The City

~ MaryG

Growing up in Massachusetts, I should have visited New York City before age 18, but I did not. For some reason, my parents never took us there, even though my mother’s parents were true Brooklynites—Dodgers fans before “dem bums” moved to LA. I remember my grandmother always pronounced certain words the Brooklyn way—“earl” for oil and “erster” for oyster. (My grandparents moved to Worcester, Massachusetts early in their marriage and never returned to Brooklyn.)

I first went to NYC on a bus from my college in Hartford in the mid eighties. We went for the day. I’ll never forget seeing those vertigo-inducing Manhattan skyscrapers for the first time. New York is so much bigger and taller than all the other American cities. Chicago, Miami, Philly, DC, LA, San Francisco, and of course Boston, are all special in their own ways, but New York is the greatest of them all. (And I say this as someone who grew up despising the New York Yankees.)

On that very first trip to NYC, I remember a shopkeeper asked me where I was from and I said “How do you know I’m not from New York?” He answered, “Because you’re not wearing black and you smiled and said thank you.” He guessed I was from Connecticut. Also, on that same trip, my friend Ann told me to quit gawking and saying things like “I can’t believe I’m in NEW YORK.”

I was determined to expose my kids to NYC before they were 18, so they wouldn’t seem so naive and Connecticutty when they visited.

A photo I took of my sister in NYC in 1987. (She was living there at the time and did not give Connecticut vibes like I did.)
My friend Andreada in Washington Square Park in 1988. That was a wild trip. NYC in the late 80s was a bit scary. I had to sit near a nasty perv on the bus down and got robbed of my leather coat while I was out at a bar. AIDS and drug addiction were casting a pall.
My daughter in the Empire State Building, 2005
My son’s first trip to NYC, 2011
A mini-reunion with high school friends in Manhattan in 2011.

In 2018, I just HAD to see Hamilton on Broadway, so my friend Dina and I planned to go down for the day in late March. I thought we’d be safe from winter storms, so I bought tickets to a matinee. But then a freak spring snowstorm was forecast so we went down on the train the night before, so as to not miss the show. Well, the snowstorm was so bad that they cancelled our Amtrak home and we had to stay over a second night. It was quite a snowy adventure! We ended up running into a friend who took us to see a second Broadway show (Carousel starring Renée Fleming) for free. (She had extra tickets because her friends wouldn’t brave the snow.) We ate at the famous Sardi’s restaurant after the show.

The Hamilton marquis on Broadway, 2018
My friend Dina outside the Bryant Park Grill in March 2018. Amtrak shut down for two days due to this little bit of snow! We took the bus home instead.

I went back to NYC for a conference the following month. There was no sign of snow then. I think that was my last trip to the City. I’m not sure when I’ll go back again, but I will.

26 thoughts on “The City”

  1. Wonderful wonderful photos. So love New York! My son hasn’t yet let me convince him to go, but thankfully the oldest two have had full exploring adventures. I used to go twice a year for work and felt so guilty not to bring them, especially wandering the MET. I’ll talk him into it one day. 🙂

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    1. Thanks so much for your comment, Stephanie! It’s funny that you mentioned your son. My son is headed down there this weekend which prompted this post. I’m glad he feels comfortable going down there on his own now. The Met is in on my list for next time.

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  2. What a fun post! Great photos! I never even got close to NYC until I was in my 50’s. And even then — I took my daughter and her friend to see Newsies on Broadway. It was a whirlwind trip. My first proper trip was about 3 years ago. It is QUITE a city.

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    1. I just googled Melbourne — it’s very big! I did not realize. For years after that first trip, I only wore black to NY. Now that I’m older, I wear what I want. 🌈😊

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  7. What a city! To me, the city of cities. I enjoyed reading about your experiences there, especially the snowy time you had there.

    Our eldest daughter lived there for 20 years—she now lives with us—and we visited many times. Such fun! We went to Waiting for Godot with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. We went to Cony Island. My favorite? Smorgasburg (sp?), food truck after food truck in Williamsburg, which reminded me of Sesame Street.

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    1. Oh, wow, thanks for sharing those memories Laurie. I forgot about Sesame Street! That was a great introduction to the “city of cities” …in all its richness and diversity. Also, twenty years! She was a true New Yorker.

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  8. Such a wonderful post. I enjoyed hearing about your first time and being pegged as a non-new yorker. If I was in your shoes then, I’d probably be the same. I’ve only been to NY a few times on business. In and out and no time for fun. My wife and I need to plan a fun trip together.

    On a side note, my niece just moved into her dorm in Boston. She is excited to start her first year of college on the east coast. We are all excited for her!

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    1. Thank you so much for your nice comment! Boston is so exciting in the fall, with all that youthful energy from all over the world. Your niece will love it! (This is my first year in forever having no kid going back to school. Kinda weird.)

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    1. It’s great you made it there once! Especially from the West Coast. I agree, too many places, so we need to prioritize based on the places that really “call to us” for whatever reason.🌎 Ireland is calling me!

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