One of my favorite teachers in high school had a sign in her room with the famous Mark Twain quote: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” That has always stuck with me over the years, purely because I think it is so wonderfully honest and true. It’s one of the reasons I’m thankful to my parents for encouraging us to travel while we were young, and it means that it’s equally important to me that Cora and Issa experience the world for what it is as well. So when the opportunity to get away for a weekend to NYC presented itself a few months ago, I decided we would make the trek North, even if it meant flying by myself with the two girls. Even if it meant really only getting to see my family for 24 hours. I’m so glad we did it though, because seeing Cora’s eyes light up on Broadway and the memory of nursing Issa at Tavern on the Green in Central Park will be moments I won’t soon forget. If you weren’t overloaded with photos on my Snapchat, there are a few more I want to share with you today!
Saturday morning, before the rest of my family arrived, we got to spend some quality time with Auntie Hadley walking around Bryant Park and enjoying a quiet brunch at La Pain Quotidien. We perused the holiday shops that were already bustling, and even took part in a community juggling class. That’s one of the things I love about the Big Apple, there is always something happening. And I’ve been fortunate enough to primarily encounter only friendly people meandering in the streets, although the occasional New Yorker attitude would rear it’s ugly head. Not enough to ruin our day though. 😉
I have fond memories of seeing Broadway productions while I was growing up, so it made my heart happy to be there for Cora’s first. My five siblings, Cora, and I went to see Aladdin, which was just the right combination of Disney magic and Broadway pizzazz. It was such a joy to see Cora’s face light up after every scene, clapping as if her life depended on it. And since we don’t get to see my side of the family very often, it meant a lot that they were able to be there as well.
From left to right: My brother Corbin, my sister Kelsey, my sister Hadley, Cora, my sister Tenley, and my brother Corbin.
My parents, Clint and Marianne.
It turns out that with two kids, just walking the streets of NYC is an adventure. Luckily Issa was content to hang out in the Boba the majority of the time, and the weather wasn’t so terrible that they were freezing their faces off or anything. Thank goodness, because I seriously had to DIG to find winter clothes for them both! Anything under 80 degrees and my Texas babies are chilly, but they survived with hardly any meltdowns. And I know the photo below of my brother Corbin and Cora is out of focus, but it’s so cute I couldn’t help but include it!
Saturday night we had dinner at Tavern on the Green in Central Park, which is where I snapped this photo of my parents dancing. My mom loves New York, so she is always the tour guide when we come to town. Luckily she knows all the best spots, and then my sister Hadley has discovered a whole new side of the city since she’s started going to school close by. Sunday after the majority of my family left we took the Subway to the High Line, an urban park situated along an old elevated train line amongst the skyscrapers. We jumped off the path after a nice stroll to have dinner at a Cuban restaurant in Chelsea. All in all it was a lovely trip, albeit much too fast. And of course we wish Orlando could have joined us, but we’ll be seeing him in Cancun very soon!
XO,
A
