Events, New York
Short trip with new dimensions
October 28, 2010 by Philipp
October 8th, 09.30 New York, everything is packed and ready for my short trip. First stop: Times Square, getting a nice mug in one of the tourist shops there :) It was not easy to find an at least nice looking one. But I managed it and I also managed to get a Taxi to Newark Airport. I had a really nice chat with my taxi driver who is used to be a writer, when not sitting in a cab. He told me a lot really interesting stuff about being a taxi driver in Manhattan. Unfortunately I forgot his name… I’m sorry. But I gave him the address to my website, so he might read this and if so, you want to write a comment with your name below please :).
Arriving at Newark, I had plenty of time to check in and getting through security check. So no problems at all… but it turned out, that I forgot my knife in my bag which was supposed to be my hand baggage. No big deal, I just couldn’t pass security check with this knife, so either they would throw it away and I could pass without it or a had to check it in. Meant buying a new bag put everything into the new one and check in my normal bag, now empty except of the knife. This would just cost me $55 to check in a second luggage and $10 for the new bag. Note to myself: Remove this knife from hand baggage next time.
Okay, after this, there wasn’t so much time left, but still enough to eat duty free breakfast… I think I saved 3 cent.
12:58 pm my plane took off to Atlanta. Nice Airport they have. With life jazz music from a lady on a piano in the middle of the crowded waiting hall. There isn’t a lot more to tell. I ate a duty free piece of pizza (saved again 2 cent), but there is nothing to do in those halls except of eating. After two and a half hours (at 16:30) I could board the next plane which would bring me to Zurich. I even remembered to get rid of this piece of paper which I carried around in my passport for one month called I-94 departure acknowledgement or something like that.
After about on and a half hours flight the captain told us to look to our left, where we could see New York now… really funny. I just started down there five hours ago.
During the flight to Zurich time sped up and suddenly it was October the 9th at 07:48am when we arrived. The sunrise was amazing! While the back of the plane still was at night, the front already hit daylight and because we where landing we could observe the passing of the day/night border in realtime over France. With this sight mind and an actually really good breakfast on plane. I arrived back in good old Switzerland :) From here it was easy, everything seemed to be exactly as it has been before. Only the really strange feeling by thinking about the previous evening in NYC stayed and everything got this little surreal touch. I finally arrived in Burgdorf at about 1000am and went to my friends house for a little 4 hour nap.
1530 finally the big moment for which I came back: The party to celebrate my fathers fifties birthday with all his friends. I stood behind a door and listened to my father, guessing who would be the guest he didn’t expect. He had no clue :) Everything had worked out perfectly and it was a really great surprise for all who didn’t know, but especially for my father. It was just perfect!
The day went on and kept its surreal touch or even increased it, because there where a lot of people I remember from the past and a lot of them had known me as a little baby or a little boy. To see them all again after so long was a really special feeling and there where many things I learned about our family, my fathers past and also about my own past.
We talked and ate till late in the night and surprisingly I didn’t get tired! Well not that surprisingly, because for me it was NY time so there was no reason to go to bed at 8 o’clock even with a really short night behind.
The next day, after getting up, which was definitely harder, I met my best friends for a really great and cosy sunday afternoon. We really managed to talk the whole night and without a minute sleep (at least some of us) I accompanied them to the train station and wished them good bye (this time for a little longer).
I myself went back to my parents house, took a shower and prepared everything for my journey back. Together with my mother we traveled to Zurich where my plane took of at 13.58pm. The journey was eventless, the 3 hours waiting time in Amsterdam really boring and I slept a lot of the time, with this really great travel pillow I got from my mom :) And when I wasn’t sleeping, I was eating. Not only on the ground in Amsterdam but also on plane, because the dutch airline company KLM provides a huge amount of food. About every 30 minutes they come along and serve the next dutch speciality. Most of them really delicious but with the time, almost to much :).
We arrived sharp on time and I got back in to the United States without problems. At 07.40pm this didn’t even take me that long and also my backpack arrived with me – Although it was the last item which came out of that hole in the wall. Walking towards the exit of the Terminal and seeing an obviously male person all dressed up in women clothes running and jumping toward some guy that arrived with me, I knew: I’m back in New York.
Some more pictures here.
Crazy dog, you! :)
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