Amsterdam via New York City - April, 2015

New York City, April 10, 2015

After an hour delay, my "red eye" flight from Los Angeles arrived in New York City just in time for morning rush hour traffic.  I still made it to Jac's adorable Upper West Side apartment before she left for work.  I haven't seen Jac in weeks, so I was thrilled to get there to see her and her precious Chewie, the sweetest, most lovable pup on the planet.

A quick nap and a much needed hair appointment later, we kicked off my visit with brunch at Jacob's Pickles.  

Jacob's Pickles

About a 10 block walk from Jacqueline's apartment, Jacob's Pickles is known for Beer, Biscuits and Pickles.  The daily special of fried chicken, served on a cheese covered biscuit piled high with fried egg and a side of cheese grits was scrumptious!!  There was no way to finish it all, but oh what a delicious challenge and a great way to start the day.

After brunch, we returned to Jacqueline's apartment to rest up before our next feeding at Cafe Frida, a neighborhood Mexican restaurant with fabulous Hibiscus Margaritas and Guacamole.  After satiating our appetites, (again) we moved the party to Jacqueline's apartment to greet the guests who were invited via FaceBook to "The Julie Party," where appetizers and "WINE NOT SERVED FROM A BOX" were promised.

Champagne NOT served from a box.

Jac had friends from college visiting this weekend, so I got to spend time with a remarkable group of young professionals.  They made me feel extraordinarily welcome.  It was so much fun catching up with Joe, Zack, Andrew, Gabby and Elysa.  And I enjoyed meeting Alicia, Stefan, John, Veronica, Josh and Kristen.

Kristen, Alicia, Jacqueline, Joe, Andrew, Zack, Veronica, Gabby.  To good friends.

One of the highlights of the evening was teaching the kids how to open bottles of champagne with a sommelier saber, a trick that my dear friend and bro, Haynes taught me earlier this year.  Appearing intimidatingly difficult, it is actually astonishingly easy to whack off the top of a bottle of champagne with a saber.  How can a simple barbaric task be so incredibly gratifying?  No clue.  But it certainly is.  (I don't recommend trying this at home without being properly trained.)  

All twelve of us walked down four flights of stairs to the front porch of Jacqueline's apartment for the first lesson.  Jacqueline was a quick study and caught on immediately.  Later, when Andrew and Alicia were ready to try, nobody felt like trekking downstairs, so we opted for hacking off the tops of the bottles from the window of Jac's fourth floor apartment.  Fortunately, nobody was below to be doused with corks and champagne and we gathered the corks from below the next morning.

By midnight, I was exhausted from my overnight flight, so I went to bed.  The kids, however, went out for another adventure.  Oh to be young again!

Shopping at Bloomingdales.

Brunch at Isabella's Saturday morning didn't pan out as there was a 45 minute wait.  Since we were feeling a call from the shopping gods, we decided to go for a quick lunch at Shake Shack, a local New York favorite for burgers, and then we found our way to Bloomingdales.  We didn't have much time, but we got a lot done in just a few hours.



A few weeks ago, Jacqueline dropped her business card in the fishbowl at The Gin Mill for a drawing to win a "Free Cocktail Party."  She won.   So she invited 20 guests and we met at The Gin Mill for cocktails from 8:00 - 9:00 Saturday evening.  Jac, having learned an old trick from her dad, tipped the bartender "early and heavy," which allowed for incredible service the entire evening.  

Jacqueline's Friends From Brown University.

Everyone had a fabulous time and when our time for free drinks ended, we set off across the street for food at The Meatball Shop.  "Man Down!"  We lost Stephan.  Joe stayed behind to make sure Stephan made it home safely and the rest of us returned to Jacqueline's apartment, where they dropped me and went out again.  I'm seeing  pattern developing here.  I'm sure, being the life of the party, they didn't want me to call it quits, but I just can't run with the youngsters any more.  

Brunch at Calle Ocho

Sunday morning, you guessed it ... another feeding.  This time at Calle Ocho for the "bottomless" Sangria Brunch.  The food was great, but the Sangria was not all that special.  We had a great meal and then packed a cooler with champagne and headed to Central

Picnic at Central Park

Park for a Champagne picnic and some much needed down time.  As the afternoon faded, Joe, Andrew, Zack and John had to catch trains and planes back to their homes.  We had a wonderful time with them.  But entertaining is exhausting so Jac and I returned to her apartment and decided to watch tv and stay in for the evening.  I introduced her to a tv series I've been watching called "The Black List."  She's hooked.

These pups clearly cannot read the No Swimming Sign.

My friend, Jess arrived early Monday morning for a few days.  Never having been to NYC, Jac and I had many ideas of things for Jess to do and see.  We started with a walk in Central Park with Chewie, where we met some dogs who clearly could NOT read.  The trees have just started blooming, the park is beautiful.  Chewie had a lovely time running wild, socializing and making numerous new friends until the 9:00 curfew when he had to get re-harnessed.  I swear the squirrels can tell time, because they stay in the trees until 9:00 when the dogs go back on leashes.  

Biscuit French Toast.

We dropped Chewie off at the apartment and headed to Jacob's Pickles for brunch.  I'd been thinking about the Biscuit French Toast  since my last visit there.  It did NOT disappoint.   Delicious!!

Levain's Cookie.

What visit to NYC would be complete without a stop at Levain's Bakery for a chocolate chip cookie.  Jess has had Levain's cookies before, but never a fresh hot one right out of the oven.  Yum!!

Monday evening, Jacqueline made reservations for us a Beauty and Essex, a favorite "small plate" restaurant.  We had nearly every item on the small plate menu before heading home for more episodes of "Black List."

Pedicure Time.

Tuesday, in preparation for my trip to The Netherlands, we scheduled a manicure/pedicure day.  

Lunch at AG Kitchen

Then Jess and I had a nice lunch at AG Kitchen followed by a quick visit to Bloomingdales - yes a QUICK visit.  I was in and out in less than one hour.  Unheard of!  But we were in a hurry to get home to meet Jac for dinner and a Broadway play.  

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 We went to see "The Book of Mormon," a play I've wanted to see for a couple of years.  The show, which was particularly interesting to me because Jess has taught me so much about the Mormon faith, was totally irreverent, sacrilegious and absolutely hilarious!  About what I expected from the authors of the animated tv series South Park.

Jac and Jess on the New York Subway.

What trip to New York would be complete without a ride on the subway.  This is a true cultural experience.  Public transportation at it's best.  Ha!

Jacqueline in the co-pilot seat of our helicopter.

Wednesday morning, the skies were clear and sunny and just perfect for a helicopter tour of the city.  As many times as I've been to NYC, I've never done the helicopter tour.  It was fabulous!
  

Helicopter view of Statue of Liberty

We circled the Statue of Liberty and then flew up the Hudson River.  What a spectacular way to see the NYC skyline.  

View of New York City Skyline from the helicopter.

Afterwards, we wandered around the financial district for a while before returning home to begin packing.  I packed my 



bags for Amsterdam and then we went to a local deli, bought sandwiches and other goodies for a picnic and headed to Central Park.  The sun was gloriously warm and the trees are beginning to pop color everywhere.  What a great way to wrap up the day and a visit to New York City.



















Around 4:30, a sorrowful goodbye to Jacqueline and Chewie ensued as it was time to head to JFK for my Holland adventure.

I am so proud of Jac.  She is working so hard with her research at Columbia and her studies in school.  Keep up the good work, Jac.  And thank you for the best visit EVER!!  I can't wait to come back.

Julie and Ellen off to JFK to catch our flight to Amsterdam.

After picking up Ellen at her home, we headed to the airport.  Jess is catching a flight back to LA.  Ellen and I are off to Amsterdam for a biking trip with Stevie and some other Maroon Creek friends.

Dinner at "The Palm" before catching our flight.

We had a nice dinner at "The Palm" restaurant at JFK, which lasted a little longer than expected, so we rushed to our gate, arriving just as the "last call" announcement came across the p.a. system.  Whew!  We made it.  

I'm on my Delta flight right now and catching up on the blog.  Tomorrow, we arrive in Amsterdam for a few days of touring before our bike trip begins Sunday.  You'll be hearing from me again tomorrow.  Until then, nite, nite.