It’s hard to believe that I did my first interview for my job in Hampstead six years ago. One of my first priorities when I moved here was to drive to New Jersey to visit Autumn and Jim. Though we don’t go to their home as often, it is still a priority to see them two or three times a year. Last year we stopped on our way home from the Outer Banks, and they came to our place at Thanksgiving. We felt we were overdue for a visit so the Memorial Day weekend was targeted for the drive.  Driving to New York and New Jersey has become such a routine for us that when I spaced my turn onto the George Washington Bridge, I didn’t freak out but instead drove on up to the Lincoln Tunnel and crossed the Hudson. Though it added another twenty minutes to the journey, I felt good that driving in New York doesn’t intimidate me the way it did when I first moved here.

Jim and Autumn have been working hard over the past year to lose weight. Together, they’ve lost over 200 lbs. To reward them, we took them shopping for new clothes. Autumn was thrilled to be finding so many more options that were in her size. We just enjoyed making her happy.  After the shopping, we enjoyed the beautiful weather at the miniature golf course. Jim likes this course because of the beautiful waterfall and the batting cages. I learned that he used to play baseball when he was younger and really enjoys swinging the bat. After golf, we treated the kids to Sushi and other Asian delights for lunch.

Our time with Jim and Autumn is pretty routine. We come down Friday night and stay at a hotel. We spend Saturday with them until we’re all done seeing each other. Then Sunday, Janet and I drive to New York to see a show or something on the way back.  I’ve been following the development of Hudson Yards West and wanted to see it now that it’s open. One of the buildings is taller than the Empire State Building and boasts the highest outdoor observation deck in the country. We mostly saw the mall that contained many 5th Ave stores like Rolex, Cartier, and Nieman Marcus. It’s very steely and the lines are precise. But there are also pieces of art staged throughout the complex that provide color and whimsy.  The mall has a bent toward Asian food and shops. I really enjoyed a store called MUJI. It looked like a perfectionist’s dream store.

Outside the mall is a huge sculpture called Vessel. Visitors are allowed to roam throughout the structure, but it looked like more stairs than Venice, so we passed. The  complex is built over half the railway yards that lead into Penn Station.  Eventually Hudson Yards West will cover the remaining portion of the railway yards and be a city within the city. I checked out the rents on some of the apartments and learned at $9,000+/mo. I wouldn’t be living there any time soon!

We’ve done the touristy restaurants in New York, and will probably do more in the future, but today we just wanted some simple pasta. We found a nice little local ristorante in Hell’s Kitchen for lunch that decided French music would be a nice change of pace from the traditional Italian soundtrack.

Today marked my 21st Broadway show since moving to New England (24 total). If I were a tourist, I’d probably enjoy seeing the stores and sights in Times Square. These days I only go in to enjoy a few minutes of air conditioning while waiting for the theater to open.  I did take a moment to snap a picture of the larger than life (or maybe they are life-size) Godzilla pictures to send to my son, Erik.

For this trip, I booked tickets to “Come From Away,” the story of the Newfoundland community that took in 7,000 stranded passengers after 9/11. Unlike most shows, this one only lasted 90 minutes and had no intermission. The orchestra sat on the stage, and at times joined the cast. There were were no set changes other than moving chairs around and the turntable. But, it was fantastic. From the moment the music started, there was non-stop motion, dialogue, and singing. The timing was impeccable.  It had the perfect balance of humor mixed in with the heartache and tragedy of that week. I can certainly see why it won a Tony for best direction of a musical.

I kind of judge my “localness” by how quickly we can leave the city, and if we can avoid traffic. Today I succeeded on both accounts. We even chose to change the route up to give us more food options on the way home. Traffic was light, probably due to it being mid-way through the holiday weekend. But that’s just that way Janet likes it, so we were happy.  Being local, we have many options. We can pick the times to go, the things to see, and the places to eat. We don’t have to see everything in one trip, because we know we’ll be back soon!

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller