"NYC"
The Greyhound covered quite a bit of distance that night. They exited the storm somewhere in eastern Ohio. By the time morning arrived, the bus was already in New York City. They would've been there earlier, but early morning traffic slowed them down a bit.
The eight animated canines were not disappointed by the city. One by one, the dogs awoke to discover that the bus was crossing the Hudson River on the George Washington Bridge. The sunlight shimmered on the water's surface. Up ahead, the buildings of northern Manhattan slowly grew bigger. The dogs pressed their noses against the windows and strained to see a better view of the city. They were astounded by the vastness of the majestic skyline that lay before them. All the dogs had been to big cities before, but there was something about New York City that always left you in awe whenever you visited it.
"Oooooooooooooooooooooooh!" cooed Gir. "Ugly buildings!" (FYI, Gir is still wearing his dog costume. He has been since the trip began.)
Once the bus finally crossed the bridge, it turned right and headed south along the river. Within moments, Danny's voice once again came over the radio.
"Awright, passengers. We are going to stop here in New York for refueling and maintenance. We should arrive at the Greyhound terminal in about half an hour. It's currently 8:00 AM, and you will have approximately ten hours to visit the city before we depart at 6:00 PM. Be sure to stay in the general area, because if you miss this bus, good luck trying to find another one. Remember, 6:00 PM. Thank you, and enjoy your visit to 'the city that never sleeps'."
Thirty long minutes later, the bus pulled into the terminal. It parked in a giant parking space next to several other buses. The dogs were feeling very anxious and jumpy when they exited the bus with the other passengers, Tom and Wanda.
"So," said T.D., who looked at the two human passengers. "Where are you guys gonna be at?"
"Well," said Tom. "I'm going to go make a phone call to my family and tell them that I arrived at New York, and then I guess I'll hang around Broadway for a while."
"Same with me," said Wanda. "Only I think I'll stick around Carnegie Hall for a while before heading up to Central Park."
At the word "park", all the dogs glanced at Wanda.
"Where is Central Park?" asked T.D.
Danny came up behind them and said, "To get there, you have to north here on Eighth Avenue about two blocks. It's on the other side of Columbus Circle. You can't miss it." Danny yawned. "Well, I'm gonna go get some sleep. I'll see you all in a few hours. Don't be late." With that, Danny walked over to a building on the property that was obviously a rest stop for Greyhound bus drivers.
So, Tom, Wanda, and the dogs each went their separate ways. As the two humans went to look for a phone, the pack of dogs made their way northward along Eighth Avenue.
The dogs immediately discovered how rough traveling on foot in New York could be. The concrete sidewalk was hard and uncomfortable on their paws (except for the robot dogs, Gir and Goddard.) There was an endless flow of noise roaring in their ears. Cars, buses, and other city sounds bombarded the dogs like missiles. Plus, the odor of car exhausts and smoke made most of the dogs cough or feel slightly ill. To top it all off, people were clogging the sidewalk and making traveling difficult. Many people shouted insults at the dogs for getting in their way.
Fortunately, the dogs only had to walk a block or so before they finally reached Columbus Circle and, on the other side, Central Park. Columbus Circle was a circular road at the intersection of Broadway and Eighth Avenue that surrounded a statue of Christopher Columbus standing on a very tall pedestal. It was very impressive, but the dogs were even more impressed with Central Park.
"Wooooow," said Runt.
"Incredible," said T.D.
The other dogs also muttered explanations, such as, "Row", "Unbelievable", and "Heeey! A great big green thing!"
Beyond Columbus Square, lay an opening to a vast field of green. Large oaks and other trees dotted the landscape as well as a few roads off in the distance. There were stone paths and concession stands too. Far to the right, the dogs could barely make out a large pond far away. Tall buildings peeked over the trees along the sides of the park.
It took some maneuvering for the dogs to get around the circle and enter the park. But once they were inside, they were amazed at just how huge the park actually was.
"And right here in the riddle of Rew Rork!" said Scooby.
Astro had been in a state of shock ever since they arrived in New York. This place was unlike anything he'd ever seen back home…although he vaguely remembered seeing this place in one of Elroy's history books. He reached down and picked up a few leaves. He stared at them, amazed that they weren't synthetically grown. Astro began wishing that he didn't have to go back to his world.
"Uh-oh," said Courage. He hadn't spoken up for hours.
"What is it?" asked T.D.
Courage pointed a paw up to a sign that loomed nearby. To the dogs' dismay, it read, "Please keep all dogs on a leash."
"I guess we're gonna have to be careful and keep our eyes open for policemen," said T.D.
"Not to worry," announced Goddard on his screen. He then showed the dogs a diagram of a built-in radar detection system that could identify policemen's walkie-talkie broadcasts. "If any cops are coming," continued Goddard. "We'll know about it."
Suddenly, the dogs heard a scream behind them. They jumped, but it was only Gir running through a flock of pigeons.
Courage walked over to CatDog. "What's his problem?" asked Courage, referring to Gir.
Dog laughed, "He's funny."
"Oh, yeah, a million laughs," said Cat sarcastically. "I think there's something definitely wrong with that dog."
Now the pigeons were turning around and nipping at Gir, who was trying to decide whether this was a good or a bad thing. Goddard decided to be the one to help him out. As he and Gir fended off the aggressive birds, the rest of the dogs decided to take advantage of the park's trees. The trees were a grand improvement over the bus's small, cramped lavatory. Afterwards, the dogs decided to head east towards the pond. During this time of day, there weren't many people on the south end of the park, so no one stopped the dogs as they made their way over to the body of water. Along the way, the dogs got free samples from hot dog and pizza stands (The New York style pizza was a lot thinner than the dogs were used to, but they sure didn't complain.)
Once they arrived at the lake, most of the dogs jumped right in and frolicked around in the water for about ten minutes. Then, Goddard began barking as sirens and bells began blaring from him. It didn't take long for the dogs to realize that Goddard had detected a policeman nearby. The dogs ran out of the pond and began shaking the water off of them. However, as they dried themselves off, they heard a voice that was fast approaching them.
"Hey, you mutts! No dogs allowed without a leash! Get outta here!"
The canines turned and saw an NYPD officer running at them with a nightstick. All the dogs abruptly ran for the nearest exit as onlookers watched them. The dogs ran half a block west along the southern edge of the park before crossing the street and heading south along Sixth Avenue. The canines kept running for about two blocks before they stopped to catch their breath at the corner of 57th Street and the Avenue of the Americas (aka Sixth Avenue).
"Is he (pant) still following us?" asked Runt.
"I think…we lost him," gasped T.D.
"Where are we?" asked Dog.
The pack of dogs looked around. All the tall buildings around them failed to give any indication as to where they were.
"I don't know," said Runt.
"We…we're lost?" whined Courage. He began quivering with fear.
"Easy there," said Cat. "We're not lost. We simply need to retrace our steps and then we'll know where we are. Now, if only I had a map."
"Uh, Cat?" asked Dog.
But Cat was too busy thinking to notice. "I suppose we could ask one of these people walking by where we are…"
"Cat?"
"On the other hand, these New Yorkers haven't been very friendly to us at all."
"Cat!"
"Although those food vendors did give us free food, so not all of them are bad, therefore…OW!"
A packet of paper whacked Cat in the back of his head. Cat turned around and saw Dog holding a rolled-up map of New York City in his paw. "Sorry….um, here," said Dog, who timidly gave Cat the map.
Cat snatched the map and opened it. "Where did you get this, Dog?"
Dog pointed behind him at a subway entrance. Next to it was a bin filled with free maps. All the other dogs were grabbing them and reading them.
"Hey!" announced T.D. "Carnegie Hall is just a few blocks away!"
"Rat's rhere Rhonda ris!" said Scooby.
"Rhonda?" asked Courage. "Who's Rhonda?"
"He means 'Wanda'," corrected T.D. "Remember? She said she was going to go to Carnegie Hall for a while."
"So what are we waiting for?" asked Runt. "Let's go!"
"Hi-ho diggety!" shouted Dog, who bolted down the sidewalk.
Astro looked at the map for a moment, pointed in the direction of Carnegie Hall, and shouted, "Rait! Rarnegie Rall ris rat ray!"
CatDog, who had been going the wrong way, turned around and ran in the correct direction. Well, Dog ran and Cat, of course, kept dragging behind as always. The other dogs ran after them.
"Doesn't that hurt?!" shouted T.D. at Cat, who was dragging along the concrete.
"I'm (ouch) fine (augh) thanks (yah)."
At the end of the line, Gir let out a war cry and tried to keep up as his small legs continued to make those little squeaky-toy sounds whenever he runs.
With the aid of the map, the dogs eventually made it to Carnegie Hall, but there was no sign of Wanda.
"She probably already went to the park," said T.D.
Since the dogs couldn't go inside, they decided to get something to eat. A nearby clock displayed the time. 12:05 P.M. If it weren't for those free food samples in the park, the dogs would be starving by now. The pack walked south along Seventh Avenue for a few blocks and then turned right. They soon stopped at the corner of Broadway and 55th Street. A bistro happened to catch the attention of the dogs, so the wandered into the alley behind the building. Some shady-looking dogs were already there, but they didn't seem to pose much of a threat…especially since there were only two of them versus the eight visitors.
There were enough trash cans back there to make a reasonable buffet. The dogs sat down in the alley and began chowing down on everything that looked edible. Everybody was eating, except for Gir, Goddard, and T.D. (It's obvious why Gir and Goddard aren't eating.)
"Rut's wrong?" asked Astro, who noticed T.D's lack of appetite.
"I've got a funny feeling," he said.
"Ran ri rav your rood, rhen?" asked Scooby hungrily.
"Sure," sighed T.D., who gave his entrée to Scooby.
"What kind of a feeling?" asked Courage.
"I've got an odd feeling about those two adults that are riding on the same bus as us," said T.D.
"Tom and Wanda?" asked Runt.
"Yeah. Something tells me that there's more to those two than meets the eye."
"Are you sure?" asked Goddard.
"Well, I could be wrong, but," he glanced around. "Remember how Wanda glanced at Tom when I told her that we were all going to the same place?"
"Yeah, come to think of it, that actually did look a little suspicious," said Cat.
"Wait, what 'glance'? I missed it," admitted Dog.
To everyone's surprise, Goddard began playing a video on his screen. It was taken with his built-in video camera on the bus. It showed T.D. talking to Wanda. Suddenly the footage froze. Goddard zoomed into Wanda's face, which was glaring at Tom off camera.
"Hmm," said Courage.
"Yeah," muttered Dog. "I see what you mean."
"And what about Tom?" continued T.D. "He said that he was going to 'hang around Broadway'. But, in fact, neither Tom nor Wanda explained exactly where they were gonna be.
"Maybe they didn't know where they were gonna go yet," argued Dog.
"Maybe, maybe not," said T.D. "After all, how come we haven't seen either of them since they first left the bus?"
"New York is a big place," said Runt. "They could be anywhere."
"But Wanda said she was gonna be at Carnegie Hall, and we didn't see her," whined Courage.
"Maybe she was inside, or maybe we just missed her," argued Cat.
"Anyway," said T.D. with a hint of finality. "The bottom line is that there's something fishy about those two people…I'd bet my apartment on it. So…"
"You own your own apartment?" asked Courage.
"Yeah, but we're getting off topic," snapped T.D. "I want everyone to keep a sharp eye out for Tom and Wanda. They could…even be a part of the very mission we've been set out to accomplish!"
The other dogs were shocked by that accusation. "You mean those two guys could be the dognappers?" asked Cat.
"Think about it," said T.D. "Most people when they take a bus to New England, they'll get off at New York or Boston or some other big city. But are Tom and Wanda going to a big city? No! They said they were going to Cape Cod, just like us! This is the best evidence yet that this is no coincidence. Of course, I don't want to jump to any conclusions just yet, but I want you all to keep your eyes open for those two, alright?"
All the other dogs agreed. They also decided it was a good idea to head back to the bus, even though they had quite a few hours to spare. They saw a nearby subway tunnel and decided to take the subway instead of walking. Without hesitation, the dogs descended the tunnel.
Half an hour later, the dogs came out of a tunnel on Fifth Avenue.
"I think we took the wrong train," said Runt.
The dogs felt rather disturbed by their first subway ride. The hallways were dim and filthy. The trains and passengers were loud and boisterous. Inside, the subway was congested and claustrophobic. People kept staring at the dogs oddly, which gave them the creeps. And the smells were overwhelming! The dogs felt glad to be breathing in fresh air…well, about as fresh as city air can get, I suppose.
"Wow," said Dog.
"I know," agreed Cat. "I can't believe we're lost again."
"No, look!" cried Dog, who pointed behind him.
The other dogs looked up and found themselves staring up at the Empire State Building…all 1,472 feet of it.
For about five minutes, the dogs just stood there staring at the building until people began pushing them aside. Seeing nothing else to do, the dogs decided to head back into the subway and find their way back to Central Park.
An hour and a half later, the dogs emerged from a subway exit in Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan. They looked tired and worn out from sitting on a subway seat for so long. But at least they were in another park. The green grass felt good on the dogs' toes.
And the sights weren't bad either. In the distance, across the Upper New York Bay, sat Brooklyn and Staten Island separated by The Narrows waterway. Closer, to the right, sat Ellis and Liberty Islands. Even from a distance, the Statue of Liberty created a sense of pride and awe in the dogs as if they were standing right in front of it. To the left, down the East River, the canines could barely make out the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. And, of course, nearby, traffic was flowing in and out of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.
The dogs took a much-needed bathroom and food break, before they noticed a clock displaying the time. 3:45 P.M.
Goddard ran up to the dogs and told them that it would take about two hours to get back to the Greyhound station in time to go. With that, the dogs ran back down the subway staircase they had exited from ten minutes ago.
"This is the last time we take directions from Gir!" announced Cat. Everybody laughed, even Gir.
Only ten minutes after they got into the subway, the dogs noticed where they were on the map. They all looked at each other and thought the same thing. Without saying a word, they left the subway ("Only for a minute," T.D. had said) and came out the tunnel onto the street.
"So…where is it?" asked Dog.
Cat tapped him on the shoulder and pointed back across the street.
Down the street, surrounded by buildings, was a large, vacant area with chain-link fences all around. A huge, square hole sat there in the middle of the place. Trucks and people were moving around inside the fences. It was basically a big, wide-open piece of concrete and gravel ground.
It, of course, was Ground Zero.
The dogs stood there with mixed expressions on their faces until Courage started whining. One by one, they slowly turned back around and began descending into the subway tunnel again.
Courage and T.D. hung back from the rest of the group.
"Looked like you almost lost it there for a minute," said T.D. to Courage on the stairs.
Courage merely sniffed and shrugged his shoulders.
"Y'know," continued T.D, who pointed back up the stairs. "It's stuff like that that makes me wish I had a name like yours."
Courage smiled weakly from the compliment.
"Of course, when everyone refers to you as 'Talking Dog', ANY name would suffice."
Both dogs laughed softly for a moment. Before they could say anything more, T.D. suddenly pointed up ahead. The subway doors were closing! Fortunately, Runt was able to keep the doors open (much to the foul-mouthed passengers' dismay) just long enough for Courage and T.D. to enter the subway car.
Two hours later, the dogs walked out of a subway staircase directly across the street from the Greyhound station! They were a wreck. Their fur was all grimy and stained. They all had dazed expressions on their faces; even Goddard seemed a little overworked. Only Gir seemed to be his perfect, hyperactive self, which left the other dogs in disbelief.
"I hope I never have to go down one of those tunnels again," said Courage.
"Yeah, even the Townsville subway system is better than that!" uttered T.D.
When the dogs saw the bus station across the street, they began to panic.
"What time is it??" they asked. Goddard displayed the time. 5:52 PM.
"Row! Rust in rime!" (Wow, just in time) said Scooby.
Looking both ways, the dogs crossed the street and ran into the station. Up ahead, they saw Danny heading toward the bus.
"Hey, guys," said Danny to the dogs. He looked at his watch. "Glad you made it on time. Did you see the local sights?"
"Oh, yeah, did we ever!" said T.D.
Danny smirked. As they headed toward the bus, Danny thought to himself, "I really got to get used to the fact that they can talk."
Danny sat in the driver's seat as the dogs filed past. They had just crossed the yellow line when they stopped.
Sitting in seat 18, reading the New York Times, was Tom.
As the dogs slowly went to sit down, Tom looked up from his paper and waved at them. The dogs waved back, never forgetting what T.D. had said about keeping an eye on him. They looked around for Wanda, but she wasn't there. Danny closed the bus doors.
Runt looked over his shoulder at the other dogs in the bus. "Maybe she got lost too."
"Spoke too soon," said T.D. who was looking out the window. Running toward the bus was Wanda.
"You sure like to cut it close," said Danny who let Wanda in. Wanda seemed a bit flustered, so she collapsed in the nearest seat and pocketed her cell phone that she always carried.
Danny turned on the bus engine. The A/C roared on, and the brakes squeaked as the bus was put into gear. The bus crawled out of the station and headed toward the interstate.
Danny's voice once again came onto the intercom. "Glad to see you all again, passengers. We are now leaving New York, and we should pull into Boston by 9:00 PM…plus stops, Scooby." (Danny was already well-familiar with Scooby's appetite.) "We hope you enjoy the rest of today's ride."
Well, all the dogs would've been okay with that, if only they weren't always sneaking glances at Tom and Wanda, wondering who those two people really were…
(Author's note: I apologize about the 'Ground Zero' portion of this chapter. In my opinion, cartoons and 9/11 don't really go together very well. Still, I felt that the main characters' New York experience wouldn't be complete without a stop at the landmark site. Again, I'm sorry if I offended anybody.)