This is another adventure with the Traveling Granny. What happened to Granny, no disabled person no American should have experienced what I experienced in two separate occasions on October 28, 2022, in Penn Station.

To get around, I rely on a cane. We flew into JFK from Detroit. Jim and Granny took the Long Island Railroad to Penn Station. My experience at Penn Station was horrendous and eye opening. When we arrived at the station, I noticed there were no benches to be found. I sat on the floor waiting for Jim trying to check the luggage. He came back out with luggage in tow. We grabbed a taxi and headed to his meeting at Stumptown Roasters, a coffee shop with a unique atmosphere. The hominess of the place made me feel very comfortable as I sat inside drinking coffee and reading. Jim sat outside and talked to an NYU professor. They had a successful meeting.

We crossed the street to have lunch. We found a charming Japanese-Malaysian place called Rasa. The food was flavorful and interesting. Jim and I shared two small plates and left feeling full. Granny loved the flavors and the textures of the food. We explored the neighborhood for a little while. I found a small cocktail bar called Mace that did not open until 2pm. I checked it out their website on my phone. The drinks looked intriguing but pricey. We then grabbed a Lyft to Penn Station. After a relaxing afternoon, this is where the nightmare began.

Once we got inside the train station. I started looking for a bathroom. In the meantime, Jim was looking for something I forgot to pack. As I walked through the Great Hall, I struck by the emptiness of the hall. There were no chairs, no benches, just people standing around or sitting on the floor. As I walked around the corner for the family bathroom, I noticed an attendant was in the process of closing it. The next bathroom was down a long hallway and perhaps even further than that. It would be another 2 ½ hours before I used a toilet. Fortunately, my bladder held that day. The conditions and seating never changed.

Jim and I reconnected in the Great Hall. We headed down to the area where the Long Island Railroad would board. I believe we used an escalator down. Once we got to the ground floor, I started looking for somewhere to sit except there were no seats to be found. Plopping on the ground I stayed there, until our train on the railroad was called. Struggling to get up, I had help from Jim and a complete stranger. Slowly taking the stairs down to the train Granny eventually made it on board. I settled in my seat and fell asleep for the next half-an hour. I awoke as we arrived at the station. Disembarking Granny immediately went to the bathroom. The door was locked. Our ride arrived shortly thereafter. We drove to where we were spending the weekend. Upon arrival I used the bathroom with no accidents. The rest of our weekend was very successful.

We went out Grand Central Station on Monday morning to go north. I looked around and couldn’t find places to sit. Jim went to get tickets while Granny grabbed coffee and muffins. I finally found a heat register to sit on. I sat there for a couple of minutes, until Jim came along, saying we can catch the next train to Poughkeepsie in two minutes. We hopped aboard and had nice comfortable seats. in two minutes.

I still have more stories to tell about this weekend. Who knows maybe even Grandpa has a story to tell.