About Me

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Sorry for the Hiatus...

It has been a challenge to write lately. I will be back in a few days hopefully.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

My Trip Part 2 - Sadness

After staying in Manhattan, I headed upstate to visit my friends; a very nice couple with whom I used to work for the same company.

My girlfriend's mom was very sick and at the hospital for a while. I knew this prior to my visit but, what none of us knew was that she was to pass away on the second day of my visit.

I did not know what to do. Initially, I thought staying with them through the funeral was what I needed to do. However, my girlfriend was so overwhelmed that, we had a heart-to-heart talk and she thought it would be best to change my plans to go to see my other friends down south rather than hanging around. She was having some issues with her daughter and she just had too much on her plate. So, I talked to my other girlfriend to tell them that I would be going to see them earlier than planned and she and her husband said they were thrilled to have me over earlier.

I headed south and stayed in Roanoke over night. It was a long drive and I was completely exhausted by the time I reached the hotel. Both my girlfriends checked on me to see that I arrived in Roanoke safe and sound.

The next day, it was a much shorter trip to South Carolina.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

My Trip Part I - New York City

I was hoping to post while on vacation but, it did not happen. I will write about my trip in a few posts.

I landed at JFK on the 22nd of August. We got delayed at Heathrow so, we landed around 6 p.m. instead of 4 p.m. After going through Customs and gathering my suitcase, I took the Air Train to Jamaica Station and figured out how to get to the hotel I had booked in NYC. A nice young guy kindly helped me to carry my suitcase up the subway stairs. I am forever thankful to him since I was very very tired.

By the time I reached the hotel, it was well past 8 p.m. I checked in and headed straight out to grab a bite.

The next day, I basically walked around the city at my own pace and used the Subway to get to Chinatown, Little Italy and the Village. It was great to be able to walk in the streets of New York after many years.

The day after, I decided to go to Staten Island. I had lived in Ny for over 3 years and have never been to Staten Island. So, it was a first. It was a nice day and I took in the sights of the new skyline of Manhattan. Had a nice lunch by the sea front.

I walked around the Central Park, Columbus Circle, Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square, went in and out of stores and walked and walked.

On Tuesday, I did a little bit more sightseeing and in the evening, I got the car I booked from an Avis very close to my hotel. I took the car and then collected my suitcase and bags from the hotel. I drove more than an hour towards north to visit my friends who live close to Poughkeepsie.

As a child I used to read Trixie Belden books and used to wonder what kind of a place Poughkeepsie was. In some of the books that city is mentioned quiet often. It was fantastic to see my friends after 7 years. Stay tuned for Part II.