Good Evening _______!

So what detail-enriched yarn should I unravel for you today? I'm not really feeling any inspiration at the moment, but we'll see if something strikes me along the way.

I agree that friendship is the most important part of any relationship. I have no interest in having a romantic relationship with someone I wouldn't want as a friend. I guess that's why I'm still friends with my "ex".

I really only have one "ex". We went out for two years back in college, but I still trade emails with her about twice a year (generally belated birthday wishes). I've only seen her once in the past five years, though, as she lives in Hoboken, NJ just outside of The City.

I went out there this summer (ah, I think I feel a story shaping up) while I was waiting around to interview in Detroit. I needed to visit an old Fraternity Brother that had visited me in LA earlier in the year. I decided I would drive down from my folks place to Miami University, my Alma Mater (which is in Ohio, by the way) for an Alumni meeting, and then head out to NY from there.

I was unemployed at the time and a little low on the cash flow, so I decided to just crash at the old Fraternity House. The only problem was coming in around 10 Friday night (the meeting was at 9 the next morning), I no longer knew anyone in the house. It was my first time back in 4 years! So I had to make friends pretty quick to ensure I had a place to sleep. It turned out to not be a problem. The first guy I ran into was the younger brother of one of the guys I brought into the house many years ago, and he made sure I was feeling right at home.

I ended up having a great time hanging with the college kids. It was the weekend just before classes started so it was a relaxed and festive time. I bought a few 12 packs of beer for the boys (and me) in exchange for their hospitality and it went along swimmingly. The most amusing thing about it was the number of times I was mistaken for a student by both guys and girls. It was a little uncomfortable, though, when I was sitting across from some freshman girl with braces that was hitting on me. But it did feel good to know I that I could pass as a college kid.

The alumni meeting went well, they are really shaping things up. I had a great time hanging around with some of the old gang that dropped by, reminiscing about the glory days.

Sunday afternoon I hit the road and drove through Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia with lots of rain along the way. I ended up stopping at a little hamlet somewhere near the Antietam Battlefield. In the morning, I decided to take a little detour and drive through DC before heading north through Delaware and New Jersey to The City.

I couldn't find any parking near the sites in DC so I just drove by them slowly: Arlington Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Washington Memorial, the White House, The Smithsonian, and The Capital Building. Then I had to drive through the worst part of DC to get up to the Freeway. It was a little scary because I almost got lost, but I eventually found my way.

An hour out of DC put me in Delaware, the last of the 50 states for me to enter. I had wanted to get out and snap a picture of the welcome sign, but I didn't see one. About the time I realized I was already in Delaware, I was just about to go over the bridge to New Jersey. I never even set foot in the dang state. Oh well, it still counts.

I was in Manhattan by 6 that night and had the hardest time trying to find parking near my friend's place on the Upper West Side. I eventually did only a couple blocks away. We went out for sushi that night and then I crashed on his couch.

The next day, while he was at work, I decided to go down to Ground Zero. I got a day pass for the subway and road the 85 blocks south to Wall Street. I took a few shots of the Stock Exchange and then walked over to the WTC site.

It was an eerie experience. It’s hard to explain, but the big hole in the ground left quite an impression on me. I walked all the way around the site. I took a lot of pictures. On the south side, at the tip of Manhattan, I could see across the harbor to Ellis Island and Lady Liberty. That was also near the temporary memorial for the Fire Fighters and Policemen. I took more pictures. But I just couldn't capture the emotions and solemnity of the place. There where a lot of people down there. Paying their respects like me, I guess....

After awhile, I headed up Broadway and did a little shopping. They were having a no sales tax day down there to help spur shopping in the district. Then I went up to Times Square and had lunch in the ESPN Zone. I watched the Little League World Series on huge screens as I ate chicken fingers and drank a couple beers.

Then I walked over to Rockefeller Center and up to Central Park. I stopped in the park to watch a coed softball game. It really struck me as odd that there was this gigantic park in the middle of all these tall buildings. Having a tree-lined outfield dwarfed by high-rise buildings was a strange site indeed.

After a few innings, I walked on through the park and through Strawberry Fields - a memorial garden for John Lennon. I didn't know it was there; it just happened to be on my way.

After I exited the park, I hoped on the Subway for the 20 blocks I had left to my friend's place. I must have walked almost 10 miles that day. The last time I walked all over Manhattan was with my ex 7 years earlier. Fittingly, I was to have dinner with her in the evening.

She road the train in from Hoboken and met me over at my friends place. The three of us chatted for a while since she knew my friend from school, too, and they had a number of common acquaintances. Then we left and went to a nice little place a few blocks away.

It was a strange thing. She has been living with the same guy for the past few years (longer than we ever went out), but she seemed uncomfortable talking about him. We talked about her job as an art teacher. I talked about my trip across the country. We had a good time: we were old friends. There was something bittersweet about it. We said we shouldn't let another 5 years go by before we see each other again, but we each new that the probability of either of us being in the same state again any time soon was unlikely.

After a few hours, I walked her back to the Subway Station, gave her a hug, and then walked back to my friend's place. I'm the one that ended our "romantic relationship", mostly to preserve our friendship, and I have never regretted that decision. But sometimes, you do wonder what would have happened if you had taken another path. Once upon a time she was my best friend, and we will always have that.

The next morning I drove 500 miles back to my folks' place on Lake Erie. I had a lot of thoughts and memories to reflect on along the way.

There you have it. I guess there was something there after all. I hope you found it interesting. I had meant to write a journal about that trip a while ago. I'm glad that I finally have it now.

As for you, enjoy your trip and all. I look forward to talking to you after you return and seeing if a friendship begins to bloom between us.

Take care and travel safe,

Andy