Bailey Boo and New York, Too!

Bailey, Bubbe, Lauren and Josh out and about in NYC.

Our winter getaway this year was a family affair to New Jersey and New York, a couple of days to attend and celebrate our grand niece Jessica's Bat Mitzvah, mixed with a few days to chomp away at The Big Apple yet again!

Highlights included Bailey flying the friendly skies of United for the very first time and riding a train, then venturing in to Manhattan and getting chilled to the bone, dancing the night away at her cousin's party and filling up on enough sugar to keep her spinning about for hours.

We also spent some quality time with Lauren and Josh, first in Jersey with family and friends, then into the Big Apple for a quick trip around Times Square and Rockefeller Center. Then we were off to the Upper East Side to try out the pastrami at a little hole in the wall, The Pastrami Queen, that came highly recommended. Two words: Good Eats!

On Sunday, after a few days of folks and fun, Wendy and I returned to the city after dropping Lauren, Josh and Bailey at the airport in Newark. We generally spend a longish weekend in Manhattan in late January, but decided to go ahead and eat our way across the city and attend a few shows since we were already in the area.

Great view of lower Manhattan from Brooklyn Heights.

We mostly wandered about the neighborhoods in Chelsea and Greenwich Village, revisting a few of our favorite restaurants and bakeries -- Rafele and Rocco's in the West Village and S'MAC, always a cheesy delight, just this side of SOHO. We also took a walking tour that had us trekking across the Brooklyn Bridge, offering up amazing views of lower Manhattan, with stops in Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo -- trust me, it's a New York sort of thing!

We only had time for two shows and decided to take a chance on the Rockettes and the annual Christmas Spectacular at Radio City. It was definitely a spectacle, sort of a mega-cruise ship production on steroids. I'm thinking it's the type of show that a kind and forgiving critic would roll their eyes at, then report truthfully that "a good time was had by all!"

We also made it to Broadway to see "Come From Away," the Tony award-winning musical focusing on the residents of Gander, Newfoundland and the thousands of airline passengers stranded there following the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.

"Come From Away" funny, sad and delightful.

It's a creative and energetic production, funny and sad, filled with music that manages to be both uplifting and melancholy. The story had Wendy and me laughing, crying and up on our feet cheering with the rest of the sold-out house when the final curtain came down!

The trip, unfortunately, became a bit of a jarring adventure, thanks to the weather and an electrical fire that messed up the return journey home. The kids' flight was delayed, then canceled when the airport in Atlanta suffered a blackout that played havoc with flight schedules around the globe.

Lauren, Josh and Bailey were forced to spend an extra night in New Jersey; thanks and a tip of the cap to our niece and her family who provided them with a place to rest for the night and got them back to the airport the next day. The flight delay and cancellation eventually had them flying to Nashville, renting a car and driving the final four hours back home to Atlanta.

Josh, Lauren and Bailey finally on the way back home.

Meanwhile, Wendy and I boarded our flight right on time, but flew smack dab into a torrential thunderstorm hovering about northern Georgia. We spent 30 minutes of the flight being battered by high winds, then white-knuckled our way through an aborted landing before arriving safely, if a little shaken, at Hartsfield Jackson -- aka, the Atlanta airport!

I'm holding on to the idea that often a trip is just a trip, but when something goes wrong it all becomes an adventure. So I'm pretty sure that our little trip up north this year was a grand holiday and one heck of an adventure!

Turbulent flight home a white-knuckling, shaky affair

Sky cloudy, but calm in Newark as we board afternoon flight home.

Most everyone has an "airplane" story, and now I do as well.

Wendy and I returned home earlier this week from a trip to New Jersey and New York, a couple of days with family in Jersey and a couple of days chomping away at The Big Apple yet again!

We were flying United Air out of Newark and managed to make it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. I was worried the flight might be delayed or canceled since the weather in and around Atlanta was bad -- fog, rain, possible thunderstorms and high winds.

But the boarding call came right on time and we were in the air and headed south just as the sun was casting a golden glow across the western horizon. All was good, for the moment. About an hour or so into the two-hour flight, the plane's PA system squawked to life and a flight attendant calmly announced that the captain had just reported there might be some light to moderate turbulence in a few minutes.

There was; a little shaking and rattling, then a bit more, followed by nothing but smooth air -- at least for the moment. The PA squawked to life yet again 30 minutes later and the flight attendant announced we were on our final approach to Atlanta and would be landing soon. Just a few minutes later there was a gentle nudge that had the plane dipping a bit, followed by a series of bumps that rattled my teeth and had me and others grabbing for anything solid within reach.

The buffeting continued, growing more intense with each passing second. There was now a jarring blend of nervous laughter and squeals mixing with the rattling of stuff as the plane shimmied and shuttered its way to the ground.

Storm clouds, high winds and rain made for a rocky flight.

A young woman, sitting in a seat directly in front of me, had become increasingly agitated as the turbulence intensified, finally calling out for help. Most everyone wanted to help, but short of latching onto a skyhook, there was simply no way to battle the elements and stop the shaking.

I heard the plane's flaps and wheels lowering and it seemed we'd be touching down in a minute or so. Unfortunately, the turbulence continued to intensify. One moment we were headed down and an instant later the engines roared to life. We picked up speed and began rising above the airport. The shaking and rattling strengthened, the frightened woman in front of me rolled into a fetal position and more than a few passengers, I imagine, were quietly chatting with God.

After another few moments, that seemed like an eternity, the turbulence slackened and a moment or so later the PA came back to life. It was the pilot this time, talking in his very best "Right Stuff" voice and explaining he'd aborted our initial landing because of high winds and rain, that we were circling back for another try and would be on the ground in 15 minutes.

Fortunately, this time around, the weather had improved and the captain stuck the landing to relieved applause.

I happened to pass the distraught young woman in the terminal who told me she'd never fly again. I lamely responded that, yes, it was a very difficult flight but that she should remember that a trip is often just a trip, but when something goes wrong it becomes an adventure.

A few minutes later I saw a group of flight attendants from our plane and, curious and looking for a little context, I asked them what they thought of the flight. One young attendant began to shrug her shoulders when an older colleague blurted out, "bumpy as hell!"

And so it was.

Island Hopping: Out and about aboard the Regal Princess

Larry, Amy and Wendy say howdy from St. Thomas.

The sun was well above the horizon, mirrored in the calm waters of Antigua harbor as I made my way to one of the upper decks of the Regal Princess. Wendy and I, my brother Larry and sister-in-law Amy -- along with 3,000 or so cruising companions -- were relaxed and joyfully content after casually drifting about the Caribbean.

We were only three days out of Fort Lauderdale, had already visited St. Thomas and Princess Cays, a spit of sand nestled up against a tropical rain forest just this side of Nassau, and for the moment were treading water in a five-star cruise ship parking lot.

Off to port was a few hundred million dollars of floating real estate, Celebrity's Silhouette and Eclipse, while on our starboard side was the Disney Magic. The thousands of tourists -- and their tourist dollars -- pouring into Antigua was good news for the area. After all, the region had been hit hard by the one-two punch of hurricanes Irma and Maria in September and early October.

Afternoon tea: A little snack between lunch and dinner.

All of the ports we visited, at least around the shopping and downtown districts, were in decent condition; but it was clear much work was still needed, especially in and about the interior of the islands, before life would return to anything resembling normal for local residents.

Meanwhile, normal aboard the Princess Regal meant that Wendy and I were up and about with the rising sun. After breakfast and a quick workout in the ship's fully loaded fitness center, a shower, change of clothes and light mid-morning snack, it was time for a nap! The afternoon began with lunch, obviously, followed by a little light reading, a brisk walk around the ship's promenade deck, afternoon tea -- scones, clotted cream, strawberry jam -- and another short nap. Then it was time for dinner! Well, I'm guessing you get the idea. I did mention there was food, right?

Calm sea and clear sailing out of the port of Antigua.

There were also other distractions and happenings of note: Memorable sunrises and sunsets; calm, expansive seas and deep blue skies; a vast night canopy filled with an achingly beautiful full moon and an infinite number of stars spilling into tomorrow. Oh, there was also a bit of testosterone-fueled, horn-blowing one-upmanship! I'll explain.

When heading out to sea, ships sound their horn, a loud -- very loud -- wail that can be heard over great distances. As often as not the horn is a Johnny-one-note, a basso profondo on steroids that will rattle your teeth if you're in the neighborhood. In recent years, cruise ships have added a few additional notes to their repertoire, allowing them to play a short tune, as often as not a little ditty linked in some fashion to the parent corporation.

Disney Magic toots goodbye with a little ditty!

The Regal Princess is part of a line of ships that is inextricably linked to a television show, The Love Boat, that was hugely popular for a decade or so beginning in the mid-1970s. Each show began with a theme song that is now the little ditty -- at least the opening notes -- played by Princess ships when leaving port.

On this day the Regal was docked next to the Disney Magic in Antigua. As you might imagine, Disney ships have a huge number of songs to toot on its horns, but only one that defines The Magic Kingdom and mega-corporation: "When You Wish Upon a Star ..."

The Magic, leaving port in the late afternoon, sounded off. The Regal responded and the game was on. The ear-shattering play only lasted a minute or so, but brought a smile and applause from most everyone milling about the two ships and port area.

Truth to tell, there was something grand and fun and over the top that the horn play captured, a fitting -- if loud -- bow on our vacation package getaway.