New York State of Mind

My tour of New York focused on Midtown, and included visits to Top of the Rock (the observation deck on top of 30 Rockefeller Center), St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the newly-renovated Grand Central Terminal. What really struck me was how much cleaner, safer, and less chaotic the city is since my last visit. It's not nearly as intimidating now. I'm eager to return to visit places I didn't have time to see this time around.

Arriving at 30 Rock was like arriving at Mecca. My fantasy job is to work here at the NBC archives.

The ship sailed through the harbor around 7:00am, and I was out there in the bitter cold, camera in hand, shooting the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline that now includes the new One World Trade Center (it's the big one). We also passed under the Verrazzano Bridge with seemingly very little clearance above. Very cool. I'd like to think the cars were honking at us! I shot a video of that; I'll upload to my YouTube account later when I don't have to pay for internet time.

It's Too Easy To Leave Everything Behind

Now that I only have about 4 days left on my cruise, I need to catch up my blog on the previous 2 weeks of activity (mostly inactivity)!

Let's start at the beginning. We left NPR on Saturday afternoon, Sept 25, to drive to our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. This was a very pleasant drive through agricultural parts of Florida. We passed through strawberry farms, phosphate mines, and signs advertising boiled "p-nuts," watermelon, and gator jerky for sale at roadside stands.

In Boca Raton, we detoured off the Turnpike to make a pilgrimage to Shake Shack for dinner. Best. Hamburgers. Ever. Seriously.

Our overnight stay at La Quinta Inn was very pleasant. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. Our experience with Hertz Rental Car, and the easy return procedure at the Ft. Lauderdale airport, was also a positive experience.

Our embarkation on the ship in Miami reminded me of how much I do not miss living in Miami ONE BIT. It was hot, hot, humid, and did I say hot? I also don't miss the white-knuckle driving down I-95, with six lanes in each direction. Fortunately, our driver to the port of Miami, who was from Romania, kept us entertained while he dealt with the traffic.

Once at the port, we checked in at the MSC terminal, hopped onto the ship, grabbed lunch, and took the first nap of many.

Next stop: New York.

It's a Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood

Hello from the North Atlantic aboard the MSC Divina! There is nothing but sea and sky for as far as the eyes can see.

The first few days of my vacation were occupied by simply adjusting to my new "home at sea" and, frankly, relaxing and catching up on my rest. I'm finally settling in, feeling at home and feeling rested.

I'm about to watch a Coffee and Chocolate Demonstration, where they will show us how to make 3 drinks. (BTW, "chocolate" here refers to "hot chocolate.") I'm copying this from the handout:

• Cherry Chocolate - Smooth hot chocolate coated in a layer of delicious whipped cream, topped off with the sweet seduction of black cherries.

• Irish Coffee - Rich hot coffee poured over heated Jameson irish whiskey, topped with whipped cream and nutmeg.

• Zaba - Sweet sabione sauce added to mouth watering mini cappucino.

Yum!!

Afterward, I'll be sitting outside in the sun for a while, then shower, then the show at 7:00, then dinner at 8:30. I think I can deal with this.

In the Meantime

Since the 2012 Trip From Hell, my mom and I have taken two other vacations that were much more successful. In 2013, we took a Mediterranean cruise that concluded with several days in Rome, staying literally across the street from the Vatican Museums. In 2014, we spent 5 days in Rome at the Albergo Sole al Pantheon with a view of the Pantheon outside our hotel window. Then we took the bus to Florence where we spent 5 days smack in the city center at a charming guest house called Residenza della Signoria, which was conveniently next door to my favorite restaurant in Florence, Ristorante Paoli. The building dates back to the 14th century and the restaurant was opened in 1824. Beyond its impressive history, everything is superb and impeccably Tuscan. Most importantly, we were happy and healthy.

Buon Giorno!

As you can see, almost three years have passed since my last blog post. Things got even worse during that trip, including a second trip to another hospital, Ospedale Santa Maria Annunziata, in a town called Bagno a Ripoli, which was even further away from my home base in the Florence city center than the other hospital. I reached the point where I could not relive the stress of the situation by typing it out on this blog, so I just quit. 

As my mom laid in her hospital bed in the "apartment," as they called it (aka a 4-bed room), I wandered the streets of Florence. Each day I visited her (roughly 50-euro round trip taxi rides), and bounced around various hotel rooms (included the quirky, creepy, haunted Hotel Paris), not knowing from day to day when they would release her. This was a nicer hospital that the other one, but their ways still pushed me the closest I've ever been to acting like an Ugly American.

Very long story short: After about a week in Hospital #2 we flew home. No trips to Rome or Napoli. No cruise. No refunds. The Trip From Hell.