New York, New York

Has it really been three years? The last time that I was sipping coffee in the sunny window seat of my brother’s home in Brooklyn Heights was exactly three years ago. Both PJ and Julia were still in high school and I was getting ready to move to Guadalajara. Now, we’re all back here again, this time for my niece Julia’s graduation.

On Thursday I took an early morning flight from Guadalajara and landed mid afternoon at JFK airport in New York, just in time to take a taxi, change clothes and make it for Julia’s graduation from Packer Collegiate Institute. Family and friends viewed from the rows of chairs in the school’s courtyard while students and faculty gave speeches about their close-knit student body and about their academic and community achievements. Supreme Court Justice Kennedy gave the keynote address, as his grandson was in the graduating class. After the ceremony we celebrated Julia with a family dinner in the Red Hook neighborhood and then for drinks after at Le Boudoir, a hip semi-hidden bar in a bunker.

Friday was a great family day around the Lower East Side. I dragged my family once again to visit the LES Tenement Museum which I love for its style of teaching history through the individual, everyday families that once lived in the tenement building through the waves of New York immigration. While maybe it is not a common activity for families to come together on a trip to New York to learn about sweatshops and immigration history, it is one of my favorite spots in the city and I appreciate that my family supports my interests. Our next stop was to the “Economy Candy” shop, which is like all of Willy Wonka’s factories squished into a New York-style bodega with all the classics, including my favorite, pick-your-mix Jelly Bellys. We spent the evening at my brother’s home with a delicious dinner prepared by Denise, an amazing cook. She’s so good, I even ate kale. Our family friend, Sam and his fiance Eric joined us and we got to hear about their exciting, upcoming wedding plans.

On Saturday we had a delectable brunch in Denise’s kitchen before taking the subway to MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art. PJ shared his wealth of knowledge of 20th century artists and was very believable in filling in any gaps that he didn’t know. He has a knack for art history and is a convincing bullshitter. I squeezed in a quick shopping trip to Uniqlo, a clothing store where I picked up some stylish but casual basics. We went for a delish steak dinner and then, off to our main event, a Broadway show. It was my first time attending a real Broadway show and I was amazed at the entire production with all the cast and crew; the singing and dancing; and the lights and costumes. We saw Beautiful: the Carole King Musical which featured the singer-songwriter’s start in show business. I left the theater incredibly impressed.  

Sunday was Father’s Day. We took the day slow; watching Mexico beat Germany in the World Cup opening games. We walked down to the promenade and along the river. The view of Manhattan from the Brooklyn side is dramatic and the people-watching is great where the city has replaced the old docks with recreational areas. Late afternoon we journeyed to East Williamsburg for a pizza and beer at hip place called Roberta’s. The best slice was the “Bee Sting” with just the right mix of spicy and sweet. Before long it was time to grab a cab back to the airport for the red-eye back to Guadalajara, just in time to clear immigration, grab a coffee and make it to work on time Monday morning.  

June 2018