Going the Wrong Way Round

I had booked Tokyo for Jamie and me in June 2020 but we all know what happened before this.  2023 was supposed to be the year then - good timing as she would be graduating from middle school and beginning high school.

The original plan was to begin the journey from Canada.  Why you ask?  Well, when I booked in January the cheapest fares from New York were with Air Canada - I really did not want to fly with them because I do not have any frequent flyer status so could not try for upgrades etc..  However, I knew that if Air Canada were selling cheap tickets from New York it is usually the case that the US airlines would retaliate and would sell cheap tickets form Canada, which was the case.  I saved over $2000 plus I could use some points to upgrade us to business class on the way back.  Our flight to Tokyo would be with the Japanese airline ANA who are much better than any Canadian or US airline.

There are so many flights to Toronto from New York I did not think it would be a major hassle so I booked two $100 flights the day before and a hotel.

Fast forward to last week - almost the entirety of the North East airspace had major problems.  We were flying with United who were cancelling 1 in 4 planes.  It was a combination of weather, computer system failure and air traffic control staffing.  Everyone (Airlines, the government) is blaming each other but no matter what the reason the planes are not flying.

Fortunately, we did make it Toronto with only a two hour delay (first day without serious storms but our plane still had mechanical issues).  However, the next morning our flight was cancelled.  In these situations you need to do your own research and because I travel so much I even pay of a service called 'expertflyer' so I can see flight availability and it was really not looking good.  Even if we would have started in New York those Tokyo flights were being cancelled.  Although there were some options from the West Coast there was just no way to get there from New York or Toronto.

I did find one way - to go the long way round via Europe so when I finally got through on the phone and she told me there were no flights until July 3rd (not ideal for a trip when we return on the 7th) I prompted her to look at Lufthansa.  She found the same flight and got us on it, probably the last two seats.

We lost a day because it was so much extra time going that way but we made it after flying just under 10,000 miles (about 7 hours to Frankfurt and 12 hours to Tokyo with a long layover so about 26 hours in all).

The First Week

 This was Mikey’s first week at pre-K.  It is an unusual time to start, which can be explained as another disruption of the global pandemic.   We needed an IEP, an Individualized Education Program, which agrees an approach to what is known a special education.  This process is based on assessments by specialists in children’s education and of course had to be carried out by remote video sharing.  Everyone does their best but there is no real substitute for in-person assessment. 

On the first day I arrived earlier so I could see the classroom.  It looks much as you would expect except that is it is small, which is fine because the class size is 8.  I briefly met the rest of the class and then abruptly left.  When I picked him up in the afternoon, I could hear him crying as he came to the front desk to meet me.  The next day was better and that is what we can hope for – a bit better each day.   

The Northwest Corner

The northwest corner of Central Park is probably the section I like the most right now.  The north eastern section was originally a swamp and became the Harlem Meer but the western section was a forest and was the least changed section of the park when it was created.  Most of the streams in Central Park were moved underground but not here in the North Woods where you find flowing water and waterfalls.  Strangely the 'Loch' that you find here is really what you would you think of the stream - the small lake that feeds the Loch is called the Pool and all the water eventually ends up in Harlem Meer.

The North Woods despite its beauty is also known as the location for a notorious crime in 1989 (the Central Park Jogger case).  Five teenagers were accused and convicted (the Central Park Five) based on their confessions and the then real-estate developer Donald J Trump took out an advertisement in New York papers calling for the return of the death penalty.  In 2002 the five's convictions were quashed when another person confessed and DNA testing confirmed his guilt.

In its history Central Park has gone through amazing growth and shocking decay and despair.  Right now it is very much on an upswing though like much of the rest of the city, currently starved of tourist and tax revenues its future is uncertain.

 

Our corner of Central Park

Central Park is said by Wikipedia to be the most filmed location in the world.  The park runs from 59th street in the south to 110th street in the north and is bounded on either side by Fifth Avenue and Central Park West (effectively Eighth Avenue).  The most famous parts are probably in the southern section and I did not know our corner in the north-east well at all until we moved here.

The closest entrance to our apartment is 110th Street and Fifth Avenue.  The first thing you see is the lake, the Harlem Meer.  The walk around the lake is by far my most common route for walking the dog on normal day.

 

The lake area is usually busy and there are almost always people fishing.  By the edge the water looks choked with turtles and small fish.  I have seen some very large ones 

Not everyone enjoys the walk around the lake.  Mikey has developed a habit of covering his ears, not only when he does not want to listen but to demonstrate his displeasure (he preferred to be back in the stroller here).

Next to the lake is a large outdoor swimming pool / ice rink (the Lasker Rink).  I have only seen it used for ice hockey in the winter.  There were plans to close it for three years to renovate it but who knows what will happen now.  Much more useful was the playground.

I am writing this now when it is 90F outside and we have not been to that particular playground since before the lockdown (it gets very busy and given Mikey will not wear a mask it will probably remain off limits).  So I only have photos of everyone wrapped up warmly.

  

South of the Meer is a unique part of the part: a formal garden called the Conservatory Garden.  This is very different from any other section because it is so ornate. The lake is noisy and it is not uncommon for people to blare out music but the conservatory is serene.

 

Summer in the City

It was often said to me that I catch planes in the same way as I would a bus.  That is still true these days.  I just do not get on buses any more, or trains or subways for that matter.

I really needed a break from work.  Working from home has been good but it makes the days long.  It is an international company so when I wake up there are always a lot of emails waiting for me from Asian and European time zones.  I had been doing a lot of extra meetings early in the morning and late in the evening and I knew from my increasing irritability that I was heading for burnout.

The original plan was for us to rent a home with a pool.  However, as June went on it became clear that the US was heading in a bad direction with increased cases in the south and west (our likely destinations).  In fact, right now, the New York metropolitan area is probably one of the safest places in the country.

So I would still take the time off work but it would be a stay-at-home vacation.

I wanted to try a few new things and really stay away from work mentally as much as possible even though I was still in the same place I now usually work.  I did know I would have to do a couple of calls because they were important and could not be moved.

To begin I varied my usual morning walk.  We are lucky to live next to Central Park but to change things up a bit I headed in the opposite direction on Saturday morning.  We actually live much closer to the East River than Central Park so I wandered there for the first time.  It is not a very inviting place compared to the west side of Manhattan because of the highway (the FDR drive).  However, I remembered that there was a bridge and I could go over to Randall's and Ward's Islands.

I have crossed over the islands many times.  The main bridge from home to get to Queens (and usually LaGuardia or JFK airports) passes over.  This was the first time on foot and it makes for a very interesting walk.  I started walking along the park beside lots of soccer fields with views of the downriver and then walked under the arches of the rail bridge (the Hell Gate bridge).

I walked back past the large psychiatric hospital I have seen so many times from taxis on the way to the airport (I had always assumed it was abandoned but apparently not).  It also gave good views of East Harlem across the water.

 

Adapting

We have been lucky, so far.  No one has exhibited any sign of illness despite New York City having become the epicenter of the virus outbreak in the northeastern United States.

I started to work from home on March 13th and it has been fine.  I miss the office, I miss the personal contact and I miss travel but the work can still be done and it is made easier because almost everyone else has to do the same thing.  The IT has worked well so far.

The luckiest thing is that last year we moved apartment.  The main reason for moving was to get some more space - particularly so that the kids to get their own rooms.  It was a trade-off: we moved from a smaller, worse apartment in a much better area to a bigger, nicer place in a less salubrious area.  That has paid off because no longer having so many nice restaurants and bars nearby is completely irrelevant.  We now have a small bit of outside space (a balcony) and we still have easy access to Central Park.

The most immediate challenge has been schooling. Harriet is not someone who likes to get her work out of the way and then relax.  In fact it is quite the opposite.  Still, I'm impressed at how quickly the teachers have adapted to the new technology.  The kids have a morning meeting on Zoom and also have small group sessions on video chat.  Again, we have been lucky in that this is fifth grade and the middle school application process was already complete.  We did not, as expected, get our first choice of middle school but we have a good one and three of her very good friends are also going there (we will keep on the wait list for the other school).

There is a lot that is on hold and probably will be for some time.  Our plans for summer in France are gone and we wanted to do a few things with Mikey that are also now extremely difficult.  It's unlikely we even go to the RV this summer and if we do go anywhere it will be closer to home (perhaps we rent a house with a pool in the south).

So like most people there are some minor things and some bigger things that make this less than ideal but we will get through it and there are silver linings, especially the time spent with the kids.  Not that this is a competition but others have it really hard.  I see the lines at the nearby food pantry.  On first avenue I see national guard distributing boxes of supplies to lines of taxis.  Many people I know have fled the city but that is not an option for most.

Things are getting better though.  The weather is improving although this is New York so be prepared for some volatility (we have had both 30C temperatures and snow in the last few weeks).  Most organizations are preparing for a phased return to the office and the immediate crisis for intensive care facilities has abated and there are promising therapies.  He is not perfect and really should have done more to release prisoners but New York has been fortunate to have a governor who reminds us what basic competence looks like.

So we keep on adapting to the new normal.  We are doing well and are grateful for that.     

February Trip - to the Midlands

My flight to London City was uneventful and ran to time.  I spent two days working from the London office because I had an important US meeting and this way I could at least attend by video conference.  When I checked in to the hotel they asked as usual if I was familiar with the facilities - "I was here two weeks ago so yes" was my reply.

J, Mikey and Hatty had driven down on Tuesday.  The UK had been battered by some severe storms - this time Scotland had missed the worst of it but England was another matter.  There was heavy flooding and major road closures.  He could not even get to the hotel we had booked at Fradley so he stayed the night with Sarah and Rob.

The next day he managed to get to the hotel to check in, taking more than an hour for what is normally a fifteen minute drive.  Again they stayed the night with Sarah and Rob and in fact Hatty did not stay even one night in the hotel (although that was always likely given she would want to maximize her time with her cousins).

We all got back together on Thursday.  I took a train from London Euston - luckily this service was still running but the West Coast mainline to Glasgow was flooded so there were major cancellations and bus replacement services.  I had the misfortune to choose what I thought looked like a quiet carriage but in fact one person talked loudly most of the way.  She had been in Thailand and had returned out of concern for the coronavirus situation and spent a lot of time sharing her thoughts on the phone.

But I arrived eventually at Lichfield Trent Valley.

Our first trip out all together was to the swimming pool in Tamworth.  The infant pool was a perfect depth for Mikey.  After a great dinner at the Love-Wilsons and not a few episodes of BBC3's comedy This Country we returned to the hotel.

The next day was a major day out at Adventure Farm.  It was yet another bleak, cold day but it was the school holidays so the place was absolutely packed.  The others loved the lamb feeding butMikey was completely unimpressed with the animals

On the other hand the jumping pillows and the indoor playground were a huge hit with everyone.  There was some minor drama with Hatty burning her ankle on one of the plastic slides and Mikey deciding to stay in the ball pond at the bottom of one slide thus stopping everyone else from using it.  But Granny got everyone lunch and spirits were restored.

The real drama came when I went to collect the stroller and Mikey decided to follow me (unnoticed by the five other people from our group there...) only he took the shortest route through the mud (no shoes because he had just been on the jumping pillow).  Everyone had a fantastic time.

In the evening we went to Kev and Amy's, J's brother and sister-in-law, in Lichfield for a catch-up and pizza.  The drama this time was I left a bad outside the car when I got in (I was distracted getting Mikey's seatbelt on).  When we realized Kev drove me back post-haste and thankfully someone had handed it in (it contained passports and iPads so would have been a disaster to lose).

The next morning we picked up Hatty and then stopped off at J's sister Cathy's before we began the long journey home, with a long drive to Heathrow.