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12: “First Look at The Big Apple”
“Hi, Sweetheart. Thought you’d never get here,” said George to his wife Caroline, all the while leaning down to hug both Ali and Reynolds.
“Good to see you guys,” he said-----flashing a smile at his family.
“Don’t expect too much at this place. The Hotel Preston is a dump, but it’ll be OK for a week until Madame Fifi vacates her apartment at the Osgood.”
“What’s a dump, Daddy?” Ali asked as she walked up the steps holding both her mother and father’s hands.
“This place,” her father told her as he laughed and swung her up to the next step.
“Well, Sweetheart,” George said to his wife Caroline “this is Broadway!” He hugged her around the waist and swept his hand toward the big street in front of them filled with dozens of cars and taxi’s and buses traveling in all directions.
“It isn’t the glamorous part with all the theaters, but it’s Broadway. Look, over there, that’s Columbus Circle,” said George as he pointed to a statue in the middle of the street just a couple blocks away. George leaned down to Ali and said, “What do you think, Pumpkin?” Pumpkin was his special name for Ali. Ali just gave him a hug around the waist and smiled at him. Caroline, George and Ali looked around for Reynolds who had already run into the hotel lobby and was looking at the magazine and candy counter.
“Mom, can I have that quarter I just won?” he asked when everyone came up behind him.
“Whoa partner,” said his father. “Let’s get settled in first and then start taking a look around.” Reynolds shrugged. He was happy to see his father, but felt a little awkward with him. It was so long since he had seen him. Ali was a kid and could hold his hand, but he was 11 years old and holding your parent’s hand was not anything he wanted to do anymore. He could hardly wait to get out and see everything.
“Let’s go up to the room and check everything out. It’s not much, but it will do. A lot of the show people stay here to save money. It’s close to Central Park and not too far away from the theaters,” explained George. There was an elevator and a staircase, but since they were on the 5th floor, they all took the elevator.
Once they got to the room, George started talking excitedly about New York City.
“I love this place! There’s something for everyone here. Incredible things to see and do. Get comfortable. Here’s a bag of apples and a few snacks I picked up at the little store on the corner, if you’re hungry. I have a terrific map here for you Caroline. This city is easy to get around in. Just learn which way the streets are numbered and then learn which avenues cross them. You’ll get the hang of it right away,” enthused George.
Reynolds quickly sat on the old chair by the window that looked toward Central Park, just a block away. Ali sat next to her mother on one of the two beds in the room. Kind of lumpy thought Ali, bouncing a little on the bed, as she sat and looked around the room. A dresser. A small table. A hot plate that her father used to heat food. The drapes were kind of an ugly purple. It was very hot in the room, and the sounds of traffic came all the way up through their window. It smelled very different than their house in the Valley.
“A little musty in here,” said her mother.
“Yep, kind of musty,” agreed her father, wrinkling his nose and sniffing a little.
“OK, youngsters, before we take a quick tour of the neighborhood, a few precautions. Always use the Buddy System, even if you’re just going down to the lobby or to the bathroom down the hall. This isn’t the greatest hotel in the city, but it’ll do for a couple of weeks. Did you hear me Reynolds?” George said pointedly to his son.
Reynolds was looking out the window, but looked back at his father and shook his head affirmatively.
“Yeah, Dad, the Buddy System” repeated Reynolds.
“Mostly we’ll be together, but if somehow we get split up, you need to look out for your sister. Remember, you’re the oldest and she’s just 8 years old . Do you understand? This is important son.”
“I understand, Dad. Can’t we go outside and see some stuff?” urged Reynolds.
“Hang on son.”
“Ali, do you know what the Buddy System is?” George asked his daughter.
“Stay together,” Ali said, adding “and don’t go anywhere alone.”
“That’s my little Pumpkin”.
“Let’s go up to the roof and take a look at this wonderful city. It’s a good place to show you where things are located. OK?”.
Caroline smiled at her husband. He was always so detailed. It was good to hear the sound of his voice and see him with his children.
“Let’s go to the roof with your father,” said Caroline as she grabbed the bag of apples and handed one to each of the kids.
“You know, some of the show folks call this city ‘The Big Apple’---if you can make a go of it here, you’ve got it made,” said George to Caroline.
“Honey, just being here with you, I’ve got it made,” said Caroline as she hugged George again and scooted the kids out the door.
From the roof of the Hotel Preston you could see quite a distance.
“See Ali, over there, Columbus Circle”, said her father.
“Wow, what a huge park,” Reynolds said in amazement.
“Central Park-----the biggest one in Manhattan,” said George to his son.
“They have a skating rink, a place to play baseball, a zoo, a carousel, a bandstand. It’s amazing, something for everyone in the family”.
“Ali, look over there at the river,” Reynolds said to his sister, pointing at a silvery line of water in the distance, just barely visible in between the jumble of buildings all around.
“Yep, we are surrounded by water. You’re on an island, kids,” said their father. “We’ll take a ride on the Staten Island ferry in a few days so you can see the island of Manhattan.”
“Like Catalina,” said Reynolds quickly who remembered a special trip there a couple years earlier in California.
Ali and Reynolds were scurrying all over the roof which was covered with gravel. It had a big sign that said “Hotel Preston” sitting on top of the roof.
“At night it is magical,” said George, sweeping his hand in front of him as if he was on a stage. “Lights in every direction. You’ll love it Caroline.” His wife smiled and listened to everything George was telling them.
“Careful kids, don’t lean over the edge there,” warned their mother.
“There’s a drugstore, and funny thing, it’s name is The Drug Store--- just a couple of blocks from here that has just about every item you can think of----toothpaste, paperbacks, a soda fountain, cigarettes, aspirin, socks, candy----everything. Just downstairs from the hotel there is a little food store. No supermarkets like in California around here, but you’ll get the hang of it,” George continued telling his family.
“Well, let’s get out our map and take a little tour of the neighborhood,” said George, taking Ali by the hand as Reynolds disappeared through the door that led to the to the stairs off the roof. Reynolds was always in a hurry.
George and Caroline and the kids walked rapidly with the crowds. Caroline and her children were wide-eyed with every sight. The huge intersections. All the cars. The hundreds of people everywhere. Ali never saw so many people.
“Why is everyone walking so fast, Daddy? Why are there so many people here?” Ali asked her father.
“Everyone is in a hurry. To go to work. To come home. To see a show. To eat. To live. That’s New York. It’s a big city and lots of people live and work here,” he responded. “Look over there. Just the other side of Columbus Circle. They’ve torn down a lot of old buildings. A brand new building will go up in place of the old ones. I think it’ll be a convention center. Always tearing down and building up around here. Out with the old, in with the new.”
A bus pulled away from the curb. Ali thought it smelled bad. Reynolds kept running up ahead, but Ali was content to hold onto her f
ather’s hand.
“Not so fast Reynolds, wait for us right there,” his father would sometimes yell. Reynolds was enjoying the rapid pace of everything around him. His head was spinning from the excitement of the city.
Along the way George pointed out The Drug Store where you could get everything (Ali remembered especially the part about candy), and then got to a street he called 57th Street.
“OK, we just came down Broadway and past Columbus Circle and The Drug Store. Now were going down 57th Street. This is the street our apartment is on----want to see it?”
“Yes,” said everyone in unison.
When they walked about a block George, pointed to a tall, old brownstone building on the corner.
“This is it. The Osgood Apartments,” said George. They all stood and looked way up. “We’ll be on the 7th floor-----we’ll take a better look tomorrow. And over there is Carnegie Hall where they play beautiful music and hold nightly concerts. And kids, just a few more blocks to your school from here. Everybody game to walk that far?” said George who was a wonderful tour guide and was clearly enjoying showing his family the sights of New York City. Even though they were tired from the long trip, it was so exciting that everyone unanimously decided to see more.
“OK, we’ll check out P.S. 69 and then grab a huge special deli sandwich and maybe a piece of delicious New
York cheesecake at my favorite delicatessen. I go there after the show most evenings.”
Ali thought P.S. 69 was an odd name for a school. Not really a name, but just two letters and a number. And what’s a delicatessen? Someplace that made sandwiches according to her father. That sounded good, but she wasn’t too interested in eating a cake made out of cheese. Ugh.
George looked at Caroline and asked if she was up to seeing a little more.
“I’ve waited so long for this. Absolutely.”
When they got to 54th Street, they turned and walked a short distance. “There it is kids, P.S. 69. You’re new school,” said George.
“Not really very new is it Dad?” said Reynolds looking up at a massive, old reddish-colored building that sure didn’t look anything like Hazeltine Elementary School in the Valley.
“I’ll bet this place is a hundred years old. Looks more like a prison,” said Reynolds shaking his head from side to side while standing with his hands in his pockets.
“I think you’re right, son. Look up there at the top of the building. I think it has a date on it. Yep, 1890. Pretty old, but not quite a 100 years old. I’ve already
registered you and Ali. You’ll start next Monday. Excited?” he asked his kids.
“Daddy, I’m, excited, but I’m really hungry too. Can we get our sandwich at that place now,” said Ali whose stomach was making little noises.
“Absolutely, Pumpkin. A piled-high New York delicatessen sandwich coming up.”