Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.
I know that my parents have visited New York City, I believe with R and E before kids. With the new trailer, my parents had planned to do some big trips around the USA - so they may have been thinking about visiting NYC again. However, personally, this does not feel like a place my dad would visit. It has none of the elements that I think of when I consider the places Dad liked to travel.
It is not relaxing
Both my parents recognized the difference between travel and vacation. They saw the value in both. New York City is not exactly a calm and relaxing place. I am sure that people are able to turn a trip here into something very serene, but that would involve a more pampered experience and the cost would be astronomical.
It is not all inclusive
When looking to relax, my parents usually went down to a resort in Cuba. With the cost paid upfront Dad would have been able to relax even further since the consideration of everything's price would be removed.
The culture is not that foreign
Maybe it was about value for your travel dollar, the desire to experience something new, or a love of Europe; but if Dad was going to do a big vacation he wasn't going to pop down to a place that is a short plane ride away. My parents traveled to so many places in Europe, as far east as Turkey. They even took us as young children for a month-long trip to England. NYC is interesting and different from Toronto, but not hugely so. I don't know why Dad liked to experience cultures with more significant differences, especially as I think they often made him nervous.
There is no driving
If my parents were going to 'stay local' and discover new parts of North America, there needed to be some driving. Even when they went to stay for a long chunk of time in Texas, they drove down. My dad loved road trips. With NYC, you might drive here but then you park for the duration of your stay. This is not a city to drive in.
In general, this isn't really a city for my dad, which explains why I can't remember him ever visiting New York during my lifetime. I must have a slightly different view of travel than above - since this is my third time here.
1 comment:
We did go to NYC, just the 2 of us and we drove there and then parked. We found a hotel that took canadian at par, but found we really couldnt afford to eat (pretty well lived off street vendors, hot dogs and pretzels) because we did want to see some shows. Left a day early as we ran out of money. Neither of us were interested in a return visit.
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