JFK (just fcking kold)
So the flight to JFK was annoying to some degree as most flights are to me. Not only did we have young children behind us but we also had small dogs in the passenger cabin that barked off and on. The air at times was very rough, throwing the plane around in ways that did not feel reassuring.
Once we got out of the plane we got our first cold blasts of air. Since at that point I still just had a t-shirt on they felt especially icy. As has always been the case each time I have flown into JFK the luggage comes out lightning fast. Our only delay on the way to baggage claim was a quick pee stop. That was all it took for our bags to be almost the last ones left on the carousel.
Once we got the bags we enjoyed our “dinner” splitting a tuna sandwich and root beer. We followed the signs until we located the AirTrain. The first train we got on was the one that simply looped continuously around the airport terminal. We soon realized our mistake and got on the Howard Beach train that headed towards Manhattan.
The train ride was fine. Once we got off MTA staff walked me through getting one MTA card to pay for the airport train and then two unlimited 7 day passes for Cindy and I to use to get around the city the next few days. I dropped 31 bucks for each pass. I’m not sure if I would have came out ahead just paying as we go instead. Time will tell.
Waiting at the outdoor station waiting for the A train was our first extended exposure to the air temps in the upper 30’s. It did not feel great. Cindy and I stood there shivering for 15-20 minutes waiting for the train to show up. One man tried to deal with the cold by periodically hitting the elevator button and standing inside it for a few moments.
The A train ride was interesting. It was lengthy, taking something like 17 stops to get to 4th st west where we got off. There were some interesting individuals on board, including the guy that went car to car giving a lengthy diatribe about his poor situation followed by requests for money. Most of the people in the car acted like the guy was invisible, not even looking up from their smart phones to acknowledge him. I listened but did not make eye contact which I figured would identify me as an easy target. If Cindy wasn’t with me I may have flipped him a few bucks.
Once we got to our transfer point more confusion came our way. The D train line that the MTA app indicated we should take next was out of commission. After reading some signs and verifying with a construction worker, we discovered we could take the F train to get to the 34th street area. Once we exited the station out onto the street we got out first real in your face NYC experience.
People were everywhere, making it difficult to drag 3 rolling luggage bags behind us. Our path to the hotel took us right past the Empire State Building which was very cool, just like the air temperature. We spotted our hotel and were very happy to step inside into some warmer air. The hotel seemed very quaint. When we traveled to the third floor and snaked down the narrow hall we found our room.
The first adjective that came to our minds was SMALL. The room was extremely tight, smaller than a cabin on a cruise ship. It is clean, nicely furnished and modern. You just have to make sure you watch where you are walking else risk kicking something or knocking something over. I am typing this at a tiny desk that is wedged behind the air conditioner. We went downstairs briefly to score an apple cider type of drink from the attached Starbucks. We are winding down, hoping to get a solid night of sleep to fuel us for a very busy Sunday ahead.