Well, that exceeded my expectations....

Part of my South Florida family is visiting New York and I got invited to tagalong this weekend for some tourist activities. Saturday was ice-skating at Rockefeller Center, pizza at John's and then dessert at Max Brenner. The pizza was good, and we didn't have to wait online (I really can't imagine waiting online for pizza.) But Rockefeller Center made me realize how happy I was tourists didn't come to my part of Brooklyn in excessively large numbers. And Max Brenner was just a destination for overconsumption. But it was nice to be with family....

So I wasn't really looking forward to going on The Ride today. To the left is an image they use to promote their tour. The thought of being trapped in a bus for 75 minutes with these people really made me a little sick. I mean, we have special buses for tourists just so I don't have to share space with them.

But I did need a change of pace because watching MSNBC all day is making me a little crazy, and again I do like spending time with this part of my family. So, I promised myself, my aunt and my nine-year-old cousin that I would keep my snarkiness inside.

But my snarky side was disappointed. There was no reason for me to be snarky. The hosts/guides were cheerful I might even say joyful in their description of the landmarks we passed. They also found a very family-friendly way to point out that the gift shop in the theater now occupied by Disney used to sell dildos.

On the ride the guides interacted with their audience and they quickly figured out that I would know all the answers to their fun questions. There was a question they threw out there that I should've seen coming. At the moment we had the best view of the Empire State Building they asked us who had ever been to the top. Most of us raised our hands, but when she asked who took the stairs I kept my hand up. Then she asked two quick questions to me to prove I was telling the truth. When did you do it and how long did it take you. I was able to quickly answer 1999 and about 15 minutes. It doesn't matter that I lied a little and it actually took close to 19 minutes. 

Then the tour guide did something for me that meant more to me that she possibly could have imagined. She asked the other riders on the bus to give me a round of applause. For those few seconds I was the guy who made it up the stairs at the Empire State Building. I wasn't the guy who now looks at every curb as a challenge and got stuck in his cousins bathroom that afternoon.