"Ahmed asked if I like the music"-Day 4 in New York

Our final day in New York. After the final breakfast at Evergreen's, Minna shopped Hershey's chocolate store for souvenirs. Then we decided to head to Harlem because Topi wanted to visit the place. I asked the front desk in our hotel if it was safe (maybe I was stuck in the 70s when it wasn't safe for a white person to go to), and they assured us that it was safe during the day time. We went to catch the subway, and we waited and waited...after a rat sighting, the train finally came and we were squished like sardines due to Yankees' game later that day. The train was full of fans. We rode the train to 125th street and got off. There was absolutely nothing to see in Harlem. So we walked towards the Central Park. There we had to say our farewells because Minna's plane back to Finland left a little while later. Topi went with Minna. Topi was headed to Philadelphia for another month. I walked across to the other side of Central Park because I wanted to visit the Guggenheim Museum. Once I got there, there was a HUGE line of people for the tickets. I only lined up for the bathroom, and decided to bag the museum. Took a couple of pictures and kept walking.


The beautiful design of Frank Lloyd Wright.


I wonder if the roof leaks?


Inside of the Guggenheim Museum.

Metropolitan Museum of Art. Wanted to go in, but there were 4 bus loads of people and then some, so I decided to just walk by.

I decided to walk all the way back to the hotel. The whole length of Central Park. Have you ever done that? My walk ended up being 6 miles.

I quickly gathered my things at the hotel and got a cab to JFK. I'm not usually critical of people, but when I encounter rude people, I can't stand it. My cab driver, Ahmed, was Middle Eastern. When he drove to the curb, he glanced at me and after asking to pop the trunk I had to hoist my own luggage to the trunk. Aha! A woman hater, I see. Buddy, your tip just went down! When I sat down, he made it very clear to me that I had to pay the toll and his tip at the end of the trip. I said:"Ok". He had to repeat himself with a LOUD voice (actually yelled at me) "MY TIP IS NOT INCLUDED". I yelled back at him:"I UNDERSTAND, THANK YOU!" See, I have manners, I said Thank You. The trip started. Uneventful until he turned up the Middle Eastern music. When he started singing, I closed my eyes and imagined myself taken away to Casbah in Iraq. There I was sitting in my veil, tapping my finger to this jerk's singing. And then it happened. He asked me if I liked the music. What do you answer a rude cab driver who clearly has a bad day. I said:"Yes, very much so. Your singing is exceptional!" He smiled and turned up the volume, both radio and his singing. I couldn't wait for this trip to end. I was thinking that there was no hand-kissing in the end. And so it wasn't. I think my massaging his Middle Eastern ego got him off his butt because he got my luggage out of the trunk. At farewell, I told him to keep singing.

When our flight left JFK, we were informed by the captain that there might be some turbulence in Denver area. What he failed to mention was that there were actually 3 tornados in the area earlier in the day. I didn't find this out until I looked out the window and witnessed the most amazing lightning storm ever that lasted about an hour, while we took the detour around it. We arrived safely to Salt Lake, and I didn't sleep a wink. Did you think I would?

It was so great to visit with Minna and Topi, and get to know what she had been up to since 1983. Those relationships that we make when we are young are so precious and priceless. We will do this again when Minna's daughter Maija graduates from high school in 8 years. That time we will visit the other coast.

Miles walked: 7