The City That Never Sleeps

  • By Trish Berg
  • November 23, 2011
  • 248
                        
Struggling with loads of laundry, clutter in the kitchen and chaos in your life? Stress can easily steal our joy. Trish Berg reminds us to simplify the small stuff and find Joy in the Journey. My dad grew up in Brooklyn, and so as a child, I spent some time in New York City. My grandparents had this two story apartment building in an Italian section of Brooklyn, and we would drive there for visits in my dad’s little, yellow Honda Civic. We would drive late into the night and arrive well past midnight. I never quite got used to the noises of the city. All night long there would be cars driving down the road, people talking on the street corners, and unknown alarms going off in the distance. It was a very different way of living than I was used to in suburban Ohio. It was a place I wanted to visit, but could never quite see myself living there. But I did enjoy my visits to the city that never sleeps. I have wonderful memories of taking the subway form Brooklyn to Manhattan to shop at Macy’s, home of the real Santa. We skated at Rockefeller Center, took carriage rides through Central Park, and shopped at little markets in Soho. My favorite desserts were from a little Italian bakery just down the road from Grandma’s apartment, where we would walk most evenings after supper for a sweet treat. Well, last week, I got to tour the Big Apple once again in a whirlwind weekend bus trip that started with a request from my teenage daughter, Hannah, and ended with sore knees and sixteen out of thirty-two hours on a charter bus. But I guess that’s how most adventures begin: on wing and a prayer, and sometimes a pair of sore knees. We left on Friday night at ten-thirty in the evening, and drove all night long. We arrived in New Jersey and at breakfast at a great little restaurant outside of Hoboken. Then, of course, while in Hoboken, we stopped to see the Cake Boss. After an hour in line, we paid far too much for a few exquisite cupcakes to eat and I tried not to think about the calories. And then it was off to NYC. There I was with my two teenage daughters, Hannah and Sydney, touring many of the places I knew as a child. It was almost surreal. We walked through Battery Park and looked at the Statue of Liberty from a distance. We went to the top of the Empire State Building, and enjoyed the window displays at Macy’s. We took a carriage ride through Central Park, shopped at FAO Swartz, and got a hot pretzel and Coke from the street vendor. We even ate at a quaint little restaurant in Little Italy which seemed like a flashback to my childhood and walked through Times Square at night with all the lights glowing daylight. I had such a wonderful time experiencing New York City with my girls, and we made memories that will last a lifetime. It was even worth the sixteen-hour round trip ride. (I think) And the city seemed the same. I guess some things never change. New York City is the city that never sleeps, and I am thankful to have seen it again from their eyes. It may have been a long bus ride, but the sweetest treat wasn’t the cupcake. It was seeing their eyes light up with each and every New York minute.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load