I’m not always with my family on Thanksgiving, but I missed them more this year. It wasn’t that I wanted to be with them, I wanted them to be with me, with us. I thought of them throughout the parade. The kids especially would have loved it. I’ve never believed the old saying, “You can’t have it all!” I know it’s true, but I still ask, “Why not?”

Cal treated me to dinner at ’21’ Club on 54th Street and 5th Avenue, a first. We learned of the restaurant on the nightly news. It was recognized, because Donald Trump, after his election win, was reprimanded for dining there without Secret Service knowing.

We did our best at looking fabulous and had a magical Thanksgiving dinner. No, we did not see The Donald, but it was fun to imagine us being in his elite environment. It did have the feeling of an exclusive club where some belonged and we didn’t. 

After dinner, we strolled down 5th Avenue and enjoyed the lights. We checked out Trump Tower, a first. Yes, once we maneuvered the barricades and security, it was quite impressive.

Goodbye, Thanksgiving 2016. Hello, Christmas.

On the morning of the 26th, we headed out for a nice walk and breakfast. We walked from 57th to 2nd and back again. We stopped at a Poseidon Confectionery for Baklava, and also indulged in almond croissants at Eric Kayser‘s. The owner at Poseidon said Martha Stewart told her she was the only bakery in the United States to make their own Phyllo dough from scratch.

We walked, for a block or two, behind a young woman who was on her phone. At least twenty men stopped, jerked their heads in her direction,  and looked her up and down. It was hilarious and rude. I told Cal to run ahead of her so he could see what they saw.  He didn’t. She seemed unconscious to the attention. It takes little to entertain us.

Black Friday was crazy. People were swarming – everywhere, especially on 5th Ave. We ducked into our favorite Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village, Villa Mosconi, to breathe and stare into the distance. Thank goodness for Chianti, pasta, and Limoncello.

I bought a new hat at Goorin Bros. Bold Hatmakers; a first. Just what I needed. It is a black, felt, wide-brim Fedora. After my 50% off purchase, we walked with an umbrella as the city enjoyed a rain shower.

We mistakenly stopped at Macy’s on 34th. I’m surprised I didn’t start wailing and flailing in a panic. I wanted to show Cal the original wooden escalators, but it didn’t happen; clerks directed us wrong three times, and I could not manage one more minute of crowds. Whew, we escaped, alive.

Cal, wearing his Fitbit, said we walked over ten miles. He is ready to change his flight and go back to Arizona before schedule. He was slumped over and groaning, regularly, by the time the day ended. He gets credit for being a trooper.

Two Months of Firsts – #6

Written on November 26, 2016