We arrived in the Big Apple and abruptly came to a standstill as drivers jostled to weave their way into three lanes from six lanes. I noted that cars were crammed into the lanes reserved for emergency vehicles only. Our GPS system skillfully guided us through the maze of streets, except that he didn't quite realize that we wanted West Broadway instead of East Broadway. So you can imagine our surprise when we expected to find the Marriott in Times Square and we pulled up to a rundown building. OOPS! Now you're thinking, what's the bid deal, right? Well, we'd just driven 9 miles in bumper to bumper traffic narrowly missing taxis, bicyclists, trucks, pedestrians, horse drawn carriages who found sport in cutting cars off without warning. We'd just driven four hours from Washington, DC. So the thought of driving 9 miles in the opposite direction was a bit much to take. Matt was patient and did a superb job maneuvering the car through the maze of traffic. Surprisingly, I kept my screams to a minimum. My nerves were so shot by then that my synapses for fight or flight had stopped firing! We had to circumnavigate the block once we'd reached the hotel in order to reach valet parking. We pulled in and the valet checked our trunk full of bags, etc. After all, this is New York. Even the taxi cabs' trunks are checked as they pull up to the hotel. Suffice to say, we parked the car and vowed never to use it while in the city, except for the drive our on our trip home.
Ah, the broadway stage hands were still on strike. Matt secured tickets to Forbidden Broadway: A Rude Awakening. While standing in line we stuck up a conversation with a woman and her daughter. It turned out that the young girl was starring in Mary Poppins in the role of Jane. She was at this perfomance because she had to write a review on a broadway show for a school assignment. She goes to school every day, then appears in the show eight times a month, then is on standby for eight perfomances a month. There are actually three Janes who rotate through the show. One night while on call, she was doing her homework, when she learned that the Jane for the night became sick, so she had to jump in at intermission in her place. She was one poised, young lady. Her mom shared the life details of having your child in a broadway show. And you thought being a soccer mom was difficult!
Well, we are headed home today. Oddly enough, the time passed quickly, although re-entry should prove interesting, in addition to being a comsummate challenge. What, we don't have a housekeeper to change our bed? And I have to go back to setting an alarm clock? A loving thanks to Matthew for an incredible adventure on the road. His patience was appreciated as I'm not a morning person and he allowed me to sleep in . In turn, I tried to keep up with his energy level, OK, so I can't even come close, but I tried anyway. Perhaps the best test for any marriage is an extended road trip. I used to think it was home renovations!
Would I do a road trip again? Yup, in a heartbeat! See you soon. Love, Kare
Matt
