Big city, bright lights… there’s definitely something adventurous and special about NYC.
I decided to hit the Big Apple this past Christmas. Araceli and I flew out on Christmas morning and arrived just in time to have a delicious Christmas lunch at Cibo Restaurant. http://cibonyc.com/ We then made our way over to watch the Rockettes Christmas Production at Radio City Music Hall. It was the perfect Christmas Day!
Our plan was to spend 4 days in NYC, checking out museums, shopping and exploring the city.
On March 26th, NYC got slammed with the biggest snowstorm in years. Snow covered the streets and sidewalks and it became even more impossible to get a cab! The weather put a bit of a dent in our plans, but no biggie, we still had a fantastic time. I bought myself a cute Russian fur hat and a Tory Burch handbag at Bloomingdales and I was one happy woman!
Our flight back home was on Dec 29th at 8pm. At 5pm, we lugged our suitcases out of Maria’s cute Soho apartment where we stayed [tear] ...and thus began the story of our misadventures.
5pm – where are all the cabs? This is NYC for goodness sake! (we’re standing at the corner of Broome and Lafayette and we’re COLD and WET.)
5:15pm – every cab that we tried to wave down already had passengers. (sigh)
5:30pm – several empty cabs drove right by us! (those @^%$#*!!)
5:45pm – several cabs stop for us. Cab driver # 1, 2 and 3: “Where are you going?” Us: “La Guardia." All 3 cabby's drove away.
6pm – Araceli: “We’re going to have to bribe them to take us. Let’s offer $50." (that plan didn’t work)
6pm – Araceli: “We’re going to have to bribe them to take us. Let’s offer $50." (that plan didn’t work)
Rachel: “We’ll have to up the ante. Let’s offer $75.” (again, that didn’t work)
6:30pm – Araceli: “This is crazy. $150. It will cost us more if we miss our flights and have to re-book.” (the next cabby isn’t impressed. He drives away from us – with the door half open)
6:45pm – A cab stops. Rachel: “We will pay you $200 to take us to La Guardia. Please Sir! We’re going to miss our flight if we don’t get a cab now!” (he popped open his truck to take our luggage and we got into the cab)
At this point, we’re both completely exhausted and pissed.
We arrived at La Guardia at 7:15, with plenty of time to check in because our flight was delayed due to the storm…. and that’s when I realized that our passports were missing from my purse.
We arrived at La Guardia at 7:15, with plenty of time to check in because our flight was delayed due to the storm…. and that’s when I realized that our passports were missing from my purse.
Panic set in. I frantically checked every bag and luggage I had in hopes that I’d find them. No luck.
I must have left them at Maria’s apartment in Soho. Thankfully our flight was delayed so we might have time to catch a cab back into the city and then back to the airport before boarding time.
15 minutes later, we managed to hire a cab who agreed to take us to Soho. As we drove back into NYC, I was struggling to keep calm. Inside, I was burning mad at myself - and Araceli was being so kind and positive about the situation. Even our cab driver, Mohammed, was trying to console me.
We arrived in Soho and Araceli stayed in the cab with Mohammed while I ran back into the apartment to find the passports. I must have left them on the sofa… or maybe on the console.. or maybe they fell on the floor in the staircase..
We arrived in Soho and Araceli stayed in the cab with Mohammed while I ran back into the apartment to find the passports. I must have left them on the sofa… or maybe on the console.. or maybe they fell on the floor in the staircase..
15 minutes later, I had torn apart the apartment and still hadn’t found the passports. Several tears trickled down my cheeks. I resigned to the fact that I had lost our passports.
When I got back the cab, I struggled to fight back tears as I told Araceli and Mohammed that I had lost our passports. Mohammed said, “Don’t cry, Lady. I will pray to the god and the god will help you get home. Don’t be sad, you have to be positive. If you need me to drive you somewhere tomorrow to find your passport or replace your passport, here is my cell number. Call me and I will help you. And I will pray to the god to help you.” Mohammed was so sweet and a little while later, I was able to smile because of him.
That evening, we called several police stations in hopes that someone had found and returned our passports. We knew it was a stretch to hope, but we had to try. One police officer even said to me, “Lady, this is NYC. No one is going to return your passports.”
When I got back the cab, I struggled to fight back tears as I told Araceli and Mohammed that I had lost our passports. Mohammed said, “Don’t cry, Lady. I will pray to the god and the god will help you get home. Don’t be sad, you have to be positive. If you need me to drive you somewhere tomorrow to find your passport or replace your passport, here is my cell number. Call me and I will help you. And I will pray to the god to help you.” Mohammed was so sweet and a little while later, I was able to smile because of him.
That evening, we called several police stations in hopes that someone had found and returned our passports. We knew it was a stretch to hope, but we had to try. One police officer even said to me, “Lady, this is NYC. No one is going to return your passports.”
I won’t drag the story out much longer. I’ll just tell you that thankfully, both our bosses were sympathetic about why we didn’t make it into work the next day. Araceli and I decided to make the most of the extra days we had in NYC while we waited for documents to get sorted out at the embassy. We checked out museums, (I went to the MOMA – loved it!), we ate at several amazing restaurants, including Blue Ribbon Sushi, The Burger Joint, Crif Dogs and PDT/Speak Easy Bar.. and I shopped a hell of a lot more! Museum of Modern Art, Blue Ribbon Sushi, The Burger Joint, Crif Dogs, PDT - Speak Easy
In the end, we didn’t have to get our passports replaced. On the evening of Dec 30th, Air Canada called my cell phone. A Good Samaritan had found our passports and had returned to the Air Canada desk in La Guardia Airport. My e-ticket was in the passport case and that’s how they knew where to return the passports. It's nice to know that there are still good people around - even in New York City.
We booked our flights back home on January 1st. In hindsight, losing our passports wasn't so bad.. we were able to spend a full week in NYC, doing all the things we wanted to do.. and we had a fabulous time!
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