I turn 54 today. It\u2019s a bit weird. My birthday at home is over and I\u2019ll spend the best part of today traveling west, which means by the time today is over it\u2019ll last 27 hours. And they say you can\u2019t travel through time. By the end of the trip Monday 9 December won\u2019t exist for me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We wake up reasonably early, finish the last bit of packing\nand head out for a quick brunch. Nothing special, eggs, breakfast burrito and\ntea. A little forgettable caf\u00e9 on 18th<\/sup> street. We head back to Times\nSquare for the last time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mardi pops into Sephora for the last time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I wander to the reds steps at Times Square above the TKTS\nbooth. It\u2019s become a tradition for me. The steps elevate you above the throng\nof Times Square at 47th<\/sup> street looking downtown. Broadway on my\nright, 7th<\/sup> Avenue of my left. They criss cross in front of me at 45th<\/sup>\nSt as Broadway snakes it\u2019s way eastward down town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I walk to the top and turnaround facing downtown. The steps\nare packed with selfie snapping tourists. People rush to the top, take a selfie\nwith Times Square behind them, then trot back down again. The moment gone. I\nstand and take in the mayhem for ten minutes. The symphony of the city as they\nsay. The beautiful catastrophe that is New York plays out before me. The naked\ncowboy, weird old lady (she proposed to me today), oddly dressed cartoon\ncharacters, Frozen, Mickey Mouse, Marvel, they\u2019re all on show. The first time\ntourists, eyes wide open skyward, the locals, eyes downcast weaving expertly\nthrough the crowd. I think about my first visit to Times Square, 2010. Wide\neyed, looking up as so many continue to do. Times Square is the fluorescent\nlight attracting us moths. It still grabs me today, much like a great white\nshark grabs you. As Quint said in Jaws<\/p>\n\n\n\n A little shaking<\/p>\n\n\n\n A little tenderising<\/p>\n\n\n\n And down you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But after nine years I\u2019ve been down that hatch a few times,\nso am a little wiser, more street savvy as they say. I\u2019ve avoided the cartoon\ncharacters, the red shirted bus tour guide sellers, the new age rock stars\nhanding out free CDs. Today Times Square is the main artery we use to explore\nthis city. It\u2019s a bit like the Coliseum in Rome. All roads lead to it. But then\nthe converse is also true, all roads lead away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I think of our journeys this time. Up town: the Park, museums,\ngalleries, high end shopping, exquisite homes and architecture. Downtown, SoHo,\nGreenwich, the financial district, gorgeous architecture from a time building\ndesign meant everything. I think of my\nbrother and his first trip to New York. His fascination and Mardi and I sharing\nour New York with him. Little secrets we know, tips, time savers, stuff we\u2019ve\nlearned in the last nine years. I think of Mardi, the way she plans to make our\ntrips memorable, her frustration at being so sick and her drive to squeeze as\nmuch as possible out of this wonderful city. She does so much, from planning\nlong and interesting walks, to making sure the toothpaste is where I can find\nit. I think of my team at work, doing great things while I\u2019m away. Mick, my\nboss for giving me the time off. Karen our house sitter, giving us the freedom\nwe so much enjoy away from our fur babies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In those ten minutes all alone, I feel surrounded, supported,\nby so many people who play a part in this time away for us. How fortunate we\nare, how thankful we are for that support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m happy and sad at the same time. My dichotomy is much\nlike the city. The sweet smell of the pine of the freshly cut Christmas trees\ngives way to the stench of the trash. The wealth and finery of the Rockefeller\ncentre gives shelter to the poor as they huddle to stay warm. The cold of the\nstreets melts away as you venture inside. \nThe architectural beauty high above is destroyed by graffiti at your\nknees. The peaceful memories of yesteryear at Central Park are erased by the\nboom boxes of the hawkers scamming tourists. Fine food served inside vaulted ceilinged\nrestaurants is as satisfying as a hot dog from a street seller. New York is\nboth ugly and beautiful at the same time. New York is both the same every visit\nand vastly different every visit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is this dichotomy that is the attraction. It\u2019s almost\nundefinable. You can simultaneously love it and hate it and that\u2019s ok. That\u2019s\nNew York. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m happy for this experience. For every minute in this\ninsanely gorgeous place. I\u2019m sad to be leaving. The tea, the buildings, the\nwalking, the friendships, the madness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I walk down the steps, link arms with Mardi and like a\ncouple of locals weave our way back to our hotel. A few minutes later we are in\na cab, the 59th bridge is our pathway home. \nThe city shrinks behind us as we crawl off the island before hitting the\nhighway to the airport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I take a photo of Mardi in the cab as the city fades behind\nus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks New York. See you in 2020!<\/p>\n\n\n\n