Cab Fare from JFK to 7th & 55th=$60.
An outstanding pastrami sky scraper sandwich at World Famous ‘Carnegie Deli’=$25
New York with 30 or so of my family members=Priceless

New York was outstandingly fantastic!  We had nothing but good times of what should be considered illegal porportions.  Thank you for all the well wishes and recommendations from many of you.  I tried to heed as many as possible considering the circumstances.  This post can’t possibly contain all the blessed merriment that Thur-Mon held for me, but I will give some highlights.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
-Russos, Jelery (my flight attendant to NY..whose sister’s name was Rhashad, dad’s name Vivian and mom’s ame Joyce), Brooklyn Diner’s ‘Best Burger in the World’, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, World Trade Center Memorial, Front row at Carnegie Hall/Zankel Hall, the MET, listening to friends busk on the subway, the subway!, NY from an apt roof, Queens, Times Square, trying to see The Color Purple, Cafe Europa, The Dakota, Strawberry Fields, Central Park in the snow, Tavern on the Green, huge fist fight between 2 empoyees behind the counter at Fluffy’s bakery, the family/friends after-party at The Old Irish Castle Pub, Jaqueline throwing up in Carnegie during the show, St. Patricks Cathedral (Pattycake & GFrank were married there), the Wellington, HUGE and old cemeteries, the quest for Michelle’s Chocolate Molten Lava dessert, the precious ring/diary hand-off to me, our bell hops-Jermaine and Antonio, weather swings requiring little to much clothing…

NY OBSERVATION HIGHLIGHTS
-NY is MUCH cleaner and friendlier than my last trip (92).  I attribute that to Guliani’s vision, leadership, and motivation during his term as Mayor
-Heard far more languages than I did NY accents (mostly mid-town)
-Donald Trump’s towers are wholly un-impressive
-There seem to be more domesticated dogs there than there should be for a space-deficient area
-NYers are keenly aware of when to cross streets …regardless of what the sign says
-The city’s grid planning makes sense; feels like home so quickly
-You can spot a NY princess a mile away!

FAMILY IN NY OBSERVATIONS HIGHLIGHTS
-Though almost all leaders in my family, I learned that they are all very good followers too.  We had many activities with lots of people wherein we needed to move the group from one place to another and it was a pleasure.
-Everyone, without exception, is a seasoned and rehearsed traveler.  The flexibility factor was high, the good attitudes were plentiful, the optimism and laughter were constant.
-My family is rich in history and generosity.  It was an amazing time to be together, when death did not surround us, where we coudl celebrate the generational fortitude of the Driscolls and Huttlingers
-My uncle Paul Solomon is the best person in the world to travel with..so mellow, so easy going, so yes-please

I am immensley thankful to the LORD that He provided for me to go to this event because it truly was a paramount opportunity to spend time with family and to count, once again, the many blessings He’s given.