just one more

i promise, this is the last of the nyc recaps.  and it wasn't all that exciting, but i'm going to blog it anyway.  because i can.

we were bound and determined to get up early enough to make it back out to rockefeller center for the daily taping of the "today" show.  so we were all up and getting ready at 7:30, and by 8:00 we were all showered, pretty, packed, and checked out of the hotel.  we left our luggage in storage, strapped the bean in the carrier, and off we were.

we had one errand to run first - dropping the keys off at the janky apartment that we'd paid for in full but never stayed in.  bleh.  so we made our way to times square, up 47th street, and in the apartment, we dropped the keys on the table and left.  i was a little nervous about this, because there was no way to lock the door from the outside, but that's what we were told to do by the owner.  i tried and tried to reach her to confirm it, but i kept getting voice mail, and the stupid voice mailbox was full - so i couldn't even leave a message.  

anyway, there was a "doorman" - some pervy looking dude with a dunlap belly wearing a shirt so tight, the buttons were begging for mercy.  and the front door required either a key or to be buzzed in, so after confirming with the hub (who was in between meetings), i just said "eh, fuck it" and we left.

when we finally made it to rockefeller center, the "today" show was well underway, and there was a small crowd outside the studio, waving signs and cheering loudly whenever the camera swung their way.  we'd stopped at the local duane reade so that the kid could make a poster to wave, but they didn't have any posterboards. 

 

we made our way around the plaza and found spots in front of the outside set, which was set up with two cooking stations, each adorned with the logos of the miami and new york city fire departments.  and there were lots of hot firemen standing around, beating eggs and chopping up fruit.  

we did see al roker (this is a REALLY blurry picture, but my camera was being a bitch and that al was being a damn spaz), as well as kathie lee and her co-host with a weird name that i can't remember.  

we hung out for a while, watching and listening, but the smell of the breakfast that those firemen were so busy whipping up really got to us.  we hadn't stopped for any kind of sustenance, and eventually the kid turned around and said "how important is this to you?"

well hell, i didn't really give a shit.  i told her that we were only there as long as she was interested in it, and at that, we bounced.

we ended up having sandwiches at a deli down in the bowels of rockefeller center, and then it was time to catch a cab back to the hotel to scoop up our luggage and get to the airport.  MIL's flight was actually an hour before ours, and we didn't know what kind of traffic to expect, so we wanted to make sure we gave ourselves plenty of time.  nor did we want to go separately and end up paying twice, just for an extra hour of play time in the city.  

the doorman at the hotel offered to either hail us a cab or use the hotel's driver, who was waiting outside in an escalade.  "a cab will run you $45 plus tolls and tip, and the car is $65, all inclusive," he said.  "even with two stops at the airport?" we asked.  and he confirmed that yes, that would be no problem.  so we chose the luxury ride over a dirty cab and hopped in.

of course, once we dropped off MIL at the delta terminal and got to the american terminal (thank the lawd, our flight was NOT one of the 600+ flights cancelled nationwide) and handed the driver his $65, he counted the bills and said "it's gonna be an extra $10 for the 2nd stop."

what. the. fuck.  i told him that the doorman had assured us it was all inclusive, and he said "nope, he got it wrong.  it's $10 more."

son of a bitch.  and that fucker had my suitcase firmly in hand.  so i forked over the extra cash, snatched my bag up, and stomped my ass into the terminal to check in. i didn't have the patience to stand there and argue with that asshole.  

i was in a pissy mood until after we checked in our bags, got past the security checkpoint, and found this.

and the kid would kill me if she knew i'd posted this, but it cracked me up (no pun intended).

when we got to the gate and got settled, there was one other woman sitting there (that's how early we were).  upon seeing the bean, she came right over, touching her hair and her hands, clucking and cooing over her, and talking to her in a super secret language.  she was harmless, but got annoying after a while.  finally she left in search of a snack and a beverage, so we settled down and got comfy.

but it wasn't long before she came back, lamenting the long lines at starbucks and asking us if we knew what was going to be available for food on the plane.  and then she said "do you have a cellular phone?  i don't have one, but i really want to call my neighbor to tell her that i'm leaving.  i'm going to australia for two weeks and i don't want her to worry about me."

and of course, i'd just finished talking to the hub, so the damn phone was in my hand, in plain sight.  so after exchanging a look with the kid, i handed it over and she thanked me while pulling out her glasses from her bag.  the kid offered to dial the number for her, and after about a dozen tries (she kept getting a "disconnected" message), she gave up and thanked us again.

a few minutes later, we saw her asking another family sitting next to her if they had a cellular phone so she could call her neighbor.  the kid and i cracked up, and then decided to get the hell outta dodge and peruse the shops before she came back to us for another crack at her phone call.

we managed to kill enough time so that when we returned to the gate, the first class passengers had already boarded the plane (the lady was one of them, happily), and it was only a few more minutes before it was our turn.

seated across the aisle from us was a single girl with a 7-month-old baby boy.  "we're laying over at lax for about four hours before we board the next plane to sydney," she told us.  holy shit.  she was going on another plane for another 14 hours, alone, juggling a baby and her carry-on bag.  "but at least on the next plane, we'll have a bassinet."  yay for her!  :|

the kid took a few pictures while we got through the safety video and takeoff, and then she settled back with her knitting (yup, that's right - the kid likes to knit!) while i tried to get the bean to relax and go to sleep.  of course, she thought it was playtime, and she spent the first two and a half hours of the flight babbling, chewing on her toys, and flirting with her new boyfriend across the aisle (who flirted right back).

she finally fell asleep just as the movie was starting - national treasure 2, which i actually wanted to see (i think i'm one of about 24 people who would admit to this).  and she slept right on through till we landed, and she lit up and smiled nice and pretty for her daddy, who was waiting for us at the baggage carousels.

we ended our day with dinner at california pizza kitchen - trying to kill time while letting traffic die down.  and as much fun as we'd had in the big apple, it was nice to finally come home and fall into our own beds for a good night's sleep.

yay!  all done!  see, that wasn't so bad.