Escape from New York
May. 20th, 2004 01:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vettecatI'm home again, after further adventures in the Big City. This morning we got up early so we could check out of our room and put our bags in hotel storage before leaving for the Show. Then we headed back over to the Javits Center and tried to cover as much ground as we could in the remaining hours. There's always more to see but I think we did well with the time we had available. Got lots of cool new stuff.
The show closed today at 3, so shortly thereafter (got distracted on the way out... got a few things for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sdavido from people who didn't feel like packing everything) we went outside to wait for the shuttle back to the hotel. It was raining, so we (and lots of other people) hung back under an awning. Our plan was to go back to the hotel and drop off some stuff, then go get pizza (hadn't had lunch yet), and return to the hotel to retrieve our stuff and catch a cab to Penn Station for our 6 p.m. train.
However, since it was the end of the Show, the shuttles were running really slow, and there was lots of traffic... we didn't get back to the hotel until after 4:15. By the time we got everything organized (we were shipping some stuff home so we wouldn't have to carry it all) it was almost 4:45, and there was a long line for taxis, with none in sight. My mother was getting really worried about the time so we decided to forgo the pizza (oh well) and just grab tuna sandwiches someplace nearby instead. Unfortunately they weren't good tuna sandwiches so we didn't finish them... but at least it was something.
While eating we had been watching the traffic, which seemed to be moving slower than a walking pace. My mother asked someone where we were relative to Penn Station, and he said it was about 10 blocks straight down - he guessed a 15 minute walk. It was about 5:15 so we decided to try that, as our odds of getting a taxi did not seem good.
However, the traffic on the sidewalk was even worse! It was unreal how densely packed the people were; it was hard to move even a few steps forward. At one point there were barriers along the sidewalk, with people behind them staring upwards. I have no idea what they were looking at but it made it even harder to make any progress. We had gone maybe 1/2 a block. Then I saw a cab pull to the sidewalk and let someone out just ahead of us. I leapt for it, and thankfully managed to get there before anyone else did! Whew! So we now had a cab, and could leave it to him to find a way to cut through the traffic. Plus we didn't have to carry our luggage, which was a relief.
After a few tense minutes in traffic (how is it that there aren't more accidents?) we arrived at Penn Station. There was a solid wave of people flowing into the station. We made our way in and looked to see which track our train was on, but one hadn't been assigned yet. (It was about 5:40.) So we went to the Amtrak desk to see if they had any information. They confirmed that the track wasn't assigned yet, but since we had decided to treat ourselves and go first-class, a redcap appeared, took our luggage, and led us to the lounge. (At that point we would have been just as happy to sit down where we were, but we followed him.)
A few minutes later, he returned and led us back toward an escalator. He paused at the top and waited, I realized afterwards, until nobody was on it. Then he bent down and fiddled with something, and it started going down instead of up. Neat trick! We rode down with him; he paused at the bottom, waited again for it to be empty, and switched it back to go up. Then he led us down the track, and we boarded our train, right on time.
The trip home was pleasant and uneventful. We found out while on board that if we had asked in advance, we could have gotten kosher meals! Oh well. We had cookies. Did some reading, and I spent part of the time charting our purchases so we can keep track of everything.
Finally we were back in Boston! Yay! It seems so peaceful in comparison... and my father andsdavido were waiting for us. It's so nice to be home. Unfortunately after the basic settling-in and catching-up it's already late, and I know tomorrow's going to be really busy, so I'd better get to bed. Maybe tomorrow night I can catch up on mail and posts - or try to, at least!
The show closed today at 3, so shortly thereafter (got distracted on the way out... got a few things for
sdavido from people who didn't feel like packing everything) we went outside to wait for the shuttle back to the hotel. It was raining, so we (and lots of other people) hung back under an awning. Our plan was to go back to the hotel and drop off some stuff, then go get pizza (hadn't had lunch yet), and return to the hotel to retrieve our stuff and catch a cab to Penn Station for our 6 p.m. train.However, since it was the end of the Show, the shuttles were running really slow, and there was lots of traffic... we didn't get back to the hotel until after 4:15. By the time we got everything organized (we were shipping some stuff home so we wouldn't have to carry it all) it was almost 4:45, and there was a long line for taxis, with none in sight. My mother was getting really worried about the time so we decided to forgo the pizza (oh well) and just grab tuna sandwiches someplace nearby instead. Unfortunately they weren't good tuna sandwiches so we didn't finish them... but at least it was something.
While eating we had been watching the traffic, which seemed to be moving slower than a walking pace. My mother asked someone where we were relative to Penn Station, and he said it was about 10 blocks straight down - he guessed a 15 minute walk. It was about 5:15 so we decided to try that, as our odds of getting a taxi did not seem good.
However, the traffic on the sidewalk was even worse! It was unreal how densely packed the people were; it was hard to move even a few steps forward. At one point there were barriers along the sidewalk, with people behind them staring upwards. I have no idea what they were looking at but it made it even harder to make any progress. We had gone maybe 1/2 a block. Then I saw a cab pull to the sidewalk and let someone out just ahead of us. I leapt for it, and thankfully managed to get there before anyone else did! Whew! So we now had a cab, and could leave it to him to find a way to cut through the traffic. Plus we didn't have to carry our luggage, which was a relief.
After a few tense minutes in traffic (how is it that there aren't more accidents?) we arrived at Penn Station. There was a solid wave of people flowing into the station. We made our way in and looked to see which track our train was on, but one hadn't been assigned yet. (It was about 5:40.) So we went to the Amtrak desk to see if they had any information. They confirmed that the track wasn't assigned yet, but since we had decided to treat ourselves and go first-class, a redcap appeared, took our luggage, and led us to the lounge. (At that point we would have been just as happy to sit down where we were, but we followed him.)
A few minutes later, he returned and led us back toward an escalator. He paused at the top and waited, I realized afterwards, until nobody was on it. Then he bent down and fiddled with something, and it started going down instead of up. Neat trick! We rode down with him; he paused at the bottom, waited again for it to be empty, and switched it back to go up. Then he led us down the track, and we boarded our train, right on time.
The trip home was pleasant and uneventful. We found out while on board that if we had asked in advance, we could have gotten kosher meals! Oh well. We had cookies. Did some reading, and I spent part of the time charting our purchases so we can keep track of everything.
Finally we were back in Boston! Yay! It seems so peaceful in comparison... and my father and
sdavido were waiting for us. It's so nice to be home. Unfortunately after the basic settling-in and catching-up it's already late, and I know tomorrow's going to be really busy, so I'd better get to bed. Maybe tomorrow night I can catch up on mail and posts - or try to, at least!
