A Thanksgiving Memory
Dealing with death
Ben and I made our first trip north together in November 2007. We stayed with his mother in Elizabeth, New Jersey, but spent our days in Manhattan.
I booked a nighttime dinner and dancing cruise around the island of Manhattan for Wednesday, November 21, the day before Thanksgiving.
We took the PATH train into Manhattan early that afternoon and walked more than a dozen blocks to our hotel. It was very cold. The hotel was one street over from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade route and a few blocks from where we boarded the cruise boat.
We boarded at 8 pm. We walked to the harbor, where the wind was brisk and frigid, but wisely decided we’d get a taxi back to our hotel after the cruise ended at midnight.
I don’t recall what we ate, but I remember the food was good. Near our table was a large group of Japanese businessmen dressed in suits. As the evening progressed, they became more and more inebriated, shedding their suit jackets and talking and laughing loudly. I enjoyed seeing them having so much fun.
After the meal, a DJ played music. Only a few people danced until the DJ played YMCA by the Village People.
