New York, New York

I guess I'm a bit out of practice but I'll see what I can do.

It's more than a month since we've returned from the great tour of New York and New Jersey in March/April. If you're someone we ran into back there, it's probably a distant memory, but I still seem to reference our time abroad by intervals between visits home. This one was our third in three years. It had been 15 months since the last visit, and the flight has become longer since then. That's one reason we stayed longer, in addition to knowing how time seems to speed up when we're there. In three and a half weeks we did alright, especially without the interruption of any blizzards or major holidays. Whoever was in charge of weather, I had hoped for a few more sunny pleasant days. Thanks for holding back on the snow though.

I shouldn't begrudge the weather at all, considering that we each arrived at Newark Airport to the news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. As I've said before, when you travel a lot the world takes on a smaller, more intimate scale. Japan was one of our absolute favorite countries so far and when you've encountered warm people and a fascinating culture personally, you feel the news is more than news. The devastation is still hard to comprehend.

I say that we each arrived at Newark because I flew with the commoners in economy, with a stop in Hong Kong, while Paul flew direct in business class. My flights were 3.5 hours + 15.5 hours. Paul's was 18 hours, 40 minutes straight. That's a lot of movies. I had the small relief of the middle seat next to me being unoccupied on both of the long flights. It does make a difference. I passed through Hong Kong only momentarily but I had an aching desire to linger, even in the airport.

Paul worked for the first two weeks in the Jersey City office so it wasn't all fun for him. His second week of work we spent at the same hotel in JC that we stayed in before we moved to Hong Kong. It gave us the opportunity for a quick route to Manhattan where I met Paul after his meeting in the NY office one day. We had dinner at Union Square Cafe, a place that was on our list for years. I don't know why we waited so long! It was fantastic. After overpaying for so many mediocre meals in Singapore, our meal there was a true delight. And somehow, even high end tabs now seem fair after the exorbitant prices we're used to paying here. We stopped in a bar for a beer after dinner and I don't remember the price, but I know it wasn't $18 a pint.

We got to see a lot of friends, including a couple we knew in Hong Kong who relocated to NJ last year. One day you're having lunch with people in Hong Kong's Soho, and a few years later it's dinner in Hoboken with them and there 6 week old baby boy. Much thanks to our "old" friends for making time for us, especially the ones who drove from Maryland and Virginia to say hello. Hey, when we move back and we're just around all the time, will you still treat us so well?

Paul had one free week and we used a day to be NYC tourists. We caught a matinee, along with the white haired crowd, of the play That Championship Season, starring Keifer Sutherland, Jim Gaffigan, Brian Cox, Chris Noth and Jason Patrick. It was difficult to decide what to see with so many star-studded options, which is something to really appreciate about NY... and the slices. While we were walking to the theater we looked for some quick pick-up food before the show. We stopped in a pizza place and each got a slice. I got a Sicilian. It was far from the best pizza I ever ate, but it was still good, and we ate it while walking down the street. Such enthusiasm over a slice of pizza? Yes, oh yes.

After the play we walked through Times Square and then to a bar in the area while on a mission: to give an Irish boy a hug. I have a lovely friend in Singapore, Maura from Ireland. Her son lives in NY and tends bar at - where else - The Irish Bar and around the corner at another called Old Castle. I told Maura we would stop in and see him and she asked that I give him a hug from his Mam as she misses him terribly. We ventured into one of the bars, ordered a beer and asked for Ronan. "Ronnie?" was the response. "He's working around the corner tonight." Then we went around the corner and asked for Ronan again. "Ronnie? Yeah, that's him at the bar." So we had a drink in Ronan/Ronnie's company and I delivered the hug and received one to bring back to Singapore. After the bar we went to Les Halles for dinner. No surprises there; we've already tested the steak frites in the past and were happy to go with a familiar and reliable option.

Our day made me feel lucky to have been born and lived in one of the world's truly great cities. Yes, even the lowly borough of Staten Island qualifies. The "bridge and tunnel" crowd make up an undeniable part of the city. Like it or not, Manhattanites. As a matter of fact, I hit four out of five boroughs while in town. Staten Island and Manhattan, of course. Brooklyn for lunch and for dinner. And Queens for a soccer game. Though next time, I'd likely avoid traveling on the Staten Island Ferry on St. Patrick's Day. It was a bit too much welcome back all at once.

We shopped too much; we ate too much; we wished we had more time to spend with everyone. This is now our official itinerary on every home visit. Thanks for the time, the bagels, the crayon artworks. They remain with us (especially the bagels). We passed our March 15 anniversary of moving to Singapore while in the US. I meant to notice but I was probably planning a meal.

To my parents, how does the blog look on the new iMac?

I'll try to be bloggier in the upcoming weeks.