The Best Birthday Present Evah POST

As most of you know, I have the privilege of running a route through New York on a fairly regular basis. New York being Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island and Long Island. Heck, I have even delivered in Harlem once before. I have professed my love for this route on numerous occasions. Yeah, I know, why would anyone want to drive a Truck through the streets of New York. But, I do!!

Last week, mid-stride, I was called upon to retrieve the New England load that was en route, and of course, I had no issues with making the change. I found AA in poor health and relieved him of his duties so he could attend to his health. But not before he gave me the news......

This week's New England route included a new customer. A customer on Grand Ave. For those of you who do not know where exactly a Grand Ave in New York might be.....Well, it is in LOWER MANHATTAN......

Yes, you read that correctly!  On  Tuesday, May 19th, which just happened to be MY birthday, I was to be in Lower Manhattan making a delivery. And of course, you had to know fairly quickly that I would make the  most of this journey. Why would anyone take the Exit closest to the customer and only get a small glimpse of the Marvelous Metropolis, especially when I had been given permission to be there. Nope, not me!  I used this privilege to my advantage and drove the entire length of Broadway in my big ol truck. 

I will admit, the closer I got to the 179th street  exit, the more apprehension I began to feel. For the first time ever, I crossed the George Washington Bridge in the right lane. I eased onto Broadway and all my apprehensions disappeared immediately....  OMG....I am on Broadway..World Famous Broadway...In a BIG TRUCK.....HOLY COW!!!  Little Ol Me!!!!  OMG!!! No longer feeling any fear, I made my way through the city streets as if I belonged there.... Zigging and zagging with the ebb of traffic. Watch out for taxi cabs, hee! They better watch out for me. My enthusiasm was evident as I waved at all who noticed me. And while I may have been mesmerized by the locale, it seemed the locals where quite taken by the site of the little girl maneuver the huge truck.

 Oh what a delightful day!  This is the stop that cost me 4 hours, and honestly it was the best four hours I have ever experienced in a Big Truck. Several months ago, I was almost allowed to go down into the city, making deliveries for one of our customers as a side job. That fell apart and my excitement receded.  I was very aware of the length restrictions, and had stated such when the original proposal was made. But this time, I never said a word. Surely they knew, right? Who cares! It was my ticket to paradise, and I was not about to wave a red flag. In fact, I was actually hoping to be apprehended so I could experience the journey to its fullest capacity. It's the Aluminum Company's dime anyways! As I made my way south, the buildings grew taller, and the crowds got thicker. The taxis were flying around like little Energizer bunnies and even the local Law Enforcement paid me no heed as they darted and dived mere inches in front of my bumper. I was like a child at Christmas, marvelling at all of the sites and relishing in the gift I had received so unexpectedly.

Of course, my first obligation was to ensure as much safety around my vehicle as possible. AA told me the best plan of action was to act as if I was in my Bronx neighborhoods. So, with that mindset, I bob and weaved with the best of them. Naturally, this means I did not have the opportunity to gaze upon every aspect of what was before me(I did leave the video camera running the entire time), and at one point I looked to my immediate right and who should be staring down on me?  Good Ol David Letterman. I was sitting right in front of the Ed Sullivan Theatre and almost started drooling on myself. Not because of Ed or Dave, but because I was in Manhattan...I WAS IN MANHATTAN !! On my birthday!!!  ME!!

The sites and sounds of everything around me was consuming, and I continued to move south noticing other landmark sites so often viewed on television. It was not until I noticed I was approaching Times Square that I actually began to squeal with delight. Okay, maybe I had shrieked several hundred times already in the previous 130 blocks.  But this time, I drew attention to myself and quite a few of the locals got a good laugh at me while I was pointing and clapping, illustrating just what had tickled me so... HA HA..Silly Tourists...Eventually, the buildings began to diminish in stature and I knew I needed to pay attention to exactly where I was at.                                                                                                                                                               

Fifteen blocks south of First Street (Houston) I was to make a left turn onto Grand. I started on 179th...I think I got my money's worth on this trip.

Upon arriving at Grand, I became very aware that this turn was not going to happen...Four lanes wide, I scooted to the edge of the center lane to allow myself ample amount to room..Nope not gonna work. I knew better, but I had to try anyway. I got 3/4 of the way through the turn when I had no other option than to back up and try again. I suppose I could have run over the car parked on the left corner, but I did not want to spoil this adventure by a bunch of unnecessary paperwork.  I was astonished to find a crew of workers diligently studying my efforts and once it was determined that I was not going to proceed forward, they scaled down from the scaffolding and commenced to blocking all four lanes of traffic so I could give it another shot. They had commandeered enough space to allow me to scoot all the way to the right side of the road and get a good swing on the second attempt. SUCCESS..As I drove away  from being the center of attention, I noticed shouts and clapping and catcalls....See, these people love me as much as I love them. Not one single horn pierced the air in protest.

I made it down a very tight single lane Grand St. (ave, rd) and was instructed to pull into a commercial loading zone and pay the meter. I was unloaded rather quickly and sent on my way. In just a few short maneuvers, I was atop the Williamsburg Bridge making my departure.  After arriving back on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, I glanced to my left and gazed upon the site. I was there.  I WAS THERE !!

It was truly the best gift I could have received. A free trip to Manhattan, all expenses paid. On my birthday, even !! And little did I know that 5 days later, they would close down Broadway to all traffic through Times Square. I had just barely made it. Now, it will become a pedestrian only area, of course the cross streets  are still open. But that view, from afar, will live emblazoned in my mind, as it will never be experienced again.

And when I say all expenses paid, I suppose I should mention that I was apprehended !!  LOL....Experience complete ! I received two fines for disregarding the restrictions. One for over length trailer. Guess the big "53' " stickers on the side of my ride gave me away. And another for over length combination.  The Officer was a delight and was tickled at my responsiveness to him. I think he did question my mental health, as it is not often a Truck Driver takes such delight in this journey. 

So, there you have it. The Best Birthday Present Evah!!  and no, I am not insane.