travel

The first time I went to New York City was in 1964 when my family traveled to Springfield, New Jersey, to visit my grandparents. Springfield is an hour away from NYC. While we were there, my parents took my brother and me to the New York World's Fair. In 1964, we lived in Wooster, Ohio and moved to Owensboro, Kentucky. Neither town was very big. Wooster's population was 27,000+ and Owensboro's was around 40,000. New York City was around 15,000,000. Big difference. Even though I was 7 years old, that first visit to that big metropolis made quite an impression on me. Such a whirlwind of sights, sounds, and experiences.

Typically when we visited my grandparents, trips to New York didn't happen. We went to the Jersey shore, historic sites in the area, Turtleback Zoo, and other kid-friendly attractions. On a clear day, I could see the New York City skyline, and kept it in my dreams. Someday...

I didn't get back to NYC for a long, long time. We went with friends after we were married and hit all the tourist attractions. When Todd was in mortgage banking, we went to conventions. While the guys were at their meetings and seminars, their wives went shopping. That was all fine and well but I enjoyed going out on my own and taking walks to look around.

Then it happened. Our daughter moved to New York (Brooklyn) and we went to visit her six months later. On our first visit, she said, "Mom, we'll visit Times Square once  to get it over and done with. People who live here avoid going there. After that we'll explore neighborhoods." And that's what we did. We walked, we took public transportation, we went to the local bars and restaurants, we ate meals on her rooftop, we did what New Yorkers do. While she lived in New York, we visited her 2-3 times a year and the city became familiar, comfortable. New York has become part of me and it has taught me to see things and places with new eyes, including my hometown. Life is an adventure, no matter where you are.