#19 Farewell St Simons, Hello NYC

 May 12 -13, 2023

I was sad to leave my little St Simons cottage at 11:00 on Friday morning.  I didn’t need to be at the Savannah station until almost 8:00.  I had a bit of a challenge though, as I had to return my rental car to the Savannah airport, which was a long way from the town. 

I parked near the St Simons pier and had a good breakfast at a café, then did a little browsing in the shops and reading in the park.  Finally, I just decided to drive to Savannah and spend some time at the airport.  Once I got rid of the rental car, I just camped out at a little table with my luggage.  I got a very expensive scoop of peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream, that was the best I’ve ever tasted. I stayed for several hours, and before I left, I got a burger from a little brew pub, the only other eatery there. I knew that the Savannah Amtrak would be pretty spartan, so waited as long as I could before catching an Uber there.  The station was very loud, as some people just don't understand about using inside voices, and unfortunately the train was running about an hour late.  Eventually though it did come, and I was on my way. 

The car I was assigned is one of the newer models, as in, somewhat newer than most of the cars, which are from the 70s.  This roomette had a little flip down sink by the door.  What looks like blood on the towel is actually a red light warning me I've left the sink down. 

Of course, it was dark by the time we boarded, so I just went right to sleep.  This train doesn’t have a dining car, so in the morning I went to the little café car and got one of their prepackaged omelet and sausage breakfasts.  It really wasn’t too bad for a packaged meal.  

Though I’d printed a schedule and map for myself, I didn’t make too much effort to figure out where I was, but just enjoyed the scenery as it rolled by.   

And soon the buildings were getting bigger, and then, before I knew it, we were rolling into New York City.  

As with all big city stations, Moynihan Train Hall was impressive.  Not in a grand, old way, but with a sweeping arc of skylights.

Though the map showed my hotel to be reasonably close, I didn’t know what the streets would be like for pulling luggage, so I ordered an Uber ride.  When I stepped out of the appropriate door for pick up, there, right down the street was the Empire State Building.

Something funny about Uber.  I’ve never been good at identifying car brands, but of course like to know I’m getting in the correct car.  I’ve occasionally asked a bystander if the car pulling up is a such and such.  I’ve been in a few Teslas, so finally got that down.  I even figured out how to use the door handles. The long black Lincoln that pulled up curbside in the press of traffic was easy to identify.  It was so big, that when I got into the back seat, I tumbled in across the large, worn black leather seat. 

Moments later, checking into my hotel, I was thrilled to be assigned a room on the 28^th floor.  The highest room I’ve been in was on floor 9.

Pulling the sheers aside on my room window, I was met with a beautiful view of the city, and the Empire State Building, seemingly close enough to hit with a rock.

As soon as I dropped off my luggage, I headed out for some lunch.  A quick search pulled up Salt & Pepper, as a good source of multi-ethnic foods.  It was only a few blocks away. 

It turned out to be a bit of a dive, very dark, and the food in the trays behind the counter less than appealing looking.  I was hungry though, so took a chance on some chicken tikka masala over rice, with a mango lassi.  It was actually pretty good.  A very enterprising establishment, they seemed to cover every meal, with a broad range of ethnicities.  It was very crowded, and kind of cafeteria seating.  I think I was the only person speaking English.

Once fed, I set out to visit the Empire State Building.  I had planned nothing ahead for this short visit to NYC, as it was all such a different world, I thought it best to just see how things go.  The ESB was obviously close enough to walk, so I did just that.  I'll write about that in a separate blog.  

After my visit to the ESB, it was time for dinner.  For some reason, most of the eateries near my hotel were either dark pubs with a halo of pot smoke around them, or requiring reservations at least a day in advance.  So I ended up in an Italian restaurant on the 6th floor of the massive Macy's near me.  I would walk by this Manhattan storefront numerous times during my visit to the city, so finally looked it up.  Built in this location in 1902, this store has 1.2 million square feet of retail space, is the largest department store in the US, and one of the largest in the world. 

Back at my hotel I pulled the desk chair over to the window and propped my feet on the windowsill to watch as color washed the sky, and the city lights came up.