It has to be said, travelling to new places and experiencing new adventures is most definitely good for the soul.

During my recent trip to New York I learned so much more than I could have first imagined.

It’s true, we had saved up our money to be able to afford the transatlantic experience and budgeted for the extravagance and opportunity but it’s in the finer details, the micro moments, that the truly amazing and unexpected happened to us.

I thought I’d list a few of the unforgettables this week that were most definitely not on the itinerary. The stumblings, the conversations, the real New York magic.

Number 1. I KICKED A RAT. 🐀

There, I said it and yes you heard it, you read it right, I kicked a rat.

We were taking the subway train back from Greenwich village after spending a couple of hours exploring the Gay village and the famous Stonewall Inn when a subway rat the size of a small dog ran between my feet.

As we walked hurriedly among the crowds of commuters I unexpectedly launched the sewer dwelling New Yorker with my left foot and for a few seconds it was airborne, flying towards the people walking in front of us.

It landed clumsily, just missing their winter coat tails and scuttled up the subway wall and into a steaming vent.

It happened so fast Jen didn’t believe me.

Frankie was my witness.

‘Oh my God Mum, you just kicked a rat.’ She gasped.

On a side note, On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar was raided by police. But instead of responding with the routine compliance the NYPD expected, patrons and a growing crowd decided to fight back. The five days of rioting that ensued changed the face of gay and lesbian life forever.

With Frankie being under 21, we could only peer through the window of this now buzzing tourist attraction, but the bar next to it was family friendly and so we pulled 3 stools up to the bar, tucked into some complimentary potato chips, downed a couple of Miller Lights while Frankie slurped a Diet Coke and fed the pinball machine with Dollar bills.

It was magical.

Such a privilege, but to Frankie, so normal.

That’s what made it magical.

Having 2 Mums and hanging out with them as a family is normal and as it should be but kicking a rat well now, that is just completely out of the ordinary and most certainly not to be expected on a family vacation.

When we arrived back at the hotel that evening, I said to Frankie ‘Did you enjoy learning about the history of Stonewall and playing pinball and dancing to tunes on the jukebox?’ She said she did but followed up with ‘And do you remember kicking that rat in the subway?’

I hope visiting Greenwich Village will be something she’ll remember forever but I have a funny feeling me kicking a rat on the way home will be the memory that sticks the most.

03/03/2024