The morning I left New York City was epic because the night before a ferocious Noreaster had rolled through. After spending a couple hours with my friend Susan talking about books and Warhol I went to Central Park. Everything was closed and the park was a playground with kids running around in nineteen inches of new snow. Nannies with their charges on a snow day were sliding down hills and handsome cabs were buried.
When I got back to my hotel I got my bags out of storage and dug out my ticket for the airport shuttle so I could pick up my rental car. A few minutes later the shuttle arrived and the driver looked harried. I asked him if it was going to be difficult getting to Laguardia but he didn’t say anything. I sat at the back of the bus and was surprised by his erratic driving. Cars were buried everywhere and the streets were clogged. At one street in Manhattan a stranded truck blocked the entire street. The driver drove onto the sidewalk for a block – pedestrians just gave us a wide berth and I wondered if his company does random drug screening. We took a circuitous route to the airport and it didn’t look right but I got out anyways. It turned out he had taken me to the wrong airport!
The airport was a mess with stranded passengers and it took one train and two buses just to get to the rental cars. Unfortunately my rental car agreement wasn’t transferable to this location. When I phoned the Sheraton Hotel to discuss my situation they said that I should speak to the shuttle company. I called the shuttle company and the dispatcher offered to take me to Laguardia for $214! To make a long story short I took another bus back into the city and took another bus back out to Laguardia. This effort took a few frustrating hours and as I was starting to cough and feel sick I wasn’t in the mood for any of it. I knew this random mistake was going to cost me.
I started my drive to Rochester at 6 PM by cutting through the city and then driving most of the night - my second sleepless night in a row. It was sleeting and very slippery and I was grateful that I requested a front wheel drive car. Cars and buses littered the streets and I tried not to think about getting stuck. By this point my throat was on fire and I was congested and when I breathed I made a whistling sound. I had read that caffeine is a vasodilator and can help asthmatics free up their lungs. I bought a slurpy for my throat, Motrin for my head ache and a Red Bull for my lungs. I had never drank a Red Bull before and I was amazed that it gave me almost immediate relief. I stopped for naps a few times and in retrospect the entire endeavor was classically boneheaded.
I reached Rochester at 8AM and had a nap, coffee and another Red Bull before my meeting. I met with Matt and toured a couple of Adaptacare cottages and the grounds of one of campuses of Hillside Homes. Seeing them in use helped me visualize how they would be used back home. I also had a wonderful meeting with the architect of the Adaptacare cottage. I wished I could have gone out for a meal with Matt but I was feeling far too rough.
When I got back on the road I was feeling rotten. After about twenty miles I found a hotel and flopped into bed. Almost immediately I started having chills, and then I ran an enormous fever. When I coughed my ribs felt like they were cracked. I don’t think I have ever felt worse – around midnight I became delirious and started to worry that I was in trouble. The rest of the night was a groggy blur but I woke at 8AM and I no longer felt feverish. My eyes were bloodshot and I had a long shower because my back felt like it had been beaten with a hammer. I couldn’t stop thinking about the homeless guy I had met a couple of days ago. I wondered if he also had the flu. I don’t think I could have survived this thing sitting in a doorway all night. I dressed and got ready to go. I laid down again for a couple of minutes and woke two hours later.
Getting back in the car I still felt weak and sick. I drove for about an hour and had a nap for an hour. I kept this pace until I reached Hartford and found a hotel. When I awoke the next morning I felt much better. For the past couple of days I have been suffering in a bubble. I haven’t been even able to listen to the radio and I wasn’t looking at the area I have been traveling through. I turned on the TV and watched Anthony Bourdain travel on bus, boat and train from Mombai to Calcutta. Seeing him eat his way through Bendi Bazar was the perfect tonic for this tentative morning. I haven’t eaten in two days and I’m hoping a walla will bring me a meal, I guess I’m feeling better.
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