Serendipity

How many times does your life go according to plan? Hardly ever, because in my opinion, life is a series of coincidences that come together as you join the dots.

Time and time again, I’ve noticed that things have just happened without planning. My recent visit to the US is a case in point.

Ever since Ms Papaya and Prima Donna returned to India for good, from New Jersey , I put away my passport and completely forgot about travelling abroad. As far as I was concerned my travelling days were over. With Covid and its ugly head disrupting everyone’s life, with Hubby dear retired and my own enthusiasm for long protracted journeys slowly waning, my reasons for going abroad were diminishing. So I was completely ‘unprepared’ for visiting the US.

Moreover, who would have imagined that nine days after seeing West Side Story at the NMACC, I would actually be walking down the streets of Upper West Side in Manhattan?

It only drove home the point that life plays out in strange ways.

A dear school friend who was Prima Donna’s Guardian Angel in New Jersey invited me to her son’s wedding. Under normal circumstances I would haven’t been able to go what with Ms Papaya’s school and Prima Donna’s work trips in the offing. But Prima Donna insisted that I attend specially since she was unable to do so herself. So with one thing leading to another, I spent the first half of September in New York and New Jersey.

A Walking & Eating Holiday

For most of my compatriots, a holiday in New York means shopping, meeting other Indians, dining in chic restaurants, visiting museums and taking in a Broadway show or two.

Strange as it may sound, what I most wanted to do in New York was walk in Central Park and eat the iconic street food.

Years of seeing Hollywood movie scenes shot in the park, it had assumed mythical proportions in my head. And in my fleeting visits in the past, Central Park was far removed from my tourist track. so this time round when my hostess in New York told me that she lived close to the park and I could wander there for as long as I wanted, I jumped at the chance. And I got really lucky because I walked through Central Park, Riverside Park, Highline Park and Brooklyn Park.

And I got lucky because not only was she staying a hop skip ad a jump away, she was equally passionate about walking . So for the six days that I was in New York, I not only managed to get a ring side view of the park but also walk up and down the streets of Manhattan, getting a real feel of the place and experiencing the busyness of New York in a uniquely personalised , customised tour.

Day 1

A dark and gloomy sky on the drive from Newark didn’t bode very well for my first day in New York.

But miraculously, as predicted by my cousin who had checked on her phone, the skies opened up promptly at 11 am . And in spite of the long 11 hour non stop flight, after a quick shower, was ready to pound the streets.

So on day 1 itself, we walked down to the nearest Shake Shack to tick off one of the boxes on my ‘to do list’.

It was blazing hot at noon when we set off but I didn’t realise how hot it was because there were so many people up and about. Obviously, no one really minded the heat.

We walked down the shaded street past the Carl Schurz Memorial from where we could get a glimpse of Harlem lying below and beyond. We didn’t step into this garden though the steps leading to it were tempting enough because the tummy rumbles were slowly getting louder. This was another of those things that I have to leave for another time.

We took a short cut through the Columbia University campus which was a buzz with students moving in. What an heart lifting experience it was to see young people moving about with the boundless energy of youth, on bicycles, in groups, carrying boxes and just chatting about in the sun.

Even though it was hot, we preferred having our burgers on the roadside, sitting under an umbrella watching the world go by as we munched down our lunch.

Once satiated, we made our way back down Amsterdam Avenue past the grand Cathedral church of St. John the Divine. The church is definitely a visit but unfortunately we ran short of time. Besides, I thought I could make a quick trip down this way some time in the next few days. Sadly it remained just a thought.

The charming little sculpture garden for children along the way home, was filled with the most phantasmagorical creatures cast in bronze. I wondered whether the little children would be fascinated or scared? Once again, I would have loved to spend a little more time in this strangely magical garden but we had to return home for the rest of the family who were waiting for the lunch we had promised to bring back for them.

Slowly but surely, jet lag began hitting me so we spent the rest of the day at home catching up on family gossip.

Later that evening as we sipped wine and nibbled on crackers and cheese, we watched the last Super Moon of the year emerge in a cloudy sky.

There couldn’t have been a more perfect start for a perfect holiday.

Could there?

Ciao