Our trip from Albuquerque to Knoxville was uneventful. Chad survived the trip and we were thankful he is a larger vehicle as we still seemed to be smashed in like sardines. We stopped in Oklahoma City and Memphis on the trip back and made sure that we timed our Mississippi River crossing at a time when traffic would be low since the main bridge is out and the delays can be horrendous.
We spent all of last week with family in Knoxville and recharged our batteries with cousin time and MeMa’s brownies. We also thinned our packs, which we thought we had already done in Albuquerque. One attempt at carrying them in and out of a hotel changed our minds on THAT, however.
We flew to New York on Memorial Day, deemed to be the heaviest travel day in the last 15 months. It was not bad, at all, in comparison to pre-COVID flights that I have taken.
We have visited New York City twice before, but this time is markedly different. I think there are several reasons, and of course, COVID is one. For all of our Southern friends and family, NY has NOT lessened COVID restrictions like we have at home. Everyone is still masking, lots of places are still not offering inside dining, and most places are still limiting the number of people allowed in stores and attractions.
COVID is not the only difference, however. This trip is with preteens when we have previously brought teens. The interests are different, and the pace is different. We are still walking a lot, but not nearly as much as we have on previous trips. We have gone slower and taken many more photos. We are trying to pay closer attention to our spending. We have spent time climbing on rocks in Central Park and playing Ping Pong in Bryant Park. I got a Groupon deal on a hop on-hop off bus tour and we actually enjoyed it! I would not consider paying full price but the top of the bus gave us a different perspective than we would normally get walking and we saw sights that we had missed on previous trips.
But probably the biggest difference is where we are staying. I have previously spent hundreds on swanky hotel rooms in Midtown Manhattan but this time I decided to save the money and use Marriott Bonvoy points for a hotel in Weehawken and it was a wonderful decision. We spend 15 minutes on the bus in the morning and evening getting to and from Manhattan. Staying outside of the hustle and bustle in a calm oasis with a playground across the street and a grocery store two blocks away is an unexpected delight. The skyline is amazing and I am falling more in love with Weehawken every day!
We will repack and head out on Saturday— and I am going to thin the packs even more beforehand because the flight here was more difficult than it needed to be. The third visit to NYC was a charm… hopefully, the third attempt at packing will be, too!
