When I got an invitation to speak to some colleagues in New York City, we jumped at the opportunity to combine that trip with a visit to Tom’s cousins, who had invited us to visit them in New Jersey. We of course had to include our dog, Flash, who loves a family vacation as much as the next guy. After a month of preparation, we headed to the airport, looking a little like a traveling circus. Tom pushes me in a wheelchair, while Flash, in his crate, sits on my lap. Our luggage is checked with the curbside porter or the check-in desk as soon as possible. The TSA loves to see us coming. They start right away disassembling our circus. They wheeled me into a small corral, where I suppose, they feel confident I won't buck and run. They removed my shoes (those dreaded shoe bombers, you know) and began patting me down. Fortunately my inspector was a twenty-something guy who I didn't mind getting intimate with. He had to check my shirt, my pants, my underwear (those dreaded underwear bombers, you know) my stocking feet and my chair.
Simultaneously, Tom and Flash were getting an inspection of their own. Out of the corner of my eye I could see them taking Flash out of his crate while requiring that Tom take off his shoes. I got the giggles then as I imagined Flash running wildly around the airport with Tom chasing him in his stocking feet. Soon enough we were reassembled and waiting at the gate. One of the reasons I travel with a titanium chair with removable wheels is so that the chair can be placed in a closet on board the plane just behind the first-class section. But on this particular flight, the on-board staff wanted to put my chair in the luggage compartment under the plane. I can think of no quicker way to lose a wheel, and if you’ve ever seen a wheelchair with just one wheel, you know why I didn’t like the idea. So Tom stood up to the attendant and said “no” this is how you fold and stow the chair. What a guy! My hero.
When we arrived in New Jersey we discovered Tom’s cousin had constructed a ramp with a very gradual incline (ADA compliant). The ramp went all the way up to the front door, and it stretched from Paramus nearly to Hoboken. It was festooned with crepe paper and helium filled balloons- I felt a little like FDR arriving for his third inauguration. Flash loved the ramp too and traveled with me in and out of the house, thinking to himself I’m sure, “I like ramps, who needs stairs”.
Our next stop on this trip was New York City. Thanks to our hosts, we had a room at the Peninsula Hotel, at the corner of 55th Street and Fifth Ave. Flash thought that perhaps he died and this was heaven. To quote their brochure: "a double glazed cocoon of peace and quiet in probably the most comfortable bed you'll ever experience." We could almost hear Flash thinking as he lay on the 600 thread count sheets under the goose down duvet: "now this is a bed, when can I get one of these at home." Flash seemed to enjoy his walks down Fifth Avenue and in the tiny grassy area in front of the Plaza hotel. There are a heckuva lot of interesting smells in Manhattan and Flash got good at avoiding hordes of feet while seeking out the odors that interested him most.
Finally we made a detour to Princeton University, where Tom got his masters’ degree. We thought Flash might be more interested in a college degree if we showed him a venerable old campus, and frankly, we could picture him looking fabulous in Princeton Orange. He liked the huge bronze of the Tiger, and the students lying on the lawn, reading. Beyond that, the place had difficulty capturing his attention.
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