It was a fun few days in the city, but all good things must come to an end. We checked out of the Row NYC hotel and stopped by a cafe for pastries and tea. 
Called an Uber at 11am and was headed out, but we did not make it far. There was a parade, the driver knew the roads that were officially blocked for the parade and tried to turn well past them but the roads were blocked by the number of people. He tried to make it through by driving a few more blocks down and then a few more but the crowds were too many. We decided we would do better on foot; it took about twenty minutes to get through the crowds. We walked in the gay pride parade for one block to get to the other side and then walked to the garage for our vehicle.
Since we had plenty of time before the flight, John gave me a tour of his beloved hometown, Bloomfield, NJ.
His old school.
His childhood home was a two story building attached to a store front. John, his mother, and little brother Eddie lived on the first floor apartment and his grandparents lived upstairs - John was close to his grandfather. He has wonderful memories of growing up here and playing cowboys in the small backyard with Eddie and their cousins.
The top-left opened window was John's bedroom window of the last apartment he lived at in Bloomfield.
This old government building is where John changed the rest of his life. On September 19, 1962 he swore in to the US Army. He started as an enlisted soldier and became an officer pilot and later an instructor pilot - he loved flying and enjoyed teaching the younger pilots. After retiring from 28 years of active duty, he stayed with the Army through civil service for 25 years. He spent a total of 53 years with the Army.
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