The summer travel adventure begins early from SRQ. The weather here and there is dead hot summer. Lots of travelers heading somewhere for the 250th Anniversary celebration of the USA, July 4th. My good fortune today is no weather and no delays to LGA. Arrived in the new and improved Terminal C, would never have thought I was at LGA!

The limo driver is right on time and off to expressway into Brooklyn. Typical, road construction almost the entire way, especially on the Kosciuszko Bridge. Temperature today 91 feels like 101 – just like Florida only with all the people, traffic, and buildings, it always seems much hotter.

Again, good fortune – our hotel room is ready. The city view is nice looking towards Brooklyn’s Borough Hall.

Time to grab some lunch close by at CAVA. It is amazing how many people are in the city per block and this small carryout place is continuously crowded with all walks of life. The food comes in a bright yellow carryout bag and is tasty.

The hotel is hosting a dance competition event. Should be fun the next day or so before boarding the cruise ship to people watch. More pictures to come!

A quick stroll to Duane Reade for bottled water turned into an unexpected little adventure. The neighborhood feels wildly different from just a few years ago—edgier, louder, and honestly a bit surreal. People seem sharper around the edges, tempers run hotter, and the ever-present haze of marijuana hangs in the air like a new kind of city fog.

Inside the store, the checkout line snaked back with twenty people waiting, as if buying water or even toothpaste now requires the patience of a saint. Thank goodness water was locked up. Is this just everyday life in NYC now?

And then there’s the midday mystery: crowds of young people wandering the sidewalks at 2:30 p.m. on a weekday. I noticed the same thing back when I lived in Chicago. What do they all do? The mind wanders—maybe they’re part of some elaborate Medicare fraud scheme? Who knows. The cities keep their secrets.

Let’s see what tomorrow brings! One day until we board the cruise….