By Nancy Dorrans
The very first time I was in New York City for an adventure, I was about nine years old. That summer my family visited dear friends that lived in Connecticut. We all (four adults, four small children, and a toddler) piled in our family’s 1969 Ford LTD for a drive through Manhattan.
I recall trying to see to the tops of the buildings from the back seat, but I don’t think I had a window seat. There was no stopping, not even at FAO Schwarz. We did take a five-cent ride on the Staten Island Ferry as the price was right. From 1897-1972, the fare was five cents. It went up a few times after that and was finally eliminated on July 4th, 1997.
I knew I would be back.
Traveling on Vouchers in the ’80s
The next time I was a twenty something fearless travel agent in the early 80’s. It was the dawn of airline deregulation and there were new airlines popping up everywhere. While not common these days, space available vouchers used to be plentiful for agents.
Traveling on vouchers was risky, especially if you had to be at work on Monday morning. New York Air had started new flight service to Cleveland and held a travel industry kickoff event. All agents in attendance received two free space available roundtrip vouchers!
I invited my childhood friend Lisa from Detroit to join me. She and her brother Marcus were like cousins. An aspiring stage actor, Marcus had just moved to the Big Apple to “Make it there.” He was living with several other aspiring actors in an apartment above a Chinese Laundromat in Astoria, Queens. Friday night we caught the musical “42nd Street” and had amazing Greek feast afterwards in Astoria. Fresh bread, old friends, good wine, and my first taste of Taramosalata, a delicious Greek caviar spread!
Saturday was a blur and Sunday morning after brunch I headed back to the airport to wait for an available seat to Cleveland. There was “no seat for me!” that Sunday afternoon or evening, and so I hailed a taxi back to Astoria. Marcus had a friend over and they were just finishing dinner.
Late-Night New York City Adventure with Traffic Cops
Marcus’s friend was heading home on the subway, so I asked Lisa if she wanted to go back out to see more of the city. He said we could join him, and we followed him to the subway. This extra time was a bonus in my mind as we hadn’t had time to see Times Square on Friday night. We followed him and caught the train.
He said the “fun” part of the subway was riding outside so we followed him again, out between the cars, and had a phantom view of the city’s under carriage.
He told us how to get to Times Square and headed home.
After a few stops, two young transit police officers approached us and asked us where we were going.
“Times Square,” I said.
They told us that part of the city (in the early 80’s) was a lot different on a Sunday night than on a Friday night and not so safe. They then invited us to ride the train with them for the next forty-five minutes until their shift was over and they would show us around. The fearless girl in me was excited for the opportunity! Lisa had to be convinced. It didn’t take long and off we were to the station.
They changed and took us on a locals’ late-night adventure. We stood on the top of a helicopter pad in Brooklyn gazing at the Manhattan skyline. Devoured pizza and beer at their favorite haunt and listened to their crazy tales of life as transit cops! A completely spontaneous and serendipitous bonus evening in the Big Apple! These are the moments that make the best travel stories…
The Wrong 7th Ave
Every trip to New York City is a new and unique experience. Another time a group of friends and I “made it to the top” of the Empire State Building, caught Matthew Broderick in Brighton Beach Memoirs, and paid homage to John Lennon and the other celebrity ghosts outside The Dakota.
One January weekend, a travel agent friend and I went to visit some fellow Manhattan travel agents we had met in Hawaii. We were staying at the Sheraton in Manhattan on 7th Ave. Again, on the subway, it must have been blatantly obvious we were not New Yorkers when a local commuter asked me where we were going. I told him “Times Square” Sheraton as I pointed to the sign for 7th Ave.
He said, “That 7th Avenue is in Brooklyn. You need to go back to the one in Manhattan.”
We got off the train and I asked a man standing nearby which was the right direction to Manhattan. He was tall, skinny, and was holding a tape recorder up to his ear that was held together with first aid tape. He leaned down and yelled, “You’re in Manhattan!”
UGH! Even I was a bit shaken.
We went upstairs to find someone else to help us. Then the guy with the tape recorder called out to us, “Girls, Girls…”
He walked up apologetically saying he didn’t mean to yell; it had been a difficult holiday for him. He pointed us in the right direction and told us if we gave him the fare to get back on the subway he would walk us to where we were going. That worked out fine.
New York is full of characters and character! I believe he was riding the subway to stay warm.
Marcus Makes It
I’ve had many more trips to the city and there’s always more to these stories. Lisa’s brother Marcus did make it to Broadway. In 2001 we saw him shine in “The Full Monty” and again from 2013-2019 he enjoyed a successful six-year Broadway run in the original cast of “Kinky Boots”!
A Broadway show is always a draw and the last few times I’ve also been exploring different neighborhoods and out of the ordinary cultural nooks of the city.
I’m already planning to return for future New York City adventure! First in April and then December. See more details of these New York City 2023 adventures on my website at www.adventure-marketplace/adventures.
A few favorites include Stone Street and Cauldron’s Pub, the Hard Hat tour of Ellis Island, Amy’s Bread, Hell’s Kitchen, La Trattoria Dell’Arte, The Museum of the City of New York, Malcolm Shabazz, Haarlem’s African Market, O’Haras Pub at the World Trade Center, Dancing Maidens at Untermeyer Fountain in Central Park, the Russian Tea Room, the Tenement Museum lower East Side, Quantanamera a Cuban restaurant on 8th Ave and the $4 ferry up the East River from Pier 11 after dark…
“In the New Year, never forget to thank your past years (and experiences) because they enabled you to reach today! Without the stairs of the past, you cannot arrive at the future!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
Blessings for a Happy New Year ~ Nancy
