Week 6: The Big Apple - Cursed Child, Blessed Child
Happy Memorial Day everyone! Thank you to all the heroes that have fought for us, the ones that are still doing it today, and all their families that share in the sacrifice so the rest of us can live the lives we want to live. God bless.
Before I get to my next update, I want to let all you Bostonians know I’ll be home Father’s Day weekend. We are hosting an Open House on Juneteenth from 5:00pm-9:00pm for anyone that wants to come by. You can drop in anytime in that window, stay for one or for many, whatever works for your schedule. I’m looking forward to seeing a bunch of you and hearing what’s been going on with YOU!
Here’s what’s been going on with me…
Day 36-37
Wrapped up at the spa, drove to a friend’s house in Chatham NJ to park my car in a safe driveway for the week (thank you Skate and fam, what a save!). Uber’d into NYC, had dinner at the Cookshop in Chelsea with two of my kids – delicious. Waiter tells us Sandra Bernhard is two tables over, my kids have no idea who that is. I tell them everybody in my generation knows her, they ask what she’s in and I say “nobody knows.”
Day 38
Grabbed my Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee, my consolation prize for being back in a place where there are so many people. Sat in the beautiful Bryant Park, crafted an update to all of you. NJ friends came into NYC for dinner and a play - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – super fun girls night! For those few of you on here that did not hear the story or see this pic in the past, I am attaching a pic of what an app told me a few years ago is my best celebrity look alike.
Day 39
Lunch at Ellen’s Stardust Diner with my daughter, then I walked up to the east side for a haircut. Noticed along the way that Louis Vuitton turned itself into a suitcase since I’d last been up there. I asked A.I. when and why Louis Vuitton did this, they say it’s scaffolding put up last year, temporary as they renovate. I feel so lucky that I hit this at the right time and got to see it before it is taken down. I look around to see if anyone else is caring. They are not. They are taking pictures of the building three over, The Trump Tower, which to me is just another building in NYC. Sad. And dumb. Missing the real art and beauty right in front of them.
Get to the hair salon, they ask me to wait for a few, so I sit on the couch and see Sandra Bernhardt staring at me from the cover of the Town & Country magazine. How weird is that? Why is she relevant again? Nobody knows. I don’t have time to read the article to find out. I’m called up.
Walked through Central Park on my way home from the haircut and noticed another new thing since I’d last been there. An incredibly large and scary sculpture, an oversized head of a man with a tick on his face, oh wait, the sign next to it says it’s an Egyptian scarab god meant to suggest a future where humans and other animals live in greater balance, where even the most humble insects are revered for the essential role they play in sustaining all of life on Earth. I ask A.I. what’s the deal with scarabs as I’ve never even heard of them, and find out it’s a beetle on the face, not a tick, and they were a religious symbol meant to bring good luck, protection, and prosperity. I see something more along the lines of fear, claustrophobia, and disease. Just sayin’.
Day 40
My son’s graduation from grad school (congrats bud!). It was a beautiful day but I had to put on a dress and heels for the first time in a long time which made me a little grumpy. I completely wore the wrong shoes. So JV. I know better from all my business trips, I do own the right shoes, they just weren’t with me as I didn’t expect to need them on this journey across the country. Plus I thought a taxi would drop me off and pick me up exactly where necessary in NYC so I wore fashion shoes, turns out Columbia had other ideas and we had to walk all around the campus to get in. When we finally made it through the gates it was time for a restroom break. I see port-o-potties immediately upon entry and I’m like - oh no, I don’t think so. As you know, I’m trying to be low-maintenance here and I’ve certainly seen my share of port-o-potties on this trip already, but I’m in a dress and fancy shoes and had a mouse on my face last week so I’m going to expect a little more today from the Ivy League. Call me entitled, just show me to the indoor plumbing. They directed me to the handicapped bathroom. I’ll take it.
So back to this wonderful occasion. Grad school graduations are much easier than the other ones – kindergarten, fifth grade, eighth grade, high school, college. Nothing is urgent, you can just go with the flow. I found I kept saying – “it’s just a grad school graduation.”
What time should we get there?
“Who cares. It’s just a grad school graduation.”
Where should we sit?
“Who cares. It’s just a grad school graduation.”
Where should we take pictures?
“Right here, a million feet away. Don’t move an inch. It’s just a grad school graduation.”
Should we stay until they call the one thousandth name?
“Definitely not. It’s just a grad school graduation.”
We took a picture of the television screen in front of us when my son was getting his diploma. They were already calling out the next name so in the picture of my son hugging his professor and getting his diploma, the name on the screen says Jonathan Garrido. That is not my son’s name. Luckily it was just a grad school graduation.
After that time capsule pic, we headed to the garden to the designated meeting spot we had agreed on over text an hour earlier – the garden with the port-o-potties. We all knew where it was and there were some pretty flowers and trees for the background of the standard pics - graduate alone, graduate with full family, graduate with parents, graduate with siblings, graduate with aunt, graduate with all the ladies, graduate with the one guy (dad). Luckily it was just a grad school graduation or that could have gone on much longer, with more unique combinations.
While we are taking pictures, I start to worry about making my son feel bad because I keep saying “it’s just a grad school graduation.” I don’t want to undermine all his hard work - we are of course all so proud of him and excited to see where he takes this next chapter. I ask him if he wants to put on his cap for the next picture, we haven’t seen it on him all day, he says “no, I don’t do these hats.” His way of saying “it’s just a grad school graduation” so I don’t feel so bad now.
Post pics in the potty garden, we had a fantastic brunch in the Upper West Side, then a party with a bunch of you at Lydia’s in the East Village that night – so great to see all of you! Thank you for bringing the cake and dessert ladies. I didn’t make plans for anything like that since it was just a grad school graduation.
Day 41
Shopped in SoHo – So not fun. Hot, one million people, lines to get into stores. Don’t they all know you can buy this sh** online now? Dinner at Bar Six with family + one sidekick friend we adore, played cards at fun bar picked by sidekick. Parents go home early, kids stay out too late.
Day 42
Picked up my car bright and early in Chatham NJ then started the longest drive for me yet, 7 hours to my next stop - Cleveland.
Drove through western Pennsylvania, saw a sign for Friendly’s. I have a deep history there so had to stop for my favorite ice-cream sundae with hot fudge and pineapple topping.
As for later that day, well let me leave you with a cliff hanger. For now I will just say entering Cleveland did NOT feel the same as when I entered Owego and saw a beautiful mural that said “We are so Glad You are Here.”
Pictures attached:
Harry Potter
Dumb App
Dumb Tourist
Nobody Knows
Tick on Face
Just the Grad School Graduate
Daughter and Sidekick
