Be my Guest!

An impromptu trip for my family this weekend! They decided they were coming to visit but used the excuse of bringing me an AC unit to justify it. Really, I just think they missed me.

Their arrival on Friday night/ Saturday morning at 1:45 am was way past my bedtime and they did in fact have to call to wake me up but upon them entering the apartment, I went back to bed and we woke up bright and early Saturday morning.

Naturally, we went to Pop up for breakfast because I really love any excuse for a fresh, hot bagel & these are some of the best. While Zeppe & I waited in line for those, my parents headed to 72nd Eatery for their BEC. Zeppe & I were swift with the ordering and walked to meet them and we ate our breakfast before venturing out for the day.

We decided to make a quick pit stop into Paper Source which is a goldmine for all the fun cards, paper products, scrapbooking supplies, etc. that your heart can desire. Riri is the craft queen so she was really having the time of her life in the store. They did have a few Jellycats inside & I so badly wanted to get myself the baguette keychain but I don’t think it goes with any of my bags.

Since we were on a bit of a time crunch, we moved with purpose across the park & to my favorite place in the city. For the first time, I was able to take my parents to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. My most highly recommended place for anyone visiting the city. We were lucky that it wasn’t super packed for a Saturday early afternoon. I am here at least once a week & it was the first time I have been back since my vacation. It was exciting to see new pieces on display & notice that new exhibits are on the way. Sadly, the John Singer Sargent exhibit was closed because he has some of the most gorgeous paintings. I think my favorite part of taking them to the Met was getting to hear Zeppe’s thoughts on the art. Last time they were here, I took him & Caiden to the Met and he said he didn’t know what type of art he liked. So, I have made it my mission to find a type that he likes & connects with. Because really whats the point of being here without finding something you connect with.

Luckily, they opened the newly updated wing with the Oceanic, Native American, & Central American art. Zeppe found a few pieces in this area very interesting & maybe next time he will get more into it. The art he can not stand? Modern art. I mean I can’t either. He was personally offended with Rothko & did a whole tirade in that gallery. It was very entertaining. My parents on the other hand, great purveyors of art. They loved all of the areas but especially the European paintings. (I know Alex is somewhere laughing at this)

Once we were done, we took the M2 downtown toward the Empire State building. Riri & I needed caffeine or Zeppe & Josh were in for a tough afternoon. We decided to pop into the Starbucks Reserve inside the Empire State building because it was closest to the bus stop & where we needed to be. My order was a grande strawberry acai lemonade - light ice, no berries (obviously) & Riri ordered a grande latte triple with almond milk & a copy of my order (fan behavior).

Finally! It was time to go pick up our honored guest of the weekend- my sister in law Brittney. She decided to train in for the evening since she lives in Philly and hang out with us for a few hours. Bless her soul for marrying my oldest brother because that kid is A LOT. But we were all so beyond excited to see her. I love any excuse to go to the train hall. We need to make train travel more popular so that I can use them more often to go home. I love traveling by train, ugh, I could do a whole post on this but I digress.

Josh was nice enough to make us a late lunch reservation at Eataly in Flatiron. This is a family favorite because really the food is always good. Though, we all really just enjoy walking around the store & finding all of the Italian goodies we can’t at home. I don’t go often but then when I do I kick myself for not. They also have such amazing grab & go options so, if you’re ever in the city, I highly recommend this a place for a quick bite.

For dinner, Brittney & I ended up with Penne alla Norma (penne in a red sauce with eggplant), my dad ordered Cacio e Pepe, Zeppe had spaghetti with marinara, & my mom had spinach ravioli with a light lemon sauce. Everything was 10/10.

As a way to walk off our food, I guided everyone down to Fish’s Eddy. If you are looking for fun alternative souvenirs for your time in the city, I definitely recommend going here. They have a lot of NYC themed kitchen ware along with fun & beautifully painted prints of famous landmarks & businesses around the city. I love walking in to see what new types of designs they have. I have a few items from here in my apartment & I think they are amazing quality & great additions to my kitchen space.

Now, this next stop for us was 100% for Zeppe. I asked him early this week what he wanted to do while in the city. His exact response was, “what’s even in New York City.” So true king. Keep this city humble. Anyway, a kid of few words, I finally got him to say he wanted chocolate & pizza during his time here. Being the best big sister I could be I told him I would buy him the chocolate dumplings from Din Tai Fung that I had a few weeks ago when Ashley & Donna visited. He, my mom, & Brittney enjoyed them. They officially got Zeppe’s approval because he immediately started dancing upon eating the first one. Maybe, one day, if we are lucky, he will release the review he recorded into the world but then so many famous food reviewers would be out of a job.

We then did the most brave thing any human could do. We walked through Time Square on a Saturday night. I guided them into the depths & we came out the other side unscathed & with Anitas gelato for Brittney, Riri, & Josh. We headed toward Bryant Park to sit & relax for awhile. It’s another one of those relaxed havens in the city & connected to one of my favorite buildings in the world. Not my most favorite. My most favorite is the Pantheon but this is a close second.

Sadly, we then had to take Brittney back to the train station. We sat with her & waited until we saw her descend onto the train platform. Ugh, I loved seeing her. Brittney, if you’re reading this, visit again soon. We can go bookstore hopping.

Since it was such a late hour & Zeppe was falling asleep (it was 8 pm). We decided to head back to my neighborhood. My family had their first experience of sitting on a 1 train with no working AC. Everyone was battling for their lives. We luckily stepped off onto a cooler train platform & headed to Shake Shack. I am not sure which stop was Zeppe’s favorite - the chocolate dumplings or this. This was essential to all of our well beings because of the earlier lunch we were all quite hungry. Also, they have veggie burgers now?! Game changer for me personally.

Finally, we made it home. We stepped into my apartment with it’s new & crisp AC which was so breathtaking it was almost enough for me to cry.

This morning, Riri & I went on a brisk morning walk all the way to HomeGoods & Target! We didn’t do too much damage but I did get a mug with all the Disney Villains on it. When I showed Riri, she said, “thats so you!” which I am going to be taking as a compliment. We also had such a fantastic time looking at all of the Fall decor they were beginning to set out. It’s almost my most favorite time of year & seeing all of that stuff on display, I was getting giddy.

My parents were nice enough to take me to the grocery store and Riri bought me flowers that are now on display in my apartment. It’s like her calling card. Flowers in a vase. That’s how you know Riri has been there.

I loved having my family visit me this weekend & I hope I get to go home at the end of the month & see all of my chaotic family in one spot. Maybe even see my friends, who knows! I guess, I now have to make myself dinner like an adult instead of having my parents buy me dinner. Actually, really annoying but they did buy my groceries so I guess, in a way they did.

Anyway, everyone have a marvelous week & talk soon.