NYC Meanderings

(Friday, July 13) A week ago, I was in NYC with my sister and we were on a train coming back to the city after an afternoon in Yonkers visiting the set where my son is working on a film. It was being shot in an old mansion, quite spooky, as befitting the mood of the film, which is of the horror genre and based on the novel, “Innocence,” a beautifully written story by Jane Mendelsohn. It was such a joy to see him at work and have the opportunity to meet his crew. The only photos I took on the set were the director chairs with his name on one and the film director’s on the other. That was a very proud moment for this mom. After a few hours, the heat was really getting to me and we needed to find transportation back to the city. A crew member was taking the train to get to her second job, as a tailor in the wardrobe department of one of the plays on Broadway, and thanks to one of the guys on the production crew, we were able to catch a ride to the Yonkers station with her. She, very graciously, helped us maneuver the process. I had always wanted to ride a train from Grand Central Station, and this opportunity just fell into our laps, only we were going into Grand Central. Ah, sweet serendipity. We rode along the Hudson River and it was just so beautifully peaceful, I could just imagine what it would be like in the fall with all the leaves in full color and the winter, with everything covered in white snow. As we pulled into the city and saw the majestic buildings, I felt the thrill of the sheer energy of all the millions of people who live and work there. I was really excited about pulling into GCS and had all kinds of images in my mind of just how it would look. Well, imagine my surprise when we suddenly went to dark...no trees, no buildings, no people...just dark...like an underground tunnel, which, of course, is just what it was. Please pardon my lack of sophistication, but I had no idea that the trains would go underground...like where the subways are. It really took me a while to come to terms with the reality. Underground! I though we would come into the station on ground level...not under! WTF!!! It was like a parody of life...what you think is not what it is...so you turn it around in your mind until it makes some kind of sense,sort of. Once we reached our destination and we got above ground and saw the inside of Grand Central Station, I looked up at the ceiling and forgot all about the dark entry...all was well...all was beautifully and wondrously well. The ceiling!!! The windows!!!! The majesty!!! The people!!!!! The energy!!!! My heart sang with the sheer joy and amazement of being, finally, in Grand Central Station. It only took me 69 years to get there, but maybe I needed to be this old to totally appreciate it, as is should be appreciated. We saw so many things that were just mind-boggling...the crowd at Times Square was both exhilarating and terrifying for this claustrophobic ol’ Carolina Beach gal. I loved, loved, loved, the multicultural presence and wished that somehow we could send every single schoolchild to NYC for a month so they could experience and come to understand the vastness of our country. Then, maybe the fear and the prejudices would finally be put to rest. We’re just people...every single one of us. The kindness of the people who helped us get our bearings and sent us in the direction we needed to be going was unfailingly consistent. And, trust me, we needed them more times than I can even remember. Most days we just started walking and were open to whatever came our way. I had my mind set on going to a Goodwill store, so we set out for the closest one which was 30 blocks away...not a really big deal in NYC. The temp was supposed to reach 100 that day, so we figured we’d need to make several stops in the air conditioned shops along the way. No problem! It was so horribly hot, I decided to just wear my pajama bottoms because they’re the most lightweight pants I had and figured in NYC, who would notice? I topped them of with a tank top and we hit the streets. I won’t take you through the whole 30 blocks, but here’s a bit of what we saw along the way..... Gayle King!!! She’s a beautiful woman! Surely, you all know Gayle, right? Oprah's best friend! I didn’t follow her or approach her, but had Oprah been with her...well, that would have been a different story all together. Lincoln Center!!! OMG!!!! We sat on the very stairs that Anne Bancroft and Shirley McClain sat in “The Turning Point” and we went into the Metropolitan Opera Shop and there I was in my pj’s and it just felt ok...ya know? We listened to Riggelotto as we shopped. Need I say anything more? We meandered for 32 blocks and no Goodwill. But, no worries, we were just filled with the awesomeness of being in NYC. Took the subway back to our bar, had a little wine, and all was good. That night we went to see Roger Waters and “The WALL” at Yankee Stadium. I need a little more time to process that, so please hang with me for part 2 of our NYC meandering.