work trip to NYC

Thanks to my work with my professional association, I have some opportunities to travel for a few years.  Mostly Chicago, something I do not at all mind.  Recently, however, I was at LAX at breakfast time,

beginning a trip to the east coast.  Two days of meetings in NYC, my first trip there in a year.  Out on a Wednesday, and a looooong day of travel, what with delays in Chicago (winter rain and more, I think) en route to LGA.  Ah well.  I had a nice pod seat for the first leg, at least.

Day one of the meetings was on the 51st floor of the Bank of America building at One Bryant Park.  Impressive views that would have been all the more impressive with clear, sunny weather.  Alas, we didn't get that until the next day, when we were on the fifth floor of an NYPL building on Fifth Avenue, unable to see much at all.  Darn it.  Still, the 51st floor views were fine enough.

New York is such a walking city.  I can't recall the last time I used a subway even when visiting there.  Each of the two mornings of the meeting days I got together with the same two other colleagues, and we set out for about an hour.  Northward one morning,

southward the next. 

We talked business and gossiped about our profession.  The Thursday I managed 20,000 steps!  Not too bad.  I need more of that in my day-to-day life.

The meetings wrapped up on the Friday at lunch time, but I wasn't flying home until the next day.  That evening I left the city and added a new state to my list of visited states:  Connecticut.  When last I was in NYC, Steven had come in to the city for dinner with me and Conrad.  This time I went out to him, enjoying catching up over pizza at his home, meeting his boyfriend, Ryan, for the first time. 

A real highlight of the trip.

Ultimately, I didn't see too much of the city.  Meetings and then a dinner with colleagues ate up most of Thursday and Friday, and come Saturday, I was simply keen to get home.  I caught a cab to LGA well before my flight and found myself in an almost empty United Club.  That whole airport has had quite the glow-up, and the club was no exception.  I sat, watching some television on my iPad.  Two staff persons approached me with a treat, asking if they could take my picture.  Why not?  I let them, then enjoyed the pastry and mimosa. 

By dinner time, with minimal delay, I was back home in Pasadena and heading to Maestro with Conrad and Van.