I was sitting at my brother Eric's house, it was a few minutes before midnight, I was half dozing and began to think about the last few New Years when the ball dropped and I kissed Teri and said this year will be better then last year. I grew sad because this year I couldn't. Every Year I have said that to her it feels like it has been more of the same. It was a good year, because it could have been worse. Yes each year has had it's high points and it's low points, but I'm at the point of my life where I want more and better good times. I see the environment changing for the worse despite what Trumps says. I see anger every where I go and yes people still care, but it seems different. Thinking and praying for our soldiers used to be more then a political statement. It was the populace saying we're sorry about the mistakes of Vietnam on both sides and We will never make them again, we're just making them in a different way.
I was going to make this blog posting about my laments over the last few years and not talk politics, I'm sorry, I don't want to get into that crap. I just wonder what we're leaving the next generation. I see some amazing people in my family and hpe they will have the opportunity.
New Years was a same old, same old except I didn't tell my wife this years will be better then last year. Her usual reply would have been, I hope so. This year , I said Happy New Year. Then I said something that I hoped would have supplanted the this year will be better then last year, I just don't remember what it was and I guess maybe that is for the best. I need to stop comparing the years to each other and just be happy that everyone has survived the past year, more or less in tack and remember that I have an amazing wife and two wonderful daughters that are on track to be amazing women. People that Russia will be sorry that they gave away.
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Went to see the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center
Well my Wife talked about it for several weeks and I kept saying yes, being it was several weeks away and I didn't have to worry about it yet, well it finally came. We went to see the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center, on a Saturday no less.
In the Eighties, I went with my friend, Rob, his girlfriend and my girlfriend. it was great. There were people, but We could move around and We even went for a horse drawn carriage ride. It was relaxing and fun wandering around the city, we were young and it wasn't packed.
Flash forward thirty, I mean forty odd years and Teri is talking about going to see the tree. OK, no problem, except the girls have to get off of work or at least get out of work early. I'll finish this later
It all gets arranged and We are set to go to Manhattan to Rockefeller Center and see the Tree. We went several years ago when New York City's tourist traffic was booming. The Tree was surrounded by wave after wave of people. This Year I had hopes for better.
The Girls got home rather quickly and We all piled into what is now Nastia;s car, the Escape. I gave her the car and bought a 2000 White Grand Am, it's my fun car. We took the Escape because a full sized SUV, like Teri's Highlander would be more expensive to park. It might cost like ten dollars more, on top of the forty dollars it costs to park now. (I hope someone is laughing at my estimation of the cost of parking a car in the city) We all pile into the car and head out. Teri has the GPS going and I head down King's Highway and see the huge tree that someone decorates every year out front of their house. Teri asks me where I'm going. Being a lad from West Nyack, everytime I went to the city I would get on the thruway and go up to the Palisades Parkway. Teri being from that cosmopolitan city of Nyack alway went down Rt 303 to the Palisades. I'm not saying she's wrong, been married too long for that, I'm saying old habits are hard to brake. I get to the Palisades Mall and see that traffic is backed up going north on the thruway, so I head to Rt 303 and go south, like Teri thought I should.
She has the GPS still going and when we get to the city it tells us to get off at 57th street, the sanitation dept. exit. It then tells me to go north. Now I'm old school/new school so I listen to it after all it is a women's voice and I have been listening to a women's voice for so long it is second nature for me EVEN WHEN IT TELLS ME TO GO NORTH TO SEE THE TREE. I listen thinking I really don't remember where Rockefeller Center is and maybe it is north. I cross several Avenues before I head up town. At the traffic circle I am told to make the second right and the GPS then turns me around and I go throught the traffic circle again again takin the second right this time heading down town, until it wants to turn me around to head back up town. At this point I ask Nancy to look up the location of Rockefeller Center because I'm going old school,
I'm going to count the streets until I get to the right street then I'm going to count the Avenues until I get to the right one. It sort of works. I am reminded on my trip cross town that there are no turns off the roads in midtown. I drive straight until I think fifth Avenue to make my right. I watch several lights change without moving wondering why idoits are in the intersection when the light changes, well unil I do it anyway, it looked like I'd fit. The Cop I didn't see tells me he said to stop. No ticket, thank god. Down fifth Avenue until I get to 48th and I turn right. I'm looking for parking. 48th was a big mistake. We sit and watch the light change several times and only move a few feet. I think back to all the stories about how bad traffic in the city has gotten over the years and remember it was never this bad when I went to see the tree. It get worse when an Ambulance tries to squeeze down the street. After twenty minutes, half an hour I get moving again. I'm squeezing in front of cars, going places I would never have gone just to get out of the traffic we've been sitting in. I scare myself. Later Nastia comments about it. I don't apologize, maybe I should have, it is her car now. I just show bravado, Well I got us here, didn't I? Wrong message to send really.
It takes two hours from house to parking garage. We finally see one 257 West 47th street, I pull up, exhausted only to have the attendant wave we away. I begin to back out onto the street when he runs down saying someone is leaving. We have a parking spot. Life is good.
We walk toward Rockefeller Center and follow all the people. It gets more and more crowded. We are heading east, then We turn uptown on some Avenue and are stopped by huge crowds. We are only able to move forward when the walk signal says to. It takes several changes for us to get to the signal. We cross thinking it will be better on the other side, it is not. We go another block. I see Radio City and remember Rockefeller Center is near. We get to that block and it is no where to be seen, I want to go home. Nancy says to circle around, so We do. We go left a block, right a block, the crowds start to get heavy again we hang another right and end up back were we were. Someone, maybe Nancy says to go toward Radio City it's on the other side.
Finally we find it. Everyone is happy and I think it looks like the one down the street on Kings Highway, only this one took over two hours to see. We take lots of pictures and leave. Carmines where we wanted to eat is booked . Teri called several days ago. So We head to the parking garage to pick up Nastia's mud splattered car.
Mud splattered because she is parking on what was a one time the lawn. I glance at the price of parking, expecting something around $40.00 here is the laugh from earlier, $57.00, I pay it and increase my tip to the guy getting the car to $6.00, it's all the cash I have. I'm a little out of touch I guess. We go home and have a nice dinner at a diner in Nanuet. All in all much walking was had by all.
//
In the Eighties, I went with my friend, Rob, his girlfriend and my girlfriend. it was great. There were people, but We could move around and We even went for a horse drawn carriage ride. It was relaxing and fun wandering around the city, we were young and it wasn't packed.
Flash forward thirty, I mean forty odd years and Teri is talking about going to see the tree. OK, no problem, except the girls have to get off of work or at least get out of work early. I'll finish this later
It all gets arranged and We are set to go to Manhattan to Rockefeller Center and see the Tree. We went several years ago when New York City's tourist traffic was booming. The Tree was surrounded by wave after wave of people. This Year I had hopes for better.
The Girls got home rather quickly and We all piled into what is now Nastia;s car, the Escape. I gave her the car and bought a 2000 White Grand Am, it's my fun car. We took the Escape because a full sized SUV, like Teri's Highlander would be more expensive to park. It might cost like ten dollars more, on top of the forty dollars it costs to park now. (I hope someone is laughing at my estimation of the cost of parking a car in the city) We all pile into the car and head out. Teri has the GPS going and I head down King's Highway and see the huge tree that someone decorates every year out front of their house. Teri asks me where I'm going. Being a lad from West Nyack, everytime I went to the city I would get on the thruway and go up to the Palisades Parkway. Teri being from that cosmopolitan city of Nyack alway went down Rt 303 to the Palisades. I'm not saying she's wrong, been married too long for that, I'm saying old habits are hard to brake. I get to the Palisades Mall and see that traffic is backed up going north on the thruway, so I head to Rt 303 and go south, like Teri thought I should.
She has the GPS still going and when we get to the city it tells us to get off at 57th street, the sanitation dept. exit. It then tells me to go north. Now I'm old school/new school so I listen to it after all it is a women's voice and I have been listening to a women's voice for so long it is second nature for me EVEN WHEN IT TELLS ME TO GO NORTH TO SEE THE TREE. I listen thinking I really don't remember where Rockefeller Center is and maybe it is north. I cross several Avenues before I head up town. At the traffic circle I am told to make the second right and the GPS then turns me around and I go throught the traffic circle again again takin the second right this time heading down town, until it wants to turn me around to head back up town. At this point I ask Nancy to look up the location of Rockefeller Center because I'm going old school,
It takes two hours from house to parking garage. We finally see one 257 West 47th street, I pull up, exhausted only to have the attendant wave we away. I begin to back out onto the street when he runs down saying someone is leaving. We have a parking spot. Life is good.
We walk toward Rockefeller Center and follow all the people. It gets more and more crowded. We are heading east, then We turn uptown on some Avenue and are stopped by huge crowds. We are only able to move forward when the walk signal says to. It takes several changes for us to get to the signal. We cross thinking it will be better on the other side, it is not. We go another block. I see Radio City and remember Rockefeller Center is near. We get to that block and it is no where to be seen, I want to go home. Nancy says to circle around, so We do. We go left a block, right a block, the crowds start to get heavy again we hang another right and end up back were we were. Someone, maybe Nancy says to go toward Radio City it's on the other side. 
Finally we find it. Everyone is happy and I think it looks like the one down the street on Kings Highway, only this one took over two hours to see. We take lots of pictures and leave. Carmines where we wanted to eat is booked . Teri called several days ago. So We head to the parking garage to pick up Nastia's mud splattered car. Mud splattered because she is parking on what was a one time the lawn. I glance at the price of parking, expecting something around $40.00 here is the laugh from earlier, $57.00, I pay it and increase my tip to the guy getting the car to $6.00, it's all the cash I have. I'm a little out of touch I guess. We go home and have a nice dinner at a diner in Nanuet. All in all much walking was had by all.
//
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