wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

Last Wednesday an early morning trip to New York started out with the de-icing the plane. Yes, it was that cold in Ohio! This window matched the foggy state of my brain from going to bed late the night before and then rising at 4:30. The sunrise was glorious!

My friend has always wanted to see a Rockettes performance and we put together a girls' trip with our daughters to see the Rockettes, an off-Broadway play, and get immersed in the holiday decorations that make New York sparkle. 

When our plane landed, my daughter, who had flown in from Chicago, sent a text message telling me that there had been a shooting in midtown Manhattan and not to tell Annette and Annie. The shooting was at a Hilton where we have stayed many, many times and six blocks away from where we were staying. They would flip out. Long story short, we dropped our bags at the hotel, took a walk along 5th Avenue to look at all the beautiful Christmas storefronts and decorations, and Annette's husband sent a text, "There was a shooting in Manhattan and the shooter escaped through Central Park." They flipped out. "Did you hear about this?" (Yes, when we landed.) "How far away is Central Park?" (Two blocks.) The shooting happened at 6:45, it was 11:00 as we walked along 5th, the shooter was long gone. An unsettling start to the trip, they were scared and this would be on their minds the whole time we would be here.

Rockefeller Center

Radio City Music Hall

New York Public Library

Christmas trees shine everywhere and add to the holiday spirit wherever you go. And boy did we go: Midtown, East Village, West Village, Chinatown, Little Italy, either walking or taking the subway. There was shopping - LOTS of shopping. New York is a shopping mecca. My daughter and I had created a flexible itinerary before the trip. Other than dinner reservations, the Rockettes, and the play, Bloomingdales, Macy's, the souvenir stores in Chinatown, and other shops along the way became the compass. 

"New York is not a city, it is a world." How true is this? It's the meeting place of people from everywhere. You can make your world as big or keep it as small as you want here. There’s something about New York that embraces you and makes you a part of it.  When you’re in it, you know, and when you leave you, you miss it.

My tradition on the last day in NYC, a Manhattan in Manhattan. Cheers to the next visit!