Santa Didn't Come To Town

I'm back from my New York birthday trip. I had a great time overall with a little bit of disappointment. That was because Santa Claus did not come to town. Let me tell you what happened.

On Sunday morning, I got up at 3 am. My train from DC to NY was leaving at 5:25 am, and I needed to make sure that I got to DC on time. I got to DC around 4:30 am, checked in, got on the train, and made it to NY by 8:45 am. Great! I stopped at Starbuck's for some hazelnut flavored hot chocolate and made my way to the photography studio. The photography workshop didn't begin until 10:30 am, so I had plenty of time to walk and take in the sights.

After about a 15-20 minute walk, I was at the studio. It was really nice inside, and my energy soared as I imagined all of the photo shoots taking place. A young lady came to the front desk to assist me. After a few minutes of checking the schedule for the workshop classroom, she stated that it had been cancelled. I thought that I was dreaming for a minute - thinking that I couldn't have possibly come from VA for a cancelled workshop in NY. But then I realized that was awake and that this was real. I was so disappointed. It truly was if Santa hadn't come to town (I referenced the photographer as Santa three blog entries ago).

She told me that she was very sorry. After I told her that it was my birthday, she tried to cheer me up by saying that there was a barbecue place nearby. I know that she was trying to be helpful, but I wanted to say that 'I'm from Texas, and that I wouldn't come to New York for some barbecue.' I didn't say that, though. I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I had to walk away from the studio. I felt like Rudolph when they wouldn't let him play any reindeer games.

I walked out to the street and called a friend of mine to tell her what had happened. I felt much better after the conversation. Then I called my friend who was riding up from MD to meet me in NY. She was on her way, and we were still going to have a good day.

At this point, I really didn't know what to do. My friend wasn't going to be there for another four hours, and I wanted to do something until she arrived. So I walked into a hotel lobby to sit, make a few calls, and think about my next step (and warm up!) After talking to my mom, I noticed a guy walking into the hotel with a bag from a famous photography store in NY/US/worldwide. I had gone to this store earlier this year, but didn't know exactly where it was. I stopped him to ask where this store was located. He said that it was right around the corner. I was so excited! This time I felt like Rudolph guiding the sleigh.

I spent quite a while in the store. Eventually I left to wait at Penn Station for my friend. And we had a great day. I got my 'oh so rich and fattening' sage butter ravioli at the Dream Hotel, I saw Rockefeller Center and the Christmas tree, and I saw a great Cirque Du Soleil performance at Madison Square Garden near Broadway. I was back home in VA by 5:30 am on Dec 8th.

So even though I didn't get to see what I originally intended (the workshop), I had a great time. Turning 40 was great, and hanging out in the Big Apple was fun. It didn't go as planned, but it didn't go to waste. Who could ask for anything more?