"Start Spreading the News, I'm Leaving Today . . ." (New York: Day 1)

Part I- "Dramamine Is My Friend"

I have discovered that I dislike flying. I didn't always, but the last time I flew was somewhere in the neighborhood of thirteen years ago and at that point flying didn't make me feel like I was going to vomit. Taking into account that it has been a long time since I've flown, I decided to play it safe and take some Dramamine. The bottle said taking it one hour ahead of time was good, but I always seem to forget that it takes me longer to metabolize drugs than a lot of folks and it usually takes at least twice as long for me to feel the benefits. As a result, one hour was not long enough. I've never been airsick before and it was not pleasant. We had a three hour layover in Chicago (4 1/2 by the time you take into account the weather related delays) and I was very grateful for a chance to let my stomach settle. I took the next Dramamine two and a half hours before we took off and the flight from Chicago to Newark, although more turbulent, was much nicer.

As we began our descent into Newark, I caught my first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and (huge bawl baby that I am) there were a few tears shed. I welled up a bit just watching fireworks last weekend, why shouldn't I shed a tear or two for Lady Liberty? As my mother-in-law says, you think it won't be a big deal because you know what it looks like but seeing it in person is a whole different experience.

Part II- "Baptism By Fire"

The best way to feel comfortable as a first time tourist to New York City is to make your maiden voyage into the city at night. Yup. I wasn't nervous at all. (You may now officially call me a liar-liar-pants-on-fire.) But seriously, the Empire State building at night! How cool is that! We figured out how to get into Manhattan from Newark and let me just say that Patti, Esther and I (who are half Chinese) were the whitest folks on the bus. Seriously.

Going to the Empire State Building at night was a good thing, not only because the night time view of the city was amazing, but because the lines were shorter. Especially because we got turned around, ended up where we weren't supposed to be, and after Esther was wounded tripping over one of those barricades that they put everywhere to make the people go where they want, the usher that found us took pity on us and sent us right to the elevators, thereby allowing us to skip the entire line.