6-23-2011
I woke up later than I really wanted to, but I got to the airport and checked in. It was amazing to think that it had been less than a year since my last visit to New York City, and I was already boarding a plane to see it all again! It was a short trip to Dallas, where I would take my connecting flight to LaGuardia in NYC. I was highly anticipating my first bite in to a New York pizza. There is nothing like it in the world. I was contemplating how I would work one in before I met dad.
I landed in the airport and took a cab from Queens to Manhattan, a trip I would grow familiar with on this particular visit. I stopped in front of the building that dad was giving a seminar in, and texted our contact Carmen to find out where I was supposed to go. I walked in and talked to the gentleman at the door and I pulled the luggage to the elevator. The elevator stopped on a floor that looked as if I had nowhere to go. All the doors were locked. In truth, I felt a bit like Alice. Finally, Carmen appeared on the other side and I walked in to hear dad finish up his speech. I saw a familiar friend, Deirdre from Ireland, behind the camera and filming. I was starving. After everything was done and we packed up, Carmen’s son drove us to Queens again, and I found out that Carmen had given dad and I her apartment to ourselves. It was a charming place with plenty of room, and a stocked fridge. By being there, it gave one a sense of what it would be like to live in New York City. I was still really hungry. Dad made a salad and I had some turkey and provolone. I stayed up late on Skype that night talking to Kristin, whom I just got reacquainted with after a long drought of her charm.
6-24-2001
I woke up and drained my sinuses with the netti pot that da brought along, then dad and I took a long cab ride to the New Yorker hotel. We had walked quite some time to find this cab because our apartment wasn't on a busy street. We brought all of the equipment with us to the hotel and tried to find our reservation for Saturday and Sunday for the seminar. We had some trouble, but got it all ironed out. We locked the equipment in the room, and then tried to get ahold of Deirdre, who was staying in the hotel. We tried several methods of calling her complicated UK number with Skype, and the mobile, and even phoned her room several times. Then, like magic, she walked right in to the hotel lobby from outside. We were all starving. She gave us some gifts that she brought from the Emerald Isle, and then we went for food. Guess what my vote was for? PIZZA! We went to a pizza shop nearby and on the wall were a number of celebrities’ pictures with autographs on them. Who do I spy? Johnny Depp. Sweet!
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| My Pizza |
We got a spinach calzone and a covered pizza. I was stuffed. Where to next? We got Starbuck’s coffee, and Deirdre picked up a pink Yankees hat. The streets were full of a lovely mist, and we decided to get passes for the subway and head to Times Square. We had the intention of purchasing some Broadway tickets, but found that it wasn’t going to cooperate with our schedule. New York City. I’m really here again! Looking up at the billboards and buildings is so enchanting. I was finding Deirdre’s company a great addition to our group dynamic. What a charming woman.
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| In Time Square ! |
We all decided on seeing a museum near central park, but walked a bit far in the wrong direction. We rested on a park bench until we were ready to march on. Not long after we came across “The American Museum of Natural History”. This was the biggest museum I have ever been to that I can remember. There was so much to see. It was actually overwhelming.
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| Aztec Sunstone replica |
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| Dad and I in front of a Velociraptor |
Once we traversed a good part of the museum, we went to the World Trade Center. I was here less than a year ago, and the building had grown in construction significantly!
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| A replica of an Olmec Head |
We wondered towards Battery Park and saw a long line of people headed to New Jersey. It was just there that we found the “Irish Hunger Memorial”. It was a great tribute to the Irish people that came to America and lived under severe conditions. In the memorial, they had a cottage that was brought from the county Mayo in Ireland piece by piece. There were also plant life and stones bought over. The stones each had a county name on it. Deirdre found it to be a little piece of home in the middle of New York. She did a video for her YouTube channel, and it was there that dad dropped his camera and broke his protective lens by accident!
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| The cottage from Co. Mayo |
We went to Little Italy for dinner and I had a Guinness, Wine, and some delicious stuffed shells. Before dinner was brought to us, there was a small gay parade that marched by us. Dinner was fantastic and with great company. We had a good conversation about religious beliefs and relationships, and other things. I helped Deirdre get home on the subway, since I knew my way ‘round them, them dad and I headed back to Queens. We did have some trouble finding Carmen's apartment. We walked several blocks, and then turned around back to the subway. We had to charge dad’s phone to use the map on it, so we used a power plug at a Chinese food place. We finally found our apartment, and it happened to be on the street we turned around on. Irony. We were exhausted.
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| The Menu from the restaurant in Little Italy |
6-25-2011
I woke up later than I wanted to, and dad was making eggs with salmon. It was a delicious breakfast. We took the subway to the New Yorker Hotel, where we got ready for the seminar. Patti went down and got us breakfast, so I got some Columbian coffee and a bagel. Dad had a great seminar. The volunteers got some amazing changes. I was even getting changes behind the camera as I was recording and tapping along. On lunch break we had some Thai food, and I got Pad Thai. It was outstanding. When the seminar ended we went out to “Uncle Ted’s” for some Greek food. I got stuffed cabbage, and had some delicious wine with it, and a few pints of Newcastle Ale.
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| Greek Food! |
We walked to Times Square afterwards, and went in to the Disney Store and pressed our way around crowded streets. We made our way back home afterwards, only this time I knew right where I was going. Deirdre even mentioned how impressed she was of my knowledge of my way around the big city.
6-26-2011
I woke up better rested than the previous day, and dad and I decided to wait on breakfast and eat in Manhattan since we were ready early enough. We didn’t know however that we were going to wait for the R train so long. So, we got there with little time to get ready for the seminar and had to settle for a quick pastry and coffee. We had another wonderful day of changes in the seminar, and for lunch we had BBQ. After the seminar was over we took loads of pictures, while dad signed things and sold product.
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| Dad, Patti, and I after the seminar |
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| Dad liked this shirt at Bubba's |
We marched back to Times Square after a rest in Deirdre’s hotel room. For dinner we went to Bubba Gump’s Shrimp. It was good as always. We started off with some margaritas and I got a bucket full of shrimp, oysters, clams, lobster claw, and crab legs. It was delicious, and not so coincidentally the same meal I got last time we ate at Bubba’s in NY. We headed back to Queens and I picked up a six pack of Brooklyn Ale and stayed up watching documentaries on Netflix at the apartment. All the while I was achieving the buzz I had been searching for on the trip, knowing that I could sleep in the next day. I watched things about Stonehenge and the pyramids, then passed out around 2 or 3 AM.
6-27-2011
I awoke thinking that I had slept in for a long time, only to find out it was like 8 in the morning, which means it would have been 7 back home. My body must’ve known it was Monday. I got my things together for the trip back home, and then I went out to get dad and his guests some coffee. I found out that it wasn’t too much of a walk. I got two slices of pizza at D’Angelo’s Pizza and it was the most spectacular pizza ever. Afterwards I got some Dunkin Donuts Coffee for dad and walked back. I got on a cab, then on a plane to Dallas.
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| I snapped this of where I was staying before I left |
After I landed in Dallas I got a Panini and ate it next to a pretty little thing wearing some cutoffs. She opened up some conversation to me and I talked to her a bit before my flight back to OKC. We exchanged some information to keep in touch, and then we parted ways. I sat next to a guy going to boot camp in Fort Sill, who was shocked to hear that OKC was 110 degrees. He was from Boston. “Welcome to Oklahoma” I told him. Welcome indeed…
