Quality Family Time in NJ

An Uber picked us up at the Moxy Hotel on Ann St. for a schlepp-free, hour-plus journey to Allendale NJ. The boys were excited to take us to their favorite restaurant Friday night: Mt. Fuji Japanese Steak House in Hillburn. It was similar to Benihana, offering hibachi table dining with a silly-chef-sideshow. Lots of laughs. We had a fireside night cap back at the ranch and off to bed.

Saturday morning found us snug around the fire and at the beginning of a long round of Monopoly. We took a lunch break at The Shannon Rose in Ramsey for pub grub. Back to the sofa for fireside games. Saturday was sunny but cold outside. Ally and Paul made a delicious dinner and corked some awesome wine. After clean-up, the six of us watched "The Greatest Showman." The very entertaining 2017 musical drama inspired by the life of P.T. Barnum. No doubt we'll come back to take the family to the show when it's on Broadway. Great music and dancing. A full day of lazy family time. The best.

Springtime in NewYork

Early flight Thursday, NYC shopping for a warm raincoat, hanging out at the Moxy Hotel again...it’s good to be back in the greatest city in the world. Ally recommended Escala in Soho for dinner. Typical of her suggestions, it was an amazing dinner of exotic small plates in a very small, loud space. We paired our food selections with an Eastern European wine. It was unusual but a perfect complement to our meal.

Friday found us out in the cold rain again. We took the #7 subway to the all new and ritzy Hudson Yards at 30th & 10th. A state of the art mall and lifestyle community in NYC; home to the city’s first Neiman Marcus store. It was over the top! 

Manhattan to Marco

Despite my vow, I caved on the Uber rant and had a better experience out of Manhattan to EWR Wednesday. We made our way back to Marco as I finished my mystical journey into RSW with the last chapter of The Fortune Teller. Two great otherworldly novels in two weeks. Next in queue is on the lighter side:

UPDATE: Couldn't get through The Friend. First book of the year that I bailed on. A tedious read about writers and writing; not really about a dog and grieving. And not at all on the lighter side. No worries. I jumped ahead to "Where the Crawdads Sing" and it became one of my favorite books of the year. Beautifully written, a fast-paced mystery and lots of lessons about nature. Loved it!

Thanks for following along!

The Greatest City on Earth

This city never gets old! Familiar haunts and new faves made for a fabulous day in Manhattan. We hopped the #4 subway for breakfast at Danny Meyer's Daily Provisions in Union Square. We walked in the cold rain until we had enough. A perfect opportunity to see a matinee. "A Star is Born" worked out with the timing. Great movie. As the city dried out, we walked around the Christmas Market at Bryant Park. A fun annual tradition. Back downtown to Moxy to rest our feet and get ready for Zuma. With no reservations, we were determined to be the first at the 5:30pm opening. As our good luck prevailed, we were treated to a seat at the Chefs table. What an unbelievable two hour dining experience! Blown away with our omakase!

Veterans Day 2018

We dropped the kids at Hillside school Monday despite the Veteran's Day holiday for some. Ally slept in a bit; still trying to recover from jet lag. Bill treated the three of us to our fave breakfast at La Vie En Rose Bakery Cafe in Waldwick NJ. Afterwards, Ally dropped us at the train for our NYC escape.

The Moxy on Ann St. in FiDi is only two weeks old and super cute. We love staying at tiny NYC hotels! We hung out in the lobby talking to several professionals planning the Bumble event. The first event where Bumble app users get together in person for cocktails and hook ups will be held at Moxy Tuesday night. 😅

Per Ally's recommendation, we taxied to Don Angie Restaurant on Greenwich in the Village. We were able to snatch seats at the bar because we didn't get reservations six months ago. Yes, they book six month out. The famous rolled lasagna was delicious.

It was a good Veterans Day celebration as we reminisced about our five year anniversary of rolling over the Marco Bridge this Monday in 2013.

Half Day in FiDi

Bill was in the mood for a New York bagel on our final day of fun in the Big Apple. We didn't want to get too full because of our noon lunch reservation at Osteria della Pace in the Eataly complex downtown. 

It was a nice, brisk walk around the financial district on a sunny Monday morning. Early shopping ended a successful hunt for holiday attire. Lunch was fabulous and so was exploring the massive Eataly complex. 

An Uber dropped us at EWR for our 4pm flight to RSW. We were even lucky enough to bump into Jorge, Bill's partner and friend, in the United lounge! So long NYC.

Follow me on Instagram: rogerskf! 

Sunday Funday

From George's for breakfast in FiDi to Tim Ho Wan for dim sum, there were crowds of people throughout the city. It was almost overwhelming. We shuffled our way through Rock Center to see the tree and down 5th Avenue for window shopping in route to the Christmas markets of Bryant Park. This perfect touring weather has everyone out and about!

Saturday in the Park

After strolling the Christmas markets at Columbus Circle we lallygagged around the Time Warner complex before our hike up Central Park West to the American Museum of Natural History. A great dinner reunion with Patty and Mike at Foragers Table in Chelsea made for a full day of sights, sounds, flavors and fragrances. Our feet are burning and so are our Metra cards.

NYSE

The trend is your friend. A record week for the DJIA crossing over 24,000. The New York Stock Exchange was all lit up last night on our walk home from Haru Sushi.

Fun to be in NYC for Christmas lights and another taste of cool air! We're spending a few days/nights in the financial district. Good rates on hotels!

The Final Push Home

Cheraw State Park was another nice find in SC. The park was empty and we were treated to waterfront property. On to Ponte Vedra, FL to meet Rufus, the newest family member. After a final night at our fave FL park, Anastasia Island SP, we ventured down the interstate to our little corner of paradise!!!

Thanks for following along. We'll be posting from the big eclipse next week!

Virginia Does it Again

With a late start out of NJ, we made it to the Shenandoah River Valley by 5:30pm. As much as I generally dislike KOAs, we hit the jackpot in the town of Luray. A beautiful campsite welcomed us to the grassy knolls and distant mountains of VA.

Charlottesville is on our mind tonight as fanatics exercise their right to free speech and excite the media into a frenzied state of incessant and sensationalized reporting. God help America.

Cityscapes

Union Square was a perfect central location for touring the city in three days. We went through $50 in subway fares with a major Metro hub just a couple blocks from our hotel.

Friday was mostly spent exploring lower Manhattan's waterfront. A ride on the Staten Island ferry capped off the tour.

We couldn't resist a stop for lunch at the original Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. It was packed!

New York, NY

Oh how I ❤️ NY!

Ally is taking her turn babysitting. We left Solo for a few days in NY. Lunch at Mister Dips in Brooklyn was first on the list. Then, we shared a solemn couple hours at the 9/11 Memorial. The Oculus transportation hub at the WTC connected us to our subway and hotel in Union Square; close to my old stomping grounds.

UPS Pride

The boys in NJ loved their new shirts!

Busy Times in NJ

Fun, fun and more fun!

Long Beach Island

Brookville campground was a decent stay at the NJ shore. Wednesday morning we ventured to LBI for lunch and a little boutique shopping. Fun stop!