N95 to New York

 We are back in the saddle again.  Traveling. After Covid. Funny because the last trip we took, was to exactly where we find ourselves today.  Only with taller kids. And masks.

It took us a long time to get here.  Our initial flight had a 1 hour layover.  The airline decided that we needed a 4 hour layover. My fitbit bit would approve of how many laps we took in the Denver airport looking for coffee and then food. Starbucks was a crazy mess of people. They were working a skeleton crew to keep their workers safe.  Seemed to put the patrons in an unsafe queue, but whatever. I'll spare you the story about their rotten half-and-half in our drinks...

The thing I love about travel is the sidebar adventures we end up having.  Would you like to hear about those?  Well I'm going to tell you anyway. It all started on a shuttle bus. A sardine bus. My Covid comfort zone was way challenged on this one.  Everyone had masks on but I still found myself on edge.  Well, we missed our stop for the subway because the bus was crowded and was hard to see and hear.  We heard POP POP POP POP POP outside the shuttle and everyone turned to see what it was.  My inexperienced ear heard gunshots.  I think many ears thought that. Brian said fireworks. My version makes for a better story, so let's go with that.  This shuttle seemed headed to a place where we should not be headed.  That became clearer as the minutes passed.  When we finally arrived at the next stop, we peeled ourselves out of the shuttle, and were in the middle of...how do I put this...a place my mom wouldn't approve of me taking her grandkids. Questionable people all over the sidewalks. Some looking to score. Some looking half alive. As we rounded the corner to the pee scented subway stairs, we saw a woman lying face down on the sidewalk.  Someone passing by commented on whether she was dead or not. That can't be good. 

Fast forward. Found our hotel. It's great. Had some really yummy pizza a couple doors down. Mack and Brian headed back to the hotel after we did a post-pizza Krispy Kreme that I absolutely did not have room for. This left Fiona and I alone in Time Square. Time Square is completely overwhelming to me.  I love the lights and the energy and the fact that it is 100% completely the opposite of where we come from.  It's just a lot to take in.

                               

We found ourselves in Forever 21.  Fi was excited to do some shopping.  We thumbed the racks for a while until we heard a ruckus near the entrance. We saw an angry shoplifter holding a bag full of things he was caught attempting to steal. Like everyone else, we stopped to watch the show.  Little did we know that this man would proceed to remove his own clothing. Naked. In Forever 21. Forever burned in my memory. 

Funny, the above was typed last night after a very long day of flying. I passed out with my computer on my lap and here it is the next day. I guess I will just continue.

Today started early with a bagel, a cup of earl gray, and a train ride over near the 9-11 memorial to see the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit. I really enjoyed it.  If you get a chance to see it, you should. I loved it. The immersive portion is beautiful and haunting. We were lucky to see the show at the same time as toddler who was very much the main character in his family. Watching the wonder in his eyes as he chased the lights around the floor brought me to tears. It made the experience even better.

We had lunch at Chelsea Market, went to Little Island, and walked on The High Line to Hudson Yards to do some bougie shopping. After loving some H&M, Zara, and Fi's fave Muji, we turned left at the hypodermic needle on the stairs, turned right at the man peeing on the wall, and hopped on a train back to our beds for a rest.

Dinner took us to the not-so-New York Olive Garden and our post-dinner excursion was to be to the Nintendo store which Mack was super excited about. This would be another walking adventure through clouds of legalized weed which Mack doesn't know about but shared that she really likes the smell of. Great news. The Nintendo store was closed. If you have ever lived with a child with rigidity issues, you would feel bad for me now.  I don't mean like a neurotypical kid who wants something.  I mean a neurodiverse kid who lives on routines and expectations.  Her expectation of the Nintendo store was crushed. It was like the subway jumped the track.  I heard her train car skidding and bursting into flames.  My only thoughts at that moment were that at least people here in NY don't seem to notice the F bombs she drops.  She was at least temporarily distracted by the Kaws Share exhibit in Rockerfeller Center.  Then...and this was the best part of the night. A promise to visit the M&M's store in Time Square.  Oh my Hell that was a fever dream.

It's like 3 stories of rainbow colored Hell. You can buy three jars of M&M's for $35. It was like being at discount Disney Land. It was packed with people buying really expensive candy and ridiculous tchotchkes. She begged for everything. Got nothing. We took her to the grocery store to buy a $1.49 bag of M&M's. She chose a crunch bar in the end. Ha. 

Two girls are sleeping. I can hear sirens and cars driving below. Brian is busy planning our tomorrow (he is an excellent travel agent), and I just finished a cup of mediocre tea. I am done for the day. Better rest up for tomorrow's adventure.