A last minute jaunt back to New York.

I decide at the last minute to jump on a plane and fly back to New York for the fourth of July weekend. I leave my motorcycle in Julie and Claus’ garage and board a flight from O’Hare Airport to NYC at 1pm.

My mom has been planning a grand opening of the newly renovated house on the fourth and I really want to be there for it. I look forward to seeing her and Dan in the new house and to have some more time with the family. I opt to only tell my brother that I’m flying in and plan to ride with him, Tanya and my niece & nephew to upstate tomorrow to surprise everyone. The flight is a very short two hours and I’m back in NYC.

[Lake Michigan from seat 25B]

[descending over NYC]

[headed for the Bronx]

I take a cab to the Bronx and wander around my brother’s hood while he wraps up his work day. The stark contrast between Chicago and the Bronx is fascinating. Yesterday I was in rural Illinois surrounded by expansive farmland and now I’m standing infront of Yankees Stadium with the B Train rumbling overhead on a rusty tressel.

The experience clarifies one of the major impacts the mode of transport has on the understanding of a place and how it relates to it’s surroundings. Flying to a destination removes the context from the experience, while riding has offered a continuous transition from one place to the next. It puts my journey through 22 contiguous states over the last month into perspective.

After a stroll around the Bronx, I meet up with my brother and the kids. We hang out at his house and wait for Tanya to get home from her work day. Angie is very excited about the trip up to grandma’s house tomorrow.

[the sun sets on the Bronx]