Aftermath
Morning came. Jess had finally slept through the night. No one came banging through the hotel to wake people up, and that was somewhat reassuring to her. A small group got together to walk over to the Crown Center that morning, meeting up in the lobby downstairs.
The walk was longer than they thought, which illicited a few complaints from Marta and Kathie, but they made it well enough. Jess and Janine were amused that most everyone had worn their SIFE shirts and black pants while they had on 'normal' clothes.
"I didn't want to look that much like a tourist," Jess said. Janine laughed and nodded in agreement.
Traffic lights were out in town, which meant the power had been affected by the storm. It didn't seem to matter. There were a few cops on the busier corners, but even those corners weren't busy by the standards of a group of New Yorkers.
"I wonder what they would do if they ever saw New York City without traffic lights," Mia said with a small chuckle.
"They'd probably panic and run home," Jess said. They crested the hill and walked into Union Station. It was a large historical building that had once been a large train station. It had since been converted into a shopping center.
"Now this is what I was looking for yesterday," Marta said, finally happy. Joe pulled out his camera.
"Okay, everyone in front of the waterfall." He waved them all together. Jess whipped out her own camera and snapped a shot of him taking a picture. "Don't take a picture of me!" he said. Everyone laughed.
After checking a few stores, they crossed the walkway up to the main shopping area. Jess snapped a few pictures of the monument and the large fountain out front as they went. Inside, they found a ton of gift shop type places, including a cute little restaurant done up like a trolley. The name across the top was "Streetcar Named Desire". Jess took a picture of that, too.
They found all sorts of souvenir type things.
"This is better than Plaza," Marta said. Jess nodded.
"Yeah... we shouldn't have listened to that cabby..." she said. "I could have gotten that stuff at home."
"You did get that bag," Marta said.
"Yeah, but I need that for the trip back... I'm not dragging that suitcase around if we're going to be stuck on small planes again," Jess said with a laugh. "You had to go MacArthur."
"It was closer than JFK," Marta said.
"JFK's got bigger planes."
"We wouldn't have had to listen to Duo whine as much," Mia said. Quatre laughed.
"They might have had a direct, too," he added.
"Okay... next year we travel different," Marta said. Everyone chuckled.
"We also travel together next year," Patrice said.
"Within reason," Jess said. "Those times you got were nuts."
"The school wasn't going to pay for this to be a vacation," Joe reminded them.
"Not a vacation... just enough time for peace of mind," Jess said. "You saw how cranky everyone was when you finally got here... The four of us that arrived the day before were rested and ready to practice. Everyone else wanted a nap. It'll be easier the day before, not for vacation purposes, but just for the sake of sanity."
Once they had hit a few shops, they began the journey back to the hotel. Kathie suggested finding another way than walking, but there were too many of them for a cab. There was a bus stop right outside the Crown Center.
"We want that one?" Marta asked.
"Here... 56... Country Club goes right past the hotel... two blocks over," Jess said. "It's the one we took back from the Plaza the other day."
"No... we took 54," Marta said. Jess shook her head.
"No... look at the sign. 112th St."
"But... we took 54." Jess clenched her jaw.
'Why does no one listen to me?' she asked herself. 'Do I really look that stupid?'
"We could just ask the driver of the next bus that comes by," Janine said. And that's what they did... and Jess was right. She sighed as they took a seat, staring out the window as Marta rattled off how she was certain it had been 54 on Sunday.
'I can't wait to go home,' Jess thought.
The walk was longer than they thought, which illicited a few complaints from Marta and Kathie, but they made it well enough. Jess and Janine were amused that most everyone had worn their SIFE shirts and black pants while they had on 'normal' clothes.
"I didn't want to look that much like a tourist," Jess said. Janine laughed and nodded in agreement.
Traffic lights were out in town, which meant the power had been affected by the storm. It didn't seem to matter. There were a few cops on the busier corners, but even those corners weren't busy by the standards of a group of New Yorkers.
"I wonder what they would do if they ever saw New York City without traffic lights," Mia said with a small chuckle.
"They'd probably panic and run home," Jess said. They crested the hill and walked into Union Station. It was a large historical building that had once been a large train station. It had since been converted into a shopping center.
"Now this is what I was looking for yesterday," Marta said, finally happy. Joe pulled out his camera.
"Okay, everyone in front of the waterfall." He waved them all together. Jess whipped out her own camera and snapped a shot of him taking a picture. "Don't take a picture of me!" he said. Everyone laughed.
After checking a few stores, they crossed the walkway up to the main shopping area. Jess snapped a few pictures of the monument and the large fountain out front as they went. Inside, they found a ton of gift shop type places, including a cute little restaurant done up like a trolley. The name across the top was "Streetcar Named Desire". Jess took a picture of that, too.
They found all sorts of souvenir type things.
"This is better than Plaza," Marta said. Jess nodded.
"Yeah... we shouldn't have listened to that cabby..." she said. "I could have gotten that stuff at home."
"You did get that bag," Marta said.
"Yeah, but I need that for the trip back... I'm not dragging that suitcase around if we're going to be stuck on small planes again," Jess said with a laugh. "You had to go MacArthur."
"It was closer than JFK," Marta said.
"JFK's got bigger planes."
"We wouldn't have had to listen to Duo whine as much," Mia said. Quatre laughed.
"They might have had a direct, too," he added.
"Okay... next year we travel different," Marta said. Everyone chuckled.
"We also travel together next year," Patrice said.
"Within reason," Jess said. "Those times you got were nuts."
"The school wasn't going to pay for this to be a vacation," Joe reminded them.
"Not a vacation... just enough time for peace of mind," Jess said. "You saw how cranky everyone was when you finally got here... The four of us that arrived the day before were rested and ready to practice. Everyone else wanted a nap. It'll be easier the day before, not for vacation purposes, but just for the sake of sanity."
Once they had hit a few shops, they began the journey back to the hotel. Kathie suggested finding another way than walking, but there were too many of them for a cab. There was a bus stop right outside the Crown Center.
"We want that one?" Marta asked.
"Here... 56... Country Club goes right past the hotel... two blocks over," Jess said. "It's the one we took back from the Plaza the other day."
"No... we took 54," Marta said. Jess shook her head.
"No... look at the sign. 112th St."
"But... we took 54." Jess clenched her jaw.
'Why does no one listen to me?' she asked herself. 'Do I really look that stupid?'
"We could just ask the driver of the next bus that comes by," Janine said. And that's what they did... and Jess was right. She sighed as they took a seat, staring out the window as Marta rattled off how she was certain it had been 54 on Sunday.
'I can't wait to go home,' Jess thought.
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