Coming to America
When we walked off the plane into Newark Airport, there was no fanfare, no big emotional climax. The end of our travels came to an end with barely a whimper, rather than a bang. We sat in the concourse, drinking coffee and taking it all in, listening to the voices speaking English all around us—a flood of meaning suddenly washing over us and invading our senses. The feeling managed to be both overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. The sights, sounds and smells of home rolled over us, as we sat there, feeling like aliens arriving on some strange new planet. We were home at last, after 252 days on the road. Our journey, quite literally, took us around the world.
Months before, when we were still planning the trip, I had insisted that New York seemed like a good place for re-entry into the States. Lady Liberty stands in the harbor, welcoming new arrivals with her beacon of hope. We wanted to pay our respects, so after settling into our temporary home in New Jersey, we headed off to Liberty State Park via train and tram. Once there, we gazed over at the Manhattan skyline, including the still-new World Trade Center, before taking a ferry over to Ellis Island. What a perfect location for us to appreciate the scope of our journey and America’s symbolic value in the world. We vowed never to take our life in this place for granted. What a beautifully diverse and wonderfully chaotic country we live in.
For years, I had longed to see the Statue of Liberty up close. She didn’t disappoint. A gift from the French, this neoclassical bronze sculpture is quintessentially American. Libertas, the Roman god of liberty, was designed by Frederic Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel. Since her dedication in 1886, she has greeted generations of immigrants and visitors as they alight in America. We joined groups of tourists who gazed up at the monument in awe, snapping innumerable pictures and some even climbing up the staircase inside. We reached a compromise, going to the top of the base, but not all the way up to the top of the statue. It was a worthwhile experience, but, as with all these impressive monuments, once you’re inside and you admire the view, you are missing the sight of the monument itself.
The most interesting part of the whole experience inside the Statue of Liberty is the ability to observe visitors outside and gauge their reactions. It was fascinating to realize that this fairly modest, yet majestic sculpture ranks alongside the other great landmarks of the world. Just as we traveled abroad to experience the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Taj Mahal in Agra, or Stonehenge in the English countryside, people of other nations come to America to see the icon of freedom. Not just the statue, but New York. Where else can you start out with a few dollars and end up with a fortune? What other city represents the promise of democracy and meritocracy as well as the Big Apple? Where else do power, politics and pop mix so seamlessly? When we were in Egypt and our young driver said he wanted to visit America because we are free here, this is what he meant.
While there is a dark underbelly in this society and it seems the country has never been as divided, we still have the potential to live up to the ideal of this nation — that all men (women and children) are “created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” The journey we have just completed has made us more hopeful than ever that we can all live up to this promise. Rather than experience countries and nations, we experienced cultures and people. We know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that there is more that unites people than divides them. While politicians of all stripes seek to exploit our differences, it is deeply gratifying and humbling to see people treating each other mostly with respect and curiosity. There is darkness in this world, but you can still depend on the kindness of strangers. You just have to be open to the possibilities and have faith in humanity.
As we walked the streets of Manhattan, we were conscious of the fact that our journey was winding down. We walked as much as we could, soaking up the life we saw all around us. The sun shone in the deep blue sky and the music of the city floated in the air. We took the subway, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, strolled through leafy parks and admired the buildings. We even managed to take in the marvelous “Bowie Is” exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum. This was the last stop on the tour for this show and it was a perfect place to listen to the music of David Bowie, who was born in London, not too far from my hometown, but ended up living in America, here in New York. The exhibition balanced music, film and fashion with befitting elegance. We left the museum high on life and ready for the next adventure.
One of the nicest things about taking a break from our careers has been the gift of time. Without our usual routines to focus on, we developed a new rhythm in our life, dictated by our interests and passions. We spent a lot of time walking around neighborhoods, observing life, as well as exploring monuments and museums, drinking in the architecture and culture. We also spent some of this precious time catching up with friends spread around the world. New York was no exception, as we enjoyed meeting up with people around the city, exploring old haunts and discovering some new ones in the process — from the winding alleyways of Wall Street to Bryant Park and Park Slope. It was a magical time that made the transition back to America exciting and fun.
On our last night in the city, we returned to the Met for a last quick tour of some of our favorite works of art. By this point, we were pretty exhausted mentally and physically. In a daze, we wandered through rooms full of paintings, sculptures, furniture and materials. Somehow we made it to the top of the building, based on a friend’s recommendation, and took in the view of the city rising above the trees of Central Park. The locals were drinking wine and admiring the alien sculpture exhibition on the roof — a very New York scene. We felt out of place in our travel clothes and spiritual state of mind, which is how we knew it was time to head back west to Los Angeles, where we started this crazy adventure on September 7, 2017.
On Saturday, May 19, 2018 we arrived at LAX into the arms of waiting family. It’s hard to believe that our travels have come to an end. We spent eight-and-a-half months on the road, in 26 countries on six continents. We walked 1,106 miles, flew about 30 international flights, rode 10 trains and took three ferries. We visited 12 close friends and explored more than 60 museums. At the end of it all, we have to pinch ourselves to make sure it actually happened. In many respects, the adventure continues. We’re staying with family in Southern California, as we search for new careers and a new home, and we’re yet to be reunited with our cats, Zoe and Bogie. So, stay tuned for one more newsletter which will let you know where we settle. In the meantime, I will continue writing on my regular website.
Thanks for following and for encouraging us along the way. We couldn’t have done it without you. As the old Irish blessing goes, May the road rise up to meet you!
