Weekend in NYC. Happy Mother's Day 2015!

Mother's Day has passed, but I have to highlight the awesome gift I received from Jeff and the kiddos - a solo trip to NYC!



Jeff booked the tickets to coincide with the Memorial Day weekend, which also happens to be a long weekend in Bermuda. With the kids and Jeff both off from work and school, I was happy to fly off relatively guilt free. 

Check out the fabulous view of Times Square in the morning, taken from the concierge lounge at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel. 

And check out the other ubiquitous NYC shot- pidgeons, per Jordan's request. 

"Mommy, take a picture of the NYC pidgeons!"  

He still likes birds. NYC pidgeons deserve their own screen time, I guess. 

There you go, Jordan. I wonder if he remembers the story I told him about the time I saw a flock of them ripping apart hot dogs in the street that someone had tossed from a hot dog cart. 

The trip didn't start out too well. I guess everyone on the island was trying to get off that day, so I wound up literally in the back of the plane.  I mean, exactly the back of the plane.  Right next to the toilet. 

Ugh.

Double ugh, was the fact that the passenger sitting next to me took up almost half of my seat.  I tried hard not to look miffed about it, because I'm sure she was just as uncomfortable as I was.  There's got to be some easy way to break the tension in situations like this. There's no ignoring the obvious size issue. We're both annoyed - neither of us is comfortable, we're both crammed in. What's the point of being a jerk about it? Everyone on the plane is miserable. What can you do?

Turns out, the absolutely horrific turbulence we experienced wound up breaking the ice as we both sat there panicking out loud.  Each time one of us gripped the arm rest, sharing looks of fear, the minor issue of lack of space became meaningless.

When the passenger seated across from me started throwing up from air sickness, I really started praying.  So was my seat mate. Nothing like a shared plane crash to initiate a friendship.

We landed, thank God, and as soon as possible, I charged out of there - ready to start my adventures.

People approach NYC trips differently.  Some go for the Broadway shows and tourist stuff.  I go to see friends, shop and eat.

A lot.

My one desire was to indulge on these guys. And loads of them.  Fresh oysters are non existent in Bermuda, at least to my knowledge. When I've asked about it, I've been told they bring them in frozen. 

Not the same. 

I also haven't had any as last seasons pregnancy got in the way of my normal eating habits.  

Needless to say, this craving has taken on a life of its own. 

So, after checking into the hotel, I headed downtown about twenty blocks to Chelsea. Home of one of my favorites: John Dory Oyster Bar. 

 

It's a great oyster place that I managed to visit twice in my weekend in NYC.  Yes, twice.  So gluttonous.  Jeff and I went there once on a rare kid free weekend. It wasn't quite the same without my oyster buddy.



But I soldiered on. He would be proud.

That first night, I met up with good sorority friends/ex housemates from college.  

 One of the main reasons I stay active on Facebook is because it's a great way of maintaining connections when you live abroad. With the ease of a few messages  to friends, I was able to set up the weekend. I'm lucky enough to have a handful of friends who actually make the effort too. They are the best!

Of course, it's a little tricky fitting in everyone and everything into just a couple days. Which is why I clearly need to do trips abroad more often!

My Leonia girls met me out to celebrate among the rooftops at sunset.  I suggested this place I read about called "Gallow Green."



Really lovely garden setting atop the old McKittrick Hotel. The Highline is right next door and it's a gorgeous spot of foliage in an otherwise urban landscape. 

We did some damage, as we caught up on town gossip and eyed the hipsters around us.  Ok, we may not be 20 something whippersnappers, but we're obviously comfortable enough in our dotage to command an entire table for hours on end and rate a chilled wine bucket from the bartender. We got some looks on that one.

 No standing in line at the bar for single beers for us, thank you.  We're old, tired and have earned the right to sit down. 

The departure however, was slightly more macabre than I am used to. Remind me to read up on interactive theatrical productions ("Sleep No More" is the show being performed downstairs) before I drag my poor unsuspecting friends through one of these again. Oh NYC, you never disappoint.



Sundays used to mean brunch for us. So what better way to spend it than with this guy- who trained it in from CT.   We had a lovely, chic lunch at the Nomad hotel.  It was so chic that I had to go get more food immediately after.

Yes, that's me.  Eating my second brunch.  Secondies?  At John Dory again. 

It's especially convenient because it's right next to this place!!



EATALY!!  The lines turned out to be too long, so we wandered further uptown and found a gelato place that was just as good.

Eating my way through NYC continued that evening as I met some friends out for    dinner in the west village. Oysters first, of course. At a tiny little niche called "Virgola."

It was a challenge finding the place because 1. I have no sense of direction; and 2.  Because it is a tiny place. 

But if you can get there (28 Greenwich Ave x 9th ave)  the oysters are worth it. The manager was also incredibly nice to us. First, he discussed oysters with me in a way that helped educate me without being condescending. And despite the fact that the reservation I made was for two only, he didn't make a fuss when two more friends showed up just to sit for a bit, drink prosecco and leave. Very gracious as the tables are right up on each other and seating was coveted. We tipped accordingly. 

After, we headed over for dinner at Agave  - a lovely Mexican/Southwestern place not far from NYU.  A friend picked it out and my only criterion was "I want a place where the maître d' isn't telling me that I am being too loud."

It delivered. Great food, great company. And they stuck us in the back so I could cackle to my heart's content.  I have a loud laugh. What can I say?

Of course, in between all this gluttony, I did do the very specific shopping I had in mind (running shoes and American Girl merchandise for my daughter's upcoming birthday). 

The American Girl store deserves it's own post, no doubt. I was overwhelmed. I did manage to buy the things I knew my birthday girl has been asking for since last Christmas. So I hope she will appreciate that I used my very limited overseas duty exemption to cart this stuff back on the island. 

Without a doubt, one of the most extravagant Mother's Day gifts ever. I have the best family ever!

P.s.  

As an addendum, for those of you confused about how to behave on an air

plane and why, read this:  How to be a good person on an airplane

 

I cracked up. 

Destination NYC.. via BDA.

Before the kids get back to school.. before the drudgery of early mornings and schedules take over our lives again, I must recollect this summer and how quickly it went by.

This year, we spent one month "off island" touring familiar sites along the east coast. Among them were NYC.

A week in Brooklyn and Manhattan was the perfect antidote to life on the Rock. There's something quite fun about being a "tourist" in a city you once were a part of.

Behold:



The tastiest oysters for our midday lunch, right before an indie movie in the Village.



Sheepshead Bay view, the night of Jeff's Brooklyn suprise party.



Celebrating 40 with old friends.



Gotham Ave cruising.



Munchkins on parade - Brooklyn block parties!



Jordan balances cotton candy while sunflowers grow in Brooklyn.



The best pizza in the world.



Dockside fishing on the canal.



Munchkins discover the Donut Plant in the Lower East side.



Starry nights at MOMA - a great place for a rainy afternoon.



The big kids run free at Victorian Gardens in Central Park. What a treat it was coming here again when they managed all the rides by themselves. We were the parents lounging in the shade, catching up with our old friend, Nataliya.



A long day spent in the city!



Pondering food choices in NYC - endless possibilities. I began my research early!



Among other things, we decided on an Indian night. Oh Tiffinwallah.. you hurt so good.



View from the M&M store, in Times Square. The kids saw their first Broadway show, "Annie!"



NYC is like no other place in the world.

Books read: "Friday Night Lights," H.G. Bissinger; "The Shining," Stephen King.

Miles ran: 5

city blocks walked: countless

Best meal: Tiffinwallah, Curry Hill.

Worst service despite great food: Ouest, Upper West Side

Best location for a hotel: The Essex House, Central Park South. Love this place, and Marriot Rewards friendly! Their new concierge lounge was a dream. Despite lacking a gym, they offered reciprosity with the Ritz down the street. I enjoyed a lovely, rainy morning working out there! Much needed after eating as we did!

Famous last words..

I suppose I thought I'd always live in NYC. It was where I wanted to be. I was living and working in Brooklyn ten years ago when Twin Towers were attacked. On that day, I remember walking out of the subway at the Court Street stop, and seeing hundreds of people standing still in the park, their eyes turned towards the smoke filling the sky from Manhattan.

"A plane..." someone said.

"A plane hit the Towers."

Today, ten years later, Jeff and I quietly remembered that day in brief snippets of conversation as we recalled how we watched the towers come crashing down on the tv, while simultaneously looking outside our friend's window and seeing it happen in real time. We remembered seeing people covered in ashes as they walked over the Brooklyn Bridge and made their way home.

I never imagined ten years later I would be so removed from the city. I don't know if our lives will ever bring us back there. But on this day, especially, I miss it.

So much.

More importantly, on this day, I remember what it feels like to be an American.

Ten years have passed since that defining day.

I wanted to share this song, "If this is Goodbye," by Mark Knopfler; and sung with Emmylou Harris.

Describing it in an interview, he remarked that the last phone calls of those trapped in the towers were "a triumph of love over hate."




My famous last words
Are laying around in tatters
Sounding absurd
Whatever I try
But I love you
And that's all that really matters
If this is goodbye
If this is goodbye
Your bright shining sun
Would light up the way before me
You were the one
Made me feel I could fly
And I love you
Whatever is waiting for me
If this is goodbye
If this is goodbye
Who knows how long we've got
Or what were made out of
Who knows if there's a plan or not
There is our love
I know there is our love
My famous last words
Could never tell the story
Spinning unheard
In the dark of the sky
But I love you
And this is our glory
If this is goodbye
If this is goodbye

Our Favorite Floridians.

We were very excited to have the Perkins gang visit us this week. Jordan and Mina were really looking forward to seeing Grace and her baby, brother Jason. Lots of fun activities to look forward to - including their first live musical!

Behold! Pinkalicious!





But not even the majesty of live theatre could make up for the reaction the kids had when Grace walked into the room. They both saw her approach our aisle, and they both started shouting her name. At that point, we lost Mina forever. She was attached to Grace for the rest of the week.



I think it's only a matter of time before Jason will be up and running and playing with the big kids.



I told you I was completely in love with this new baking blog - Sprinkle bakes. Imagine my joy when I found she had a dessert that would suit the occasion - pink cakelettes. We brought them along to share at the Central Park reunion right after the show.



Even though the gang hasn't seen each other in months, these three acted as though no time had passed. They got along great. The only time they argued was over who got to sit next to Grace. At every meal and snack. We quickly decided Grace would sit in the middle at all times. And Jordan and Mina decided they would sit on her lap.



Together, we shared all kinds of culinary adventures. Like cranberry juice at lunch.



Which goes especially well with Patsy's Pizzeria on the westside.



During snacktime, I had to peek in and note that the kids carried on their own conversations with nary a grownup around. I can't even begin to imagine what they were talking about.



But at dinnertime, we all got a chance to catch up together.



We did take one night to ditch the kids and get all dressed up. Off to the city for a grown-ups only dinner.



At David Burke Townhouse.



The next day, there were still plenty of adventures to be had - the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History. Or as we used to call it - the Planetarium. Time sure does fly by fast. One of the earliest "dates" I ever had with Jeff was when he took me to the Planetarium to see a Pink Floyd lightshow. Boy were we babies then. Speaking of which, mental note to self - Jordan can still not handle the "Journey to the Stars" movie and sound effects show. We first took him there when he was 2, and we had to promptly leave because he started crying instantly. That hasn't changed to date. The boy just does not like the whole sound and shaking effect.



But we do like the planets above.



And we enjoyed wandering over the Natural History part of the museum where we could look at dioramas



Our time with the Perkins was short but sweet. We're already missing you guys!

Gotham Ave Celebrates!

I don't recall going to block parties as a kid. Even when we lived in the suburbs. And definitely not when we were living out in the boondocks in the middle of the woods.. in upstate NY. So the idea of a block party is a little foreign to me.

But, that doesn't mean we won't crash a good one when we get the chance. Hello, Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn! Here we come!





Of course, it helps knowing some people who live on the block. I guess just crashing a party per se isn't the best idea. Although, it almost happened to us a few weeks ago at Mina's birthday. Some random guy, his wife, and their kid wandered into the party room and were hanging out. I kept staring at them, wondering who the heck they were; and didn't want to be rude and accost them. I started doubting myself, thinking.. maybe they're from Mina's school?

Here's my mental dialogue:

"I did send out a few invites to some of her classmates.. but I thought I knew them all? Didn't I? Who the heck did I invite from the school? Where's my list? Andrew H.? No, obviously. Kayla? Are they related to one of them? They don't look Korean. I ordered enough food to feed them, right? They look kind of confused too. That dad keeps looking around at everyone. Maybe I should flash my "party mom" sticker at them and they'll approach me?"

Turns out, the idiots at the front desk sent them to Mina's party, when in fact they were looking for "Mia's party".

I digress.

We're psyched we know enough of the Gotham Ave crew to hang out and have fun.



And the kids certainly felt comfortable enough to wander off without any adult supervision and proceed to order food all on their own.









Good block parties always have entertainment. Jordan was really looking forward to a repeat performance on the big, blue waterslide.







of course he can catch air on every turn. The boy barely weighs 40 pounds. Which leads me to wonder whether I shouldn't just follow Jordan's approach to eating - mainly, consume all things consisting of pure sugar, fried, or loaded in butter and cheese. The hell with this diet and exercise thing I force myself to do. Not that I want to weigh 40 pounds, obviously. Maybe 40 pounds less.

He does humor me once in awhile, and eat some fruits and vegetables. But those are akin to the parsley sprig one puts on a plate for decoration. They don't really count.



One of the neighbors made these. I was tempted. But I held out. Visions of myself sweating up the hills on the morning 6 miler came to my mind. Six miles at 6 am. Only to be outdone by a flipping hot dog. No. Two bites of this and all that hard work would have gone down the drain.

I saved myself for the hamburger and chicken instead. Good girl. Not fried chicken, which I adore, but never eat because it's eh-hem, fried. But marinated, tender, fired up on the grill. No picture, of course. I inhaled the food too quickly for that kind of frivolity.



Although Miss Mina wasn't feeling brave enough to try the big slide, she did manage to make new friends. She spent much of the afternoon riding up and down the street with her new bestie and her very pink, Princess bike that I happily picked up from some neighbor's curb on trash day (I have no shame.) That is, until she managed to topple over the bike, crash on the pavement, and let out a howl that would scare the demons from hell. And it didn't matter that I was running back and forth beside her on the bike. It only took the amount of time to stop, take a sip of my water, and crash. There she was on the asphalt.



cranky monkey.



cranky, hiding monkey.

Of course, I am an equal-opportunity negligent parent. Jordan crashed on his bike as well.



Hence, the nice road scrape along the side of his neck. He looks happy and calm here. Not so much when it happened.

Despite the drama of accidents and asphalt, the kids had a great time. They played long and hard, wore themselves out, and were out like a light when we tossed them into bed that evening. We redeemed ourselves as parents by washing them in the bathtub first.

My highlight of the day... are you ready for this?




Ta-da!!! I won a major award!! Holy Sh--t, you have no clue how psyched I was to win this at the raffle! My crock pot is on its last legs and I was toying with the idea of buying a new one. Yay!!! And a recipe book too.

Score!!