City Sidewalks, Pretty Sidewalks...

Sometimes I have really good ideas. Sometimes I don't. On December 3rd, the day of the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, I had one of my not-so-good ideas. On the news that morning it was announced that the Rockefeller Christmas tree would be lit that very night. The thought flashed through my mind that since we live so close I should just hop on over to the city with the kids and we could see the big event and it would be wonderful and we would create a memory that would last a lifetime and we would see Faith Hill, and the Jonas Brothers, and Beyonce and, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick, Jr. and we would be all cozy and I would take lots of bright Christmas-y pictures and the kids would be mesmerized by all of the pretty lights on the buildings and and we would be in the front row and when NBC broadcast the show we would wave to all of our friends and family across the country and we would do a little Christmas shopping and drink hot cocoa and cookies which I would pack in my cute plaid thermos with the matching cute plaid bag...

So, when J.J. left for work I followed him out to the car and told him I 'might, might, might, but probably not' (I know myself well enough to know that ideas I find initially exciting I usually reject upon further review) take the kids into the city to see the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

As the day dragged on I could not think of any possible reason why I shouldn't take my kids into the city all by myself on the bus and then take the subway to Rockefeller Center...maybe we would even do a little ice-skating...I'm such a steady ice-skater why wouldn't I be able to simultaneously teach four kids how to ice-skate (Olivia might be scared but I could just hold ner on my hip while I glided along the ice and taught the other three).

At two o' clock I finally committed to going to the city by telling my kids that I was going to take them...as soon as the words left my mouth I wanted to take them back...the boys were ecstatic...Claire was wary. My plan was to arrive by five p.m--a whole two hours early (the event was from 7-9). So the kids hurried around getting ready, we ran to the ATM and took out loads of money, filled a water bottle and threw a few cookie crumbs in a bag (Claire had made them and somehow overbaked both batches and I had shattered my cute plaid thermos while trying to take it apart to clean it) and made it to the bus stop 10 minutes early.

The bus arrived. Knowing how impatient people around these parts seem to be I had my money counted and ready in the right hand pocket of my coat (I had researched the exact amount on the New Jersey transit website). We stepped on the bus and the bus driver said, "Ten dollars." I became very confused and quickly started trying to re-do the math in my head (I had expected an amount more than twice that much). The bus driver noticed my confusion and explained, "I'm letting the kids slide." Very nice of him. But then, as we took our seats, in the quickly falling dusk, I started to wonder--do we look vulnerable and pathetic? Does he think that a woman riding the bus with four children into the city must need all the help she can get? Should I pull the cord and get off right now? However, I was comforted by the fact that the bus was so nice and clean and it was going to be such a short ride and the seats were so big and comfortable...Claire looked back at me and grinned, she was obviously getting into the spirit of the night, so I smiled back and gave her the two thumbs-up. She laughed, rolled her eyes, and looked away from me.

I was LOVING the bus ride. A distinguished fatherly man with two adorable teen-age daughters got on after us, they were also going to Rockefeller Center, and I decided that it was a great idea after all...until, the final stop before we headed onto the freeway...two college age guys (headed to Rockefeller) and four college-age girls (also headed to Rockefeller) boarded the bus. They seemed like happy, nice people. Except the guys used their favorite word (which starts with the same letter as 'favorite') in every way imaginable...noun, verb, adjective they cheerfully interjected it at every possible instance. The girls, who were actually much worse, talked about their multiple "hook-ups"...they all laughed hysterically at one of the girls, in particular, who has multiple "hook-ups" in a single night.

I tried distracting my kids by whispering about anything that popped into my head when the conversations of our fellow passengers seemed headed in dangerous directions. I am trying to shorten this story and am obviously having a very hard time.

Anyway, as soon as the city was in sight the bus basically came to a complete stop...we were lined up behind about 100 other buses also headed to the city...I knew that there was a mass transportation advisory in effect for the day, advising people to not drive into the city but I thought if we took mass transit there would be some sort of special lane and we would whiz right in to the city. Wrong. We sat on the bus for over an hour while we waited to make the final two feet of the journey (I kid about the two feet but I don't kid about the hour).

Finally we got to the bus station, which was ENORMOUS, the hugest place I have ever been and I now needed to find the entrance to the subway. We wandered around for a few minutes, at a breakneck pace so the kids wouldn't realize I was lost, until I saw a sign indicating the subway entrance (actually I think I finally asked someone for directions) and we headed down. I remember there was an elevator. And I remember buying subway passes. Which we never used because the policemen and subway employees kept letting us get on for free.

Anyway, we got to our subway platform and the kids were all very nervous that somehow one of us would make it on and the others would be left behind. When the subway came and the doors opened we practically all flew in while holding on to each other and the stroller. The subway was actually really fun...I felt like I was in a movie. We got off at the right stop and everything. Woo-hoo for mapquest. Then the real trouble began. You see, on the way down to the subway there had been a gradual series of ramps...I didn't realize how far down we had gone. So when we came to the broken escalator that would take us up I thought, no problem, I'll just pick the stroller up and carry it up the stairs. From the bottom looking up I couldn't see how high they went...I knew it would be hard but I knew I could do it. So, I had the kids go ahead of me and I picked up the stroller, with Olivia in it, and took off after them. I was not even halfway up when my legs and arms started shaking and I came to the startling realization that I can't do everything just because I think I can. I was so scared. I didn't know what to do. Behind me was a sea of people dressed in their black business wear. Ahead of me was no one. I could not go one more step. I tried stepping to the side and gasping to the man directly behind me that he could go on ahead of me. He, very graciously, said that was okay...then he asked if I needed help. I breathlessly and with my arms and legs wobbling said, "yes" he grabbed part of the stroller and we started forward. I did not know how I was going to make it even with his help. My muscles were dying. Then, this college kid from about ten steps back came leaping past people asking if he could help. They both took the stroller and carried it up the rest of the way for me. It took all the strength, and miniscule dignity, that was left in my body to pull just me to the top of the stairs (for the record, if I hadn't taken half of the stairs lugging forty pounds I would have been able to walk up just fine by myself). I used to have a policy against panting in public. That has gone by the wayside.

Once we made it out to the street we headed towards Rockefeller Center. We actually headed in the opposite direction but we hadn't gone too far before I asked somebody which way we should be headed and they pointed us in the right direction. The closer we got, the more crowded the sidewalks became until about two blocks away when we came to a complete standstill. It was standing room only. No one was moving. We were hemmed in on all sides by a mass of humanity. Claire and Thomas were behind me...there was no way for them to stand next to me and I kept asking them to tug my coat to let me know exactly where they were. Finally we made it to the corner where we should have turned to head into Rockefeller Plaza. If there hadn't been approximately 1.5 million people ahead of us we would have been there. But there were, so once we got to the corner, I said, "Guys, quick, this way," and we jumped off the sidewalk and headed the opposite direction. I found a policeman (love those guys) and asked him if there was any point trying to make it to Rockefeller Center or should we just give up. He, very nicely, told us that it had been filled up since about two that afternoon and we weren't going to get any closer than we were right then.

We thanked the policeman and I asked the kids, "Hey, do you want to give up now and I'll buy you whatever you want at the next restaurant we see?" They immediately yelled, "yes!" I don't blame them as it was 8 p.m. and they hadn't had a crumb for dinner yet. We headed as far away from the crowds as we could and quickly found a deli type restaurant. We ordered our food at the counter and then found out to sit down we had to go up a narrow, steep set of stairs to get to the tables. So I said, "we'll take it to go" (it's not that I don't do stairs, it's just that I still had the stroller) and we headed outside to find a little nook on the street where we could stop and eat for a second. As we walked looking for a nonexistent nook I pointed out that we hadn't seen what we wanted to see, but we now knew how to ride the bus into the city, how to take the subway, and how pretty 5th avenue looks at night at Christmas time. The kids seemed to agree but maybe they were just humoring me. We never found anywhere to sit to eat so we wolfed down our food while standing at the entrance to the stairs going down to the subway. It was the best food we had ever tasted.

Here is the one picture I took while stuck in the non-moving crowd on the sidewalk:
While waiting for the subway to take us back to the bus station I took a picture of the horrible broken up-escalator that I had been stranded on earlier that evening...this is how long I thought it was:

This is how long it actually was...do you see the difference...do you see how the steps go on infinitely?

Here is Thomas waiting to take the bus home. I would like to tell the story of waiting for the bus for the ride home but it would make this tale of woe twice as long...it was ridiculous...we all felt like Thomas looks. Although I must give the kids their due...they were amazing and are absolutely my favorite adventure companions (I wonder if I am their favorite adventure leader? :-)). Once we got on the bus however we had loads of fun...we were all so happy to be headed home (and sitting down)...the bus ride home only took about 25 minutes...it was awesome...plus the whole bus was filled with tired, non-talking professionals headed home...EVERY single seat was filled and not one person said one word...it was very awesome.There is even more to this story, but for now...The End.