Our Unexpected Trip to Harrisburg

When it comes to traveling, the best advice we’ve received is probably to be flexible and expect the unexpected. That certainly came into play on our journey to the NYC Marathon this past weekend. Let us tell you how it all started with our unexpected trip to Harrisburg.

A Solid Start

We like to fly early to minimize delays. So we were up at 3:30 am and out the door to the airport by 4:15. Even though we were able to pack in carryon bags we checked them. That way we didn’t have to lug them around the airport or worry about fighting for overhead bin space on the plane. Having Clear and TSA PreCheck allows us to check bags, make it thru security, and get to the Delta Sky Club in about 10 minutes.

After a quick breakfast at the lounge, we boarded our plane and settled in for the short 1.5 hour flight to La Guardia. I started watching Bullet Train with Brad Pitt. With our upcoming trip to Tokyo in the spring, I figured it would be good training.

The First Sign of Trouble

I like to check the flight tracker throughout the flight to see where we are. We were over Pennsylvania and had 37 minutes left in the flight. About ten minutes later I checked again and saw we were still over Pennsylvania and now were 45 minutes away. Apparently there was heavy fog at La Guardia so we were circling in a holding pattern waiting for things to clear up. Eventually the pilot let us know that we were low on fuel and would be landing in Harrisburg. There we would wait out the fog and refuel. Remember when I wrote its good to be flexible?! Today would definitely be a day when that was important.

Once in Harrisburg we got off the plane and decided to grab some lunch and a drink. There was one restaurant in the airport. Just about every table was full but no one was eating or drinking anything. They just didn’t have the staffing to handle the traffic they were getting on this lovely Friday morning. We settled for grabbing a Subway sandwich and heading back over by the gate. We figured we would re-board shortly and be on our way. Wishful thinking for sure.

Take 2

After a few false starts, we were finally on our way around 3 pm. The short 50 minute flight into La Guardia was uneventful and we were in the ground with our bags at 4. When we rolled into the queue for Uber, we ran into our friend Josondra. She took off on a 2:20 pm flight out of Detroit and got there right at the same time!

We were a little travel weary at this point but excited to finally be in NYC. After an hour Uber ride, we finally made it to our hotel in the Financial District. We changed and freshened before hopping on the subway to head uptown to meet friends for dinner and drinks.

Dinner in Dobbs Ferry

Around 6, we rolled into Grand Central and hopped on the Hudson Line to Dobbs Ferry. We didn’t have time to stop at The Oyster Bar as originally planned. That would have to wait for another day. By now it was dark outside so we couldn’t see much on the train ride.

Finally, we caught up with our friends around 7 pm at Hudson Social, a cute little restaurant on the Hudson River. There we got our first (and much needed) cocktail of the day and were able to put some food in our bellies.

The Pizza and The Rice Krispies

It was a long journey to get there but spending time with friends is priceless so it was well worth the effort. We strolled around Dobbs Ferry, stopping for some bourbon tasting at Crespo Whiskey and Wines before settling in at The Parlor for dinner.

I told my friends I prefer to eat pizza two days before a race and they said this was the place to go. The food was delicious. We dined on Rice Krispie brussel sprouts and Caesar salad with everything seasoning and tater tot croutons before cutting in to some of the best wood oven pizza I’ve ever had. I definitely made up for the lack of food earlier in the day.

On our way back to the train we stopped in at Climbing Wolf Coffee and Beer for one last drink before hopping on the train back to Manhattan.

The Finale

As soon as we got on the train Jill was out. She slept 45 minutes and I was rather envious. Once back at Grand Central, we made our way to the subway for the final 20 minute leg of our journey. Finally rolled into our hotel room a little after midnight. It was an eventful day, filled with the unexpected but our bellies and hearts were full as we settled in for a good night of sleep.

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