travel films

The 4th of July in New York City

Told the husband a while back that I wanted to travel more.

He bought a timeshare.

I told him I missed NYC.

He booked plane tickets and a suite at the Westgate. 

This meant a lot to me.

NYC was the first “just because” trip I ever took as an adult. I didn’t travel there for family or work it was “just because”.

My sister and I were casually discussing “what ifs” and the next thing you know we booked tickets without a place to stay. Mind you neither of us had ever been.

Four years in a row, I continued to go. I continued to foster relationships with friends, friends of friends, and learned and explored the city.

I would come home revived and full of creative energy stemming for this part of my life I was able to step into every summer.

My husband is not the type. He’s an extroverted introvert, great conversationalist with the most beautiful smile and handsome face, but NYC is a lot for him.

The first couple of times going with my sister and then friends, it was great, but I yearned for us to experience the city I love together. 

I pride myself on going to the city and treating it as my own, skipping Times Square and other tourist attractions in exchange for drinking wine and playing games in Sheep Meadow amongst other things.

 I once got lost in Brooklyn… or was it the Bronx… while color blocking, but that’s a story for another time. 

I just wanted to show him NYC the way I experience it so he could see that it’s “more than”. I wanted him to meet my play cousin (I love you). All this was shared in a casual conversation over dinner which turned into him booking a flight to spend the 4th of July in New York.

 I’ve been holding on to this footage, but now I think it’s time to share. This is just a small glimpse.

We stayed on the top floor at the Westgate with a balcony and a view of Grand Central Station and the East River. Just tonight he said to me, “I get it now. I understand why you love New York.” There is a lot I don’t post and I don’t mean in reference to private events in my life, but also concerts, traveling, and a lot of things that we do together. There are multiple reasons for that, but I think it’s time to start sharing.

Times Square

Nick is a foodie.

He probably does not consider himself a foodie, but he is, and I’ll tell you why.

He loves a good burger. He loves street food. He loves a good hole-in-the-wall restaurant. To him, the worst it looks on the outside, the better the food is on the inside. I don’t understand his logic, but, hey, it’s his logic.

The 1st time I visited NYC was during a hurricane in Florida. My parents flew me up to visit my uncle in Connecticut while they evacuated to a separate location.

I was met there by my favorite cousins and an aunt. My uncle is the best host. Whatever we wanted to do, he made happen. 

He took us to New York, bought me a ticket to my first Broadway show, and told me that we DO NOT eat the street food or talk to strangers. …although I do talk to strangers now when I visit, it’s been more than once people have asked me for directions, I do still follow the rules concerning street food. 

Nope. Nada. Not happening.

But this guy… SMH… out here living his best life with no fear of heartburn or bubble guts. Hardcore.