I began my morning at 4:45 a.m., after restless dreams in which my husband and a son splashed flour everywhere in someone's kitchen. At 6 a.m. I was standing in line at the bus station ostentatiously reading literary criticism while everyone else looked at their phones. And now, at 6:39 a.m., I am ensconced in my single-aisle seat, heading south down the Maine Turnpike, as cute polar bear cubs roll around on the bus's movie screens and my stomach barks at the slice of toast I forced myself to eat before I left home. Travel always makes my stomach weird. However, the Dramamine will kick in shortly, and all will be well.

Still, as travel goes, this bus is pretty mild-mannered. The single-aisle seats have plenty of leg room and  are comfortably distant from the other passengers'. There's no airport angst or transfer bustle--just six hours on the road with someone else doing the driving. And I am looking forward to a long weekend and zero work obligations--nothing to do but mosey around the big town with my kid and my friends. I' m going to meet P in the Village for lunch, at our favorite Ukrainian diner. And then we'll idle over to Brooklyn and see what's up at our friends' bar. And eventually we'll wander out for dinner. That is the extent of our planning for today.

Of course I miss my kids every single day, but I have to say: it is fun that they live in big, busy, but very different cities. It adds a bit of sparkle to my life--these adventures into the metropolis.