TWA Hotel at JFK, New York

This blog is purely photographs taken at this amazing iconic TWA Hotel..

From the outside..

To the what appears to be old walkway to board the planes ...

The rooftop heated pool overlooking the runway..

An overnight stopover, a day pass.. and here one can lounge and enjoy...

There are rooms 'set' in the 1960's..

Below on four legs the blue plexiglass item.. zoom in.. it's Barbie!

Cant move stuff around, probably more against stealing which is understandable, so everything is stuck down..

It truly is an amazing building, and I am so lucky my cousin decided to stop and let us spend some time.. 

Below the whole building from the designers point of view..

From shoeshine to the old telephones..

The teal room is maybe a bit too much!

And all the TWA uniforms.. wonderful! 

I left wanting to put on a pair of 4" stilettos and pencil skirt with maybe a cashmere twin-set! 

M.

 

 

Journeys so far.. friends picked me up from JFK and took me to my aunt's, arrived about midnight Thursday/Friday.

Was a long flight, long day, I dropped off at Malaga Airport way too early, my fault? Partially, I couldn't check in on line due to issues with BA documents that were needed, they did clear at 8am on Thursday, but I left early anyways..

Desk didn't open until 13:30 so long wait..

I randomly, being me, started to talk to a couple who were near me, I also remembered their names and yesterday googled them, as you do!? As I do?? And they are both authors, both writers about wine! He especially has written a huge amount of books! I can't obviously name them here.. would be wrong.. but wow eh! 

So flight, it arrived into Malaga late so we left an hour late, when we landed in Heathrow my next flight was already, supposedly boarding, so had to get through security fast which wasn't easy.. so many signs saying don't run, the connection area must always be full of people arriving late and needing to board again quickly! 

Anyways! Boarded okay, then we sat on the tarmac for an hour! Problems with baggage, then food to transport? Fish apparently!! 

We made up for time though in the air and landed on my half an hour later than scheduled.

There was no food on the BA flight to London, so ate a lot on the next one, I had had no time to eat in Heathrow.. 

I weirdly had a bottle of water in my bag at Malaga, me??!!! For god's sake how many times have I moaned about idiots who carry water through!! Security guy was like wait . You have water? I was 'I'm so sorry!! I tavel so much!!' security was empty and luckily no one saw but him.. 

Then when I sat down at seat 29G to fly onwards from Heathrow.. a man saying everyone sit on your original seats.. I was surprised when he said I also had to move !! I had sat there instead of 39G!! And I knew it was 39G.. it was gate 39 and seat 39!! It was like I'd lost my mind!! So funny, so in a half empty plane I joined row 39.. four people in all, back row.. and although intended to move away, I stayed.. I'd already talked to the couple on my left.. So we were alright! And bathroom behind! Never used the bathroom so much as on that flight!! Just because I could!

Tried to sleep a little, but it's not easy for me.. after landing was easy through passport control and baggage claim.. out and picked up.. so easy.. 

Got to aunt's around midnight and next day cousin arrived from West Palm Beach.. 

Another cousin picked up the three of us, and drove us to another cousin's house for a special Saint Paddies day dinner of corned beef and cabbage.. from there, another driver and car to another cousins house for the night!

The next day we drove, another car.. to my aunt's party at a fire station.. fantastic..

When the cousin who was staying with us walked in.. he said pointing to this below..

Here's the Menu!! 

Was a fantastic party.. absolutely wonderful.. nearly a hundred of us.. some couldn't make it.. tonnes of food.. talking laughing just wonderful..

I think about most of the women thought there was one bathroom.. when you walked in there was a urinal on the left and two stalls.. but after walking in there I walked out and tried a door further down the hall and there was the ladies bathroom! 

After the party, another cousin another car to cousins then a turnaround and another car another cousin, back to aunt's house.. 

My cousin and I felt like we were part of a witness protection program! 

They kept us moving and changing drivers and cars!

Then Sunday we went into the city to meet up for lunch with a friend my cousin has known since they were about 8!

We got an Uber to train station, we thought we were alone in the train, then a guy asked us if we were going to Grand Central.. 

When we pulled into the Grand Central.. we stood.. no one on our train! No one anywhere near! 

The guy did show up again .. but where from?? 

It was totally weird.. especially with our continued transportation and driver and house changes!!

Even when we walked along the deserted corridors.. 

The station has obviously undergone a massive update, since I was last there, nine years May, it is amazing.. a stunning masterpiece of architecture..

I love this station!

Artwork, mural's.. all of it..

Everywhere was just so empty when we arrived, walking along corridor after corridor, coming up from the deepest platform.. heading for Lexington Avenue.. twists and turns.. was so funny!

Came out and no one about! That top photograph was what we saw.. 

It was also freezing! And I mean actually freezing! So my cousin flagged a cab that was right there.. for us! And we went to his friends appartment.. in a beautiful old building with a concierge.. of course we had to share the elevator with a gentleman called Max and his two corgis both in knitted coats! 

After coffee we headed back out into the cold and had brunch in a beautiful hotel restaurant, outside but undercover just like home..  although these in New York only appeared during covid, they're what we've been used to always in Spain outside the bars.. 

Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts

Oliver Wendell Holmes snr

Going to close here.. 

Above was in the TWA hotel at JFK today.. 

But need to rest my thumbs now!

M.

Just heard this quote on TV.. 

We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.

Orson Welles 

I searched it and found this following from Reddit, it was written ten years ago so hope it's okay to copy here..

"Like any quote, the interpretation is ultimately up to the reader, I would suggest in this case, Orson was illustrating that ultimately, we are truly alone in this universe, from the moment we are born, to the moment we die. We view and experience the world through our own eyes, and we are only privy to our own thoughts and experiences.

People can share their thoughts and experiences with others, but ultimately, you can only understand them vicariously, through your own eyes, as it were, we can not TRULY understand what its like to live as someone else.

But, through love and friendship, socializing with others, we are capable of creating a momentary illusion that we are not alone, but that is all it is: an illusion, because at the end of the day, you are still stuck within your own mind and see the world through your eyes."

Something to think about just before bedtime! I understand what Orson is saying, but .. 

I don't believe, mmm no I don't feel it's strictly true.. we are not born alone.. we cannot be born without our moms.. not yet thankfully!! 

And I was with my mom and Franco when they passed, they didn't die alone.. Too many people do, I know, time, circumstances, it happens every moment.

But are you ever alone when you have love.. Love from partners, family, friends, our fur-babies.. 

Rich in our lives, histories, memories.. we are so full of our days.. and these things are always with us. Within us.

Nothing to do with understanding what it's like to live as someone else?

Or be stuck in your own mind?

Mmm too much too late in the day me thinks! 

And yesterday's procedure went well, as it could! Quick and over with and out of hospital before I knew it! It's all about stomach ache! Too many antibiotics! Must have taken them every three to four weeks for over a year! More, probably! Because of the kidney stones.. 

It was the first time I'd been in the hospital since I left April 1 2017.. 

Wasn't nice to be there, wasn't nice to be in the same place I'd been there with.. last time when .. well, when. (Sorry that makes no sense, probably, only to me).

M.

 

Breathe (In the Air) Pink Floyd 

How???.. How can this be nearly 50 years ago? What happened? Time? Life? Damn.. 

I can almost put myself back into my 13/14 year-old self.. see my bedroom.. my clothes.. hear my mom downstairs and my stepdad ..

The only time travel I can perform.. 

Penny our dog, the garden.. my memories get a little less real around the edges the more I try to move around the thoughts.. like trying to grasp hold of an elusive dream.. 

And maybe I'm trying to hard to think..

Especially today, going back isn't a good thing, but, well I shouldn't say 'but' was going to say they're the only truths we have, but is that actually true? 

Don't our memories fail us.. give us rosier pictures.. 

The future may be totally unknown, the past only what we remember, want to remember or can't forget.

And today, starvation for me, have a delightful procedure at the hospital mañana.. 

No food, just liquids, wonderful chicken broth for breakfast this morning and for lunch, and what the hell! For dinner later probably!

Had a coffee, black, no dairy.. up at the garden centre this morning with my vecina, made my stomach rumble! 

And now, feeling actually a little dizzy, very wobbly.. actually..

But in my pjs watching tv in the living room, woodburner fired up downstairs, all nice and cosy.  Later on the meds to take, to make a thorough job of preparing me for above procedure! 

My darling little Cassie has Scarlet fever.. I did at her age.. near the time the disease was almost eradicated from the UK..

When I had it I was covered in a rash from the fever and the rash blistered.. I can still see the blisters over the palms of my hands.. 

It also caused one of my heart diseases..

Related to strep throat too.. which my mom had as a child.. she had a strange purple blister on her lip from the strep, I grew up seeing it on her mouth, was just normal to me.. but when she was in her 70's she had it removed.. Now that was strange to me, to see her without it, all of my life..

Y ahora ciao amigos..

M.