I've never quite understand what "triggers" particular memories... but "something" happens, and suddenly I end up going time traveling.
This afternoon, I found myself thinking about how — even though I am technically still a Danish citizen — I have now lived in the USA for 41 years. But my arrival here, in January 1981, was by no means my first visit to this country.
The first time I set foot on US soil, I was just six years old. We'd travelled from Denmark to New York City to spend a few days with "Uncle Victor" who also happened to be my Godfather... this all on our way to Jamaica, where we would be living for several months while my dad had some kind of "business" with the Reynolds Corporation there.
Yes, I was a little Danish kid who had an American Godfather!
"Uncle Victor" was actually a prominent New York business executive, and he and "Aunt Pauline" had been my mother's "host family" when she first came to the US in the late 1940's to seek her fortune. Although my mother actually ended up back in Denmark, the connection to the US family was always strong, and so I ended up with a New Yorker for a Godfather.
I don't remember a lot about the visit, aside from staying at Uncle Victor's penthouse apartment in Brooklyn, from where you had a view of the Lower Manhattan financial district, and you could see the Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn Bridge and all manners of things I had only seen in books before. It was several decades later before I suddenly realized that 12th floor penthouse in Brooklyn Heights with that view must have cost more than the gross national product of a small country!
As a six-year old, the whole experience was rather overwhelming... but it also left impressions I still keep with me. We were constantly on the go, because there was a lot "to do and see" and we only had four days before having to catch our flight to Jamaica.
Coming from Copenhagen — where very few buildings are more than seven stories tall — it was amazing how HUGE the buildings were! I remember we went to Uncle Victor's office in the financial district, and it was on the 26th floor... it seemed soooo far up, at the time.
NOT my photo, for once!
Source
Another — perhaps slightly odd — memory of New York was the rooftop water tanks on almost every building... I'd never seen anything like that before!
I remember really liking Aunt Pauline's black and white cat which I befriended, because there was otherwise very little for 6-year old boy to do, in a fancy business executive's apartment.
I remember getting to eat Japanese food for the very first time! Actually, what I most remember was that even the adults had to sit on the floor!
That trip also marked my first experience riding in a helicopter. When it became time for us to go to the airport, it was not in a taxi... noooo, we were whisked — by limo, no less — to what used to be the Pan Am Building in Manhattan (now the Met Life Building), rode up 60 floors to the roof and boarded a very large helicopter to JFK Airport. THAT left quite an impression!
Although "Uncle Victor" was still alive when I moved to the US, I never got to visit him. He passed away in 1987. Aunt Pauline — remarkably — lived to be 102, and passed away in 2008.
Aside from passing through the NYC area airports, I have never been back to New York City. The closest I got was in 2008, when I briefly drove through, on my way from Baltimore to the Woodstock, NY area. At this point in my life, I'm content to let my memories of the city be those impressions from my childhood.
Thanks for reading, and have a great Friday!
How about YOU? Have any early travel memories that left a lasting impression on you? Where did you go, and how old were you? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
Greetings bloggers and social content creators! This article was created via PeakD, a blogging application that's part of the Hive Social Content Experience. If you're a blogger, writer, poet, artist, vlogger, musician or other creative content wizard, come join us! Hive is a little "different" because it's not run by a "company;" it operates via the consensus of its users and your content can't be banned, censored, taken down or demonetized. And that COUNTS for something, in these uncertain times! So if you're ready for the next generation of social content where YOU retain ownership and control, come by and learn about Hive and make an account!
Proud member of the Silver Bloggers Community on Hive!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly and uniquely for this platform — NOT cross posted anywhere else!)
Created at 20220317 22:58 PST
0524/1770