My Nine Trips to New York City

My last post made me want to briefly chronicle the nine times I've visited my favorite city in the world:

1985: My friend Rick and I flew to Boston and took a train down for one night in New York City. We stayed in a Holiday Inn on West 57th, went up to the observation deck in the now-gone World Trade Center, and saw "A Chorus Line," during which I dozed.

1989 or so: I took a bus from Boston, where I was living to attend college, to interview for a magazine internship. The organization told me it was "Opera Digest," but when I arrived it was "Soap Opera Digest." I took the bus back to Boston that afternoon, and I didn't get the job.

1989 or 90: I took a day trip down from Boston with my sister Stacey and a chick named Brooke. We walked around, shopped, and saw "Les Miserables."

1991: As a wedding gift to my previous wife Kathleen, I bought "Phantom of the Opera" tickets. We took the bus down from Boston and stayed in a nice high-rise hotel right in Times Square. It was cold, and I remember she didn't want to do much walking around.

Early nineties: Escorting a friend named Jeanie from Boston to the Washington D.C. temple for her first time through, I prevailed on the group to stop in New York. I remember we got out of the car on Fifth Avenue, but Jeanie just wanted to get to the temple, so we got back on the road pretty quick.

1995: As part of a three-week LDS and U.S. history trip, my ex-wife's extended family stayed overnight in a New Jersey hotel and spent a day in Manhattan. We wasted most of the day waiting in line to climb the Statue of Liberty, and we saw a Broadway play that I think was called "Big River."

1997 or 98: The Ensign magazine sent me on a reporting trip to Bridgeport, CT, and I drove down to Manhattan for a day. I went to museums and saw "Miss Saigon."

2004: I took my nine-year-old son Jordan to stay with my brother Jeff for a few days. We did the Empire State, rode the double-decker tourist bus, and saw "Beauty and the Beast" (Jordan's choice). I dragged him through a few museums and tried to get him walking, but he didn't like those aspects of the trip.

2005: I spent a week attending a magazine conference and doing lots of fun stuff. I stayed in a fairly nice Hilton on 6th Avenue that cost $400 a night and then moved to Jeff's apartment for two nights. I had time to do more walking and exploring than ever and I had people to socialize with, so this was the best New York trip ever.