The Long Road There

I must apologize in advance as well as prepare you for the overuse of the most overused word of 2011: "AMAZING".

The (round)trip was 2 weeks long and AMAZING. The following is my 2 week itinerary/table of contents.

February 12, 2011 - Go to church with hubby & small child. Say goodbye to friends and ask them to pray for safe travels for us. Fly from home to Atlanta.

February 13, 2011 - Hang out at my sis-in-laws house while waiting on word of "hand off" of small child. In-laws driving from DC area from funeral. Columbia, SC chosen as "hand off" location. Drive from Atlanta to Columbia, SC @ 7:30pm, arrive around 10:30pm. Bribe small child with Chicken McBites. Small child accepts bribe and happily hops into in-laws vehicle, saying only "Bye mommy." (I keep telling her she can't get kidnapped if she willing walks off with strangers.)Drive back to Atlanta, tired and amazed that sister-in-law is doing work on her laptop the whole ride there and back, while comforting small child when it cries to get out. Does this woman ever sleep? Arrive Atlanta @ 2AM.

February 14, 2011 (Valentine's Day) - Open eyes 1 hour 45 min later, brother-in-law drops me off at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Realize small child's suitcase is still in sis-in-law's car trunk. (Oh well.) Arrive @ LaGuardia Airport. (Directions courtesy of Google Maps) Take the M60 bus from LaGuardia, to Hoyt Ave & 31st Street. Take the "Q" train toward Coney Island. Get off at Herald Square. Get above ground, be dazed & confused, all while clutching a suitcase. Call my friend and former co-worker, Pat Rice. She instructs me to walk forward out of the chaos, down 34th Street. I find her building and her, quick hug, park suitcase, gather further instruction to get to the High Line. Buy a bottled water & I'm off to see the city I love. On Valentine's Day, no less. After enjoying the High Line, hop the train to meet Spencius for lunch. Then walk up Fifth Avenue to burn off those lunch calories. A bit of a rest at the library. After a nice rest there, I continued up Fifth Ave, with a peak into St. Patrick's Cathedral; capping it off with a little peace at piece of Central Park.