I am a little bothered by all the wisecracks that are being thrown in this thread. I can only assume that the posters who are making them have no children of their own, and therefor have no insight to offer, so they resort to making silly comments in order to participate. Congrats! It sounds like you have raised a very responsible daughter! All that effort she's put in deserves to be rewarded, and giving herself this trip only reaffirms that hard work pays off! My kids are not at that stage either, but I agree with what JV said, don't go overboard on giving advice! She's 20yrs old and sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders, the worst thing you could do is treat her like a child! If you give her, her space, and allow her to feel comfortable talking to you, she will be more receptive to hearing your concerns, and perhaps make some concessions on her trip. This would be my biggest point when talking to her! Tell her how you, and your wife are glad that she's going on this trip, and want this to be a trip of a lifetime for her, and that your only concern is for her safety! Tell her how proud you are that she's going on this trip at such an early age and that both you and your wife would feel more comfortable knowing that everything possible was thought, and planned out in order for her to have the trip of a lifetime! Don't push her, lead her, and you'll be surprised at the outcome! ....... ....... .......
The YMCA should be the least of your worries. It is great. You can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal, you can do whatever you feel. It's fun to stay at the YMCA.
I've stayed at the Y in Manhatten and across110thstreet is right, it's basically a hostel with out the character. While the one in Manhatten wasn't at all dangerous it also wasn't that nice.
Ha. I have been here before old man. Sometimes we have to let them go. She seems like a smart girl and as long as you raised her right she will be fine. Dont say anything negative about the trip. When my kid did this, I gave her a hug and slipped her a 1k prepaid Visa card and told her Im a phone call away if needed in case of an emergency. She had the time of her life and called me from every place just to say she was fine. Good luck sleeping
And I am a little shocked at how tame it has been, with bursts of helpful sincerity to boot. I honestly expected it to be darn near pornagraphic by now, being that this is the internet and a guy is worried about his 20 yr old daughter. It sounds like the beginning of a fake letter in old Hustler magazine. (I mean, not that I would know.) This is a nice place, very nice. But it's still part of the internet.
LOL...you keep insinuating that I'm SwoLy! You know what they say," The mind is a terrible thing to waste", don't waste your mind over thinking it! I'm not SwoLy, I have better looking ties than he does!...:grin: DD ....... ....... .......
If you want our advice you must send pics of your daughter to Jontro. He will let us know within a minute or two and then we will help.
I do appreciate all the comments on here, they will be helpful. She is going to stay at a hotel closer to the airport. I'm very proud of this girl, not only has she paid for this vacation, she has paid for the majority of her college. She left home with a plan and she has been diligent in staying the course. I have the utmost respect for her and I trust her more than I trust myself.
You must be proud of her. It is good to hear she decided to stay at a hotel closer to the airport. She will enjoy her stay in Italy greatly.
That's really impressive this day and age. Props to your daughter and her parents as well. The hotel at the airport will also be easier for her when she leaves. New York airports (well, JFK) are a headache, and the last thing she needs is a long subway navigation to get her gear to the airport on time.
It's good that things sorted themselves out but honestly being worried about the Harlem Y is overblown. Harlem isn't the dangerous hell hole that people make it out to be. As others have noted it's gentrified quite a bit. Your daughter might be safer staying at the Harlem Y than some of the lower cost hotels. At the risk of adding more worry to you the area around LaGuardia (presuming that is the airport she is staying near) is probably sketchier than Harlem. If she is staying near Newark change plans now.. As far as Italy yes it is safe but there are problems with pick pockets that prey on tourist especially in Florence. A friend of mine traveling there a few years ago had is pants slashed by a kid with a razor blade to get to his wallet. As it happens I gave a talk on self protection for travelers at the beginning of the month to a business group doing business in China. Here are are my summary points for my talk: 1. Be aware of your surroundings. 2. Trust your instincts. If something doesn't feel right you should probably pay attention to that. 3. Do not put yourself in a dangerous situation. 4. Never go anywhere with a suspicious individual. (For the tourist example someone who says they can take you someplace that isn't open to other tourist like a secret church or monument.) 5. Always keep your hands free. 6. If attacked, robbed or etc. always call attention to your situation. 7. Flee from an attack. 8. Inform the authorities if you are attacked and in the case of travelers the US Embassy or counselate ASAP. 9. Separate your money and valuables. For travelers especially important you keep your passport with you somewhere safe. I carry mine in a money pouch underneath my clothes. I've traveled a lot and when I was 20 traveled alone in Indonesia so if you need anymore advice feel free to ask me.
