Episode 73: January – March 2016
Highlights of the quarter:
- Melissa and Daniel get
married;
- Neal changes jobs;
- Weekend in Miami;
- Valentine’s Day at Tarrytown
Castle;
- Cathy and Mackenzie
come visit us in NYC;
- Deb’s weekend in Barcelona;
- Welcome to New York.
Our year began on a high. My
gorgeous step sister, Melissa, got married to her love, Daniel, on January
9. The wedding was beautiful, and we
were so happy to be able to stay in Melbourne for an extra week so we could share
their special day with them. It also
gave us time to gather more precious memories with my family before it was time
to get back to normal life and home in New York.
While we were in Australia, Neal received some surprising news. While we were at brunch one weekend afternoon,
Neal got a call inviting him to interview for the position of Dow’s Vice
President of Investor Relations. Naturally,
he jumped at the opportunity, and once we were back in the U.S. he interviewed
for the position and got it! He jumped
right in with his first earnings call a few days after he accepted the offer,
followed by what has continued to be a whirlwind travel schedule to visit investors
and analysts around the country. Between
his and my travel schedules, there have been limited days of overlap for the
two of us, but we made the most of every opportunity when we were able to be in
the same city.
During one of those rare weekends we were both in town we had the good
fortune to attend the annual Australian American Association’s gala dinner held
at a convention center on Wall Street.
That was a fun night out on the town for many reasons, not the least of
which was my chance meeting with celebrity chef, Mario Batali. He was a very nice man, and even agreed to a picture
with me.
In early February, Neal had to head to Miami for a work-related
meeting, so I flew down and we tacked on a relaxing weekend there with our
friends, Paula and Cathy. Lots of sun
and good food was on the menu.
In the middle of the month, I surprised Neal with a Valentine’s Day
present – a weekend away at the beautiful Tarrytown Castle Hotel & Spa,
complete with massages, a relaxing spa day, and a lovely dinner. There was one snafu, though, as the hotel lost
power that evening due to extremely cold temperatures and gusty winds. That forced us to switch hotels soon after
dinner, but nonetheless, we managed to enjoy the area.
Our friend, Cathy, visited us in NYC with her daughter, Mackenzie, for
a weekend to celebrate Mackenzie’s 18th birthday. We were honored they let us share in the celebration,
and together we explored Bryant Park, the Flatiron district, and got in a spot
of shopping. On one of the evenings, we saw
the musical Jersey Boys, followed by
a few drinks and dancing at the W Hotel bar in Times Square.
Aside from work, there were a lot of other quick highlights through the
quarter. I spent a wonderful evening
catching up with my beautiful friend, Michelle Albin, from Zurich; I also
caught up with a few NYC locals, including Mary Tavon and Valerie Germain; and
I also reunited with old colleagues, including Kim Ann Mink, Andreas Karl, Phil
Read, Stefan Vos, Maria Clara Silva, and Ann Judge.
One of the wonderful things about NYC is the dynamic melting pot it is,
with so many people and cultures crammed onto a small island. As an example, I finally had a chance to
properly celebrate Australia Day in the U.S. with several other
Australians. I went to an organized Australia
Day celebration at a bar in the city, where I was joined by a friend of mine, Rachel,
as well as 100 other Australians I did not know. The pub was serving local Australian beers on
tap, and even had meat pies and fish and chips on the menu. Unfortunately, Neal was out of town for work and
so was not able to witness the spectacle of all those rowdy Australians in one
spot.
My work travels took me to Singapore, Vietnam, Miami, St. Louis, and
Barcelona. While in Barcelona, I stayed
for the weekend and was joined by Maria (my dearest girlfriend from Zurich), Carol,
and Sarah for a girls’ weekend. In
addition to multiple coffees and snacks through the day, Maria and I hit a
great tavern in Las Ramblas called Bar Canale.
The following day, Carol, Sarah, and I spent a long afternoon catching
up over cava and tapas at the indoor mercado, La Nationale, followed by a long
dinner at Boca Grande. Overall, a short,
but amazing weekend.
Neal’s travels kept him in the U.S., but he did a good job of crossing
the country – he touched Michigan, California, Texas, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Utah, and Florida.
His work-related travels eased up a little bit toward the end of the
quarter, which let him catch up with his uncle for lunch and entertain many
analysts, investors, and Dow colleagues locally here in NYC.
The best news of the quarter was that we settled into our new apartment
in Manhattan. After visiting many
suitors, we landed on a place in Turtle Bay, a neighborhood in Midtown East. The move was, as anticipated, all hands on
deck, but all boxes are now unpacked, and it feels like home. I have begun life as a commuter and am
enjoying the 40-minute train ride to my office in White Plains. The train ride gives me a chance to read the
newspaper, catch up on emails, and ease into the front- and back-end of the
day.
Most of all, we love having so many fabulous places to eat, shop, and
explore right at our doorstep. We’re
still getting familiar with the neighborhood and all it has to offer. There’s so much to see and do. Neal has tried out both Soul Cycle and their primary
competitor, Fly Wheel. Close call, but
his vote is with Soul Cycle for now. We’ve
visited multiple food spots that have hit the favorite list and will be repeats. The food highlight of the quarter was a long Easter
dinner at Jean Georges, thanks to our dear friends at Dow who chipped in to
give us this great foodie farewell gift when I left Midland. Although we’re only a few weeks in, it’s turning
out to be a great decision to move to NYC.
The spare bedroom is ready for guests – we hope many of you come to
visit!
