Day 6: Wrap-Up
I turned off my phone alarm the night before. It was a little after 7am when I got out of bed. After our luggage were packed, we headed to Tick Tock Diner for our final breakfast of the program using the last set of coupons. (Full details of the dining experience is found in Addendum – Complimentary Dining.)
At 9am, the group met at the same meeting room as the Day 1 Orientation meeting. We were the only ones that showed up with our luggage in tow. Tour Guide Joe and Assistant Jeff were present. We returned the radios and OMNY cards. Joe went around each table, inviting each member to share what they liked, what they didn’t like and suggestions for improvement. The feedbacks were overwhelmingly positive. I expressed appreciation of the guided tour structure that freed me from driving in Manhattan, and with that all the stress and drama that went with it. My only wish spending more time at the Museum of Natural History.
Joe was particularly grateful that we helped to make this program enjoyable for him. He was doing it for money, but for the love of it. Afterwards, we went up, personally said our goodbyes and took photos with Joe and Jeff. Both guys needed to rest up as the next group in this program would be coming in three weeks.
At the lobby, I headed to the reception desk to check out, and reminded the receptionist to remove the $250 charge. (I confirmed the following day that the charge was indeed gone.) Then I called our assigned driver Jesus for passenger pickup. Jesus informed me that our (actual) driver would give me a call in a few minutes. Sure enough, the driver -– named Cesar – called and shortly after appeared in a black Toyota Sienna.
The trunk of the Sienna had a wheelchair-accessible ramp, suitable for rolling our luggage in. We all sat in the passenger row as Cesar drove us to the airport. As he drove by Madison Square Garden, Wife took a picture of the entrance. Unlike Jesus, Cesar did not play tour guide. The ride was mostly dialogue free. Wife noted that Cesar relied heavily on directions from his phone while Jesus didn't. When we arrived at the airport, I was relieved that Wife did not bring up tipping the driver. A heartfelt "thank you" was sufficient.
Airport screening at LGA was smooth, but what came afterwards was not. According to the departure schedule, our plane was expected to arrive at gate 29. Shortly after we arrived at gate 29, the gate number was changed to 12, then to 18, and for a while no assigned gate. As it turned out, email alerts weren't timely. We sought clarification with airport staff twice. Both confirmed that the plane would be at gate 18. That wasn't the end of it.
The flight was delayed by 40 minutes, and an additional 20 minutes being stuck on the runway before taking off. (This was almost like the origin flight on Day 1. So I gave this flight the same review as that one.) That wasn't quite the end of it. At the destination airport, the luggage was unloaded to a different carousel. We waited for some time at the assigned carousal as shown on the screen until we noticed luggage resembling ours at another carousal.
The origin airport RDU did not require laptops out of backpacks and be placed on a separate bins, while LGA did. In fact, the TSA personnel at RDU warned me (humorously) not to take out the laptop. On the flip side, LGA's airport screening was more efficient that RDU's. LGA also had some interesting artwork on display as well as a water fountain. The airport also had more AC and USB outlets for laptops and smart phones.
On to the burning questions: What did I like most? What did I like least? Which day was the best overall? I'll start with the latter question first: Day 2. We saw the most in a day thanks in large part to the walk through the Financial District.
Here are my top five:
1. American Museum of Natural History (Day 4)
2. United Nations (Day 3) – group photo
4. New York Aquarium (Day 5)
5. Statue of Liberty Island & Museum (Day 2)
American Museum of Natural History being #1 is a no-brainer. The other four required some thought. The group photo and family photo at the UN made that visit special. Between the New York Aquarium and the Statue of Liberty Island & Museum, there was more to see at the aquarium.
My bottom five (interestingly, all were outdoor events):
5. Central Park (Day 4)
4. 9/11 Memorial (Day 2)
3. Riegelmann Boardwalk & Luna Park (Day 5)
2. Times Square (Day 3)
1. Little Italy (Day 2)
The bottom two were the least impressive. Times Square in particular was brief. It was a tough choice between 9/11 Memorial and Riegelmann Boardwalk & Luna Park. Of the two, I'd make a return visit to 9/11 Memorial.
Finally, a word from Joe regarding New York City's nickname "Big Apple". Back in the the time when horse racing was big, New York City was considered a big city by jazz musicians who were also betting in those races. The prize for the winning horse? Apples.
From a recovering addict’s standpoint, this trip is a resounding success. We spent considerable time outdoors in the scorching upper 90F heat and being exposed to sights of many in scantily-clad outfits – some were wearing only lingerie. Manhattan was a challenge because of the high population density. In spite of all that – six days worth of it – I maintained my sobriety and sanity. Wife called me out only one time for eyeballing an attractive member of our group. 10 years ago, I could not get through one day of that without losing my mind. This is tremendous progress.
The guided tour structure helped to maintain a boundary that I was mindful to not cross. In many respects, Joe and Jeff were like my higher power throughout the program. There was never a time when they didn't know what they were doing or where they were going. Initially concerned that I wasn't able to attend any 12-Steps meetings at all, I showed up at two morning meetings (on Zoom). Because I wanted to and the two meetings were my home group. As page 58 of Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous states:
"If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it—then you are ready to take certain steps."
Sobriety works best when I want it for myself first and foremost. As much as I chose to do the trip for the family – particularly for Son to see the Big Apple – I also did it for me. It lid in me a desire to travel and see the world, and showed me a way it can be done in a safe, sane and sober way. I feel empowered to look into more guided travel programs. It’s a matter of deciding which one will be next: Philadelphia, Mount Rushmore, Grand Canyon, or San Francisco.
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