A few weekends ago my parents were in town from Florida. We (and by that I mean - me plus my mom and dad) decided to take a bus tour up to NYC and see West Side Story. Mike LOATHES NYC (and musicals) so having my parents as Broadway buddies is great.
We typically take Hagey Tours to NYC, it's a great deal- for around $150 +/- you get round trip transportation from one of 3 pick up points in Montgomery/Bucks County, PA and your Broadway show tickets. They drop you off right in Times Square and pick you up in the same spot after the show. We usually leave around 9am, arrive in NYC around 11:30am and have time to grab a bite before the 2pm matinee. The bus is ready to head back home somewhere around 5:30pm.
This was NOT a typical trip:
Friday night - The whole family went out to dinner at a local pub. I get a salad, and apparently some e-coli on the side. The wrath of food poisoning is upon me.
Friday ALL NIGHT LONG - I pretty much set up camp in our bathroom.
Saturday morning - feeling better. Took some Compazine to aid with the nausea. I ate some breakfast and pondered staying home, but the Jets and Sharks are too tempting. I can suck it up for the day- right???
9am - we get to the Hagey Tours terminal in Franconia, PA. It's about 30 minutes from my house. I'm feeling ok. We board the bus and at the request of my dad find a nice quite row in the back of the bus (and kinda near the bathroom).
9:30am (ish) - we leave from the second pick up location and I feel sick- like really sick- the kind where you bust out in a sweat and turn green. I planned on bringing some little crafty things to sew while on the bus so I had made a little "fabric scrap" trash bin the night before out of some fabric remnants and stabilizer. That soon turned into a puke can as I heaved about 1/2 a gallon of ick into my newly constructed (fabric) trash can. Yea- nothing better than being an adult and throwing up- on a bus, an hour from your house, with your mom and dad (and a bus of strangers) staring at you. We pull into the 3rd pick up spot (a grocery store parking lot) and my mom and I dart off the bus. Mostly so we can dispose of my 3lbs of vomit. But also so I can get some fresh air and hope that this is going to do the trick. I'm thinking well- I can either get off the bus and wait here for Mike (and Lilly) come and pick my up- which will be about an hour, plus and hour home OR I can take my chances and continue to NY. Crazy me- I continue on. My rationing- I never threw up while getting chemo, so a little food poisoning can't stop me!
11am- we get to Manhattan in record time. One of my friends from High School just moved to NYC this summer so we had made plans to meet up for lunch. I also wanted to stop at the American Girl Store to pick up Lilly's Christmas gift:
12pm - I'm feeling ok, I made the walk up to Rockefeller Plaza and got in and out of the AG store without being mauled by the insanely hyper tweens. On my way back to Times Square I pick up 2 Pashminas for $5 each from a street vendor. Hey- it's $5!!!! I get to Blockheads where my friend Austin and I agreed to meet and it's raining off and on. I'm enjoying the city, catching up on my e-mails and watching the street meat vendor across the way. The most amazing thing happened- a car pulled up to the curb- rolled down his window and ordered lunch! And just sat there for like 7 minutes while the guy grilled up his sandwich. Amazing.
1pm - Austin and I have lunch, it was so much fun catching up. It really felt like no time had past, even though we hadn't seen each other in person for 13 years!!!! After lunch we walk to the theater and say our goodbyes.
2pm - Showtime. The show was ok, they took a lot of creative liberties. I thought the Jets were a little "soft". The female Sharks were great. A large portion of the show was in Spanish, which is ok - if you know Spanish. I was a little disappointed when they sang I Feel Pretty- in Spanish.
4:45pm - The show ends, we go outside, and it's raining. The bus is not picking us up until 6pm, so we decided to walk across the street and grab a drink at the Renaissance Hotel. It's UBER Modern. I sip a ginger ale, still feel sick.
6pm - on the way home. It's raining...a lot.
8pm- Somewhere around New Hope, PA our bus drives through what can only be described as a river on the highway. About 20 minutes or so later- the lights, fan and engine all turn off. We are COASTING to a stop....in the rain. We stop- no kidding- in front of a fire station:
You might think that the firemen would come to aid us, but they have other plans. THE FREAKIN FIRE SIREN GOES OFF!!!! Our bus is smack in the middle of the parking lot- in front of the garages. As the firemen all arrive, and gear up , we all watch- stranded in our bus, as they inch the firetruck around our bus. Our bus driver is trying desperately to fix the bus (in the rain). My mom has somehow turned into a tour bus mechanic and won't stop saying "that doesn't sound good", or "I knew there was something wrong". We're about 45 minutes from the bus terminal, and it's 8pm on a Saturday night. Miraculously, the bus driver gets us going.
8:40pm- We drive about 2 miles and the bus dies again. Believe it or not- in front of ANOTHER fire station:
9:30pm- a NEW bus comes. We all get on the new bus and it gets us back to the bus terminal.
11pm- we get home.
