Ooh-ooh-ooh, New York, Ooh-ooh-ooh, New York
DSM International Airport → Newark, New Jersey
Early morning flights sound good until you’re setting your alarm for 3:30 am. Our travel party arrived at the airport at 5 am for a 7 am flight to NYC via Newark.
Near our boarding, my husband couldn’t find his phone. He sprinted back to the airport restaurant, our last stop. Panicked, I re-searched his backpack and tried calling. The look
on his face when he returned said it all: no phone.
He’s an e-ticket guy aka Digital Rick and Dr. Rick from Progressive commercials.
I’m a paper-backup kind of girl. I had printed boarding passes and the Allegiant app.
We had tickets to ride.
After settling in for our flight, his phone turned up — in his backpack.
Newark, New Jersey → Penn Station
For me, some joy of big-city travel costs nothing. It’s watching people (the woman with a shoelace belt, the R & B subway singer), meeting people (the fashionable Asian woman from Australia in line with us), and overhearing conversations in foreign languages. At the airport, a child pretend-phone-talked on a banana.
Navigating public transportation sparks less joy, but sometimes the people you’re randomly assigned add entertainment value. On a packed train, one assertive passenger directed foot traffic. She also schooled us on her definition of a pickle (a person who acts in a way that rhymes with pick). Close-quarters small talk ensued. The young woman seated next to me had been silent and seemed uninterested until she noticed that the woman we were talking with had the same zodiac sign tattoo as her, and in the same spot on the neck. Ooh-ooh-ooh, New York
Digital Rick and Analog Rick riding the subway.
Penn Station → Arlo Midtown
Ascending from the underground station to the streets and Madison Square Garden, pigeons and loud, impatient car horns greeted us. An unexpected joy washed over me.
We had arrived.
And then, wheeling our suitcases toward our hotel, we joined the pedestrian masses, rolling with the rest of the city’s crazy melting-pot collective.
Arlo Midtown
I picked the hotel. I read countless reviews. I knew rooms were small. I didn’t know it would be one of the most comfortable hotel beds I’d ever slept on or that to exit from my bedside next to the wall I’d have to either crawl across the bed or inch my way out, back literally against the wall.
Cramped quarters aside, the hotel staff were friendly and attentive, and we appreciated the room-key-required elevator. Their rooftop patio bar wasn’t open yet, but the roof was, and we drank in views from the 26th floor.
April rooftop views from Arlo Midtown.
Cue Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys, our unofficial trip song inspired by the big lights and a few lines sung on the roof by our friend aka Analog Rick.
Baby, I'm from New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand-new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York, New York, New York
By chance we met the hotel restaurant chef. He comped our dinner table an appetizer. We befriended Trevor, the young charismatic hotel bartender who commutes from Queens.
Iowa at the Irish Playwright Pub One quick Google search led us to a pub near our hotel to watch the Iowa Hawkeye women’s basketball championship game. Day 1 and we’re in the New York Metro Iowa Club.
Hand in the air for New York and Iowa Women's Basketball.
Coppelia A few trips back we stumbled upon this Chelsea neighborhood Latin-influenced restaurant. For many reasons, it’s become our go-to for any meal or a margarita Cubano.
Coppelia celebrated its 12th birthday in April.
Central Park
This stay coincided with spring break, meaning more visitors than usual to the concrete jungle. Central Park brought a breath of fresh air and bike rentals — our own hop-on
hop-off tour.
Central Park in bloom.
Our fourth trip to the city overflowed with firsts: first time in a hotel, first stay in Midtown, first visit in spring, first time bicycling, and first jazz show.
Birdland was close to our hotel, and we caught a jazz band CD release show.
Lounging before the 4 pm taping of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 30 Rock, another first.
Jessica Chastain in A Doll’s House I’m more concert- and movie-goer than theatergoer. But there’s something for everyone on Broadway. Chastain’s portrayal as country music legend Tammy Wynette in the 2022 miniseries George and Tammy had my attention. She was largely the draw for our show pick. One night you’re sitting on your sofa in Des Moines, Iowa, watching TV. Later, without any plan or intention, you find yourself casually chatting with the TV star after her Broadway performance. In between shows, Chastain stood outside in the gray day mist to meet fans. I was starstruck but comfortable sharing how much I enjoy her work.
Chastain, an American film, TV, and stage actress, met fans after A Doll’s House.
Grew up in a town that is famous as a place of movie scenes Noise is always loud There are sirens all around and the streets are mean If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere, that's what they say Seein' my face in lights Or my name in marquees found down on Broadway
Even if it ain't all it seems, I got a pocketful of dreams
The Hotel Chelsea
On a past trip, we’d stopped for a look inside the historic hotel. Under construction at the time, it wasn’t open to the public. Long story short, we were asked to leave. This started our running joke about getting kicked out.
But this time around hotel staff welcomed us. After we’d had a drink in the Lobby Bar, they invited us to explore. That’s when we discovered El Quijote.
The Chelsea was my home and the El Quijote was my bar. Patti Smith
Nearly every street we turned down, something or someone of interest turned up — like the
teddy bear atop a work truck and the giant inflatable rat. The guys thought they recognized an actor from The Sopranos.
Arlo Midtown → Penn Station → Newark, NJ → DSM International
All great vacations must end, and we had nearly four full days to explore the city streets and nightlife. Thankfully, our return trip home was smooth.
Friends who’ve traveled with me know this: I’m a planner. It’s a detailed plan but flexible.
This trip checked off most on our list. But my Empire State of Mind already has a rough itinerary in mind for next time — hear more jazz, check out El Quijote, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, catch a comedy show, explore Little Island and Coney Island, and swing
by Coppelia.
What's on your NYC must-do list? I’d love to hear.
© 2023 by Catherine Broderick Medina
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