April 11 & April 12, 2007One would think that two canceled flights for two different people flying to the same airport would have been a sign that this trip was going to be a wild ride. As I called Ginger to let her know that I would be flying into LaGuardia instead of Newark, NJ, she told me about the chain of events that happened on her last day of work. My canceled and redirected flight was just another to tag on her list right after Lynette’s having to fly on a different airline because of a canceled flight and her locking herself out of her apartment for the first time on her second to the last night of living there.
Our adventures in the past have always been great fun but not without a dash of drama to add a little flavor. Why I expected this trip to be any different, I don’t know. As I listened and laughed at all that occurred during her day, I couldn’t help but hope that all the drama and unpredictable circumstance decided to happen all at the beginning to clear the way for a smooth trip to North Carolina.
After hours of sitting on airplanes and waiting in airports, the three of us finally made it to Ginger’s apartment completely exhausted. After a brief discussion about the plans for the next couple of days, I finally found my way to the much-needed sleep at about 1 am. Little did I know that this would be the first of many late nights.
My internal clock woke me up around eight o’clock. I slept well and decided stay on the couch for just a little bit longer to think about a course of action for the day. We had a lot to do and very little time to do it. Empty boxes were stacked around her apartment waiting to be filled.
As the day progressed, Ginger and Lynette went to get the U-haul as I continued to pack boxes. Completely focused on the job at hand I really didn’t pay attention to what was happening outside. Only upon Lynette’s return did I notice the next piece of drama that we were now facing. As Lynette noticed my progress in packing, I could only look at all of the water that was dripping off her jacket and the water line that was inching up the bottom of her jeans.
Despite the rain, the climbing of many stairs, and the small hike to the truck parked down the street, Lynette and I manage to make great progress loading the truck while Ginger went to pick up her mom. Ginger’s roommate Carol and Carol’s boyfriend Matt also joined in the efforts, and soon everything was loaded and ready for our early morning departure. At this point the rain stopped and we decided that we could not leave Hoboken, NJ without taking a little trip across the Hudson River to spend Ginger’s last evening in NYC.
Both Lynette and I had come to visit Ginger before on separate occasions. During our prior visits all the big tourist attractions were seen. Because of our previous visits to the City, we wanted to take this opportunity to do the less common things that one really doesn’t think of when New York City is mentioned. We left the apartment around 6 to catch the bus into the city. The three of us love the movie Hitch, so we decided that we would go to a place were they filmed a scene in the movie. A place that can only be found in New York; a place called Rice to Riches.
I have never sat down and tried to learn the New York public transportation system. I just follow Ginger and settle into the flow of the sea of people. Having seen what our destination looks like in the movie, I kept me eyes peeled as we were walking waiting to see if it was around the next corner focusing on little else except the path I was to take through large groups of people.
As I made my way through a large group of people, I suddenly heard Lynette and Ginger calling my name. I turned around to see that they had stopped walking. I didn’t quite understand what was going on. I knew we hadn’t reached Rice to Riches, so I joined them still trying to figure out what was happening. As I started to notice my surroundings, it slowly began to sink in where we were.
The three of us have always been into the arts. New York City has no shortage of live performances and in the past each time we have been to the city we have seen a show. The last time Lynnette came to visit Ginger, they did a lot of the things that we planned on doing on this trip. The show that they saw was at the top of my list and I was very disappointed that they went and saw it without me. Because this visit was so short, I didn’t think that we would have enough time to go and see a show.
All of my doubts and disappointments were shattered as we stood in line waiting for the doors to
open for Stomp, the one show that has been at the top of my list for as long as I can remember. Not only were we going to see the show, but as an early birthday present Ginger and Lynette paid for my ticket! I would have to say that they are pretty much the best friends a person could have! I am not big on surprises, as they have learned in the past. They took a chance. They took a risk. And it paid off big. So big that I didn’t even know how to react once I figured everything out. I don’t know what the look was on my face, but that combined with the confusion I initially went through gave them plenty to laugh about. It seemed the drama of the days events were finally taking a turn for the better.
<= After witnessing such an incredible show, it was time to finish what we set out to do. Rice to Riches wasn’t far, and soon we found ourselves in the great dilemma of choosing which flavor of rice pudding to try. I must say that is was not any easy choice. They only had about 20 flavors to choose from. But as it turned out it could not have work out more perfectly. We each got an epic, which has two flavors. Almost each flavor chosen was a
different flavor so we all got to try ad enjoy several different flavors while taking in the unique ambiance.
=>The late transit back to NJ was nice and quiet. We all were tired from the day’s events but satisfied that much was accomplished and great times were experienced. Now all we could do was get a good night sleep to prepare of the early rise and the long awaited adventure that was ahead.
