Finding Nemo

  I wish I were referring to the cute clown fish, but I made the insane decision to travel to the Northeast during Winter Storm Nemo. While in Albuquerque I was picked up by a second student tour company, and their training was scheduled in New York for the weekend of the storm. I thought it might be cancelled, but luckily it was not. Thus I found myself on a bus at 5 AM on a Friday morning attempting to make it into the city before the snow drowned us all.



As it turned out, the predictions for the storms impact on New York City were overzealous. It did snow quite a bit, but it was all within in the amount that the city could maintain. Nothing was closed or affected within Manhattan, but I know the effects were much more substantial outside of that wealthier hub.

As a Southern boy, this was my first experience with legitimate snow, save the Blizzard of '93. It was amazing to see the amount of snow falling outside the window during training only to discover that it had not accumulated on the roads at all. This is a stark difference to the debilitating results of an inch of snow in Alabama. It was so pretty to see the small patches of grass covered with pure white snow! Washington Square Park was exquisite. We even saw a couple get engaged under the Washington Arch in the snow. The romance is removed a little when you think about the history of items in the park. The Washington Arch's architect Stanford White was murdered for supposed adultery. The tree from which people were hanged is over in one corner, and bordering the park is the building in which the Triangle Shirtwaist fire occurred in 1911, killing 146 workers because they were locked inside and the fire trucks' ladders were not long enough to reach the top floors. At least it led to workplace safety measures?

I wish the snow had made all of New York fantastical. It didn't. The streets were filled with grimy piles of slush at every corner. I did not have appropriate footwear for this. I brought boots but didn't think about how the leather might react when walking in the salt filled slush. Lesson learned, I suppose.

Other than the temporary staining of my boots, the trip to New York was amazing! I actually ate at unique restaurants and avoided chains, which I fell victim to during my previous visit in January. The company paid for us to have dinner at La Palapa on the last night. The food was so good as were the margaritas, but I can't speak to the price. I had the chicken enchiladas in green tomatillo sauce. I'm not a big mole fan, so I prefer the strong tomato flavor. Apparently, they eat there at annual meetings as well, so I look forward to returning for that alone.

Having a training in New York got me really excited to lead tours there this season. I only have three, but it'll liven up the DC heavy months. I love this city, but I'm afraid I'll get tired of it if it's the on;y place I take people. I'm really pumped that my NYC groups all have Broadway shows on their itineraries, which means I get to go for free! Matilda at the end of the month is going to be amazing. I leave again for New York via train in a week and half's time. I'm sure Megabus will miss me, but I'm looking forward to celebrating my birthday weekend with a little more style.