 |
| since I only | had a few | weeks to | get ready! |
Let's start this chat talking about flying, and what not to do that I have done:
Unfortunately, because the NYC plan was hatched so suddenly, airfare was pretty pricey. I absolutely encourage you to get airplane tickets as far ahead as possible.
We have been really lucky finding low prices by looking early, and selling our soul to one airline so we could accrue loyalty rewards. I think we picked up our Frontier credit card on our first trip to San Diego. We use that card consciously, almost exclusively to pay for travel, or strategic large purchases. We then pay it off right way and earn air miles for money spent. We have been able to find some really fantastic fares, often at a departure time we choose.
I encourage you to do some research on airlines before you settle down, or get one of the cards out there now that lets you use your miles on many different airlines. When we got ours we traveled rarely, and were not super experienced. Cheap was really most important in truth. However at this point Frontier has so many different fees, the seats are so tucked in there they took away the ability to lean back at all, so the seat is absolutely wrong for my body and very painful to sit in upright for hours with limited movement. I am not sure I can continue to fly on this airline for that reason alone.
At one point we traveled and I was not strong at all. I called ahead and arranged to have a wheelchair transport to help me get to my gate, trying to save my energy reserves for the rest of the trip. Weeks ahead I made arrangements. We arrived when told, then waited a really long time for the person with the chair, making us nearly late for our flight. The bonus is that the attendant bypassed all security lines and then waited while we went right through screening. We made it too late for the early boarding for those who need extra time, however I later realized that getting on the plane early just means you sit in those seats longer.
So back to that afternoon in early November. Because my trip was such a last minute surprise my flight times were about as awful as they could be for me. I departed Denver at 4:40pm, arriving in NYC at 10pm. I am often out of steam by 2pm! My return flight was even later, so I drove to the airport and parked instead of making Dan collect me after midnight. Thankfully I was on a stretch of feeling pretty good, and moving to a lower altitude seems to always mean a break for my body and a bit more energy with little less pain, potentially.
My friend thankfully said my best bet, late and tired, was to hire a car from the airport in NYC. So I called a car company she likes. It was curbside pickup, not someone standing holding a sign with my name, but it still felt pretty fancy to me! The ride was fantastic, absolutely a perfect start. I flew into Laguardia, which meant I drove from one end of Brooklyn to the other. I went right past the brightly lit up skyline of Manhattan, and could pick out familiar landmarks.
The big long bridges, the blackness of the water with the lights of ferry traffic. The Statue of Liberty from far across the water stood greeting me just like she greeting my ancestors coming to Ellis Island. (which I knew was right near that statue..). I looked and looked with such excitement that I can't quite express it!
The driver was just perfect as well. He was a Muslim man from Pakistan who had been in the USA for many years, raising 3 daughters with his wife. It was interesting to ask about how he was feeling being here, with the 2016 Presidential elections just days away. 2 of his daughters have married and returned to Pakistan, where they feel more comfortable. He was so very welcoming of me, proud of this city he has come to love. I am sad that he does not always feel as welcomed.
He helped me find the building I was staying in, and get my bags to the door, and suddenly I was quite on my own in NYC.
I entered the lobby and could not for the life of me find the elevator. There was one door that looked every so slightly different from the rest of them, but it was the same size and color. I finally noticed the buttons to the left of the door and the lack of a number. It opens and reveals a large closet sized elevator. Those are the sorts of details I love, and find so fascinating about travel. Well, about life in general.
My hostess had carefully given details on finding this magical little elevator(which I forgot), along with every aspect of her house, her cats, and epic tips on how to get around the city and not be a dork or unsafe. She also left me her metro cards, a gift certificate for acupuncture and some other things.
As you can imagine, I was pretty jazzed to be there, quite exhausted, and hurting a bit. So I set about trying to settle in, in the City that Never Sleeps I was supposed to sleep, when sleeping in general is really challenging for me!
No comments:
Post a Comment