Go Airport Connection picked us up promptly at 5:50 AM. Ouch, that was early but we did not have any trouble getting up since we never went to bed! LOL! Our flight was very smooth and only took 1.75 hours. We flew on the owl’s plane but the Frontier flight crew never told us the owl’s name. The Newark airport ground crew took us by surprise with their baggage-handling efficiency. We proceeded immediately to the baggage carousel but our suitcases had already arrived and been moved to Frontier’s baggage office. So we sat there with our education for 45 minutes until I decided to inquire about them. There sat our three suitcases in the Frontier office. Live and learn!
We arrived at the Hilton Penn Station Hotel at 1:00. [We were happy that the Russos picked the Hilton so we could get our Hilton Honors points. FYI: Both Newark and New York City have a Pennsylvania Station.] Knowing the Russos would not be arriving until 4:30, we went down to the hotel’s restaurant for lunch. We each ordered a celebratory, start-off-the-vacation Bloody Mary. Little did we know our presumptuous waitress would bring us super-hot ones! Jill finally had hers remade; I kept adding water to mine until I finished it; I refuse to be beaten!
We returned to our room and took a refreshing, four-hour nap. We would not have survived the rest of the day without it. I texted Diane that we were in room 828 and awaiting our marching orders from Kommander Ken. She texted back that the girls had just arrived via three connecting trains from Philadelphia. We rendezvoused at 7:00 and headed out. The original plan was genuine New York City deli food and an early night. We took the train from Newark’s Penn Station to NYC’s Penn Station. The Russos had located a deli within walking distance of the latter. [Unfortunately, the name of the deli is not in my notes.] We shared a plate of normal-looking pickles and neon-green pickles. The latter had a very mild taste. I quipped that they were still cucumbers which had not completed the metamorphosis to pickles! Personally, I think that Milwaukee cole slaw is better than the NYC-deli variety. Each couple and the two girls split a sandwich due to their enormous size.
Since the Empire State Building appeared to be only a couple of blocks away, we walked over for a tour. Walt Disney, the master of hidden mazes, would be proud how, after a short wait on the ground floor for an elevator to the 80th floor, the unwitting tourist alights to find himself/herself in a hidden maze there winding its way to a second elevator to the 86th floor, where the actual observation deck is. [Perhaps the ESB got the idea from Walt!] While we were waiting I tried to call Moms Wolf but thanks to AT&T, the world’s worst network, I could not get a signal. It was a cool night out on the observation deck. I was attired in a tank top and shorts from the scorching NYC daytime so after making one circuit of the deck I returned inside. Not only did the height make me nervous but also the tourists holding their cameras. I was expecting someone to drop his/her camera 86 stories!
Our day did not become a “Bataan death march” until we could not find our train back to Newark. Diane attempted to ask an employee dressed like a conductor but he was no help. “I am not sure where this train [the one he was standing next to] is going. You’ll have to check the monitor.” Despite the size of NYC and the level of activity in the station, there was no information person on duty. Finally, Stephanie, I believe, determined that we wanted the 11:52 train. The track is not announced until ten minutes prior to departure so at 11:42 our group plus other assembled interested parties made a mad dash for track #11.
At the tail end of our ride back to Newark we were “entertained” by two men who were verbally sparring in a racially-motivated exchange. They intended to kick their dispute up a notch to fisticuffs as soon as the train stopped but, thankfully, transit cops arrived before the throw down. We could not return to our hotel via the bridge connecting it to Penn Station because the bridge was closed. “This is a high crime area,” noted Diane. “On that note,” I quipped, “thanks again for inviting us!” Despite the Russos’ good intentions of making this an early night, we returned to our hotel at 12:30 AM!
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