I have been to NYC 3 times now. The first time was in 2004 on a bus trip to the old Yankee Stadium to see the Red Sox play the Yankees. Roger Clemens was pitching for the Yankees. The late great Tim Wakefield was on the hill for the Sox. The Sox won this game and eventually won the World Series. It was a season none of us in Red Sox Nation will ever forget. But in reality, this wasn’t really a trip to NYC.

In October of 2019, my friend L and I boarded the bus for a whirlwind trip to NYC for me to see the Broadway show Hamilton. We arrived in New York around noon, dropped our luggage off at our hotel and took the subway downtown to the 9/11 Museum. I had tickets to the “First Responder” tour. There are so many things I could say about this place…but I truly believe every American needs to go there and experience this hallowed ground and what happened here. It was profoundly meaningful and a place I will never forget. We came back uptown and went to the top of the Empire State Building. It was evening and it was beautiful. We had dinner at 10pm, returned to out hotel and crashed. Up early in the morning to take the train downtown again to board the boat to see the Statue of Liberty. We walked around Liberty Island and enjoyed the views of the City. Then we were off to Ellis Island….fascinating place that someday I’d love to go back and spend more time. But alas, we had to go…back uptown for lunch and I went to the matinee performance of Hamilton. This was my first Broadway show. I will always cherish this memory. The show was incredible and I still know all the words to and can rap the opening song! We returned to the bus and got back home around 9pm…a 36 hour adventure that crammed in a lot in a short time!

And then last week I returned to the City, meeting my bff MC there for 2 days/nights of adventure. Much has happened to me in the years since I was last in NYC. I suffer from a level of anxiety and occasional panic attacks. Had you asked me to take this trip 6 months ago, I would have flatly said no way. But time changes and improves things and I was ready to take this trip. I went by train to the City. I had never taken a train anywhere before and this was really fun. I arrived at Penn Station and to say it was overwhelming is an understatement. I got my bearings and although I was one block from where I should have been, I still managed to get to the hotel and meet MC. I was a bit rattled but I think I did pretty good. We went to dinner just around the corner from the hotel at an Irish joint. Food was delish…Jameson was even better! MC was in the City as she often is for work so on Tuesday morning, off she went to the office. I had scheduled myself to take the hop on/off bus tour of the City. I not really able to hop off at the moment due to a knee injury so this was a perfect way to see the highlights. It was a gorgeous sunny day. The first bus took us downtown through lots of areas, past the 9/11 museum, Wall St, the Brooklyn Bridge, SOHO and so much more. We went up the West Side Highway, enjoying the views of the Hudson River, The Intrepid museum, the Chelsea markets. Bus #2 went uptown…of course through Times Square, the Chrysler Building, all the way up Madison Ave where ALL the fancy designer stores are. We passed by The Met. I had really wanted to go here, see a few exhibits and have lunch, but there was not enough time. We continued down along Central Park, around to Columbus Circle and then back down to Times Square. These two bus trips combined took almost 5 hours….way longer than advertised. The reason for this; traffic…so much traffic. I don’t know how anyone gets anywhere. I could never drive in the City. A small side note…when it was time for me to leave the hotel for the bus tour, I was really struggling. I was afraid. But I KNEW I that not only did I have to do this, I could do this. And I did.

Tuesday evening was epic. MC and I had dinner at a little Italian restaurant close to the hotel. We then walked the 3 blocks to Madison Square Garden where we were to see Stanley Tucci give a talk about his new book “What I ate in one year…and related thoughts”. He was to be interviewed by John Krasinski. Little known facts on John….grew up in my hometown of Newton Ma, graduated from Newton South High School, married actress Emily Blunt who just happens to be the sister of Stanley Tucci’s wife Felicity. This event was to take place in the Theatre at MSG. There was a lot going on that night around the Garden. The Knicks were playing…and so was Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show! In order for us to get to where we needed to be, we walked through a massive crowd of people who were watching the live simulcast of the first VS fashion show in 5 years! I’ve never seen anything like this! The music was pounding, the ladies in the crowd were all dressed up, the models on the screen were not…it was incredible. Had we not had tickets for Stanley, it might have been fun to stay there!

Stanley was wonderful. John is really quite funny so there was a lot of good banter going back and forth. Stanley talked a lot about the relation between food and family and how making the meal is almost more important than eating it. He lamented (and we agreed) about how meals are rarely eaten at a table with the family anymore. Life is too busy. Given the choice between not ever having garlic or onions to cook with ever again, Stanley quickly chose garlic. Onions are far more versatile. It was a wonderful event and we even got a copy of the book! Back to the hotel for a nightcap.

MC and I were both taking the same train home. This made my travel far easier as she knew where to go in the cavernous train station. It pays to have a bff with status as we waited in the Amtrak lounge and got Red Cap service. Bonus! The ride home was peaceful and relaxing. MC got off in Providence as it’s closer to home for her and I continued to Westwood at Rt.128. My friend D was there to greet me and brought me home safe and sound. It was a fun 2 days.

Here are some random thoughts…I know the sun was shining but it was hard to tell since it never gets to the ground. Marijuana is legal in NYC…and EVERYWHERE you go, thats all you can smell. It’s stinks. Every single stranger I interacted with on this trip could not have been nicer or kinder. Everyone is pushing/pulling luggage. There are SO MANY people. Where are they all going? Where do they all live? I could never live in the City. This trip was at times overwhelming for me and there were moments of high anxiety and mild panic. But in the end, I overcame all of that. I’m very proud of myself for fighting my way through and doing what I set out to do. I am grateful for my circle that encouraged me and understood without judgement. I won!

Now it’s off to Florida…..