Did I Survive the Trek to New York City?

Maybe you've been wondering how I fared on our trip to NYC. Maybe you haven't been wondering but I'll tell you about it anyway.

If you have never been there, it's really hard to explain the amount of walking you do in NYC. When I first started going regularly for pleasure, I walked a lot. I walked briskly. I walked like a New Yorker.

This time, I walked as little as possible. We didn't use the subway. We took cabs. Everywhere. We even took a cab from our hotel on 54th and Broadway down to the Financial District. Again, if you're unfamiliar with New York, it's about 5 miles or a 20-minute cab ride. Truthfully, I was grateful to be able to take cabs because the weather was cold, windy, rainy, and just generally miserable. Not to mention that I could not envision myself taking the stairs down to the subway and back up again.

One last thing about the cab rides- my husband had a conversation with one of our drivers. Our driver told us that we were his first fare at 11:00 AM. He said that usually by that time, he would have made 8-10 trips, but we were his first. A cold, windy, rainy, Sunday morning at 11:00 AM and we were his first fare.

That's the perfect pivot to my next point: NYC, the city that never sleeps, the city that puts the "hustle" in "hustle and bustle", was eerily quiet. I took this photo near the western border of Times Square (Broadway around 50th) on Saturday night. Saturday night was Halloween. I did not edit any people or cars out of the photo. Broadway- New York City- truly was that empty.

Next time we go, I hope to be able to walk a little more, or at least take a subway. This was my husband's first visit to New York, and there are things we didn't do, mostly due to the weather. I want to take him to Chinatown and Little Italy. I'd like to take him to the Vessel and Hudson Yards. I'd like to take him to the Museum of Natural History.

There should be more opportunities to play tour guide, and maybe, gradually, we might see New York the way I remember it looking; busy, crowded, and full of life.

Start Spreadin' the News

We're leaving today...

So long story short, my daughter is going to college in New York City and the school delayed their start until early November. Her move-in date happens to be on Halloween. Yes, that means we will be in New York on Halloween during a full blue moon. Yes, I know it's an unusual/late start date for college. This school is on a different schedule. They have longer semesters and shorter breaks than a standard school. 

I have been wondering how I will fare. New York is always a lot of walking no matter how many taxis you take or subways you ride. The hotel I booked is close to her school, but my husband is joining us for the first time. I'd like to show him some sights. I'm hoping it will be enjoyable for all of us. Especially because we may be going back for Thanksgiving. Since the school delayed starting, my daughter doesn't get a Thanksgiving break; she literally has off Thanksgiving Day, not the day after. I'm not sure I want her to be alone on Thanksgiving, but I'm also not sure if we can find a restaurant open on Thanksgiving. I'm playing this one with a wait-and-see attitude.

The weather is supposed to be cool, which is always a bonus for me. We all know what heat does to me. Hm? What's that? What does the heat do? Oh, the heat turns me into a feral beast. The heat amplifies my symptoms, puts a veil of fog over my brain, and well, just generally makes me a wretched mess. In other words, I'm grateful it's supposed to be cooler. 

So, wish us luck. Leaving my first-born in NYC by herself is going to be a challenge. I'm so excited for her to start this new adventure, counterbalanced with my son being incredibly sad (though he's putting on a brave face, I can tell from the little comments he makes) to "lose" his bestest bud, pal, companion, and favorite sister. They have always been close, but since the quarantine/pandemic/stay-home order was enacted in March, they have become even closer.

Stay tuned for further updates.

Ha! I Knew I'd Find You Here.

When we were kids, we'd watch the weird kung fu movies with the worst dubbing of English over the native language of the film. It seemed every movie had either the hero or the villain saying that line to his counterpart. 

In truth, I wasn't sure I'd really find you here seeing as it's been a while since I've been here.

I've been deliberating about resuming this blog, and a conversation I had yesterday pushed me into action. 

A quick recap of who I am and what led me here:

The Day My Life Officially Changed

When I really thought about why I started this blog, a few reasons came to mind instantly. Yes, initially it was to chronicle my journey through a clinical trial. We all know how that went. The reasons I continued writing, first, the selfish reason is that I really enjoy writing. The second, I thought maybe by sharing some of my experiences, someone might relate to them. Finally, I want to educate people about MS, life with MS, and what your loved one might be thinking but loves you too much to tell you. 

It's probably the easiest thing to do- to give up, stop fighting. To take the path of least resistance. If I'm honest, of course there were times that I wanted to stop trying. Not the BIG stop trying, just stop experimenting with treatments that made me feel worse than just having MS. I guess I am not the person who...wait- I KNOW I am not the person who backs down from a challenge. I just choose my battles a lot more selectively. 

So, for what it's worth, here I am. Again.