They Say the Neon Lights Are Bright....

[drscott]

Still coughing, but now it feels like the normal ending of a nasty cold or flu. I never had either, but at least I'm not coughing for no reason -- there's stuff being dislodged (TMI, I know!) I've felt out of it for days -- foggy head, don't care about anything, trying to keep up 2/3 workouts was hard. Now starting to lose conditioning.

Wrapping up the planning for the trip. We get to New York Saturday night. Sunday morning we do the Metropolitan Museum and walk around (if the weather's good.) Sunday afternoon we have a matinee of The 39 Steps. Monday (which turns out to be a bad day to visit, since most shows and museums are closed) we do more sightseeing (Empire State Building, MoMa, Guggenheim) and have The Royal Family in the evening. Tuesday morning we got back the airport and rent a car to drive to Paul's brother's house near New Hope, PA. After spending the next few days immersed in Perrotta family stuff, Paul has his 30th hs reunion, and Monday David comes up to lovely Conshohocken to meet us at the Golds Gym there, where I get passed off and spend the week with him.

I used to visit New York frequently when I lived in Boston, but I always stayed with friends (mostly dead now) in the Village, or Little Italy, or Brooklyn Heights. I've never spent much time walking around midtown, so it should be interesting. And of course Paul has never been there at all!

My first visit was with my mother and stepfather after they picked me up after my first year at MIT and drove south, so it was 1975. We stayed in lovely Fort Lee, New Jersey (near the fabled Meadows of Hack and Sack from The Incubi of Parallel X, for you Theodore Sturgeon fans) at a Howard Johnsons and took the bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. As we left the building, I walked ten feet ahead (as I often did then), and when I passed a tragically drug-addled young lady, she started following me asking if I wanted some company. It was 10:30 AM, and the look on my mother's face was priceless...

Most of my memories of New York are from when it was a scary place. You didn't dare look at anyone on the subway, and all antenna were up when walking at night; you'd cross the street to avoid any group, and keep a safe distance away from anyone. I remember being at the Eagle, and the time I took John Liesch with me from Vancouver and we borrowed a friend's place; I was visited by a certain high school guidance counselor from New Jersey (who came over as soon as I called!) while John went out and couldn't be retrieved until after the bars closed at 4 AM.

Things have vastly changed, but since I haven't been there in 20 years, it will be new to me.

Comments

[omero-hassan.livejournal.com]

One weekday morning I was at the Met -- did I tell you this story already? -- and I was in the Egyptian courtyard. It was stormy as hell outside, complete with lightening and thunder. And I guess because it was a stormy weekday morning, I had the whole place to myself. It was awesome.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

You did! I doubt if we will be so lucky.