We had an informal tradition in my family, or at least that is how I understood it, that when you were around 16, you would get to go on a trip. The trip was usually taken alone and to someplace far away with the duration being at least two weeks. One of my older sisters visited Mexico where she stayed with relatives one summer and perfected her Spanish that she had studied in school for years. Two other sisters went to Hawaii for a couple of weeks where they soaked up the sunshine and my brother went to Washington, D.C. where he visited the historic sites of our nation.
Being the youngest, when I turned 16, I naturally reminded my parents about these journeys that the others took and asked where I could go. My parents were in a situation at that time where their resources were temporarily stretched, so they tried to dissuade me from any thoughts of a trip by saying that I could go next year or perhaps the year after. However, I was ready to go somewhere and, as my father had observed long ago, when I get something in my head I usually find a way to make it happen! A trait that has (mostly) served me well in life and this time was no different.
The “where” was a bit more challenging to figure out as I received the message clearly that it had to be relatively inexpensive and so Hawaii was definitely out of the question. I spent a few days thinking about it when I remembered that my brother-in-law of 5 years was attending the University of Southern California’s film school and was a graduate intern working for Paramount Pictures in New York City. I had only seen the western United States and Mexico up to that time and had never been on an airplane, so the thought of spending a few weeks in Manhattan was interesting to say the least. My parents probably did not think I could come up with an acceptable trip, but when I did and discussed it with them they reluctantly had to agree.
It was the early summer of 1981 and soon I was going on a plane and bound for the Big Apple! My sister drove me to the airport, LAX, and made it a point to remind me to be nice to my brother-in-law, her husband! Another message received. She helped me to check in to my flight and before long I was listening to my Walkman, playing “California Dreamin'” among other tracks that I remember, while flying east alone in what turned out to be the first of many such trips in my life, though I had no clue about that yet.
Three months earlier, I was sitting in 10th grade waiting for English class to start when I looked down and found a piece of paper that set me on another related, but much larger, journey. That paper described a test that I could take and if I passed would enable me to drop out of high school and go directly to college. My father’s promotions had come at the cost of the family being moved several times during my childhood and most recently to California’s capital where I attended high school. The school I attended, Del Campo High, was the same one where Candy Lightner’s daughters went the year before and one was tragically struck and killed by a drunk driver causing the grieving mother to found Mothers’ Against Drunk Driving (MADD). It was also the same school that former baseball major leaguer and current Cincinnati Red’s Manager Dusty Baker graduated from years earlier. To me it was a nondescript suburban holding facility for teens where I knew few people, due to the moves, and was not at all challenged by the curriculum. So when I found the paper under my desk, I read it and happily realized I had stumbled upon, by chance, a solution to my problem. A literal treasure map for me! My parents saw things differently and it took some work (well, a lot to be honest!) to convince them but they came around (I probably should have gone into sales!). I took and easily passed the test a few weeks later. Sitting on the plane, I had time to contemplate the fact that in the fall I would be in college, at a time that should have been my junior year of high school.
In a few hours the plane landed and I was off to retrieve my suitcase. I then called my brother-in-law who was not able to pick me up because of work, but told me how to find the train to the plane and where to catch the subway and that he would meet me at one of the stations. I navigated the crowds and remember feeling very grown-up as I followed his instructions and eventually got off at the correct stop. My brother-in-law was, at that time, a big burly fellow who greeted me warmly, though in looking back, I am sure that he had to be convinced to put up with me for several weeks. We quickly hopped into a taxi for a short trip to a large brownstone building on West 67th Street, located next to a restaurant that I am sure is long gone now called “The Three Monks” or something like that.
The apartment was a studio layout that my brother-in-law was leasing from a doctor who decided to give up his practice in favor of pursuing a career in acting (I am curious to learn how that turned out!). Not being used to apartment life at all, I remember being struck by its small size as well as the fact that it only had one bed and a small sofa, where I was to sleep.
That evening we went out to eat and walked around. I remember thinking how alive the city was and how things were very lit up and noisy. Everyone appeared to be in a hurry and I recall being especially struck by the sheer number of people everywhere! Being from southern California where you drive to go places, it also surprised me that the only car I needed was a taxi and that only rarely. This felt far more foreign to me than being in Mexico, where I spent many earlier summer days enjoying the beaches with my family.
The next morning my brother-in-law went to work and told me to enjoy the city and left. Being a teenager, I went back to sleep but soon got up and ventured out into Manhattan. I walked around the streets and saw girls younger than me selling themselves, other people in suits or dresses headed to meetings, students rushing to classes, and tourists like me taking it all in. Once I walked by and twice passed Flip Wilson with a fancy invitation in his hand, apparently trying to find an address. I saw street hustlers at work and was told by a stern-faced man that I was not “dark enough” to continue farther on from where I was, so I took the advice and turned around. I spent a lovely morning in the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, with a pleasant girlfriend of my oldest sister’s, who told me that I looked at least 18, which I know was said to make me feel grown-up and it did! I explored central park daily and took a ride to the observation deck of the World Trade Towers, which I will never forget!
Most of the time, I had lunch on the street at one of the many vendors and never tired of people watching, foreshadowing what I would do on many future trips to faraway places. At the end of the day I would meet my brother-in-law at the building where he worked, which was the headquarters for Paramount Pictures. I got to know the elevator attendant fairly well and enjoyed seeing the well-appointed suites, where the executives worked. Once, I was standing next to Warren Beatty when he was talking to an executive while I waited patiently for my brother-in-law and I remember thinking how many people would love to be standing in my place! I, of course, just wanted them to finish up so we could have dinner and explore the city some more.
At night, we would eat in different restaurants and soak up the city. We explored the village, listened to music at various clubs, and took in the movie, “New York, New York” one evening. I remember the movie because I thought it was very cool to be seeing that while sitting in a New York City theater! We went to Broadway, and saw “A day in Hollywood, a night in the Ukraine” and another time caught a pre-release viewing of “Gallipoli” in an executive screening room at Paramount.
On the weekends, when my brother-in-law was not working, we watched Shakespeare in the Park, Henry the VIII, if memory serves. We also took a train trip to Connecticut for a few days and visited a good friend of my brother-in-law, who had recently written a script that was made into a movie starring Burt Reynolds. I remember the writer had a girlfriend that was not a lot older than me who asked if I was going to miss attending 11th and 12th grades, to which I responded, without hesitation, that I would not and meant it. Still, that served to remind me that things were changing for me and they would never be the same again.
Several weeks passed and it was time to head back home. As I said good-bye to my brother-in-law, I sensed that he would actually miss having me around even though I am sure I was a burden that he had not wanted. I thanked him and hopped into a taxi and went to the subway station, caught the train to the plane, and checked myself in for the trip back to Los Angeles. On the flight home, I spoke to a much older lady who was an executive for a perfume company and she gave me her business card. I also listened to my Walkman again, which at one point was playing “Arthur’s Theme” that includes the refrain “When you are caught between the moon and New York City” and I smiled to myself as I realized that it had been a good trip for me.
As for my brother-in-law, John Wells, he completed his master’s degree at USC, under the tutelage of instructors like Spielberg and Lucas, and eventually became one of the producers of China Beach, ER, West Wing and others. He was also elected President of the Writers Guild of America West, started his own successful production company, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He and my sister eventually parted ways…
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