The Big Apple, Day 2

THE BIG APPLE, DAY 2

Glenys had school, so she left Sonia, her Spanish-speaking mother, and me, the non-Spanish-speaking guest, to spend the day together.  I think Glenys must have laughed to herself and wondered how we’d manage.  We managed just fine thanks, in part, to two lovely ladies (Sandra and Victoria) from Sonia’s LDS Spanish church congregation who accompanied us.  Sandra spoke English, and she brought Darwin, her 7-year-old godson along. 

 

We set out on foot and walked to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, near one end of Central Park.  We then caught a bus that took us for a ride down 5^th Avenue.  My dad had reminded me that he lived in an apartment at 973 5^th Avenue when he was an LDS missionary almost 60 years ago.  We exited the bus shortly after we spied the building, and walked back to it so that I could take photos.  It was a real treat for me to see where my dad had lived for 7 months.  His 6^th floor apartment overlooked Central Park. 

 

We spent a little time in Central Park, and got a hot dog for Darwin to help him better tolerate his time with 4 ladies.  I kept thinking to myself that I was really in New York City.  Really in Central Park.  The weather was a little overcast and cool, but it was perfect for walking about.  We went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  The inside is being renovated, but we could still walk around and see the interior.  What a magnificent place!  People were worshipping, lighting candles, praying despite the din around them. 

 

 

 

I saw Trump Tower, but not Donald Trump.  I was content to see many high-end stores from the outside, and really had no desire to enter.  I probably would have walked in the door of Macy’s, but we didn’t go there.  (That was probably for the best.)  We went to Rockefeller Center where the Lego store interested Darwin the most.  (We didn’t go in, much to his dismay.)  I talked to Darwin a lot as we walked.  At one point, he put his hand in mine, looked up at me and said, “You’re actually really nice!”  I wondered what his initial impression of me had been. 

 

 

 

My companions were so generous and wanted me to do everything I wanted to do.  I felt a little funny letting them pay for my bus and subway fares, but they allowed me to buy their lunch at a little café.  I think it was during lunch that Darwin announced to me, “I’ve been good all day, and you haven’t bought me one thing!”

 

 

 

Feeling refreshed and with full bellies, we continued our trek.  We went a lot of places and it’s hard for me to remember the order, but I know we went to Times Square.  I had seen many pictures, but the pictures don’t capture the size of the place.  It was almost overwhelming.  I stood there in awe as I tried to take it all in.  There was certainly a lot to take in.  The lights, the signs, the people, the street actors (“Hello, Naked Cowboy!”), the demonstrators (those in orange prison jumpsuits with black hoods covering their heads protesting the Guantanamo Bay Prison).  We went in one store—Hard Rock Café.  It was there that I brought a smile to Darwin’s face.  I bought him a $2 guitar-shaped tin of guitar-shaped mints.  He was happy.  (I bought one for Sofia as well.)  I planned to buy t-shirts for my kids but decided against that plan when I saw the price.  When in doubt, just buy a t-shirt for your adorable granddaughter, I reasoned.  Little Maddy now has her first Hard Rock Café t-shirt.  My girls got magnets. 

We walked by Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum (where I was photographed with “Morgan Freeman”) and other places.  We went in the enormous New York City Public Library.  I must return there some day.  So much to see.  So much to see!  And do!  And experience!  I needed another month there to scratch the surface.

It was such a wonderful, perfect and amazing day with wonderful ladies (and Darwin).  We said good-bye to Victoria, and the rest of us took the subway back to Harlem.  Glenys and Sofia were waiting for us.  Glenys was going to spend the afternoon touring around with me, but we got back too late for that. 

That evening, Ramy and Amparo picked us up to take us to dinner.  We decided to go to the Tokyo Buffet in New Jersey.  Ramy drove us past the new Yankee Stadium and over the George Washington Bridge.  It was dark and kind of hard to see some places, but I was trying to take it all in.  I think New York City should be renamed.  The Big Apple (I didn’t see any apples) should be The Big Everything.  Or The Big Wow.  Something more fitting and less fruity than The Big Apple. 

It was past Sofia’s bedtime and she was tired, but she certainly perked up enough to enjoy dinner, and we enjoyed her.  Ramy and Amparo are delightful people, and I’m glad I got to spend some time with them.  I appreciated that they traveled to Washington last year for Nelson and Rachelle’s wedding.  Ramy doesn’t like air travel, so must have been hard for him to make that trip.  Sofia just couldn’t stay awake on the return trip through the Lincoln Tunnel and the busy streets of New York.  Now I know why it is called “The City That Never Sleeps.”  (About the only time they can do road construction is in the middle of the night.  I went to sleep to the sounds of road machinery while there.)

I crawled into my comfortable bed with the perfectly white bed linens and dreamed of what thrilling adventures were in store for me the following day.