A Sad Farewell

There was an old hymn we used to sing in church when I was a kid, and the chorus included the words, “Dear friends, there’ll be no sad farewell, no tear-dimmed eyes…” I kept thinking of that song while I was with Tracy last week. I knew, going in, that this trip would be bittersweet, but I still hoped to give him a happy farewell.

When I left Austin on Wednesday afternoon it was hot and pouring much-needed rain. Needless to say, the temperature in Philadelphia when I landed was much lower, and I was glad to have brought along a jacket. Tracy met me at the airport and we drove into the historic downtown, enjoying the cool air and cooler architecture. Little did we know that the Phillies had just won the National League Pennant. We turned down street after street full of pedestrians cheering and drivers honking! Everyone was celebrating. As we neared our hotel, it became apparent that we were stuck in the middle of a block. The fans demanded honking, smiles, and high-fives before letting us pass. Even though we aren't Phillies fans, we were happy for them!

We stayed at the Sheraton Society Hill. The hotel is small and cozy, and perfectly situated for exploring downtown. We spent Thursday doing just that. We had lunch at Rotten Ralph’s, then enjoyed the colonial ale and bread sampler at City Tavern. The sampler includes four ales made from historic recipes of the Washingtons and Thomas Jefferson, along with some traditional colonial breads. We liked George Washington’s porter and the molasses bread best. We wandered all over the City, from the Head House market area to the Liberty Bell to City Hall, including stops in a historic graveyard, two music stores, and a tattoo parlor.

Around 8:00 Thursday evening, we left Philadelphia and headed to Atlantic City, where we met up with two other couples. I had no idea that there is no “last call” in Atlantic City! After spending a lot of time – and more money – in the Toga bar at Caesar’s Palace and some little Irish place around the corner, we finally made it back to our room at Bally’s a little after 7:00 am. I watched the sun rise over the Atlantic while soaking in the big garden tub, then we napped for a few hours. After breakfast, we took a very chilly walk on the beach before heading north to Monroe, NY. Driving north through New Jersey on the Garden State Parkway, we began to notice beautiful fall foliage. By the time we got into New York and stopped for a break, the air was crisp and the trees were brilliant. We arrived at Joe and Julie’s around 7 pm, thoroughly amazed by the incredible colors blanketing the hillsides and by their gorgeous property on an old dairy farm.

Originally, we had planned to go into the City for dinner and stay overnight at Julie’s brother’s place, near Central Park. Instead, we chose to stay with them in their beautifully renovated old farmhouse. Joe and Julie were so welcoming, and their three girls were so charming, that we really just didn’t want to leave. We enjoyed sharing their Friday night “Greek feast” and sat up talking and looking at photos until midnight. Saturday morning, we helped them get ready for their 5^th annual Pumpkin Party. They were expecting 40+ families to decorate pumpkins, play games, and generally just enjoy the beautiful fall weather. We were tempted to stay, but honestly, I was a little overwhelmed. As much as I enjoyed our visit, I couldn't help but think that Tracy should have been holding his own kiddos. It was a little dose of reality that I hadn't expected.

We headed to Liberty State Park just as the Pumpkin Party guests were starting to arrive. From there, we had planned to take the Water Taxi over to Manhattan. Unfortunately, it was having mechanical problems, and we missed the last Statue of Liberty ferry while we waited on the taxi. We persevered though, and caught the subway from a station that was close by. One of our main purposes for this trip was to visit Ground Zero. We came up from the train on the southwest corner and walked around. The site is completely surrounded by construction fencing and it's difficult to see much. As we walked past the Millenium Hilton, we both had the same thought: maybe we could see into the site from inside. We went in and up to the 55th floor, but no luck, though we did get a great photo of the skyline to the north. On the way down, having stopped at 7 more floors, we encountered an accommodating hotel employee. We went back up to the 55th floor where he opened a "room with a view" and told us his story of the events on Sep. 11, 2001. It wasn't possible to photograph the site from our location; we were too close and nearly on top of it, looking down. But it was amazing, and moving.

We left the hotel and continued around the site, hoping to find the visitors' center open. It was closed, so we wandered into the deli next door. Coincidentally, the Essex Deli served as the Liberty Street Medical Center on 9-11. There were many framed mementoes on the walls, including the identifying sign. After some yummy quiche, quesadillas, cheesecake and tiramisu, we walked over to the viewing area for the site. You can still see where the foundation of one of the towers was. I believe this will be a reflecting pool in the new design.

We left Ground Zero and walked a little ways, heading to Wall Street, passing by Trinity Church on the way. Then past Tiffany's and the NYSE, headed to the Empire State Building. By this point we were beginning to realize how cold and windy it really was, and decided to take the train rather than walk the 20+ blocks. I love riding subways, and my first NY experience was perfect. There were a lot of people, and a few of them were freaky or scary or both, which is just what I expected! We came up a block from Madison Square Garden and checked out the adjacent Borders store. Everyone needs to have a book store shopping spree now and then, and we did! Our purchases included "Goodnight Moon" for our soon-to-be-born nephew, "This is New York" for our kiddos, and several Afghan/Taliban/Islam related books for ourselves. After that, we began walking toward the ESB, beautifully lit in purple and orange. We changed our minds, though, because it was late and cold, and headed back to the subway via a souvenir shop instead. On our ride back to NJ, several young men were sitting across from us. We noticed that they appeared to be middle eastern and that one was reading an Arabic newspaper and carrying a backpack. I thought about that for a long time. I was wholly unconcerned with them, but in many places in America, they would be targets for insults, rage, or worse. Tracy is defending their freedom as much, or more than, mine.

We finally left NJ about 10:00 Saturday night. We were tired and neither of us was looking forward to what came next. After a couple missed exits we arrived at our hotel near the Philadelphia airport. Our last night together, of course, was nowhere near long enough. Before we knew it, it was time to head to the airport. Tracy wanted to park and come in with me, but I made him drop me at the curb instead. Who knew that a parking barrier at the departures terminal could hold such a special place in my heart? I checked my bag and we said our goodbyes in the chilly pre-dawn air. And in spite of my best intentions, and my promise to him that I wouldn't "get all teary-eyed", it was, indeed, a sad farewell.