Monthly Archives: June 2011

Paul, Ben and I are traveling home today from PIT to BUR. We have a 6am flight, which is why I’m writing this at 5am. And yes, we have been up since 3am. Not only did we have to wake up to catch the flight, but the power in Paul’s parents neighborhood went out. Then Ben’s white noise machine went off, and he woke up and freaked out that it was too dark. He has been bouncing around ever since. Paul and I, however, are a little less than bouncy, because we weren’t able to make any coffee prior to leaving for the airport.

Thankfully, the Pittsburgh airport, despite being close by, has full power. Paul is off with Ben getting coffee; I’m catching up on email and figured I’d write a blog post. We have actually had a great week in Pittsburgh with Paul’s family. We were able to give Paul’s parents extra time with Ben, which made them happy. Paul and I were able to spend a night at a bed and breakfast in the city, which made us happy. And we spent a lot of time visiting with the rest of the extended Kelly/Boothe clan, which was just general happiness for everyone. We came here for Paul’s uncle’s wedding, but we were also able to work in an Extended Week with the Pennsylvania Relatives.

We also celebrated Ben’s third birthday while we were here, by taking him to the excellent Children’s Museum on the Pittsburgh North Shore, and then going for hot dogs for lunch. Ben loves that museum. With good reason, as it is extensive, and full of many, many things to explore and do. It was a great family day for the three of us.

I’ll post this now since we are about to board. I owe my blog some more posts than this. I will have to work on that.

I’m writing this from the Long Island Rail Road, the “fastest route from JFK airport to Manhattan” according to the airport AirTrain system. The LIRR reminds me of the train to Heathrow in London. Its the view of the hundred year old suburbs, the row houses, the occasional abandoned industrial building that reminds me so much of that sprawl outside London There’s the same brick buildings, both turn of the century and post-war, that you see in the London suburbs alongside the tracks. The trees are dedicuous, bright green and some actually look to be more than fify years old. London, or Philadelphia, I suppose, someplace more like the English capital and less like an English village.

I am on my own today, no Ben, no Paul. I am on my first real vacation to New York. Every other trip has been for work, and only once have I managed to steal an extra day to visit friends and family, and to actually see the city. Hence why i am on the train and not in a car with a driver. When I am on my own dime, and my own time, I will learn a local public transit system. I actually enjoy doing that. I like the challenge of having to learn place names, landmarks the geographical refererences of a new city.

So here i am on the Long Island Railroad, which sounds like it should be one of the properties on a Monopoly board. I imagine commuters taking this same train fifty years ago, going to Penn Station, at the tail end of the business migration from downtown to Midtown. I will arrive at Penn Station and, thankfully, hop on a subway and not go to work. Three days in NYC, three days of exploring. I am so happy.