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New York. The Big Apple. Gotham. The City That Never Sleeps.

I had never been there in my 54 years on this earth, and neither had my 76-year-old Mom. When my sister Lynne and niece Jessica returned from their mother-daughter trip to NYC in January of this year, Sis immediately began talking about a return trip, only this time it would be a family trip and Mom, my 11-year-old nephew Benjamin and I would come along.

It was, in a word, incredible.

Friday:
Our flight took off from Raleigh, on time, at 8:55 a.m. I’m a nervous flyer but have learned to deal with my anxiety by practicing deep yoga breathing while mentally picturing myself in the mountains (happy place!), and popping a 5 mg Valium. We arrived at LaGuardia exactly 56 minutes later. I can’t speak for Benjamin, but coming in over New York was an awe-inspiring sight for 2 small-town ladies who’d never been anywhere near a city this big.

Our first stop was our hotel. Not long after checking in and parking our luggage, we were on the sidewalk, ready to explore. Sis and I had discussed a wheelchair for Mom, but in the end Lynne decided to go with a motorized scooter, which turned out to be both a blessing and sometimes a curse. So we took off down the sidewalk, Mom on her Scooteround and us walking. And walking. And walking. I don’t know how many blocks we walked, but for this overweight, out-of-shape, middle-aged woman it was quite taxing, but I gamely went on, trying to ignore the pain in my back, legs, knees and feet and enjoy the city, the experience, the sights and sounds.

We saw: Radio City Music Hall
NBC News Studio
Rockefeller Center
Lots of street vendors

We went in: The NBC Store
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Grand Central Station

We stopped for lunch at Ellen’s Starlight Diner, a retro-themed restaurant known for its singing wait staff. The servers would literally entertain the diners by singing karaoke show tunes and popular songs, and they were all very good. Our server, like most of them, was an adorable and talented Broadway hopeful waiting for her big break.

Mercifully we decided to take the subway back to our hotel. Our first New York subway ride! It was a challenge finding wheelchair-accessible stations, getting the Scooteround through the turnstiles and getting it on the subway, but we managed.

Dinner was at a place called John’s Pizzeria on W. 44th Street near Times Square. Now I know why New York pizza is known as the best in the world.

After dinner we hit a cute little theater shop next door and bought some souvenirs, and then headed to Times Square to soak in the sights and sounds of this famous landmark. We took a bunch of pictures and hailed a cab back to our hotel, and after a long and exciting, exhausting, exhilarating day, I went out like a light bulb as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Saturday:
Breakfast at the hotel, and then a morning of shopping at Macy’s and H&M. Macy’s was fabulous and the sales staff could not have been more helpful and friendly. I spent too much money, but had a blast.

Then it was on to Liberty Island to tour the Statue of Liberty. But first we were forced to endure The Bus Ride From Hell. We took the bus instead of the subway for 2 reasons – it was easier to get the Scooteround onto a bus with the lift ramp thingy, and it being the weekend we were concerned that we couldn’t get close enough to where we needed to go. Lesson learned: NEVER take a bus from midtown Manhattan to Battery Park on a holiday weekend, especially if a) you’re pressed for time, and b) you’ve had no lunch and are prone to motion sickness. YEEECCCHHHHH. Stop start stop start lurch swerve…..ugh. We were on that bus for 45 minutes. I was chatting with a charming lady who had been a NY resident for 45 years. She told me she’d been taking the city bus regularly for years and that this was the longest bus ride she’d ever experienced. We had reservations for the ferry and tickets to the Statue and were stressing out thinking we were going to miss everything. We managed to make it…barely.

Seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time was a very emotional and moving experience. She is an awesome, majestic, inspiring sight. One of the best things about New York is the diversity of cultures and ethnicities represented there, in both the population and visitors. One can imagine immigrants from all over the globe coming to America for the first time, gazing at the statue and taking to heart the inspiration behind the words: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” We had just enough time to make it back to our hotel, change clothes, and head out to dinner at a great little place called Sweet Emily’s (where we were fortunate to be served by an absolutely darling waiter, another Southerner, recent New York transplant and Broadway hopeful) and Wicked at the Gershwin Theater.

My parents, sister and I were involved with community theatre for many years, as was Jessica. We have acted on the stage, built scenery, done hair and makeup, and served on boards. I have seen good and bad amateur and semi-professional theatre, and always wanted to see a Broadway show. I’m here to say that Wicked lived up to and even surpassed my expectations. It was absolutely incredible. Words do not do it justice. It literally has to be experienced to be appreciated. I will say that NOTHING compares to professional theatre.

Sunday:
Breakfast at McDonald’s just down from our hotel, and then it was on to the gigantic outdoor flea market in Hell’s Kitchen. Mom decided to sit this one out and it was just Sis, Jessica, Benjamin and me. Unbelievable bargains and a fun experience. After that we stopped at Bloomingdales and FAO Schwartz, where I went into absolute raptures over the vintage Barbie collection. We went back to the hotel to pick up Mom and then took the subway to downtown Manhattan to visit Ground Zero and the World Trade Center Tribute Museum.

The Tribute Museum was established and commissioned by the families of the victims of the attacks. It is dignified, understated and deeply moving. Many visitors were wiping their eyes as they moved slowly and quietly through the exhibits. There are plenty of artifacts on display, but the most emotional experience is the room that features a wall of the names of the victims, and on another 2 walls of this room are floor-to-ceiling glass cases containing pictures of those who were lost, along with a few mementos donated by families. The primary feeling one gets in walking though the museum, besides sadness, is reverence.

After we left the World Trade Center site, we stopped off at a great little deli and had lunch. Then it was time to head back to our hotel to check out. We took the hotel transport back to the airport. Once again our flight left right on time, and arrived in Raleigh at 9:15 p.m.

Contrary to certain myths common in the South, New Yorkers are NOT rude, pushy or arrogant. Quite the opposite. Everyone we met, whether they were native New Yorkers, had lived there for many years, or who'd only been there briefly, was kind, considerate, friendly and helpful, whether at the hotel, on the street, on the subway, on the bus, the cabbies, or in the stores. My mother, who is naturally warm and friendly and does not know a stranger, made friends with and charmed everyone she came into contact with. She also handled that Scooteround like a pro!

My sister organized our trip with Jessica's help, and was incredible in planning our activities, our restaurants, our transportation (should we take the bus, the subway or a cab?) and making the most efficient use of the time we had. Without her we would have just wondered around dazed and lost.

And finally, Lynne and Jessica made this trip financially possible for my Mom. Like most seniors, Mom is retired and doesn’t have much discretionary income to use for trips like this. Between the 2 of them Sis and Jessica paid for Mom's entire trip, including her meals. I will be grateful to them for the rest of my days for making this happen for her. And for me, the best part of the trip was sharing it all with the people I love most in the world.

I love you, New York!! I want to go back. And I will go back. I’m already making plans for my next trip. Until next time, Big Apple...I’ll see you in the spring!!!