I have described the background to my USA trip and my first few days in New York in an earlier piece – click here or below:
When I woke up on Thanksgiving morning, there was a thick coat of snow over New York. At the time, I had no idea how rare an event this was – I only found out 30 years later, while writing up this event, that 1989 was the first “proper” white Thanksgiving (i.e. more than just a flurry of snow) for over 50 years and that it hasn’t happened since.
A white Thanksgiving it was – reported excitedly in the New York Times – click here or below.
Even The Los Angeles Times reported the freak East Coast weather.
So I didn’t think, “freak weather”, I merely thought, “photo opportunity before I head off to Westchester County”. So I went for a long walk around Central Park and beyond. Lots of pictures, just a few are shown below to illustrate:
I had been warned that the East Coast can be chilly at that time of year, so I would have taken warm clothes, but I’m sure I didn’t anticipate snow so my walk for sure would have been shod in quite basic sneakers. But I suppose 5 inches of virgin snow on a quiet morning is not so dangerous.
On the matter of danger, I do recall that the Barst family were concerned about me taking the train from Grand Central Station up to Westchester County to join them for a traditional Thanksgiving family gathering. At that time, they considered Grand Central to be a dangerous place, populated by hoodlums, hustlers, halfway housers and the like. They warned me to walk with purpose and only ask directions of a uniformed offical.
In truth, it felt little different from Notting Hill to me, but I suppose, back then, Notting Hill was also considered a bit edgy. The mean streets of Notting Hill…the mean streets of Manhatten…
Anyway, the journey was incident and travel problem free, despite the unseasonal weather…
…hard to imagine an absence of travel disruption in similar “overnight snow before a public holiday” circumstances in the UK.
When I got to Frank and Maurie’s place, I was welcomed into the warmth of a traditional family Thanksgiving.
I especially remember Norman’s fascination with my accent – he took me around to speak with everyone (which was a good way to meet the whole clan) and kept asking me to speak just so that people could hear my…
…incredible English accent. Did you hear that? Listen to that accent! Say that again, Ian…please say that again…
I also remember Norman’s fascination with Frank and Maurie’s house, because it was a 19th century dwelling.
Just think, Ian, your Queen Victoria was on the throne when this house was built…
…to which Joanie said, with feeling…
Oh, Daddy, that’s not going to impress Ian – he lives in a Victorian house too – everybody in London does…
…well, not quite everyone, Joanie. But you did…and so do I!
It was a wonderful experience for me to join a proper family Thanksgiving during my short stay in the USA that time. A happy accident of timing combined with a generious invitation.
It was a very warm and cosy family gathering, just as I had imagined family gatherings at Thanksgiving to be.
I remember telling Grandma Jenny (Norman’s cousin) all about it when I got home; she wanted me to spare her no small detail about that aspect of my trip. By that time she was pretty much blind, so I couldn’t really show her the photos, although I did talk her through them all, in meticulous detail.
Ever since, of course, I have been dreaming of a white Thanksgving, just like the one and only Thanksgiving I used to know…
…little knowing, until just now, that such weather in that part of the world at that time of year is so very, very rare indeed.
A truly memorable day.
There are more photos – about 40 in total including those extracted above – from Thanksgiving day 1989 – click here or the Flickr picture link below.
