Monday came all too fast…there was so, so much more we could have done. But that is ok, now I have a reason to go back.
The Empire State Building was the big event for the day. First we went on the NYC Skyride within the ESB. It was fun. It was a simulated helicopter/car/boat ride around New York City and all it has to offer. The ride came with our New York Pass. Otherwise it would have been $42!!!! Was it worth $42? NO! Was it worth doing for free, essentially? Yes. Especially because Kevin Bacon was the narrator 
It was a cloudy, cloudy day of course…which made us wonder why we’d left the Empire State Building for the last. That’s ok though-by the time we got to the top it had cleared up enough to see on and on and on…(I apologize for the bajillion photos of the same thing…it was just too much fun, and I think the Chrysler building is beautiful. It’s the one in most the pictures..I only got one picture of the outside of the ESB).
After the ESB we didn’t have much time til the sisters had to leave to catch their flight. We were close to Grand Central Station, so that is where we went. It was awesome!!! Such a beautiful building! Chandeliers and constellations on the ceiling, and shops and food everywhere you looked.
Since coming in to Manhattan had been such a pain (and so expensive) for all of us, we decided to take a bus/shuttle airport service back. This was a smart move. This is the last picture I took…of my sisters heading off to the airport- and from there headed to their two different states. It was sad to see them go. I’m never sure when I’m going to see Lyd again next; and Sav I don’t get to see much of either. We had so much fun, and I will be eternally grateful to them for humoring me by going to NYC and letting me boss them around. I don’t think they realize how much that meant to me. I love them forever. And I had so much fun!
After they left I went and got myself some frozen yogurt. Side note: funny thing I realized while there…they have more Starbucks than you can count, but very, very few ice cream places. It is the antithesis of Utah. Anyway. I then got loaded on to my bus out to JFK. Little did I realize the long, looooonnnggggg hours that awaited me. First of all, rush hour starts about 3pm…even on a Monday.
It took 2 hrs to get to the airport. It was only supposed to have taken about 45 minutes. That’s ok, I had an absolutely wonderful ride. For whatever reason when I got on the bus I sat directly behind the driver. A little old man shortly followed and took the seat besides me. Pretty soon he started talking. He was a little rough around the edges, but instead of crawling back inside myself (which I have found myself doing a lot in recent years) I decided to talk back…completely candidly. I’m so glad I did! He was from Melbourne Australia. We traded stories about what it’s like in each of our home lands; the roads, the weather; the wildlife, etc. We compared them to NY. The bus driver jumped in also. We talked about education, careers, government, and making money. The man from Melbourne told me about meeting Russell Crowe and what a fantastic bloke he is. I didn’t agree with all of the other two’s views, but that was ok. I didn’t need to in order to enjoy their company. Despite the bad traffic and other passengers yelling at the driver for “making them late”…I stayed happy. I laughed and tried to give encouragement. It was me-the white overweight mormon mom, the old drinking man from Melbourne, and the middle-aged, black bus driver --and we were the only ones that existed. When the bus finally pulled up to JFK, and as another passenger was getting off the bus, she stopped and looked at the bus driver and said, “you had Miss Optimistic right behind you the whole time. I’m glad she was here.” It was a sincere and beautiful compliment, and for the first time in a long time I felt like I had been an influence for good. A light in the world. A small, but still very real source of happiness, and I felt like my heart was going to burst. I realized that even though I had not brought up my religion or tried to convert anybody, I could still be the Light of Christ and allow others to feel of His love through me. The bus driver and old man told me many times “it was so good to meet you. Thank you for riding the bus and talking to us”. I would gladly have done it a hundred times more. It was definitely my privilege.
It was probably a good thing I had that experience, because once I got to the airport things just kinda went downhill. First of all my blood sugar was through the roof which made me not feel too hot. Also, some passenger on the previous flight had thought it a smart idea to flush a diaper down the airplanes toilet, which caused the lou to back up and make a huge mess. We waited for 1.5 hrs for it to get cleaned, and when they realized it wasn’t going to be ready to fly any time soon, they decided to bring another plane over from another terminal. We were supposed to have taken off at 7:09- we actually took off at 9:35! That’s ok. I didn’t have a connecting flight, and my sisters did, so if it had to happen to someone I’m glad it was me.
So in short-I had a wonderful time. My feet have never hurt so badly, but I didn’t hardly feel it because I was so excited about taking everything in. If you are going to NYC for the first time, you need to be there for several days!!! That way you can enjoy everything. I love watching shows now with NYC in them because a lot of times I recognize where they are! haha! I’m such a nerd. Thanks for reading. I miss you New York. I’ll be back though.,
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