On Friday the 16th of June we headed off on a red-eye flight to New York City. We had decided on this trip a few months back as a way, originally, to see a good friend’s first grandchild and then also visit friends we had made on our river cruise last fall. The trip changed when the baby wasn’t going to be available that weekend and then it dawned on us it was Father’s Day weekend. It went through a few iterations because of that, but eventually we settled our dates and booked the trip. I had enough miles saved up from the Covid years to book us into business class so we enjoyed a more spacious voyage than we normally would have. Unfortunately, spacious or not, we really didn’t get a lot of sleep on that flight.

We landed Saturday morning at Newark, NJ. We took the train into the city and then the subway to our hotel, The Edge, up in Washington Heights. This was a new neighborhood for us to visit, which is why we had chosen it, though ultimately we decided it was probably too far away for a second visit in the future. We obtained an early check-in, which enabled us to have showers and change clothes. We then set out to see what was available in the neighborhood. Our concierge suggested a Colombian restaurant a few blocks away and we headed there. The food was quite good and we were both hungry.

Our first arranged visit was with good friends Jerry and Stephanie who are in NY for a year. We made contact, got directions and headed to their place. They are right in Harlem and, it being Juneteenth weekend, the place was hopping. Our friends are right off of Frederick Douglass Boulevard and the street was blocked off to through traffic; loudspeakers were set up and music was booming. People swirled around, smiling and enjoying themselves. I have never felt so white. But the crowd that day and the following were friendly and welcoming and it felt good to be even a small part of such an important celebration.

Finding their apartment was cause for amusement - a slip of the finger sent us to the wrong street; we were ultimately located by Jerry and then taken by him, Steph and their dog, Rosie, to the dog park in Morningside Park. This was a lot of fun - so many happy dogs. We met several of their new acquaintances at the park and then we walked back to their apartment to rest and visit. We were able to take a bit of a nap and feel a bit more human before again heading out to find dinner. I found myself with some of the anxiety I had experienced in Europe, an awful feeling, and was so blessed to be with these friends and my husband who were so considerate and caring. They let me choose a restaurant that looked good to my somewhat queasy stomach and we were soon enjoying glasses of Nebbiolo and fine Italian food. It was a wonderful evening.

The following day, after a solid nine hours of sleep, I woke feeling great. The anxiety had dissipated and I was ready to greet the day. We joined Jerry and Stephanie for brunch at a place close to them - excellent food quickly served. Also, delicious coffee. After that we headed out on foot to do some more exploring, walking many blocks on the way to the theater, though we ultimately had to grab a cab to get their on time. We had chosen Leopoldstadt and it was excellent. Also incredibly moving and we all left with tears streaming. I am so glad we saw it and would do it again. After that we grabbed a cocktail at a nearby bar and then caught a train back to the Harlem area and found some Pho for dinner.

Monday found us heading out relatively early to Penn Station and a train on the LIRR to visit our friends Gary and Beatrice on Long Island. We grabbed bagels on our way and enjoyed them as the train took us out of the city. Our friends met us at the station and took us to their lovely home where we had lunch on their back deck and caught up. With nothing on the agenda for the rest of the day, we sat there, in the shade, and enjoyed wine and conversation.

Ducks in the stream in our friends’ backyard

Tuesday we attempted to visit the Vanderbilt estate, mainly to see some outdoor metal sculptures of animals, but it was closed. We did find a clam shack and Van got his clams he was craving. After that we drove out to our friends’ beach condo. It is the cutest little place, a former motel, long ago converted to condos. Theirs is right at the end with beautiful views of the bay. We just relaxed there for a while and then took a little walk along the bay. That evening we had dinner at their son’s restaurant, Satelite Pizzeria, a large place that is very busy and where the portions are enormous and the food delicious.

Wednesday was our last full day and we went to the Phipps Estate, Old Westbury Gardens, to tour the gardens and see the house. It’s a lovely “summer home” on 216 acres, but the gardens are very beautiful. Living here in the wilderness that is much of Mendocino County it was amazing to see all 216 acres fairly manicured. The rose garden was full of both beautiful looking and beautiful smelling roses. We found an orange one, the Crown Princess Margareta Rose, that was a lovely orange and the best smelling of them all. We decided to order one for ourselves and our friends we liked it so much. That afternoon we went back to the pizzeria and helped Beatrice hang pictures on the large wall near the bar; this wall is temporary - the other side, the former location of the pizzeria, is being remodeled as a sit-down restaurant - but it needed something for the short term. Bea had collected some wonderful pieces and she and I directed Van on where to hang them. All in all, we were quite happy with the outcome. That evening we had dinner at Gary’s favorite restaurant, a lovely French place with fantastic food.

Gary and Beatrice in front of the photo wall

Our trip home was good - we reversed ourselves on the train we had taken to Long Island, then took the train to Newark from Penn Station. We were early for our flight and then it was delayed, so we used one of the United lounges to pass the time. The flight itself was good - I finished a movie I had started on our flight out, took a nice nap, then watched another movie and suddenly we were in San Francisco.

It was a lovely, quiet and restful trip and we accomplished what we wanted, spending time with friends. It’s good to be home and back in our own bed again. Now it’s back to work, gardening, biking (me) and fishing (Van). Also, our dogs are quite glad we’ve returned.

New York 2023