We'll be back

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Tired and a little delirious from our NYC time-travelling - we left on the 17th and arrive back here after 21 hours of travel and it's the 19th - I type this final blog strangely back in Gordon Park. I have to write this before the day-to-day consumes me and I logout of the www.travelblog.org for who knows how long.

Last night (well Sunday night in Mamaroneck) I booked the uber for 12.05. I choose 12.05 to ensure we have plenty of time for our 3.30 flight from JFK and 5 minutes past 12 to avoid the dreaded am/pm error. Up early with plenty of time to pack and bid farewell. A bowl of kicks or some toast and tea for breakfast as time evaporates while we pack the suitcases for the last time.

A light drizzle hangs over the morning and I borrow the Audi for a drive to CVS to load up on American treats for our friends and family back home. The kids are keen to walk, or perhaps hover. Niamh got a hoverboard for Christmas and they all take turns hovering down Frank Ave. The kids get on really well. Niamh and Milla took their time to bond but chat and smile as we walk to CVS. Despite the age difference, Deaks and Oliver are good mates after FIFA, GTA and many games of Chess. In the confusion of our transport, we've left Elliot behind. We load up on souvenir treats and use Dave's CVS card for the discount - still spending almost $100!

We bid Dave farewell last night and we do the same with Alex before her Teams Meeting. Where ever they end up next, we'll be visiting again (Lebanon is a possibility) . The Uber arrives on time and we are reluctantly on our way, waving to Niamh and Ollie on their front porch. We chat with Michael, our Staten Island Uber driver and the 40 minute drive passes quickly. JFK is so much calmer than Pearson and we glide through check-in and customs/security. It's much easier getting out of America than in. Except! I unload my pockets for the xray machine, pulling out my cell (mobile), wallet AND Alex's Audi and house keys! Doh!

With no way to get send/courier them from this side of security, I apologise to Dave and resign myself to the fact that I'll be sending them back over from Oz. What an idiot!

We casually grab some lunch and calmly stroll to our gate. Flight to LAX goes well. Jules and I watch Armageddon Time and She Said. Both coincidentally NY based films and we enjoy calling out all of the streets, parks and NY landmarks. LAX International terminal is pretty flash. Empty luxury boutiques surround the food court and Duty Free shop. We have $9 USD left and blow it on more Reeses and Mentos for the flight.

We panic a little when we hear Julie's name called out over the loud speaker about half an hour before our flight. Were we supposed to collect our luggage between flights? Has our gate been changed? Did I leave that joint in my luggage? No, our seats are changing due to there being faulty in-flight entertainment in row 50/51 and we're moving up to 24/25. Two rows from business class. Ever a glass half full kinda guy, I'm calling this an upgrade. American Airlines feels like a top shelf airline compared to WestJet and Delta. From the terminals to the fact that they identify the faulty screen before we board. I cannot imagine 14 hours staring at the back of the seat in front of me.

Can't put my finger on why, but the flight home is so much better than the torturous BNE to LAX. We're all tired but not in emotional torment. BNE custom and immigration is seamless and our 5 am touchdown sees us back (surreally) at 220 Thistle by 5.30. The last two weeks actually feels like a dream.

Reflecting on our two weeks away and sharing the easily digestible highlights I'd say "Went to New York and Toronto, we saw Jerry Seinfeld live and went to a BlueJays game". These are the anchor points of the two destinations and both were absolutely brilliant. Dig a little deeper and I have to say it's the journey and the shared experiences. Shared together as a family and during our rendezvous with awesome friends. The fifth member of the team and probably the star of the show has to be NYC. I'm ill equipped to articulate the power and presence of the big apple, but hope these daily blogs have captured the essence of it.

I'd almost forgotten that I'd typed some notes into my phone while we were taking a breather in one of the New York Public Library reading room, back on whatever day that was:

New York State of Mind

New York is the best city in the world! But it disgusts me. Yet I love it here. It’s humanity at the extremes. Humanity on speed! Perhaps that’s why the place smells like pot - the city is trying to take the edge of. The breath-taking skyline and the bold architecture crowding the grand avenues and busy streets. The concrete, glass and steel is infested with humanity. Like ants, humans scurry the streets in a frenetic rush. Navigating each other with selfish purpose. Yellow taxis and black SUVs dominate the streets and avenues like beetles and bugs moving up, down and across the island with the rhythmic pulse of the traffic lights. The subway of centipedes burrow between the burroughs, precisely dodging each other while helicopters buzz the skies.
The place feels permanent but the people temporary. Us tourists are the briefest of them all. Dipping in and out, barely cracking the surface. The residents of this city are also temporary. Each are here to take their shot, to give it a go, to get what they can.

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