Upon disembarking the boat, the professor saw his self-proclaimed "Apprentice Number-One", Luke Triton, who had awaited the professor's arrival. Mere words couldn't completely express the excitement in Luke's eyes, but for the sake of not making this story silent and boring, I'm going to try anyway. Keep in mind that Luke's accent when saying 'Professor' ends with an 'ah', instead of an 'or'. I'm really not sure why.
"PROFESSAH! PROFESSAAAAAH!"
"Oh, oh my! Luke, my boy, it's been six months. How have you been?"
"Wonderfully, Professah! You wouldn't believe how different it is here in New York! They got everything: museums, subways, restaurants, even the Statue of Liberty!"
"Ah yes, I've seen it with my own eyes during my voyage here. Tell me, how are your parents doing as well?"
"Great! Dad's book about our adventures in Misthallery are getting published! Also, I've made lots of new friends, so many things to show you... and, and..."
"Ah, Hershel, my old friend! How have you been?"
Luke's father, Clark Triton, was sitting nearby watching the reunion with his wife. Obviously, they couldn't leave their son alone in a big city like this.
"Pleasure to see you again, old bean! I've heard your first book is going public soon! That's truly wonderful!"
"Thank you, Hershel! No doubt you've heard of the odd weather that has befallen the Met Life Tower. When Luke saw this for the first time, he told me that you would be the one who could solve this puzzle. Hehehe! And after all the mysteries you've solved in your life, including the one in Misthallery, I have no reason to argue. But you don't need to examine the tower so quickly! You've just got back on solid ground, so why don't you come and visit our new home? I can drive you nearby the tower on the way, if you would like a quick look."
"Very well then! Luke, my boy. When we get to your new abode, why don't you introduce your new friends to me?"
"Absolutely, Professah! I've told them all about you, and how you can solve any puzzle, no matter what, and that you can build contraptions out of items just lying around, and that you can swordfight, and that you're a true gentleman, and..."
The professor was starting to see the familiar fan boy in his apprentice from so long ago, and while it humored him, it was also a tad frightening. "Yes, yes! We have much to discuss. But why don't we do that when we get to your home, alright?"
"Sure thing, Professah!"
The professor and Luke's family got into their car. Oddly enough, the cars in America have their steering wheel on the left side, as opposed to the right, back in England, which perplexed Layton at first. Also, the roof couldn't accommodate his spectacular hat, so he had to remove it to get in the car. He sat in the back seat with Luke, who was staring at him quite awkwardly.
"Something the matter, Luke?"
"Oh! It's nothing. It's just that your top hat seems like it's actually part of you at times. It's strange seeing it come off all of a sudden."
"Yes, my boy. Yes, it is..."
The buildings were very different from the quaint villages and steam punk cities that the professor is usually accustomed to. They were shiny, sleek, rectangular, and were as high as the largest tower in St. Mystere, and had hundreds, if not thousands of windows. The professor thought to himself, wondering who on earth would need all those rooms. About five minutes after the car first started driving, they passed by the tower, and everything about it was true. Across the sunset horizon, you could actually see snowflakes appearing from the sky around the tower. It certainly looked genuine.
The Professor observed the tower closely, "So this is the Metropolitan Tower? Even from this distance, I can see heavy snowfall. Intriguing, to be sure."
The Triton car was in position to view the cold tower for about four minutes before getting out of sight, behind all the other tall buildings. Soon enough, they've reached their destination.
The professor pulled out one of the pictures to compare it to the house. It was the picture of Luke's new home, with the decoded address in the back. "1374 East 135th Street, I presume."
An amused grin came across Luke's face. "Yea, that's the professah I remember! You solved my puzzle!"
"Ha ha, well, it wasn't a particularly difficult one. Why don't you show me your room?"
The car was parked in a very wide parking lot. From that viewpoint, the building stretched for what appeared to be miles. The professor grabbed his suitcase, which oddly felt heavier than it does normally, though he didn't seem to mind. On the inside, the building appeared to be a very luxurious hotel. There were bellhops taking luggage, flowery wallpaper, and elevators with over 10 floors! The elevators were foreign to the professor as well. Back in London, the first floor was above the ground floor, but in America, the ground floor was the first floor. Since the first number of the room was dependant on the current floor that it was on, the professor was tempted to look for a "1" button within the elevator.
Luke stared at the professor in awkward silence for about three minutes before deciding that he had enough amusement at his mentor's expense, "Professah, our room is on the ground floor. Come with me!"
The group eventually arrived at Room 108, and prepared to make themselves comfortable.
Well, we finally caught a glimpse of the tower! That only took a couple thousand words... For those of you who are wondering, there really is a Metropolitan tower in New York. However, the snowfall in this story is completely fictional and has no impact in real life.