Melissa and I were both ecstatic to be able to spend a few days back in our old home, New York City. The main purpose of our trip was to attend a wedding, which was absolutely beautiful. We walked a lot, we ate a lot, and we left with a lot of great memories of a place that will always remain special to us.
Our flight there left bright and early at 6 A.M., and we were up at 2:30 that morning. It really didn't pay for us to bother going to bed the night before because we were both too excited to sleep. We were at the airport by about 4, and things got off to a rather inauspicious start when we went to park the car in the long-term lot. I'm super petite at 5'0", and I had to almost completely climb out my window to grab the parking ticket from the dispenser. In retrospect, this was totally hilarious, but not so much when I was struggling to reach the freaking ticket. It could have been worse; luckily, Melissa hadn't had her coffee yet and was too under-caffeinated to snap an embarrassing photo of me.
We were greeted in NYC by low 50 degree temperatures, which was a bit of a change from the 80-something degree temps we had left. It'd been four years since I'd last been there and six since Melissa had moved, and we've both probably adjusted to the warmer climate we now live in. We had packed jackets and sweaters and were comfortable most of the time, but nights were rather chilly, with lows in the 40's, which we just aren't used to anymore.
We were both eager to visit our old neighborhoods in Brooklyn—Greenpoint for me, Williamsburg for Melissa, and those were the first places we headed. I lived in the same house for 30 years, and seeing it again was bittersweet. A huge part of me needed to see it, while another was crushed to think that someone else was living there. The reality was, however, that the house had moved on without me, and it's time for me to move on my with life, too. Since I moved, and especially after my dad passed away a little more than a year after we left NY, I've had so many doubts about whether or not I would ever adjust to living where I am now. It's a completely different lifestyle, and I'm OK with that now. Don't get me wrong—I was thrilled to be back in the rush of the city, but I don't think I could do it every day. I certainly couldn't afford the cost of NYC living, either. When I got home, I felt that it had truly become home. I'd still love to visit NY once in a while, but I now know that living there has officially become part of my past.
We spent quite a bit of time just walking around both neighborhoods, reminiscing. We ate at some of our favorite restaurants, including our favorite pizza place. There is nothing like NY pizza; do not accept any substitutions! Our calorie consumption for the length of the trip had to be some scary number, but in all fairness, we also walked a ton. We spent a whole day in Manhattan, and I marched poor Melissa from Central Park West and 72nd Street (she's a HUGE Beatles fan and got to see Strawberry Fields) down to 42nd Street/Times Square. If you've ever been to NY, city blocks are loooong, so that was some major cardio we did that day. We'd also been to The Cloisters museum, which houses all medieval art, in the morning and walked all over there. We decided to return to Manhattan the night before we left, too, and paid a visit to the campus of my alma mater, New York University, before browsing around the Times Square area again once more.
Our trip went by all too fast; when it was time to pack up, we felt like we had only just arrived. We went a little crazy with the shopping, but most of it was for family. We ended up packing the smaller suitcase with all of the gifts and the larger one with everything else. Fortunately, we were comfortably under the baggage weight limit! We had another early flight back home, 6:30 A.M., and were utterly wiped out by the time we pulled into my driveway. It was all completely worthwhile, though; we regret nothing about the trip, including the money we spent on everything, and would visit there again in a heartbeat.
And now for some photos!
View from up by The Cloisters museum. I really miss seeing the trees change color in the fall.
More fall foliage, with a view of the George Washington Bridge.
The Cloisters
Some buildings around Columbus Circle
View of Manhattan from the Greenpoint, Brooklyn waterfront.
Another waterfront shot, with the Williamsburg Bridge in the background.