April 18th
Just got home from a “New York Minute” of a NYC weekend. Brother Dave’s birthday.
Arrive Saturday night, depart Monday afternoon and cover miles in between. The amazing part about my weekends “home” is that I never know what to choose to write about afterwards.
This time is no different.
I could talk about how cliché staying in Times Square is, except that when you are with two nephews, 11 and 9, who have never bathed in the neon before, it’s like being a little kid all over again yourself. Wide eyes and open mouths. What a gas.
I could talk about my brother (or his crazy-ass wife) or my adorable, charming, so-good nephew-by-blood, Lucky. It was my younger brother’s birthday, and the inspiration for the trip. (Damn he’s getting old)
I could talk about how challenging it is to get 14 family members together for a birthday dinner in Manhattan, at a small Italian restaurant—and come even close to making everybody happy.
I could talk about one of the 14, my cousin Nate, who has followed a restaurant path that began with me in Lowell, then Chelmsford, then back to the biggest restaurant group in his hometown of Baltimore, and now, with one of the fastest growing restaurant groups in New York City—and Union Square’s Blue Water Grill! That’s right…my cousing now lives near my brother in NYC. How jealous am I, writing about that shit from Tyngsboro!
I could talk about now having beaucoup hook-ups in The Big Apple, and how my eldest daughter—rockin her own restaurant mojo all up in Chicago—called her ex college roommate (called, texted, whatever), the head Maitre D’ @ Mialino—located in the exlusive Grammercy Park Hotel and owned by NYC restaurant super-star-come-author (and my hero) Danny Mayer—To score us reservations on our 2nd night there…
OR…
I could talk about my crazy-ass family, and how 14 people in one evening around one table, can create so much weirdness, tension, foolishness and crying-nephews. (Seriously, it was reported by crazy sister in law #1 that she thinks the lad had “a nervous breakdown.” Yea, that could be fun. Maybe next blog…I have to remember…when I mentioned this on the drive home, and I was told “No, you can’t be one of those writers who throws his family under the bus”, whether or not I made any promises….hmmm…
Stay tuned.
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