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\nMy first trip to New York City. I am 10, 11 years old. My parents put me on the train by myself<\/i> … and a couple hours later I strolled, dazed, into Penn Station. This was an era when you did not want to be in Penn Station, even in the daytime, even as an adult. I am amazed at my parents for doing this. It’s a very Gen X moment. It was a blast, though! I loved being on my own. Having the train pull away was a wild adventure! Being by myself! Having to know when to get off the train, figure out the bathrooms, the whole thing, was very exciting at age 10. <\/p>\n
I stayed with my aunt Regina. Regina is one of the primary inspirations and influences in my life. She is an actress and a singer, and so many of the O’Malley kids in my generation who became artists – musicians, actors, singers – say “well, Regina was doing it, so we could do it too.” In my family being an actor was not some weird “bohemian” off-the-map thing to do. I spent my childhood going to see her – and her friends – in shows. We all did. Choosing to be an actor seemed risky of course but it also just seemed like a job you could actually have. It made a big difference in outlook. <\/p>\n
My aunt Regina was probably 23 or 24 when I visited her. At the time she seemed so GROWN UP. I think of myself at 23, and, yeah, there wasn’t a lot of grown-up-ness going on. She did such a great job though! She took me to the Metropolitan Museum, we walked around the Village (I think she lived in the Village, I’d have to ask her), there I am standing in front of the famed “Cobble Court house” in Greenwich Village – which is still there! – and, most importantly, she bought tickets to Annie<\/i>, which was – as Anne of Green Gables would say – an “epoch” in my life. <\/p>\n
Because of when I grew up, I don’t have a bazillion pictures of every event in my childhood. The pictures I have are the pictures that exist. These are the pictures I have of this important trip, when I stepped out by myself. And my aunt Regina was there to capture it, to show me around, to keep me safe, to show me the world.<\/p>\n
Anyone who guesses the title reference gets a prize. Well, no, not really. No prize. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My first trip to New York City. I am 10, 11 years old. My parents put me on the train by myself … and a couple hours later I strolled, dazed, into Penn Station. This was an era when you … Continue reading