Halloween evokes many memories for people.  For me, it reminds me of my first trip to New York for the marathon in 1997.

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I flew into New York on Friday afternoon and took a cab to my hotel in Times Square.  I checked in, grabbed a sandwich and watched the Chicago Bulls play the Boston Celtics on TV. At halftime, I decided to check out Times Square.  It was then that I realized it was Halloween.

Times Square was packed with costumed people.  I had never seen anything like this.  It was like one big outdoor party.  As wild as this all was, it was also very orderly and tame (or maybe I was just there for the earliest part).

The costumes were awesome.  I saw elaborate, creative and colorful characters everywhere I looked.  My favorite (although I was biased) was a group who went as the NY Marathon.  My only complaint was that they weren’t running, but one of them joked that they were “at mile 25.”  I would appreciate that humor much more on Sunday afternoon, when I reached mile 25 and needed a laugh.

I really enjoyed that night.  Alone in a new city and uptight about my upcoming attempt at the 26.2-mile course, I totally relaxed as I walked through Times Square wondering just what creature I would see next. It was a great trip to NY.  All weekend, the people of NY were so friendly.  It was one of the most enjoyable trips I have ever taken.

— John Wroblewski, distribution specialist