JFK on the boarding pass

t's here, finally... the week my girlfriend Corinne and I are taking to the city... New York City. We've had it on the books for a few months now, as something out there to look forward to... a birthday celebration too (me, later this month)!

There are a lot of cities in this country that are worthy of a week's exploration, I wouldn't argue with that. When I really sit back and think about it, I could probably find ample to explore and entertain in Boston, San Francisco, Palm Beach, Ashland or any number of smaller cities. But for me, New York has just the right amount familiarity mixed with enough unknown to be comfortable and still exciting.

My first foray to the city was when Shelby and Kim lived there (1997-2001), and for any number of reasons (or none at all) I was able to visit them once or twice a year. Seth's very first plane ride was to NYC at 8 months old. When he was about four, he and I had a horrific trip back from NYC in which he threw a major fit and I tried in vain to get him to a calm place, all the while fending off comments from little old ladies seated nearby about what a sweet child he was. Headache-inducing, I tell you.

Since Shelby and Kim moved west, the trips have been far less frequent--having people to see and a place to stay sweetens the deal, absolutely. I went to visit a friend who was working in the city in 2003 (and met up with dear Kate for a lovely day of wander); husband (boyfriend at the time...) took me there for my birthday in 2004, which was lovely and romantic; and I took Seth for a fabulous explore (he was much better behaved than previous trips!) in 2005... and there you have it. Suddenly, seven years have passed with JFK on a boarding pass, and I woke up one morning last spring with an itch to go.

We have a full week planned, C and I. A chillax and poolside vacation this is not... my goal is to post as we go (so you'd want to be my Facebook friend, for sure, this week. Either that or hide me out of annoyance. Your call.), but we'll see how that works in reality.

I have been humming while packing...