What does 62 get you?

It’s my uncle’s 70th coming up. That’s a big deal. He is my mother and aunt’s baby brother. 70. But he’s agonizing – his business is turning 43. He’s thinking of putting on their website:

What’s so Special About 43? Nothing!

… and then posting 43 of their best pieces of work.

I told him about the non-special number paradox: What’s the first number with nothing special about it? 1 is 1, it is first. 2 is the first number that is not 1. 3 is the first odd prime. 4 is the first perfect square. 5 is the first sum of two distinct primes. And so on. And at some point you get to a number, and you’ve run out of things to say that are special, so you call that the first non-special number. But of course, it is the first. And that’s special.

My uncle loved it, and wanted to work that into his website. I didn’t bother explaining – he will realize. Anyhow, he gets congratulations for 70, a milestone. And 43, some other kind of stone.

But me? I just turned 62. What do you get for 62?

I’m not cashing in social security. Not yet. I bet there are a bunch of discounts. But here’s where I started.

I was up in Cambridge with my mom. Came back President’s Day, but instead of coming straight home, stayed on the Mass Pike all the way, got to the highest point on I-90 east of South Dakota (there was a sign. That’s got to be one of my favorite highway signs, ever.) Crossed into New York State. Took the Taconic south, and then local roads to Hyde Park. I was headed to Vanderbilt Mansion.

In the Visitors Center at Vanderbilt Mansion I asked to buy a Senior Lifetime National Park Pass. $80. They asked for ID. And then the coup – I asked if I could use it for the next house tour. $80 out of pocket, but with an immediate $15 yield… smart, right? Starting at -$65 instead of -$80? Except it was Presidents Day, and the tours were free. So not only did I not make a dent in the $80 fee, I lost a chance to save $15, so I’ll need to save $95 to break even… Don’t worry. I’ve got this.

I also blew the timing, a tour had just left. So I walked down to the Hudson, to Bard Rock (is that an island?) The road was clear, but there was snow on the side, so I decided it would be fun to walk on the edge, until my second step. Ice on top, snow below, up to my knee. I stayed on the road.

Mansion itself? I did find a nice octagon, but overall not my cup of tea. I’ll have to get to Acadia or the Grand Canyon or something…