By Kathy Oswalt-Forsythe
Last month, I traveled to New York City for a long weekend with one of my best friends, as her guest on a business trip. The last – and only – time I had been to the Big Apple was when she and I journeyed with a group of our classmates to New York City on our senior trip in 1977, 47 years ago. My friend is a confident, experienced traveler, familiar with navigating airports, negotiating cab fares, and operating cell phone technology. This was a comfort to me as I packed for a visit to a city of over eight million people, so different from my quiet life here in South County.
I also brought along a tiny passenger zipped safely in my cross-body travel bag: Peppa Pig.
For readers who don’t recognize her name, she is the title character of a very popular children’s series on Nickelodeon and the current favorite of my three-year-old granddaughter who has books and several playsets which always include this sturdy figure. Peppa possesses a cheery disposition and has many diverse friends and supportive adults in her life. Her adventures introduce her tiny viewers to typical preschool events, and as a retired English teacher, I am impressed by the language use and dialogue.
We had a great time in the city that weekend, documenting Peppa’s experiences, sending selfies and descriptions in real time to Helen. We took a cab from the Newark airport into Brooklyn during rush hour. There we watched a talented group of actors with autism practice their production of “Spring Awakening.” We saw Puccini’s “La Rondine” at the Metropolitan Opera. We visited Times Square and attended the Gotham Comedy Club. Peppa and I experienced a 4.7 earthquake as we walked to Herald Square. We filled every minute and walked miles and miles around the city. We sure slept well at night!
What did Peppa learn?
Kindness is universal. Peppa encountered people of many races, ethnicities and abilities. We experienced helpfulness everywhere we went.
Travel doesn’t always go smoothly. Our weekend began with a two-hour flight delay. Of course it did! But it was a direct flight, and we were on time for our scheduled event. It all worked out.
It’s fun to try new things. One afternoon during our walk to Herald Square, we saw a woman ringing a bell on the side of a building where a sign read “Chocolate Event.” Well, we told the woman “We were right behind you!” We followed her up four flights of stairs into a beautifully renovated space. There we had the most amazing cup of hot chocolate, better than anything Willy Wonka could have produced. Peppa enjoyed all the new foods we tried on our excursions—but she was a little nervous about all the bacon on the menus!
And lastly, don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you don’t ask, you may miss something very important.
Peppa is now safely returned to Helen, and we are all glad to be home.
I’m not sure who had more fun on this “Travels With Peppa” adventure – but we adults who had the privilege of looking at the world through the perspective of a three inch plastic pig and the curiosity of a preschooler sure did!
It’s a Fine Life
