Day 1- NY to DC

I spent 5 whole hours in NYC before I faced my first delightfully energizing crisis of the trip.  I took my glasses off to clean them and they just fell apart in my hands.  My brother was standing by me when it happened and said, wow, they didn't even make any kind of snapping sound.  The molecules simply gave up the ghost and disbanded, right accross the nose bridge.  

Now, this is officially the THIRD time in my life that I have had a glasses destruction crisis while on vacation.  The first time was in college druing a road trip when my specs found themselves underneath a friend's foot.  On that occasion, I learned that it's a challenge to find an optomotrist in Durango who is open on a Sunday.  The second time I was in LA being stupid, and the Pacific ocean punished me, by knocking me over, stealing my glasses and giving me a wedgie.  You would think that these experiences should have been at least 1 if not 2 more than I need to learn that, when one travels, one should really carry a backup pair of specs, or contacts or something. Ha!  How funny, to think I would learn from my experience.  

So after figuring out that neither tape, nor super glue, nor my brother attempting to melt the plastic and restick the pieces together, I had a minor freakout.  I should say here that I'm blind.  I'm blind as a deaf bat.  Well, ok, that's an exaggeration.  I can make out light and dark and colors and shapes.  I can tell the difference between a tree and a building at 10 paces (although at 20, all bets are off).  In days of yore, I would have had a career choice of saber tooth tiger lunch or blind oracle.  

After I stopped hyperventilating, I remembered that my perscription is with Pearl vision, which is a chain, and lo and behold NYC has a Pearl vision.  I called them to explain my trauma drama and they said, yeah sure, come on down.  You're in the system, and we have a pair of contacts in your Rx.  "Just please get here before 4:00", the lady tells me, in this tone suggesting that I would just be doing her the world's biggest favor if I would do them that kindness.  Of course, they closed at 4, so the kindness was all theirs really.  

They gave me the lenses, solution and a carring case...FOR FREE.  Just GAVE them to me.  I'm not usually one for plugging super national chains, but hey, Pearl Vision...customer for life here.

So I was able to continue with my plan to drive down to DC in my brother & sister-in-law's new Honda Fit.  I could tell they were pretty stressed about parting with it, especially when my brother spent 10 minutes showing me how to adjust the seat.  But eventually, and with the distraction of a neighbor walking by with a new puppy, I was able to scoot off.  

Since apparently I'm plugging products hither and yon in this episode, I'll throw in one more: I heart GPS navigation devices.  For the first time in my life I did not get lost trying to get to my Mom's abode in Northern Virginia.  I didn't spend hours wandering around Bethesda, MD.  I didn't accidentally get on the Dulles access road which forces you to drive 20 miles to the airport before letting you turn around.  At no point did I find myself accidentally driving by the White House which, though always lovely, is not on the route to my Mom's house.  Thank you giant satellite in the sky!  You're my hero.