St Ignatius College - Ignatian Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

Page 23 text:

ROVINGS OF --I JflCKlE 21 such and such was such. It will have to be: XVas so and so such when you were East, Charlie ? I-lal hal The more I stop to reflect that I am in New York, the less I can realize it. lVhy, even as I write this letter I look out the window and see thousands of electric signs that form the Great Wfhite IYay, and I always thought such things existed for me in another world. Wle bought last Sundays San Francisco Chronicle today, and I'm going to glance over it now before we go out, and see if the home town is still 0. K. I guess dear old S. F. would just about make one street in New York. Now don't get mad, dad: I was only fooling. All my love to you both, and I will write again tomorrow. Charlie. New York, February 24, 1918. Dearest Dad and Mother: This is a continuation of my first experiences in the liig City. As I closed my letter to you last night, I was just preparing to take in Uh, Boy! at the Casino Theatre. It was a typical Broadway show, and we enjoyed every minute of it. After the show we met Yin Heherin and a couple of others in our party who had seen Maxime Elliot and Nat Goodwin, and together we all promenaded along the Great Wfhite VVay and saw New York at its merriest. There seemed to be millions of people on the streets: we would walk along' a few feet and then would be caught in a jam and forced to stand still. It reminded me of a carnival. Vie turned into bed at the hotel about 2 o'clock, and arose bright and early this morning. At Il o'clock we split into parties and all started out in opposite directions to see as much as possible. Art David- son and I formed our combination, and the first thing we did was to take a Fifth Avenue bus. The bus ran along fash- ionable Fifth .-Xvenue, passed Central Park. along the bank of the I-Iudson and terminated around One Hundred and Sixty-eighth Street. I don't think that We could have chosen

Page 22 text:

20 THE IGNJI TIAN I had received my f1rst glimpse of the skyscrapers, and believe me, they sure are skyscrapers. I guess that I rep- resented the typical hayseed as I stood with mouth open gaving upward, but I just could not help myself, for the temptation was too strong. VVe stopped in at the Navy Club on Fifth Avenue to obtain some information. lt is surely a treatg there are writing-rooms, pool tables, canteen, library. etc., all for our comfort. After giving that the once over we proceeded on our-journey and our next stop was at that famous corner, Times Square, Forty-second and Broadway. Can you imagine poor little me, who has spent four months in Los Angeles, where the people never move faster than a crawl, standing at that famous corner? But there were eight others like myself, and we put our heads together and de- cided to seek a hotel before we all fell over in a faint from the excitement. A couple of us wanted to stay at the Knick- erbocker, but the others decided that it was too far away from pay day. so we walked down a block to the Continental and obtained our rooms at 31.50 a piece, which is more than reasonable. Fat Kelly, Yin. lfeherin, Davidson and my- self have a suite of rooms that sure are wonders. After a breathing' spell we ventured out again and decided to do Ilroadvvay. I guess, Mother, that you remember these parts as well as I do. XVe have so many things planned for tomorrow that it will take us a month of Sundays to realize them all. Cen- tral Park, Fifth Avenue and lYall Street most likely will be honored with our presence, but still you never can tell what sailors will do. Xlfe are free till S o'clock Monday morning, so I suppose that we will manage to see considerable of the city. Dad! lt sure is some treat for me, and I only wish that you were along to share it with me. You can bet that I'll persuade you to take the trip some time, seeing' that Mother and l are now rated on the same plane as National Travel- ers, Mother won't be able to say: Now, when I was East

Page 24 text:

22 THE IGNATIAN a more interesting and beautiful ride. The conductor took a special interest in us, as did likewise several of the passen- gers, They pointed out to us all the famous millionaires' mansions, the particular buildings of interest in Central Park, and also prominent buildings that could be seen in the dis- tance, such as Columbia College, St. John's Cathedral, etc. NVe returned on the same bus, and sat back to enjoy River- side Drive to our heart's content. The trip lasted about two hours, and we arrived back at the hotel at half-past three, where I dispatched a few postals to you. After a few minutes' breathing spell we set out again. This time it was to the business district and Brooklyn Bridge. Mother, you can explain to Dad better than I can how that part of New York is located. VVe took the subway at Forty- first Street and Broadway. and in a few minutes we were landed at the other end of town. By the way, it was my first ride on a subway train, and I appreciated the novelty of it. The first thing we did was to walk out to the middle of Brooklyn Bridge: it was a wonderful sight: but there was something still better in store for us. After lingering on the bridge for a while, we walked along those streets where millions are made and lost in a few minutes. You'll have a very fortunate son, Mother, if my head does not fall off tonight after the way I twisted my neck gazing up at the 'real sleyscrapers. After we had feasted our eyes on these sights for half an hour or so, we caught the subway back and returned to the hotel. I just could not wait until tomorrow to tell you all I saw, so I had to take advantage of these few minutes before we eat supper to write you. Don't you think that we have been busy boys since we landed in this city? I donlt exactly know what the program will be tonight. I think that all the theatres are closed, but the evenino' is ounof and we are pretty certain to keep going. New York is the easiest town in the world to find your way aboutg of course, when it comes to seeking information D y bs