Patrice and I headed to New York today in order to celebrate her ??? birthday. Her actual birthday was yesterday. So if you forgot to call or message her forget it, it’s too late, and you are on her no fly zone list. Don’t worry she got congratulatory messages from her credit card company and insurance agent.
As a special birthday gift we both get rewarded by flying when the government has been shut down resulting in TSA agents and Air Traffic Controllers working without pay.
We had a pleasant ride to LAX. Our taxi arrived on time and we seemed to have a great driver. Apparently there is an app that he uses that critiques his driving. A couple of times we heard this mysterious voice announce, “Rolling stop detected”. Wow, glad I don’t have one of those in my car. I can just imagine what it might be telling me: “You might want to drive a little slower” or “Is your turning signal broken?”.
Boarding was uneventful as was the flight. Unfortunately the ride from JFK to our hotel was less than ideal. A crash on the highway slowed our voyage. But it wasn’t a total loss because we learned some interesting phrases from our cab driver. At one point I checked Google maps and it said we were 1.1 miles from the hotel but the estimated arrival was 24 minutes.
After checking in at the hotel we got a quick bite to eat and then tried to get tickets to a Broadway show. With travel being so unpredictable we didn’t want to buy tickets in advance, in case our flight got canceled. So we tried to get rush tickets at a variety of shows. We failed at 3 locations and finally were successful at getting the last 2 tickets for the show “Chess”. We heard a lukewarm review from one of Patrice’s friends but we thought what the heck, what else do we have to do? The show is a fictitious story about a chess match between an American and a Russian that supposedly happened in 1979. All I can say is that we won’t be asking Patrice’s friend for show recommendations. We loved the show even though we got the last 2 seats and had to sit on opposite sides of the theater (Patrice here, that was the best part).
After the show we decided to stop by for some late night gelato at a store next to the hotel. We arrived there at about 11:15 pm and saw about 50 people on line. We decided that we didn’t need gelato that much and came back to the room so I could write the blog.
Great first day of our birthday celebration. More fun planned for tomorrow.
Ciao
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 
I hope the rest of your trip is better.
I was in tune to the 1972 chess match between Spaskly and Fisher. So I may have liked it more? I bet my friend $5 per game, I bet on Spassky so I did lose a few dollars.And the TV series Queen’s Gambit was great. Sorry this show was not great.
Samir
The famous Bobby Fischer https://www.google.com/search?q=Bobby+Fischer&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS897US897&oq=when+was+the+boris+spasky%2F+fisher+chess+match%3F&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQIRgKGKABMgkIAhAhGAoYoAEyCQgDECEYChigATIJCAQQIRgKGKABMgkIBRAhGAoYoAEyBwgGECEYjwIyBwgHECEYjwLSAQkxMjY5NWowajSoAgCwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&mstk=AUtExfCDpslNBJpY6_feJYttIm6gqpKq3O60nQrVI6eGLrCZIfutAz7bN6EEjyOGbDgRWCZccqsBnx4pZPo80fzztG7LK3lgj27jztHD7JfLTbAsyxJlB2HkRMnH5D3WOVF2exwGe_E2Y1sdksMdrnk521TUJOpZob-eGbq_66mmBqixq4k&csui=3&ved=2ahUKEwik4LyOu-SQAxVml-4BHRiOHpIQgK4QegQIAhAD and Boris Spassky https://www.google.com/search?q=Boris+Spassky&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS897US897&oq=when+was+the+boris+spasky%2F+fisher+chess+match%3F&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQIRgKGKABMgkIAhAhGAoYoAEyCQgDECEYChigATIJCAQQIRgKGKABMgkIBRAhGAoYoAEyBwgGECEYjwIyBwgHECEYjwLSAQkxMjY5NWowajSoAgCwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&mstk=AUtExfCDpslNBJpY6_feJYttIm6gqpKq3O60nQrVI6eGLrCZIfutAz7bN6EEjyOGbDgRWCZccqsBnx4pZPo80fzztG7LK3lgj27jztHD7JfLTbAsyxJlB2HkRMnH5D3WOVF2exwGe_E2Y1sdksMdrnk521TUJOpZob-eGbq_66mmBqixq4k&csui=3&ved=2ahUKEwik4LyOu-SQAxVml-4BHRiOHpIQgK4QegQIAhAE chess match, known as the “Match of the Century,” took place in 1972. The championship match began on July 11, 1972, and concluded on September 1, 1972, in Reykjavik, Iceland, with Fischer winning the World Chess Championship.
On Sat, Nov 8, 2025 at 9:12 PM Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings
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Thank you for a wonderful comment.
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What an exciting first day. The show sounds very interesting too. I wonder if the gelato is really that good, maybe you can find out later this weekend. Happy bday mommy!!
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Lots of fun. More planned for today
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Please wish Patrice a belated birthday from both of us. Glad you made it to n.y. successfully, well except for the ride to the hotel. Have a fantastic time there.
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Thank you so much. We will do our best.
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Glad to hear th
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it was a very informative blog. Happy Birthday Patrice! I would have waited in line for you to get birthday gelato. Or at least I can say that at no cost 🤠
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More about gelato to follow.
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Happy belated birthday to Patrice from Jayme & me! What a wonderful surprise to have this blog post pop in my inbox. 🙂 Thanks for the laughs and the continued memories of our travels together. Also, I agree Chess is a great show. Enjoy NYC!
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Going to an even better show tonight. Stay tuned.
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Happy belated birthday to Patrice from Jayme & me! What a wonderful surprise to have this blog post pop in my inbox. 🙂 Thanks for the laughs and the continued memories of our travels together. Also, I agree Chess is a great show. Enjoy NYC!
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Great hearing from you. Please send our regards to your wife.
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Glad you guys had a good time!
On Sat, Nov 8, 2025 at 9:11 PM Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings
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About to enter next show
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Belated Happy Birthday Patrice. Robert, glad to hear your flight to NYC was routine. Too bad about the taxi ride. As a former New Yorker, the big apple has always been a favorite place of mine. Enjoy the food the shows museums and the energy of the city. Don’t forget a slice of pizza or some cheesecake at Juniors.
Ed K did a wonderful job at the book club meeting.
Peter H
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