Cynthia's Chat

Time is running out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2leBqxcwhvI

My friend (we were college roommates)of 43 years, Patty (Director of Drama at Kinkaid School in Houston) has been asking me to go to New York with her for years - This year I said YES!

The trek began at 3 AM to make my 6:30 flight (my husband was thrilled) .  I met Patty and Gloria (Patty's friend and coworker) in Houston and the fun began!

It's difficult to comprehend the magnitude of this city - the populace, buildings, cultures.  But I tried - my camera was trying not to miss any famous bridge or building.  Hearing about the city came often times through cab drivers.  One of ours worked at Lehman Brothers, and then was out of work for months and in a depression.  He sold his fashionable home, moved his family into an apartment and started driving a taxi for livelihood.

The first evening in New York, we were to meet a Guru, Sri Anadagiriji,  at the apartment of Paul Allen (co-founder of Microsoft).  The apartment was fabulous.  Gerard Butler and a few other actors, the financial aide to Tony Robbins and several other fascinating people were in attendance.  Many of these people had been to India to find the transformation to Oneness.

Our room overlooked Times Square,  which at any hour of the day or night was a busy place.   

On our second day, Patty and I hired a driver to show us around the city.  We could stop when we wished to see something.  WOW! There is so much to see!  My priorities were: Ground Zero, the financial district, the Stature of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the Plaza Hotel, just for starters.

That evening, Patty, Gloria and I hosted a party for Kinkaid graduates who were working in New York.  Many are successful writers, playwrights, artists.......conversations were invigorating.

Patty's great-niece, Ashley, who graduated last year from Oklahoma Christian University, now works for Harper's Bazaar.  We met her at the Hurst Building and went on our private tour.

Our first Broadway musical was Avenue Q.  You don't notice the actors....just the puppets.....lots of funny songs.

My favorite show was Billy Elliot, about the coal miner's son who wanted to become a dancer.  It was so good, I cried. (I'm a bit emotional.)

One morning, when Patty and Gloria were at a meeting, I took off on foot to the clothing district by way of the Rockefeller Center, buzzed through Macy's, and ended up in front of Madison Square Gardens.  (I said to myself, 'There's Madison Square Gardens!')

On my walk, I saw a beggar dressed as a muppet!

Then I realized I had to walk BACK to the hotel.  Seeing street vendors, hotdogs, pretzels, knock-off purses, and police at every corner boggled my little Oklahoma brain!

Our last morning in NYC, we went to Central Park where a young man from Prague took us in his bike cart for an hour tour .  Again, I was wowed with the history and the beauty of the city!

I arrived back in OKC, just before a storm hit! (Bill was so happy to pick me up at 11 pm.) We stayed up talking about my excursions until 4:00 AM.  I just could not hush!

It's great to be back home, but every time I travel, I think about what a great country we have and people are wonderful, wherever you go!