The NYC Marathon

It has been a few weeks since I had a chance to sit down and write. And there’s been quite a few things to write about! First, we went to New York for a long weekend from the 1st to the 5th. My friend Erin entered the lottery for the NYC marathon and got in so I decided to head out there to cheer her on. Van and I were joined by Peggy Ridley, who had never been to New York. It was a whirlwind of a trip!

We arrived early on the 1st after taking the red-eye from San Francisco the night previous. Our first stop, after dropping off our luggage, was to get some breakfast. We hiked over to Kossar’s for bagels; delicious! We then took the train uptown to Central Park where we rented bicycles and took a leisurely ride around the park. It was gorgeous – full fall colors abounded. We then decided to take the Staten Island Ferry so that Peggy could see the skyline of the city, as well as the Statue of Liberty, at least from a distance. We were blessed by perfect weather and enjoyed it very much. We spent the evening first having appetizers at Delmonico’s, then heading out to Momofuku’s for ramen.

Peggy searched out a great coffee spot for the following morning – Gimme! Coffee. Absolutely delicious coffee, just outside of Little Italy and Chinatown, which is where our hotel was located. We wandered around Little Italy for a bit, then met up with Erin and her husband, Anthony for Dim Sum. We then headed to the Frick Museum, one of my favorites. After a while there we headed in search of a bit to eat and a beer. We found just the place, a small storefront with beers from all over the world, including some on tap. We sat down and chatted with the owner and enjoyed a beverage. That evening we had a huge Italian dinner, including three bottles of different Italian wine.

Saturday Erin did a short run and then she and Anthony met us for coffee and a bite to eat at a French restaurant; I don’t remember the name but it was just OK. They headed back to rest before the big race the following day and we headed to see The Lion King. What a fun show! I know it’s been out forever, but none of us had seen it and we all loved it. That evening we met up at a Whiskey bar then had another ramen dinner.

Sunday was the big day. We were up early and watched some of the early pre-race stuff on TV; Erin wasn’t scheduled to start until 10:40am (the race starts with the first wave at 9am). We met up with Anthony for bagels at Kossars, then headed to Brooklyn for our first siting. It was amazing to see so many people running! Perfect, crystal clear fall weather greeted us and the runners. We then ran our own marathon – from one subway station to another, hoping for a glimpse of Erin. We missed her at one station, spotted her at the next, though she didn’t see us, then headed up to the Bronx where we got to really see her. At that point, we headed back into the city and found a bar. We couldn’t get near the finish and knew it would take a while for Erin to finish, go through the cool down and make her way to our designated meeting spot. We enjoyed a beer, then headed back into the throngs of runners and spectators. To meet Erin at the friends and family location we had to first follow a long line of walkers, then go through one security check point, then get frisked at another. And even then it was another ten or fifteen minutes before she made it to us. She finished in her best marathon time ever, 4:15. And she still had energy! We got her back to a shower, then an early sushi dinner. What a day!

Monday we met up for coffee, then headed back to Central Park. Each runner is given a medal and can get it engraved the following day. Unfortunately, the wait time was 60-90 minutes, so we had to part ways. We decided to stop at the Russian Tea Room for some refreshments; I had a pot of tea and we shared a nice bottle of Chablis. After that we had to go back and pack up and head to the airport.

Since we’ve been home, we have been busy; despite the smoke, people are still out looking at property. The smoke, as everyone knows, has been terrible. On this past Friday morning we were awakened early to learn that our neighbor’s house was on fire and that we needed to be prepared to evacuate. That was a scary morning and our nerves were on edge the rest of the day; thankfully, the local amazing fire department had the fire out quickly.

Here’s to a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!