“A little reminder that in a few years you won’t remember how much that trip cost, but you will remember the moments you experienced.” Learning and Exploring Through Play

Now, years later I realize what a wise move I made taking the grandchildren to New York City. First, I took the girls. I planned the whole trip through a group from Sheffield. Tom and Sue did many trips but the only ones I participated in were the New York City adventures.

Now that I think about it, I also went with them on a cruise that boarded in Boston. That was my first trip after I lost my husband. It was also a couple years after 911. Boarding the ship was a real process in those days. I went through security before boarding the plane to Boston. I went through security to get on the ship. When I got in our stateroom, I found a huge bolt in my carry-on bag that somehow got overlooked. That was not a comforting thought. How many other things were undetected?

My carry-on had a history. It was the one I used when Dick was in the hospital. He must have had that bolt in his pocket and asked to put it into my bag!

Back to the New York City trip. We took a bus, then we boarded the train into the city. We walked from the train station to our hotel. The hotel they usually stayed in was being renovated. That was the smallest hotel room I have ever stayed in. Tom said they took a chimney and made it into a hotel.

There were two beds but I am not sure if they were double or queen. All I know is that if I set my foot down between the beds it did not fit. Oh, well, we were only sleeping there. The fun began when my granddaughter went to take a shower. She came out to get her mother because she did not know how to work the shower. We called down to the desk for instructions because we could see nothing to turn it on. When the lady came up, she showed Carly the string was broken so she had to reach into the faucet to get it to work. At that hotel the ledge by the window became our refrigerator. We kept our yogurt there and our cheese to eat with crackers.

I purchased tickets for us to ride a bus with many stops. You just got off and on wherever you wanted. We saw the Empire State Building. We went to Little Italy and Chinatown. We ate at a restaurant in Little Italy. We tried to go to the 911 Memorial but since Carly did not have the proper identification we were not allowed.

We took the Staten Island Ferry. That way we got to see the harbor area. Then, it was on to see a play that I got tickets for. We sat in the first row of the balcony so we had great seats. The only problem was that the lady beside me was so large she spilled over into my seat. I got a cushion to raise me up so that I could be comfortable.

We explored the stores one day. It was Christmas time so the windows were all decorated. What a wonderful experience it was. On the trip home we stopped at State College to get Penn State ice cream.

When you see the city through the eyes of a child, it is a wonderful experience. That was the same year I was diagnosed with breast cancer so I was truly happy to be able to go.

The next year, not knowing what was ahead for me, I took the boys. We stayed in a much better hotel. The boys enjoyed the doughnuts and pastries for breakfast. Once again, I bought those bus tickets and we were off to explore. On our trip to Little Italy, it was too early to eat lunch but we stopped for coffee and cocoa. This time we had our clearances and got into the 911 museum. We spent a lot of time there. One of the boys knew about the little church where notes were posted looking for survivors. We went there.

Then it was on to see the big air carrier in the harbor. When we got there, it was closed due to storm damage. We backtracked and went to the Museum of Natural History by Central Park. The other grandson would not leave until we saw the dinosaur section.

We saw the “Lion King”. Our seats were wonderful. There was plenty of legroom in that theater. On our way back to our hotel one of the boys was chastised for stepping into someone’s home. It was a cardboard box on the street. That created a lot of laughs.

On the trip home we lost Tom. He lingered too long at the station. In the end he had to rent a car to get home. The rest of us enjoyed ice cream at PSU.

The boys still recall the experiences they had on that trip. Before we left, notes were sent to their schools to excuse them for an educational trip. It truly was an educational experience – one they will always remember.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell. Contact her at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.