided that we would be taking the subway to Central Park instead of driving. Wife used to live in the Newark area so it wasn't a new experience for her. For the rest of us, it was our first experience with the American subway system. Mom brought an umbrella because the weather was forecasted to be cloudy. We started from Newark Penn Station, stopped at New York Penn Station, and walked for about 10 minutes to 34th Street–Herald Square Station to catch the transfer. The train's seats were quite comfortable. They have cushions, unlike Krypton's Mass rapid Transit (MRT).
At 34th Street–Herald Square Station, we didn't know where to go, I saw two (African-American) policemen in front of the stairs and tried to ask them. They ignored me twice, choosing instead to eyeball and play "bad cop" with a "suspicious" guy they spotted. The shorter policeman finally acknowledged my presence and told me where to go. It was lunch time when we arrived at 59th Street–Columbus Circle Station. The subway commute took over an hour, and didn't include driving from the hotel to Newark Penn Station.
After lunch, we went to Central Park. Good thing Mom brought the umbrella because we felt a slight drizzle. Guess which building was within camera range? CNN! We walked around Central Park at a leisurely pace but didn't go very far, and took a lot of photos. For anonymity sake, and because the photos contain identifiable faces – us – I am not posting them. I will mention that we took two shots of Wife, son and me with a mime dressed up as the Statue of Liberty. The mime was on stilts and wore sunglasses.
Next was a 17-minute walk to FAO Schwarz. I didn't know anything about that place, but Wife did. The only big toy stores that I had seen were the Toys "R" Us ones on Krypton that were bigger than any of those in the United States. At that time, FAO Schwarz was located at 767 5th Avenue. I was impressed the moment I stepped inside. The staff was warm and friendly with smiles and sunny dispositions. Two of them – one dressed up like the Steadfast Tin Soldier – told us to let them know if we needed any help. The entire store was almost like a theme park: life-sized Lego statues of Star Wars and Harry Potter characters, aisles after aisles of every imaginable type of family-friendly toys that one could find, and (yes!) the Dance On Piano. The latter was the same one featured in the movie Big. All of us – except Mom –took turns stepping on each key and watching it glow. Regretfully, we didn't take any pictures.
We saw a particular Ride On Push Car – said to be a new model at the time – that would make a wonderful toy for Son. It was around $75 plus $25 to ship to our home. The Steadfast Tin Soldier told us that we were just in time for storytime, and where to go for that. We went to a open room where there were children, parents and a few seats available. I took a seat on a giant toy block with Son, waiting for someone to read a story. The Steadfast Tin Soldier sat down and began reading aloud "The Three Billy Goats Gruff". As he did so, his voice varied from soft and timid (small goat) to loud and guttural (ogre). The latter was so scary that Son cried. I had to take him outside.
It was rush hour when we made the return trip. We were greeted at New York Penn Station by large crowds and at least a 40-minute wait for the next transfer. During the wait, Wife told Priscilla that we weren't going to make the dinner date. It was well past 7pm by the time we arrived at Newark Penn Station – an over 2-hour commute from 59th Street–Columbus Circle Station. Tired and disappointed that the dinner date was canceled, we had dinner of our own and returned to the hotel.
Day 4: Big Pussy
The airport check-in would had been forgettable if it weren't for a familiar face. Wife drew my attention to... Big Pussy?? I looked closer, and it was him. We binged-watched The Sopranos some time back, but seeing a cast member in person was something else. Mom and Sis didn't know who he was because either they didn't watch The Sopranos or the show was not available on Krypton. In hindsight, I could have asked for either his autograph or a photo with him.
When we arrived home, we talked about the identity of the young woman that was with Big Pussy. Wife said she was his daughter while I said she was his much younger girlfriend. A Google search showed that I was probably right. Renee Pastore looked nothing like the young woman in the above photo.
If I were to rate the entire trip on a scale of 10, I'd give it a 5. New York City was – and still is –the coldest place I had ever visited, and I'm not talking about the weather. With the sole exception of FAO Schwarz, everyone else was either unhelpful, distant (two policemen) or ruthless (e.g. the traffic ticket). I was nothing more than a customer, traffic offender or stranger. I enjoyed the Celine Dion concert more than visiting the Big Apple. That's saying something given that the concert did not take place in the latter.
Either option of commute – personal vehicle or subway – had its own set of drawbacks and stressors. Driving was much quicker but financially costly thanks to toll charges, a traffic citation, and general unfamiliarity with the roads and its laws. I was fortunate to leave Manhattan before 4pm or the traffic would had been much worse. Taking the subway would be totally fine if we had plenty of time to kill and didn't have a schedule to keep. Otherwise, it was an overwhelming feeling of helplessness dealing with large crowds and long waiting time.
Thankfully, I won't be repeating either form of ordeal. I'm hoping that the guided tour will be a far better experience. Time will tell.
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