In summer 1954, I was 10 going on 11; the “going on” part is important when you’re 10. My father was in New York for some reason or another, and my mother and I were to join him there for a month. It was the first great travel adventure of my life. Born and living in Los Angeles, I had never been outside California, and now I was to go 3,000 miles away, to another city in another state. Maybe I would see Niagara Falls.
First Flight as a Child
Key Takeaways:
- The article recounts the author's memorable first flight as a 10-year-old from Los Angeles to New York in 1954 aboard a Douglas DC-7, marking his initial experience with cross-country air travel and leaving California.
- It vividly describes the mid-1950s transcontinental flight experience, including the immense scale of the aircraft, the formal attire required for travel, the loud engines, the long journey, and the contrast between the child's excitement and his mother's flight anxiety.
- The narrative concludes by contrasting the aerial perspective with a subsequent cross-country road trip, reflecting on how different modes of travel shaped the author's understanding and appreciation of America.
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