Written after the fact from an Atlanta hotel room! I walked up the stairs from the 6th to the 7th floor to get coffee on our last day on the QM2, and as per usual procedure, I checked the weather by poking my head outside. WOW! Imagine how the immigrants felt, all my 4 grand parents, as they saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time. She stands proudly in New York harbor today, green from weathering, holding her book and light, inspiring gulps of joy in my throat. I took some photos of the Statue and then I turned to my right and caught a first glimpse of the new World TradeCenter. Clouds were rolling in, and those are the best shots I got all day! We stood in a line of hundreds to get a taxi, so Chuck bought off a guy who hailed us a private cab (seems you can get anything with an extra $20). He took us through the tunnel from QM2’s perch in Brooklyn and pointed out the World Trade Center and memorial garden. We checked in at the hotel and immediately set out for a circle line cruise that goes all around Manhattan Island: 20 bridges, 19 tall and 1 rail road bridge that has to open for each boat. We could not see up the Hudson waterway for clouds and the tops of the tall buildings were shrouded in cloud as rain poured down. We went under the George Washington bridge that Sully Sullenberg "glided over" after he lost engine power and saw the spot on the Hudson where he "landed" near the aircraft carrier Intrepid. Rain continued to pour down scrapping any thoughts of going out to the World Trade Center site or the Battery Park to see the QM2 light show as she sailed away. Instead we relaxed and then, noticing it had stopped raining, walked up to Broadway and Times Square and had an early dinner at an Irish pub. Morning came and we got the first taxi we hailed who dropped us at Penn Station. With all our 13 bags… I stood on the side walk as Chuck disappeared down into Penn Station to look for Amtrack and a porter. I waited bravely on the sidewalk and then they came! Chuck and a "red cap." The train ride was fun except that Amtrack has cut back with no dining car for sleeper cars… so we were reduced to hotdogs and beer. As we rolled and rocked along listening to the train blow her horn at every crossing I thought of all the country western songs I’ve heard about the lonesome whistle of the train, and I thought of all those little nameless towns we blew through. The train was a little late due to heavy freight traffic on the lines, but our dear loyal cousin Dennis picked us up and took us out for lunch (waterside in Tampa). Greet the dogs waiting for us, throw the ball a million times, hug Laura and Dennis good bye and head for Atlanta on Friday morning. Arrived Atlanta at about 4pm on a Braves game afternoon and oh do not forget rush hour on I75/I85 in Atlanta. I was frazzled, but our little GPS girl got us to the front door of the beautiful Georgian Terrace hotel where we have a small suite with washer and dryer. I filled the suite with open suitcases, put up a clothes line and went to work on laundry! We went out for a walk with Charlie Paparelli to the restaurant for rehearsal dinner and tonight is Lisa’s wedding. So, just as I asked for prayer for my niece Jennie, so tonight I ask for prayer for Lisa. Two beautiful young ladies setting out to continue a happy and beautiful life. Heard last evening at the rehearsal dinner: "You can’t explain marriage to someone who hasn’t been married. Marriage is a challenge and only Love carries us through." And we aren’t strong enough to love on our own with poor puny human love… Ask God and his angels to come and be with. God bless you!
Categories