THE day finally came and it didnt come quietly. At 3:30 in the morning Olivia tiptoed into my room to tell me she happened to see a notification when she woke during the night that our flights had been changed and I needed to come and confirm it online. Our morning flight was already delayed (I later learned it was because of severe weather the night before causing problems with the morning schedule) and we were offered alternative flights since it would mean we’d miss our connection in Atlanta. Of course we weren’t the only ones this was happening to and seats were not easy to come by. We ended up with a new itenerary that took us through both Atlanta and Raleigh/Durham and then to LaGuardia. Olivia’s flight however, was to be a standby ticket only and since we didn’t want to leave her in North Carolina she spent 2 HOURS (2 TENSE hours) on hold with Delta. By the time we arrived at the airport we were already anxious but after we checked in and started chatting excitedly with Cara and Maggie we relaxed. For the most part I’m always able to see travel delays and mishaps as just another part of the adventure and rarely get upset about them.

Our original flight was delayed even more than anticipated and by the time we reached Atlanta we actually ran to the next gate just in time for the last call. (That’s a funny story I won’t go into). The remaining leg for North Carolina went fairly smoothly and we were finally in NYC! We took an uber into the city to the Airbnb apt we rented. Being close to afternoon rush hour, the traffic was worse than usual and the long ride allowed us plenty of time to adjust our senses to the busy city around us. We found our apt building in Hell’s Kitchen and found we had a 4th floor walk up (with luggage). The stairs in the old building were steep and narrow (a suitcase had to be dragged behind you- there wasn’t room to carry it beside you in the tiny stairwell). The stairs also had a decided tilt to the right (which Maggie called sketchy but I corrected her- it’s called character). A cute and clean apartment awaited us, but with a few more hiccups – the A/C was MIA (although it had been advertised) and the bathroom light didn’t work. We later obtained a promise from the owner to install the portable A/C tomorrow and fix the light, but for tonight we’d make the best of it. I have encountered similar struggles with properties before and I wasn’t really shaken, but I could tell Cara and Maggie were possibly considering checking into the nearest holiday inn. Not really, but it was getting harder to keep positive attitudes for sure.

There is always that moment for me when I go on any trip even slightly out of my comfort zone that I begin to question why I’m here and begin to believe that I’d have been better off staying at home. It usually happens quickly, often just a couple of hours after I get there. Luckily I also know that feeling will pass pretty quickly and I will soon remember my love of travel and be ecstatic to be there.

We left our tiny apartment and went to find lunch which was at Grand Central. We headed to the upper east side and shopped in some of the huge 3 story stores, we got a cupcake from the sprinkles cupcake ATM and rode the Roosevelt tram over the East River to see the skyline a little better at night. We rounded out the night with impossibly small but delectable cupcakes to take home. The day had turned out to be a success!

Our apartment was warm and stuffy and we felt this place deserved the name Hell’s Kitchen, but when you stepped out on the old iron fire escape outside our window you could see the Empire State Building’s tall, brightly lit antenna.

Our adventures are just beginning and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!