"The road was eternally long, yet paved with many laughs and tired souls..."
Every christmas we hope to accomplish new things, do things differently.Step aside from the routine ways.
Saturday morning, December 21st, we made up our mind to take off. The drive was going to be long, exhausting, and very exciting all at once.
En route, we made a few pit stops, Maryland and then DC, then NY. While visiting with an amazing aunt, we learned that tragic things can be used as positive reinforcers. I realized that I had not been as involved as I have consumed my existence by work.
A life threatening decease is hard to overcome, its by far harder to overcome when you are expectant of love, kindness, and the purity of support yet those closest to you turn their back on you.
I can honestly say, life can definitely throw you lemons...
Sunday, we took off from MD to NY.
Tolls were a killer, we spent over $60 one way. It was ridiculous! In any case, we go to the city, and went to eat at this pizzeria, Uruguayan style. The best.
Then took off to Long island, going through 34th st. It was amazing the amount of people out on the street, walking, snapping pictures into the nightly sky.
The lights flickered everywhere, signs illuminated, the propagandas were incredible. The colors of the buildings, the structure, the people, and then came the horns.
Taxis everywhere, the cabs blew their horns not because they saw an imminent danger, but because its traditional of NY.
On we went avoiding getting rear ended, establishing our grounds, down the tunnels and into the new found land of a giant city swallowing the country little lives.
Long Island, our final destination seemed almost unreachable. Three exhausted individuals rode into the island, wishing to hit a nice warm comfy bed.
Finally, reached our destination, joy and a sigh of relief of great success were visible.
Day 1: rained. We hanged out with the family and went shopping. Original plan: to visit the city while the temperature was decent and not freezing.
Day 2: weather was not working with us. We purchased the train tickets too late. Seems the train would pass by at noon. So we called it off and pre-planned it for Christmas morning. so as to not waste the day, we made tamales, food, and more food. Visited a few family members, and ate a lot.
And then, there was snow!! ❄️❄️❄️
As fun as it seemed the best option was to day as far away as possible as to not get sick being out on the cold.
Nonetheless, we enjoyed the bit that fell.
Day 3: christmas morning. House full of family, cousins, and food! We were ready for the adventure!
Off we went into the giant city, to loose ourselves in the mundane world or earthly enjoyments and indulge in the essence of city inflicted pressures and rush.
The day began, cold in the 17s degrees. Bundled, yet unprepared for the long day. The 4 of us began our route, walking non-sensely into blocks of crowded people. From 34th st, the Penn Station to Madison Square Gardens, to the Public Library, to the empire state building.! (Gasping for air) Stoping at random stores to warm up along the way. It was cold! We made a stop at several stands to buy gloves, earmuffs, scarfs, and hot chocolate, hot dogs, and coffee.
Finding a bathroom was like searching for a lost wallet in the city. None anywhere around. The time limits on restaurants for sitting was 30minutes. Walking aroubd and listening was just as amazing as watching a movie in high definition- There were different types of people everywhere, cultures, and languages! Such a melting pot! So diverse, yet so intense and overwhelming.
We took the train to go to Chinatown, following an older Chinese lady (we actually asked her if she was headed to Chinatown, not that we just tagged along) we were en-route. It was an incredible place, yet not as i imagined it to be. You could see where the "town" began and where it ended. The smell of dumplings, soups, grains, and seafood filled the mixture of sewer ventilators- created a scent of New York at its best. As you crossed the streets onto "butcher shops" you could see the "rostiserie" chickens complete with head and beaks. The ducks hanged lifelessly, all roasted, and fresh- you could appreciate the grease as it rolled down their "naked" golden lifelessly body. There was an old church, speakers were in place where the steeple should have been. The speakers were playing a melody, a chant, unrecognizable to my understanding of the language, yet so intense and pure were the sounds of the speaker's voice: it was time for Mass. As crazy as the Mass sounded to my ears, the most incredible part was that the speakers faced the Chinatown blocks, and mean while you stood across the street on what had become part of little Italy, the mass was non-interfering with the other's side eloquent and fancy ways.
On the other side behind that church sat the arrogant and most fancy Little Italy. The finest, the smell of the pizzerias, you could almost taste the pasta flavors if you breathed in long enough. It was quaint, yet, seemed so rough around the edges, one thought came to mind "mafia" not to say that there were any, but it almost felt as though I would get to see Al Capone ride by and or hear the Italians speak in that fancy-rough way. Yet the sounds were of many languages and the aromas of cheeses took my mind into a world of lust over food.
As the four of us walked down the streets, somewhat hungry, yet no restaurant or food called our attention. We opted to seek other adventures and Henry as the instigator, lead the way. We choose to figure out where ground zero was and how we could get there. With no map at hand, but rather a tourist guide, we figured we were close enough. I mean, it was visible. We asked for directions and of course, to a New Yorker, one to five blocks is nothing, as they say it with the intentions that you will take a train.... Yet, as silly as this may sound, we thought we could get there on foot.
2hours later and a few blocks later, we arrived. Found the 9/11 Memorial site. Our faces and bodies were so cold, stoping every so often to stretch and fix our scarves we continued... It felt even colder as the closer we got, the lesser amount of people we saw out on the streets. It seemed so empty, desolate, the buildings and their chaos gave the impression that a widow was still mourning.
Down the Ground Zero site, we made an sporadic decision to walk to
Wall Street. I mean, we were already there, why not?
As the cold began to take its toll on my feet and back, we choose to go with the adventure. We were all cold....
As we made a pit stop at a McDonalds in Broadway st to relieve our bodily necessities, we overheard a gentleman explain the locations of certain tourist attractions: the bull of wall street. It was actually located at the end of Broadway and not wall street. So we went.
Then as just as you thought the trip was over and we would have to head back, we heard a Colombian lady mention that the Staten Island Ferry was just down the road and then the KEY WORDS, "FREE Ride!" Not hesitsting, we went. As improvised as the trip seemed, we continued to add sightings. Upon arriving to the site, we approached a guard to ask bout the ferry and how we could hop onand return. Such a gentleman he was, he not only did he provide a good tip of which side to sit on, but also told us to be slick and fast to return on the same boat: 25mins one way and 25the other way.
We greeted the Liberty lady, from afar, but also got to appreciate the magnificient view of the city at night and crossing the waterway.
I was astonished to the sorrounding beauty and glamour of such a huge city.
By the time we made it back across the wayer onto manhattan, it was around 7:30ish. On general consensus we took the train back to the original area of reunion. Yet, another idea crossed our heads, we had not seen the Rockefeller center nor the tree. Off we went,took the train to 52nd st.
We were exhausted!!! Glad to find a seat, we goofed off:
Next stop: Rockefeller center: the temperatures had dropped drastically. What seemed cold began to freeze us even more. We walked about 6blocks from train station to the center. The amount of peopme was overwhelming! I got steped on, a dad carrying his child on his neck accidentally almost knocked me to the ground.
It was all worth it though! The site of the magnificient, highly iluminated tree gave way to a world of magic and precious imagination.
As we waited for the "show" we realized that there was no such show, but rather kids and parents who were well qualified financially to get the privileged to skate on the ice infront of thousands of people were the only ones participating.
Considering the extreme temperatures and our lack of preparedness for it, we decided to to call it the night. We had mde the teip worthwhile while improvising on everything. Got to see and walk like dumb idiots all around Manhattan.
E were tired ... we ran to our train starion- the Penn Station (lierally ran), as the second to last of the late traind was maki ng it last calls. From 52nd to 34th street, it was a goos 20plus minutes of walk.
My feet and back felt like they would explode. The pain was intense, yet I wanted to get home and rest.
We rushed and hoped on the first train we could. Fortunately, it was the right train!
And so, as we rode in total laugher and fun, we entertained all those around us. None of us slept, but rather laughed non stop!
It was a great time had by all! Hungry and as cold as we were, we were satisfied of a great teip. If ever a next time, it will be during the spring!
And as i close this mini vacation dialogue, note that the second version of DC TIME is just a few scrolls away! Tba!
See you soon NY!!!
