Episode 74: April – June 2016
Highlights of the quarter:
- 5 Boro Bike Tour;
- Getaway to Tasmania;
- Neal and Deb celebrate
their big 40-40-10;
- Nikki & Craig
visit NYC.
We began settling into New York City life this quarter. It is so much fun to see a city with a fresh
set of eyes. The Yosino Cherry and
Bradbury Pear trees coming into full bloom in the spring on Park Avenue is a sight
that never got old, and we hope it never does.
My mum took a health turn, which took me back to Australia in
April. Neal spent most of the month of
April back in Michigan preparing for, and releasing, his company’s earnings. We reunited in NYC at the end of the month to
welcome our first set of visitors to our new Manhattan residence. Our friends, Michelle, Ed, Rebecca, and Ward,
came in from Michigan to spend a long weekend in the city. We connected with our inner hipster, going to
Brooklyn for dinner one night at the restaurant Talde – owned by Top Chef
season 4 contestant Dale Talde – followed by tunes at a quaint jazz club to
finish out the night. We also went
top-shelf, with dinners at craftbar and Gramercy Tavern. The highlight of the weekend was supposed to
be the 5 Boro Bike Tour – a 40-mile organized ride that takes 30,000+ riders
through all five of NYC’s boroughs. We
had so much fun riding it last year that we decided as a group to give it
another go. Unfortunately, the weather had
other plans. We woke up the morning of
the ride to a very cloudy, windy, and cold day.
Undeterred, we pushed on and traveled to Battery Park, got our bikes,
and made our way to the start line. But after
only five miles of riding – during which we got soaked by the rain – we bailed. Our consolation prize was a stop at Tom’s
Diner – famous as the spot used for the outdoor shots of the diner where the
Seinfeld crew hung out – for some hot chocolate and breakfast. Later in the day, we exercised our brains
with a stop at the Whitney Museum in the Meatpacking District.
Both Neal and I celebrated three big milestones this quarter: our 10th
wedding anniversary and for each of us, our 40th birthdays. These made for a great excuse to celebrate. For my birthday in May, Neal organized a tour
of NYC, filled with stops that reminded me of him and our favorite places in
the city. We ate at Kefi, a Greek
restaurant that we visited together on our first trip to NYC 13 years ago; we
rode our bikes through Central park and made a few stops at places I have never
seen before, including Belvedere Castle, the highest point of the park. We made a stop at the Metropolitan Museum of
Art where we headed straight to a fashion-meets-technology exhibition. The day finished with the top highlight: surprise
tickets to Hamilton, the most coveted
show on Broadway. The show lived up to the
hype and reviews – and more. It was an
amazing, fresh take on a musical, and an amazing way to tell such an important
American history story. We were blown
away.
For Neal’s birthday in June, I organized a surprise joy flight over NYC. The flight took off from a small airport near
Jones Beach on Long Island and flew alongside Manhattan, up the East River, and
back over Long Island. Neal even got to
fly the plane for a little bit. It was a
stunning way to see the city and we could not have asked for a better day –
beautiful clear blue skies and visibility for miles.
In May we both headed back to Australia for a family vacation to
Tasmania. We started in Launceston where
we explored the town, visited the Cataract Gorge, and did a tour of the James
Boags brewery. From there, we drove west
to the amazing coastline and the little town of Coles Bay. The accommodation there was incredible – we had
three neighboring rooms, almost literally on the water’s edge. While we were in Coles Bay, we took a boat
cruise to Wineglass Bay. That tour was
the highlight of the visit as we took in incredibly picturesque scenery and up
close encounters with pods of dolphins before anchoring in the beautiful bay
where we enjoyed lunch on the boat under the sun. The last stop on our trip was the “big” city –
Hobart. While there, we got a bird’s eye
view of the city and its surrounds from the top of Mount Wellington, visited a
local oyster farm where we indulged ourselves in a few dozen oysters for lunch,
and toured the historic site of Port Arthur, which used to be a penal colony,
making it a little spooky. Tasmania
surprised us in many ways. It is a state
that prides itself on local, fresh produce, which is surprisingly in abundance
year-round, as well as the beer and wine that is produced locally. The terrain is diverse, unique, and beautiful
– it was fun to spend some quality time driving the backroads of the
island. We had a fantastic trip and
enjoyed every precious minute with the family before heading back to
Melbourne. I stayed in Melbourne for
another week to spend some more time with mum while Neal headed back to the U.S.
to get back for some work events.
Also in the quarter, we enjoyed spending time with our friends and
newly-engaged couple, Nicole and Craig, who came to visit after spending a few
days soaking up the sun in Barbados. We
spent time together in the Lower East Side, heard some jazz at the famous Blue
Note Jazz Club, and had a special dinner at Aquavit to celebrate their
engagement.
There are so many great things about living in Manhattan. The access to food and theatre are just two
of them that we have been very much indulging in since moving here. We’re keeping a guide of our favorite
restaurants so we’ll be well versed in which ones to revisit in the
future. On the theatre front, in addition
to Hamilton, we saw a great musical called Fun
Home in a tiny theatre just off Broadway.
Although we had not heard much about it before going, it was well worth
seeing, and we definitely recommend it to others. We’re looking forward to many more of these “daily”
adventures that this city affords us.
To put it simply, life is one big adventure, and we’re loving it. Until next quarter, hope you’re enjoying the
adventure, too!
