A whirlwind New York adventure captivates Mutual 5 resident

Editor’s Note: Mutual 5 resident Anna Derby decided to take a three-day trip with her son, James, to New York to watch granddaughter Rebekah’s theater performances.

by Anna Derby

LW contributor

It was a hectic first day leaving Seal Beach at 5:30 a.m. to catch a flight to arrive in New York with barely time to freshen up for Rebekah’s performance at the Lee Strasberg Theater.

We didn’t plan anything due to it being a fairly quick turnaround trip, and attending three nights of Rebekah’s very first performances would have been satisfying for both of us. Our midtown stay in Chelsea happened to be in the flower wholesale district and was convenient for purchasing a beautiful bouquet for Rebekah each performance evening.

It was a memorable time at the theater: waiting for the show to open, watching the drama students, and over an hour of performance.

We went out for dinner after the show, so it was almost 8:30 p.m., but the whole city was vibrant and lively, with so many people coming and going as we headed to the Thai restaurant Rebekah picked for the night. We enjoyed duck rolls and had Yai chicken as appetizers, Gyo Pla and Karee Pu noodles were delicious, as was spicy soup, and we finished with mango with sticky rice for dessert.

To my surprise, after dinner James arranged to go to the Empire State Building at 10 p.m. I thought “10 p.m., the place is still open?” Yes, it was! I finally got to go to see the famous panorama view of New York City and marvel at the 360-degree, unobstructed views from the 86th-floor observatory. Do tourists ever sleep? The building is open from 9 in the morning till midnight. After the tour, we got on the subway to go home after midnight. I was so thrilled to be there and my heart was filled with happiness for the day spent with family. I was too excited to sleep that first night.

On Friday morning, a new day and new energy emerged. James bought New York bagels with cream cheese and muffins for breakfast.

Before heading to an Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village for lunch, we decided to walk past Koreatown for a glance at what was there. We had enough time to walk a few blocks and saw so many people walking, jogging, and walking dogs. So many dogs, it was a scene to remember. Because the property prices are so high and many people can’t afford to have nice houses like we do in L.A., the dogs have to come out to exercise when the weather is fairly nice and warm. After one day, I got used to seeing many people out walking during the day, and so many people going out to patio dining, at 8, 9 or even 10 p.m. The city never sleeps.

We had time to stop at Union Square Park to enjoy the farmer’s market and to see what people were doing in the park. They read, talked and laid in the grassy areas. We observed the last of the cherry blossoms in white and pink.

After our lunch in Greenwich Village, Rebekah went back to school and to rest for the second night’s show. James arranged to take a tour of Central Park. We took a subway to meet a pedicab with two passenger seats for a two-hour tour past top attractions in the park. Riding in a pedicab got us around the 843-acre park much more efficiently than on foot. It would be impossible to take a tour by foot of this gigantic place. They said it would take a week or month if you toured by foot. Our guide, Tony, entertained us by showing us the special spots, gardens and waterfront, telling us the stories we saw from the movies.

The one place still stuck in my head was the John Lennon memorial. After Lennon was shot in December 1980, his widow offered to build a memorial in Central Park not far from the apartment he lived in. Because I grew up listening to the Beatles’ music in my teens and early twenties, I felt close to them. The small memorial they named Imagine still attracts people there to celebrate Lennon’s songs. When the pedicab tour was done, we decided to head home to get ready for Rebekah’s second night performance. I watched her performance and realized what an accomplishment Rebekah has achieved so far, and that it will be a tough road ahead of her to get to where she would like to get. I counted my blessings at being able enjoy the show. Afterward we decided to go to a Japanese restaurant. Most dishes were like appetizers. We started with a fried seafood platter as an appetizer with a little bottle of Asahi sake. Next was Tori Karaage (Japanese fried chicken) with a zing of spice, and spicy tomato ramen to share. We finished up with Purin (Japanese custard pudding) to share.

On Saturday morning, the last free time we had, we headed to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island for six hours. We decided to spend a full day dedicated to this trip for as long as we could handle the walking and stormy weather.

During the sail to the Statue of Liberty, we saw the building where the Twin Towers that were attacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, stood. We walked to the Statue of Liberty tower, and I was so proud of the fact that I walked the 162 steps up the pedestal and down another 162 steps. We couldn’t go to the crown because the tickets were sold out by the time we decided to take this trip.

I was so happy to see the Statue of Liberty, who welcomed those like my own family, who came to America with dreams and hopes, and I was quite emotional at times, especially after the Ellis Island tour, imagining the thousands of immigrant families having to pass the exam and the inspector’s eyes. Families maybe separated or sometimes they would be sent back to where they came from. Such heart-breaking stories. It was such an educational tour of both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It was worth a day to look back to imagine thousands of ancestor’s bravery.

The Statue of Liberty cafeteria didn’t have many healthy choices, but we took care of lunch with spicy fried chicken sandwiches and fries we wouldn’t eat otherwise.

The six hours went so fast but we learned a lot about history and were glad we took the trip to the most popular place in New York.

We freshened up for the last of Rebekah’s performances, and had a light dinner before the show because that night was the cast party, and we wouldn’t be able to go out with Rebekah.

Even though it was a long day from early morning to night with many activities, we never got tired because of love for the family and our hearts were filled with happiness.

The last show almost didn’t happen because of stormy weather. Fifteen minutes after the show began, I spotted a drop of water from the ceiling, wondering if it was a part of the show. Then the lights went on with an announcement that they had a technical problem due to the heavy rain pouring outside, and they would need to fix it to continue. James and I looked at each other thinking, could it be the last time or could the show continue? About five minutes later, the light went off and the show went on. After the show, outside the building, we realized how much heavy rain had poured in such a short time and were thankful it stopped when it did.

On Sunday morning, our plane didn’t leave until 3 p.m., so we had enough time to have brunch and see Rebekah one more time to chat.

I had felt much younger in those three days because we were so active, spending hours with two young family members and hearing their conversations and about their lives.

This short trip made me realize how blessed I am to have family around me.

If we go back to New York, there are so many places I would like to go to experience more.

"...so many people walking, jogging and walking dogs. So many dogs."

Mutual 5 resident Anna Derby in front of the Statue of Liberty.