To begin at the beginning...
Our flight from LAX to JFK was great. Five hours gate to gate, smooth, quick; the best flight I've been on. It was raining when we got in so the weather was cool. I hate heat and humidity so even though it was raining I was happy. We rushed in to Midtown to our hotel, the Mansfield (more about our hotel later), and then quickly down to the Lower East Side for a rehearsal dinner for the wedding. David and Maggie met us there and we met up with family and friends. I managed to stick it out almost until the end of the evening but ended up going back to the hotel a little early when my stomach started to act up a bit.
The following day, it poured. I went out in the rain in the morning looking for a particular bank branch where I wouldn't have to pay ATM fees. The concierge told me the branch was on 5th Ave. around 49th; the hotel was on 44th between 5th and 6th. So, off I trekked. I couldn't find it. I walked all the way up to 55th; no bank branch. I ended up going to another one and paid six bucks in ATM fees. It turns out the particular branch I wanted was on 6th, not 5th. Ugh.
Later on I went out again for a walk. From our hotel on 44th I walked west through Times Square, uptown on Broadway to 59th Street, back to 6th and back down to our hotel. Very recently, NYC has blocked off Broadway to traffic. Where cars used to be, they have set out hundreds of beach chairs. It was a weird sight in the rain. Times Square was packed with people and it was raining so hard it was really hard to look around and be a tourist. When I got back to the hotel, I was soaked. It was time for a short rest and then to get ready for Alison and Mario's wedding.
The wedding was held in the Central Park boathouse, a very beautiful venue. Even though it continued to pour, it was quite beautiful with the rain pounding the lake. The ceremony was beautiful. I am not much of a crier but I admit I cried. I cried because I knew how much Alison really wanted this; I cried because Eddie would have so wanted to be there (he was; you could feel his presence in the room). It was wonderful. There was drinks, dinner and dancing afterwards. I sat with a mutual friend of my cousin's, Melissa, and we had a great time. I like weddings. People are really outgoing and looking to have a good time. The evening was great.
We stayed at the Mansfield Hotel. I would NOT tell any of my friends to stay there. The room was small, the size of a jail cell. There was no dresser to put my clothes in, just a small closet. The bathroom was really small. We ended up moving to a suite, but that was quite small too and so dark that I had to turn the lights on at 2 in the afternoon. Even though I didn't really like the room, the other amenities at the hotel were great. They had free breakfast in the morning, which was nice, and the location is a great one. The bottom line was that I was able to sleep well and comfortably, which in the end is all that matters.
There is a lot more to say, but I'm getting tired of typing so I will continue this later.
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