The Time I Got Stranded in New York

Another overdue post.  *sigh*  I'm just having too many adventures to keep up with lately.  So let's dive right in, shall we?  ;)

A couple of weekends ago, my brother, Joel, asked Doad and I if we would go on a special trip with him and his girlfriend, Lauren.  They wanted to spend the day in NYC (and Joel wanted to propose!) so we decided to go with them (and help Joel out).  ;)

We got up early on a Saturday morning and were on the road by 8AM.  There was even a beautiful rainbow wishing us well as we started off.  I think we got to the city around noon after searching for parking and all that fun stuff.  

We spent the afternoon shopping (LOVED this shirt!), 

eating delicious pizza, 

and wandering ALL over (from Central Park to Macy's and back - don't ask me WHY we didn't take the Subway, I still have no idea).  

One of the things Joel really wanted to do was get some cool night shots of the cityscape once it got dark.  (This is where he wanted to propose too.)  Obviously, you can't be IN the city if you're trying to take pictures of the city.  Joel didn't really know where to go so I tried to find out some of the best places to get these shots and most of them suggested that you go across the Brooklyn Bridge where there was this park.  

So we went back to the parking garage to pick up Joel's car and drive across the bridge.  We found a parking spot on the street, fed the meter, and raced off to get some awesome pictures before our hour was up on the meter.  This turned out to be a way longer/complicated process than we planned.  It involved a lot of hiking, Doad racing to refill our meter before we got towed, and lots of stalling til Joel could find the perfect spot to propose. 

Proposals are hard work!

Thankfully, we finally got it right, he popped the question, and she said "yes"!  :)  

All was happy and right with the world.  And as we scurried to get back to the car before the meter ran out again, all I could think of was how nice it will be to crash into bed in a few hours after all the walking and running around we did today.  

And this is where the story really begins....

It is now 10:00PM in the jolly little city of Brooklyn... and our car won't start.  Won't even make a noise.  Nothing.  

WHAT?!?!?!

So Joel calls home to try to get dad's AAA information and see if we can get some help.  Keep in mind that we have been roaming the city all day, texting and instagram-ing, so our phones are all on low battery or dead.  Meanwhile, Doad and I are praying that some nice person will stop and give us a jump.  And poor Lauren is just dying to call and tell her family the biggest news ever... and also to let them know we're stuck in New York.  Some seriously nice man stops and offers to help us jump the car.  We hook up the cables, charge it for a second, and then turn the key.  Still nothing.  :(

So now Joel is calling AAA and telling them we think it's the alternator, blah blah blah.  They tell us they're sending someone out and he will check the battery for us and if it won't start they'll tow it for us.  Ok, yay... 

An hour and a half later (a little after midnight), AAA dude comes driving along - not in a tow truck, but in a van.  A van!  Where is the tow truck??  Well, apparently all the tow truck drivers have gone home for the night...  So he checks the battery, tells us it's dead (um, duh!), and charges it up for us.  The car starts on the first try.  And then as soon as he unhooks the cables, it goes out like a light.  :(  He then proceeds to tell us that we've got a bad alternator (thank you, that's what we told you on the phone!)  

No tow trucks will be able to help us for another 2-3 hours.  Well, we are not about to hang out on the streets of Brooklyn for another 3 hours.  So we decide to leave the car there (thanking God that they don't tow cars in that area on Sundays) and walk to a hotel... 1.5 miles away.  Again, what were we thinking not taking the Subway!?!?  

We stop for a quick bit at a McDonald's since the last thing we ate was the pizza at noon and then we finally find a hotel with vacancies around 2AM.  

Four hours later, we wake up so Joel can call AAA again and ask for a tow and try to figure out where he can get serviced on a Sunday.  They tell him to wait until 9 when sears opens and see if they can fix it.  (Secretly, I'm hoping they can't so we can just rent a car and get home and worry about the car later, like after sleep and fresh clothes and real food - I know, I'm a horrible sister).  

But as luck would have it, they can fix it and they promise to do it in a two hour time frame.  Pardon my french, but Sears is full of $#!*.  

We waited there for four hours before they even started working on our car.  

Lauren finally broke down and started crying which got the manager to come out... He then proceeded to tell us that it was our fault the car hadn't been worked on yet because we should have come to him hours ago... excuse me?  And told you what exactly?  That you lied to us?  That you need to fire some people in your shop for taking a three hour lunch break?  That you should do your job and manage your employees?  

I'm so glad he didn't stick around 'cause I definitely had some words for him that would have gotten me in trouble.  :/  Fifteen minutes later the car was ready to go.  So pissed and so happy all at the same time.  Happy that it was ready and we could finally get out of there.  Pissed that we could have seriously been home already if he had done that when we first got there. 

So we left New York around 4:30PM.  What should have taken us 3-4 hours MAX to get home turned into 6 hours thanks to the rush-hour/weekend traffic we hit.  I blame the mechanics for that - I think they timed it that way on purpose.  I also blame them for making me miss my own birthday party with my family.  :(  And for missing the closing ceremonies of the Olympics.  And for global warming.  JK, but they made me mad.

Doad and I came back smelling like cavemen, and needing another weekend all over again, haha. But, I'd venture to say it was a successful trip for Joel and that's what matters.  He came back with a fiancee and a new alternator and battery for his car...sorta  (It died on him a few days later and he had to replace again - have I mentioned that I don't like Sears?)  But we are ever so happy for Joel and Lauren and can't wait to see what the future holds in store for them.  Love you two!!