My family has suddenly discovered that vacations are fun. It all started with a two week vacation in Italy for John’s 60th in April 2008. I met Bekks and John in Brussels on business in September, then Ben + Allison and Joe flew out to California for Christmas and New Years. Who knew traveling was so cool?
June of 2009 had us all getting together again in New York! Ben + Allison, Allison’s sister Jess, Joe + H, Bekks + John, Jane, Jessica + Gabriel, B and Freda, Zoe + Hopelet. Sara just started a new job and couldn’t come; bummer.
We met in New York because Jessica was 5 months into her engagement with The Norman Conquests, a play on Broadway. I guess it was previously at The Old Vic in England, and was successful enough to warrant a NY version.
Bekks and John arranged a large apartment for us in TriBeCa, which is a trendy neighbourhood in southern Manhattan. We found it on Craigslist and it looked great on the photos. Unfortunately in person it didn’t look as good. In fact it looked bad. “Grotty” was the term used. Two days before I arrived we all got the dreaded text message: “Apt grotty. Looking for new lodging. Come anyway.”
It turned out to be a blessing. Bekks and John found a nice place. Jess’ friends loaned Ben + Ali, Jess, Joe + H, and me an incredible two-story penthouse apartment on Canal street. I think in the end we actually saved several thousand bucks on rental fees.
We walked around a lot. We went shopping.
We walked the Brooklyn Bridge and had pizza at Grimaldi’s.
We did a Manhattan boat tour. Saw the WTC ‘ground zero’. Shopped at Century 21.
Next: a farmhouse in the South of France in the summer of 2010!