Hey there, folks. I hope you all had a nice December, January, and February so far. More than two months have passed since we came back from New York City. We had a blast there. And I finally want to tell you all about it. As always, Nikki has helped me, and she also wrote a chapter out of her own perspective. But as always, let us start at the beginning.
Chapter 1: Preparations
We had the 20th of November. The big journey was right ahead. I was packing my things and kept going over my list of things to see. Needless to say that I was very nervous.
Other than usual, Nikki didn't come over for the weekend this time. She had to prepare herself for her training. This trip was essential for her. You know, playing on Broadway is something special, especially for an Anthro. My suitcase was on the bed in front of me, as I reviewed the list Mom had given me.
Underwear Check
Warm Hoodies Check
Warm Pants Check
Recharger and Power Bank Check
T-Shirts Check
Little Balto Check
Backpack Check
Comics for the trip Check
Headphones Check
I also wrote a list of my comics, since one of my "want to go" spots was a comic store, and I wanted to avoid risking buying a comic twice. Why a comic book store, you ask? Well, my little comic book store here in Darwin's Hope often doesn't get the good stuff. Sure, I could order most of it, but they take an extra fee for that. I wish we would have a bigger comic book store here.
Mom has given me a book about New York, in which I found a lot of sightseeing tips and background information about the Big Apple. Did you know that it was originally called New Amsterdam, before the British took over and renamed it? But don't worry, I will not bother you with this stuff for now.
Hm, maybe I could give you, my dear readers, a few more information about my hometown at this point. I think I always skipped that in the former entries.
Darwin's Hope is located in the New York State area. It is a small town, about 12'000 Anthropomorphs live here. With that number, it is one of the larger Anthro-Towns, if not even one of the largest. We also have a little number of humans here, but they are nearly exclusively in the inner city. My home is in the Lamarck district, named after Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, Chevalier de Lamarck (signing anything must have been a pain in the ass for that man), a famous biologist.
Our town is close to Buffalo, in the Erie County. The biggest sea here is Spaulding Lake. Our Town is located on its east coast. Maybe you have now at least an idea where I am living.
The trip to New York will take over 6 hours by car. At least that is what Mr. Kofi said. We will take the Kofi's car, since it is way bigger than ours, and we all fit in theirs easily.
Ok, enough of that for now. Let us go back to the evening of the 20th of November. I was sitting at my desk after I finished packing, as my mother entered my room. She sat down next to my suitcase and looked at me.
"Have you packed everything you need?"
I smiled and nodded.
"Yes, Mom. I checked it several times now. But I am nervous. New York City is so big, and full of humans. How will they treat us?"
She chuckled. "New York City is big, yes. But don't worry. New Yorkers are used to all sorts of crazy things, and most of them are very open-minded. They will not treat us any differently than other tourists."
Mom caressed gently over my head, while she smiled at me. "It really was time for you to get a haircut."
Again, I smiled at her. She was right, I really needed that haircut. Then I remembered something I read in a travel guide. "Mom, do we need our vaccination certificates?" She was thinking for a moment, before she answered me. "Good question, Balto. Honestly, I don't know. I will take them with me, just to be safe." I put the suitcase away and sat down next to my mother. "Mom, you have told me once that you had the idea for my name from the statue of Balto in Central Park. Was dad with you that day?"
Her look became empty, as her gaze went to the floor. "Yes, he was. I remember the moment like it was yesterday. We were standing there, in front of this wonderful statue. Children were running around the area, some played next to it, and others were sitting on its back. Until this moment, we couldn't decide a name for you. I watched as your father's hand wandered over the name sign, and saw him smiling. I could imagine what he was thinking, and I liked his idea. And that is how we came up with your name, my son. I am so happy to make this trip with you now. You will finally see the statue for yourself."
She laid her arm around me and pulled me closer. "Tell me, Balto. What do you want to do in New York?"
The list I made was on my desk, so I jumped off my bed to get it. "I wrote down a few places I want to see. Look here"
After I sat down again, we went through my list. Mom was reading it out loud: "Let me have a look. Central Park, that is obvious. Then the Museum of Natural History. A big place, we should plan a whole day for that. Liberty Island, that is, in fact, a place we haven't visited back then. I bet Idrissa will love to go there, and to Battery Park. Hm, then the Intrepid Air and Space Museum. That is located on an old Aircraft Carrier, but I bet you already know that. I think this is something you should visit with Idrissa. Hm, and then we have Time Square, and the Broadway. Oh, and a Comic Book Store?"
I answered her enthusiastically: "Yes, that one should be really good! And it is way bigger than the one we have here."
"Well, the last three should be doable on a single day. Be aware that we will walk a lot during this week. Better pack your paw protectors. You will need them for sure."
The paw protectors. They are mostly like shoes, just that they are made for us Anthropomorphs. They protect our sensitive paws in summer, if we walk over the hot streets, or if we walk over gravel. Occasionally we also need them in winter, but I don't like it so much to wear them. Only if I really have to do it.
Then mom mentioned another thing: "Oh, and don't forget to pack the travel adapters for the toilet. I doubt that the bathrooms in New York will be very Anthro-friendly."
This was really something I had forgotten to pack. I think I have mentioned this thing in one of my first entries. For those who missed it, a short explanation:
Since most Anthros have a sheath, in which our penis rests, we sometimes have problems to urinate into a normal toilet.
The most common solution, and one of the cleanest, is to use an adapter, which we place over the tip of the penis. For that we just have to pull back the sheath a bit. Attached to the adapter is a hose, through which we can urinate without ruining the bathroom. Urinals in public restrooms are often easier for us to use, which is why I prefer to use them. The main reason is simple. I don't like it to carry this adapter and the hose with me all the time. Cleaning that thing in a public room isn't always easy.
I stood up from the bed once more and packed the travel set into my suitcase, while mom watched me. "Do you maybe feel like watching a movie with me, since Nicole isn't coming over today? Or we can watch a documentary about New York City, if you want."
Her voice sounded sad. I liked her idea, and wagged my tail happily. "Sure, mom. Can we make some popcorn? Oh, and I would like to watch Ghostbusters 1 and 2!"
She seemed to be a bit surprised. "Those old movies? Not exactly what I had in mind, but sure. You know, their Headquarters is still standing. We can visit it, if you want."
That was indeed something I didn't know until that point. "Really? That is cool!"
Mommy made popcorn for us, and while we cuddled on the couch, we watched the movies together. I don't know why, but I love these old classics. It was a great evening with mom. We really should do this more often.
At the end of the second movie, before mom switched off the TV, we took a look at the weather forecast. It said that we will have unusual warm weather for a November in New York, about 64 °F (17.78 °C) to 68 °F (20 °C). At least for the first days, which is why I packed in some shorts too. I always prefer to wear shorts than pants, they are so much more comfortable for me.
On Sunday, I think it was around noon, Nikki sent me some videos from ``Cats''. Especially about ``Rumpelteazer'', the role she should perform. I searched the Internet a little, and found out that the Musical "Cats" is based on a collection of poems, called "Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats" from 1939. Pretty old stuff. I bet Nikki would love to get a copy of this book.
Nikki's dad called in the afternoon. He told mom that he wants to leave at midnight, since he doesn't want to risk coming into New York's rush hour. Mom was a bit surprised about this, but she agreed to him. In the evening, we packed our stuff into the car, and after that, we all sat together in our living room.
Mr. Kofi explained our route, the adults checked all necessary papers once more, and during that, Nikki's mom saw our vaccination passes.
"Christa, why do you take these with you? We don't need them in New York." Mom looked at the passes for a moment. "I thought it would be better to have them with us. You know, just in case." Mrs. Kofi had to think for a moment. "Hm, maybe a good Idea. I will go and get ours, too."
She left, and came back a few minutes later with the passes in her hand, which she put into her purse.
Time passed, while we talked about the trip. At midnight, it was time to leave. The night was cold, even for me. Good thing that the Kofi's car has a good AC. Since I am the smallest, I had to take the middle seat. Nikki was sitting on my right side, and mom to my left. My girl and I cuddled up close and felt asleep shortly after.
And so, our journey to Gotham City began. (Yes, that is indeed a name for New York since 1807)
Here is finally the first part of our trip to New York. We all had a good time there, and I hope you will enjoy reading about it. There will be 7. Chapters, but they aren't too long. The Colors:
Red: BaltoBold Italic Black: random characters
Blue: Nikki
Green: Christa
Purple: Idrissa Kofi
Orange: Asha Kofi
Thanks go once more to all my supporters and friends like
