Our Journey Begins

We have just embarked on a fun journey that, for me will last about 5 1/2 weeks. I’m recording this for family history but you are welcome to come along.

No sooner had we arrived at Eli and Julie’s cozy little five story walk-up apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan than there was a knock at the door. “Laundry! delivery” Julie claimed although she knew about the surprise. Saydi had driven from Boston with Charlie for a very special Mommy Date to take in all they could in the Big Apple for 48 hours. NYC is Saydi’s Oyster since she lived there while she got her Master’s Degree at Colombia University,

Among other things they had been to a Mets/Red Socks Game, since Charlie is a true baseball affectionado and avid Red Socks fan. They had come the night before we got there and after a fun dinner at a Thai Restaurant literally at the bottom of the Eli and Julie’s stairs, Saydi and Charlie headed out for a quick look at Time Square. Check Saydi’s blog for details where they will appear soon at bostonshumways.blogspot.com.

They ended up sleeping on the neighbor’s air mattress halfway under Eli and Julie’s dining table while Richard and I slept in Eli and Julie’s trusty and really comfortable blow-up mattress. That little visit from them was an unexpected treat!

The next morning Saydi and Charlie were off to Boston and Richard and I had fun with the half hour walk to church at Lincoln Center with the two kiddos in their beautiful stroller, which the management wont let them leave on the main floor any more because of a fire code.  It’s a disaster to try to carry that necessary piece of survival in NYC up all those flights of stairs every time they take it out!  They are looking for another apartment….in the neighborhood.

It was a delight to be at church which is such a small world in NYC! We met so many people who knew our kids and whom we had known from different places. Five young women had been at our Fireside in Singapore last year and an older mom was there with all her daughters and daughters-in-law for a retreat. This amazing mother had 14 children…. who are now beautiful competent individuals doing excellent things. She had six daughters and eight sons and had been able to gather 11 of her daughters and daughters-in-law for this epic gathering. More to come on our own gathering of the Eyerealm women later on our journey. Most of those daughters were avid fans of Powerofmoms.com and 71toes.com which made it even more fun!

The next morning we headed for our annual celebration of the US Open with Eli who was able to come along.  Even though it was 91 degrees and 50 % humidity, we had so much fun seeing matches, observing at the practice courts and enjoying the atmosphere of one of the great sports of the world!

Here is Venus Williams on her 4th Match Point at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The next couple of days we had fun with Eli and Julie and especially Zara and Dean!  Great memories were gathered at the playground down the street. Zara ran through the fountains in her little watermelon dress with abandon, drew all over the rubber flooring with sidewalk chalk and then managed to get some swiped on cute Dean’s head during her incessant “hugs”!

You probably couldn’t see the purple and green stripes in his hair as well as we could! He takes the “love” like a champ!

Zara, even found a little friend with her exact same dress and they were delighted with each other!

It was almost a straight shot from their apartment to the new exhibit just completed at the World Trade Center that Saydi and Charlie had loved seeing. While the elevator zips you up 101 floors, the building of NYC from the 1800s to the present surrounds you in the elevator. it is really quite incredible!

This is how the WTC looks from the base, followed by the view from the top!

That night a friend came to be with the kids and we went to a fabulous play on Broadway. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was one of the most unique plays we’ve every seen anywhere. Thought provoking and creative….it gave us something to talk about for days! The set was simple and amazingly complicated! Pure genius!

The next day I got a chance to walk around the streets of New York and relish the experience. I love that city! We are thinking of renting someplace in that neighborhood for a month next spring to really be able to take it all in!  I got a chance to see the fabulous Frank Sinatra exhibit at the Library in Lincoln Square across from the Julliard School of Music.I really went to take pictures for Eli because he is such a fan! It was beautifully done and even had a little sound booth where a person could go in one at a time and sing New York, New York with Frank at the top of lungs without anyone hearing!

We had a grand time with those two delightful kids! Dean just smiles incessantly, especially while standing on his daddy’s hand (we call it “the trick”) and Zara is so full of pizzazz that it just oozes out of her little purple glasses! Grandfather bought her a Babar (the elephant) who was one of our kids’ favorite characters in the old days.

These parents are spectacular….keeping those little guys’ minds busy every waking moment! Loved being with them!

We packed up and Eli and Zara hailed a cab for us as we headed out for the last day at the Open. Zara cried when we left which is always nice to know! Cutie!

We had a splendid time at the US Open again and saw a heart-stopping five-set match between Tomic and Layton Hewitt who is retiring after playing for 20 years after this year’s Australian Open. A memorable match!

About half way through the match the airline notified us that our flight to London which was supposed to leave at 10:50 that night had been cancelled and we would now be on a flight at 5 a.m. We found a hotel near JFK and were delighted to be able to take a shower after our sweat bath at the tennis. It was 93 with 50 percent humidity and it had to be over a 100 in the sun.

We went to bed at 11:30 p.m., woke up at 2:15 a.m. and went to the airport only to find that they had once again cancelled the flight which was now due to leave at 7:30 p.m. They canceled that flight too and after working at the hotel all day, we finally lifted off at  11 p.m. Don’t fly Norwegian! 

But the good news is that we are at the car rental at London Gatwick and we are on our way to see our baby Charity and her hard-working husband Ian! We can’t wait to be able to spend a few days with them in their new digs!