A Day in NYC

Taiwan’s borders are opening up slower than I’d like. At this point foreign tourists are still not allowed entry, which poses a problem for Joe. Dad doesn’t think Taiwan will open up this year because election is at the end of this year, and no politician wants to be blamed for rising COVID cases if borders are loosened. So I made the decision to go ahead and get our marriage license authenticated in NYC so that I can get Joe a spousal visa to visit Taiwan in November. Mailing in our documents proved to be too tricky, so I booked a last minute flight to NYC to take care of the paperwork in person.

This trip allowed me to check out the brand new Delta Terminals in LAX as well as LaGuardia.

Brand new Skyclub at LAX is probably one of the best domestic lounges

A layover in Detroit gave me a glimpse of the tiny Skyclub at DTW that didn’t warrant a photo. By the time I got into the city it was dinner time with the girls at Industry Kitchen at the Seaport. Faith stayed with me at the hotel since her office is only a 6-minute walk away.

Met up with Bei for lunch the next day before my appointment with TECO. The person who processed my paperwork was surprised that I had flown all the way over to submit the documents when I could have mailed it. What can I say, I’ve got nothing but time on my hands these days.

TECO NY is located right across the street from the NYPL, and I am ashamed to say that in the 10 years I had lived in NYC, I’ve never set foot in the library. So I decided to swing by and take a peek, and stumbled upon the free Polonsky Exhibition of the NYPL’s Treasures. The exhibit holds all sorts of literary gems.

Winnie-the-Pooh and Friends – The original stuffed animals belonging to Christopher Robin Milne, the son of British author A. A. Milne.

James Audobon’s *Birds of America* contains illustrations of 435 birds, 25 of which are now extinct.

Mark Twains’ manuscript of *A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court*.

The exhibit also holds the Emigrant Savings Bank log containing customers’ name, occupation, and background, giving us a glimpse into the life in NYC history.

The first collected printing of Shakespeare’s plays

The exhibit also contained whimsical historical finds such as the Thames Tunnel “peep show”.

Looking straight on reveals 1825 3D art.

What a serendipitous find! I really enjoyed this fun little detour, and recommend anyone who is interested in history, literary or not, to check out this NYPL exhibit. Funny thing is that when we were living in NYC, we never appreciated all that the city had to offer. It is only now that we’re retired that we are surfacing from the daily grind, and really seeing what has been under our noses all along.

Since this was a short trip I didn’t visit the in laws. I feel a bit guilty, but since Joe’s mom will be flying out to California in 2 months, I don’t feel terrible about that decision.